TPR: I started playing the piano at the age of six — 20 years ago now. I was kind of forced into it by my parents! I only had basic lessons for a few years but have continued playing ever since. It's only been in the last few years that I've been playing video game music. TPR: It started a couple of years back. I was working on orchestral arrangements of Final Fantasy VII tracks when I started working on Launching a Dream into Space — itself almost a melancholy tribute to Cid's Theme. This got me thinking "what other FFVII tunes would work slowed down with different instrumentation?"

J-E-N-O-V-A is always a popular number, so I started with that. The feedback I got was overwhelmingly positive, so I thought I'd try it out on some more FFVII tunes. Mako Reactor, Cosmo Canyon, Shinra Inc... it was a great way to pay tribute to what I believe is the greatest video game soundtrack of all time, while also being able to put my own spin on things.

I covered VII, VIII and IX because those are the ones I grew up with! I got a PlayStation in 1997, so FFVII was the first big release I really got into. I also remember getting FFVIII for Christmas two years later — it was a good job, as I'd pretty much worn that demo disc out! FFIX is a strange one, and I'd kind of given up on it when it first came out — I think schoolwork may have been a priority at that point (also an unhealthy obsession with pro wrestling) — but I've played through it since and enjoyed it thoroughly. TPR: I'm a Mac user, and I do all arranging and recording in Logic Pro. As far as sound libraries go, I really like Spectrasonics' Omnisphere. Most of the background synths and pads in the Melancholy Tribute albums are from there. My piano sounds are from Ivory II by Synthogy — I've tried several piano libraries before, but Ivory II is the best for me. TPR: Aside from Nobuo, of course, I really love this band called Hellsongs — they cover heavy-metal standards but in a kind of indie folkish way. They're also not afraid to just leave the sound "hanging" for a few bars, which I really like to do (perhaps sometimes too much!). TPR: Definitely the piano, although I really love the cello. I bought one to try to learn, but I just don't have the time or talent — I would absolutely love to work on a piano/cello Final Fantasy collaboration, though. TPR: I love progressive rock/metal, but I'm almost certain I don't have anywhere near the vision required to write it. But you never know — perhaps in the future there will be a prog tribute to Final Fantasy! Melodies of Life would work in an 7/8 time signature, right? Right? TPR: I have to say Nobuo, don't I? The man's a genius. For a bit more of a left-field option I'd absolutely love to work with Arjen Lucassen, the man behind Ayreon (and countless other projects). I have no idea how I could work with him, but hey! TPR: I'm not sure I really have a favourite song! Probably The Perfect Element by Pain of Salvation and er... John Farnham's You're The Voice! What a song! My dad had a CD that I listened to all the time. It had REO Speedwagon, Journey, Marillion's Kayleigh, St Elmo's Fire, Magnum's Start Talking Love... they don't make music like that any more, do they?

Honestly, I'm a bit of a philistine when it comes to composers — even video game ones. I'm not averse to a bit of the pop-classical pianists like Einaudi and Yiruma, though. Sorry.

Games-wise, I'm a big PSone romantic — and not just because of FFVII, VIII & IX. I've got a massive collection of PSone games, but admittedly most of them are pretty bad! Who remembers Robo Pit? Hopefully no one; it deserves to be forgotten about. But still it had some great games: Tekken, Tony Hawk's, Spyro, the Crash series... The Wrath of Cortex on PS2 taught me a valuable lesson about buying games based on its series, however.

I really like ketchup! TPR: My work's not exactly well known, but the incredible feedback I get from listeners is fantastic. Every time I just get a new "fan" on Facebook, it brings a massive smile to my face. TPR: I've had a couple of people want to use my FF covers when they walk down the aisle! That to me is simply incredible, and there's probably no greater compliment. TPR: I wish I had a better answer to this question than "I don't know!" I love arranging the Final Fantasy pieces, but the ultimate aim is to become known for my original songs, so I'll probably work on a new original album first of all. However, I'll get frustrated with that and end up doing a Melancholy Tribute to Final Fantasy VI before too long. [Editor's Note: We are more than okay with this.] I guess that's a semi-official announcement! TPR: Thank you to everyone who has listened to, watched, bought or streamed anything to do with me. It's very, very much appreciated. Please check out my Facebook page and Bandcamp page for an album of original pieces.