Crystal D’Esprit is a versatile film, television, and game composer, sound designer and sound artiste, whose musical journey began at the age of seven with classical flute training and performances with county and national youth orchestras. Her deep-rooted foundation in orchestral music now merges seamlessly with contemporary styles, from electronic and jazz to cinematic soundscapes.
A finalist for Emerging Composer of the Year at the 2023 Apulia Soundtrack Awards and winner of the Foley the World competition, Crystal combines traditional orchestration with innovative sound design to craft emotionally engaging scores and sound design for games and film.
Having studied with acclaimed composers Simon Franglen (Avatar series) and Cyril Morin in Italy, she brings both artistry and technical precision to her work.
Crystal D’Esprit holds a Foundation Degree in Creative Audio Technology and a Bachelor’s in Sound for Games and Apps, and is currently pursuing her MMus in Composition for Film and Television. Working from her Mac-based studio, she is fluent in Logic Pro X, FMOD, Wwise, PureData, and Max/MSP as well as integration in game engines of Unity and Unreal, creating immersive audio experiences for screen and interactive media.
With Echoes Memories & Dreams out now, we took some time to hear from Crystal D’Esprit. Read below to learn more about Crystal D’Esprit, the story behind Echoes Memories & Dreams, and what’s to come.
Hi Crystal D’Esprit! Let’s start with how did you choose your stage name?
It took two years before I made it official. I wrote down, who am I? What do I give? What do you do? So, I filled in this table until I had lots of answers of various things, abstract and various other things. Then after analysis, I settled on Crystal as the vessel, as it was multifaceted, strong and clear. Then, I had to express life’s full range of emotions, so I was left with Spirit, and I preferred the French “Of Spirit,” and then I looked at the numerology of the name and it added to a 9, which I was content with, so it became Crystal D’Esprit or Crystal of Spirit.
What city are you from, and where are you based now?
I was born in Bristol, and now I live in the picturesque countryside, of Somerset.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
Gosh, I feel that music chose me as much as I was fascinated with it. My mum has a photograph of me scratching her vinyl trying to get a sound out like the record player would. Then, I started on recorder, then flute in my young school and then playing in orchestras county and national as a teen. I rebelled to pop, rock, blues and jazz after leaving school. Then, danced for Manumission in Ibiza and fell in love with electronic music, then on my return I wrote my first song, and now I compose for films, games and create sound design as well as release music. So, it’s never left me. It continues to be a lifelong dialogue between music and life, and I believe that life happens between the notes.
How would you describe your sound?
Cinematic, emotional, dramatic, spanning an array of genres, yet there always remains a bridge of emotional storytelling regardless of whether I’m using synthesis or real instruments through composition. My background of working in different genres and being inspired by composers and artists that have become the soundtrack to my own life gifts me a wealth of options to choose from when playing or composing for a full orchestra.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
Generally and honestly, it’s music that comes first, last and everywhere in between, with a little dash of gardening and fashion accessories.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
Gosh, there’s a long list at my ripe age, yet Ennio Morricone for certain for Chi Mai, The composer behind The Never Ending Story, Moroder. The composer of the Final Fantasy series VII – X Nobuo Uematsu, and for Anime, Joe Hisaishi for Spirited Away. Who else oh gosh, James Newton Howard for Devils Advocate and Don Davis for The Matrix, yet there’s obviously John Williams and Hans Zimmer for compostition and that list still wouldn’t be exhaustative yet I love music from Faithless and Moby and a lot of dance tracks, so a real mixed bag of influences. I guess the music has to have an evocative emotional quality that is lasting and memorable and there’s too many to list really. I feel I should mention more.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
I have many mini wins along the way, yet for me it’s when I’m in the zone and time constraints disappear, where you are so locked in, tuned into what you are doing by yourself or with others and magic happens. Being selected for a Finalist of the Apulia Soundtrack Awards and having masterclasses with other world renound composers in Italy was a real lasting quality and I still have a magic formula from Simon Franglen which I know will serve me. He is such a warm-hearted family man with a very humble grace about him. None of that possible of course without Cyril Morin.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
Don’t fight the imperfections, that is what it is to be human. You never stop learning and refining it’s a process and a calling. Be open to experimentation and collaborations. When it comes to composing and arranging they are to hats, one composition is raw and chaotic, arrangement is about creating order from chaos, each are important, yet they hold those distinctions.
Now onto your release, Echoes Memories & Dreams. What inspired this album?
Raw emotional conversation and composition between the composer and instrument, to play without the restriction of time and space and allow the intimate rawness to express its way through the notes. Capturing the compositional process live and in the moment with the only concept of Echoes Memories & Dreams in mind.
What is the overall theme of Echoes Memories & Dreams?
An intimate compositional conversation between the player and instrument, creating this ethereal world.
What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for Echoes Memories & Dreams?
The freedom from restrictions in an abstract image that blended each of the eleven named pieces into a cohesive symbolic image of Echoes Memories & Dreams.
What was the creative process like when making Echoes Memories & Dreams?
Stereo set up the mics and press record and just play and have different musical conversations with the piano, free from space and time restrictions and being in flow.
How long did it take to complete Echoes Memories & Dreams?
Two days of live recording and one day of editing.
Is there a specific song on Echoes Memories & Dreams that speaks to you the most? If so, why?
There’s a few I like, the “Unwinding,” “Waiting For Daylight,” and “In the pool of desire,” yet there are others as each is like an animated emotional snapshot…
What do you hope fans take away from Echoes Memories & Dreams and your music in general?
Peace, reflection and relaxation, where their mind can drift.
What’s next? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
I have a classical EP coming out on the 8th August, and I’ll be going to the Bristol Film Festival in the September followed by BFI film festival.
Where can we follow you on social media?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DEspritsound
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desprit.sound
Before you go, let’s ask you an off-topic question. What is your favorite food?
My favourite food is Italian. I think Italy really captured my heart.
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
