The Composer Blurring the Line Between Soundtracks and Modern Music Production

Crafting emotionally driven, genre-defying music for games, film, modern media, and Music Industry ARITSTS through live orchestration, hybrid production, and fearless collaboration.

Yo! I’m Jesse Zuretti, a composer, producer, guitarist, and audio director passionate about creating ambitious, genre-blending music for games, film, and modern media.

Somehow Riot Games Let Me Do This

Most recently, I’ve had the opportunity to compose music for Riot Games’ 2v2 fighting game 2XKO. My work on the project has centered around building a cinematic, high-energy sound that blends live orchestration, modern production, virtuoso musicians, and stylistic experimentation, all with the goal of strengthening gameplay & character identity and emotional immersion for players.

Built With My Wife, friends, Pasta, and Controlled Sleep Depriva- …ummm I mean HARD WORK

I’m also the co-founder of Ash & Aether, a specialized audio production team focused on game, film, and anime music production, which I run alongside arranger, contractor, and longtime collaborator (and wife!) Sydney Kjerstad Zuretti.

Through Ash & Aether, we’ve been fortunate to collaborate with an incredible roster of musicians and creatives spanning game audio, orchestration, progressive music, and modern production, including collaborators associated with projects such as Marvel, DC, Tencent, Critical Role, League of Legends, RWBY/Viz Media, and many contemporary artists across hip-hop, pop, rock, metal, soundtrack, and hybrid media production like Sleep Token, Monuments, Loathe, Brand of Sacrifice, Intervals, Thornhill, and many more.

We Recorded an Orchestra and Then Added WHACKY Guitar RIFFS Because Why Not

For 2XKO, I helped contribute to a soundtrack vision centered around strong character identity, stylistic diversity, and expressive live performance. The music features full live orchestra recorded at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville alongside contributions from an expansive roster of internationally recognized musicians, including members of Polyphia, Dirty Loops, Intervals, Trivium, and many other celebrated artists from the worlds of classical, fusion, hip-hop, rnb, jazz, and progressive music like Ando San, Jack Gardiner, Grace Kelly, Brandon Acker, Owane, Ross Garren, and more.

Teemo Needed A Disco Jazz Bluegrass Funk Djent Fusion, RIGHT?!

Working on 2XKO for Riot Games has given me the ability to exercise certain music genre muscles that a lot of people don’t know me for that are truly my favorite styles to listen to and work at as a composer. For example, Teemo’s theme “Brighter Beatdown” is the stuff of my music dreams: it’s a blend of live orchestra, soloists, and whacky genres like jazz/hip-hop (Robert Glasper), acid funk (Jamiroquai), jazz fusion (Dirty Loops), funk fusion (Wayne Krantz, Oz Noy), soul (Stevie Wonder), bluegrass (Bela Fleck), and an almost classic Looney Tunes-esque narrative by the GOAT Carl W. Stalling all the way through. I think my wife is about the only person who could’ve seen that theme coming.

Trusted by Companies That Make YOUR Wallet Nervous

I’ve also been a featured artist for videos & music for musical instrument brands like Orchestral Tools, Neural DSP, Spitfire Audio, Toontrack, Positive Grid, Fender & PreSonus, Kiesel Guitars, Ibanez Guitars, Lewitt Microphones, Steinberg Cubase, and more.

Metal, Orchestra, Synths, and Other QUESTIONABLE Life Decisions

Outside of games, a large part of my work also exists within modern metal, orchestral production, and hybrid composition. I performed guitar, orchestration, and synthesizers for DAATH on “The Deceivers,” released through Metal Blade Records and mixed by Jens Bogren. The project features an incredible lineup of guitarists from bands including Periphery, Nevermore, Ice Nine Kills, and Archspire, and it was genuinely an honor to contribute alongside so many musicians I admire.

I’ve also contributed orchestration, synth programming, and production work for artists including Intervals on the entire 2025 Juno Winning album “memory palace”, Monuments and their collaboration w/ Moist Critikal & Godslap for “Nefarious”, Brand of Sacrifice “Purge”, Amorphis “Halo”, Allegaeon “The Ossuary Lens”, helping bring a cinematic and emotionally driven layer to projects that blur the line between heavy music, modern scoring, and interactive entertainment.

Sometimes Modern Music Needs More Feelings, even the Funny Games & heavy angry Metal stuff

At the End of the Day, I Want People to Feel Something.

At the core of everything I do is collaboration and storytelling through sound. I care deeply about helping developers, directors, and creative teams build distinctive sonic identities for their worlds, characters, and experiences through live instrumentation, hybrid orchestration, genre fusion, and thoughtful collaborative production. More than anything, I simply love making music that helps people feel something memorable.

INFLUENCES

 Yeah, but what about the nitty gritty stuff? Like my favorite…

Films that Shaped Me

  • Beetlejuice, Batman (1989), Sicario, The Thing, Blade Runner, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Escape From New York, Casino Royale, Hereditary, Mandy, The Shining, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, Amour, Evil Dead 2, Hellraiser, Robocop, The Fifth Element, Léon: The Professional, Joker, The Dark Knight Rises, Back to the Future, Aliens, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Captains Courageous, Little Lord Fauntleroy, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, American Psycho, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Dutch, Mission Impossible: Fallout, Bronson, Lord of the Rings, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Oldboy, War of the Worlds (both!), Se7en, Twelve Years a Slave, Goodfellas, A Clockwork Orange, Network — to name a few!

