MINECRAFT: VOLUME ALPHA by C418
Originally aired on NPR’s 1A on April 23, 2025. Featuring original interviews with Daniel Rosenfeld aka C418, Keith Stuart, and Julianne Grasso.
Composer Daniel Rosenfeld is better known online as C418.
His music is listened to by millions. But few probably know that he’s the artist responsible for a vital building block of a cultural phenomenon.
Rosenfeld’s “Minecraft” theme song was one of the 25 recordings picked this year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.
The game got its full release in 2011. Since then, Rosenfeld’s music has been integral to many a gamer’s block-building fantasy. It all began in an online forum called the Independent Games Source. That’s where Rosenfeld first met “Minecraft” designer Markus Persson who gave him free reign to score his upcoming project.
The result? An ambient and haunting soundtrack with auditory effects for all of Minecraft’s actions and creatures.
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo of Accompany Studios.