Which two composers created the music for Stranger Things?

Which two composers created the music for Stranger Things? The answer is Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon.

Stein and Dixon are members of the Austin electronic band Survive, whose music had already attracted the Duffer Brothers. The Duffers heard Survive’s work in the 2014 film The Guest and later used the band’s track “Dirge” in a mock trailer designed to sell Stranger Things to Netflix.

After the series was approved, the duo supplied older material and created new music, including character motifs and the now-famous opening theme. Their score relies heavily on analog-style synthesizers and draws on the atmosphere of 1980s electronic and horror-film music. Influences associated with the sound include Jean-Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, and Goblin.

The show also uses many licensed period songs, such as music by Joy Division, New Order, The Clash, Kate Bush, and Metallica. Those artists are not the show’s original-score composers, which is the key distinction this question tests. Stein and Dixon composed the original score and theme, while Nora Felder supervised the music used across the series.