TV Shows that Shaped Me

  • zerozerozero, Breaking Bad, Chernobyl, Gunsmoke, True Detective, Andy Griffith Show, Doug, Tales from the Crypt, Oz, Fringe, The Sopranos, The Boys, The Honeymooners, IT Crowd, Snuff Box, The Simpsons, ANY Hanna Barbera Cartoon (but especially Fantastic Four and Super Friends), Fawlty Towers, Doctor Who (4th Doctor!), Hey Arnold!, AAAHH!!! Real Monsters, Salute Your Shorts, Stranger Things, Family Matters, Knight Rider, Cheers, The Odd Couple, The Six Million Dollar Man, Star Trek (the Original), X-Files, Millennium, Fresh Prince, The Knick, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Deadwood, Goosebumps, F is for Family, Kids in the Hall, Strangers with Candy, Farmclub (if you know, you know!), Saturday Night Live (70s-90s), Rick and Morty, Mr. Pickles — countless others!

Music That Shaped Me

  • Robert Glasper, Dirty Loops, Meshuggah, Nine Inch Nails, Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode, Mazzy Star, Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Mudvayne (LD50), Sikth, The Cranberries, Pat Metheny Group, Samuel Barber, Ochre, A Perfect Circle, David Bowie (especially 80s-90s), Frank Zappa, Marlena Shaw, Deathspell Omega, Carpenter Brut, Bjork, Failure, Seal, Genesis, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Duran Duran, Marty Robbins, Stone Temple Pilots, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Perturbator, Esperanza Spalding, Wardruna, Pet Shop Boys, Massive Attack, Jaga Jazzist, Soundgarden, White Zombie, Filter, Limp Bizkit, Sade, He is Legend, Snarky Puppy, The Cure, Earl Klugh, Slipknot, Sunno))), Tupac, Kendrick Lamar (TPAB), Decapitated, Mew, Opeth, Cave In, The Smashing Pumpkins, Katatonia, Knower, Pantera, Aesop Rock, Textures, Anathema — sheesh, I could go on!

Artists that Shaped Me

  • Heironymous Bosch, Caravaggio, John Baizley, Rembrandt, Jacob Bannon, Florian Bertmer, Justin Bartlett, Eliran Kantor, Salvador Dali, Leonardo da Vinci, Mary Viola, Aaron Horkey, Damien Hirst, Quentin Blake, Tim Burton, Stradanus, Gustav Dore, Franz von Bayros, Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha

Authors That Shaped Me

Video Games That Shaped Me

  • HP Lovecraft, Annie Jacobsen, Stephen King, Alvin Schwartz, Bob Lazar, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michio Kaku, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Stieg Larsson, Chuck Palahniuk, Joyce Carol Oates, Roald Dahl, Edgar Allan Poe, Dr. Seuss, Ethel Lina White, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Anthony Bourdain, Tom Clancy, Curtis Richards, Anne Rice, Joe Hill, Neil Gaiman, Bram Stoker, Shirley, Jackson, Steven Pressfield, Jacques Vallée

  • Isles of Sea & Sky, Lies of P, Little Nightmares 2, Scorn, Doom Eternal, Quake, Battletoads, Marvel v Capcom, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario World, Blasphemous, Armored Core 6, Visage, Silent Hill Series, Kirby, and many more!

Educating, Inspiring, and Philanthropy

During the pandemic, my band, Binary Code, released a full-length record of cinematic post-progressive metal. 100% of the proceeds were donated to Suicide Prevention. Founded in memory of an individual who sadly took their own life in February of 2017, this cause was created to provide aid to those in need.

In 2021, I helped create & spearhead the Dave Gives Back fund, which donated 100% of its proceeds over $20,000 to Search and Rescue. An effort to raise funds for the fund was developed after missing hiker Dave Cook - who was never seen again after hiking the 14ers in Aspen, Colorado, in 2016. Dave left behind a wonderful family with whom Jesse became very close, which was an important part of getting the fund started.

In 2023 I opened up a 1-on-1 mentorship program via verified donations made to OSCAR (One Step Closer Animal Rescue) in Sparta, New Jersey - where I adopted my dog Mazzy in 2018. I was able to raise over $3,000 by providing donors various perks based on career guidance, production, demo analysis, or any other type of help I’m capable of assisting with.

In 2025, alongside Ash & Aether producer George Lever, we conducted the first ever live Nail The Mix course for URM Academy at the Hollywood Musician Institute, for a live audience, which then became available online.

I regularly speak with colleges & universities, private institutions, educators, and students alike on the subject of present-day pursuits of building a full-time career in music; Berklee College of Music, NYU, Brooklyn College, Los Angeles Film School, Denver University, Columbia University Chicago, Columbia University New York, Boston University, and many more.

I’ve also given several panels for GameSoundCon, the Society of Composers & Lyricists, Austin Game Music Festival, and more.