musician wanted for KS level

I've been working on a Knytt Stories level since October. I don't expect this level to be released until the end of this year or the beginning of next. It's far too early in the development to even consider doing a preview, but I have finished a lot of the graphics. I plan to include 100% custom tilesets of the highest caliber. The level will be an easy to hard story based challenge. Also, I want to include all original music.

Music is where you come in. I've searched the planet for Creative Commons songs and whatnot, and found a few that would work. The problem is finding enough music to fill a large game that works together. Most of the music out there seems to be created with the intention that the song is all there is. They tend to take the foreground when I want something to play in the background.

Specifically, I want music made to match the different environments in the game. I want it made to set the mood rather than command attention. Also I'd like a theme created, a theme that will be heard in little or large extents in various areas of the game.

If you think you'd like to be my musician, or possibly one of a few musicians, then please give me links to some representative works. I've included some screen shots of a few areas below. A story synopsis can be provided upon request.

Below is a dense forest (this is a lush serene place with simple folk), the canopy of the forest, a city of bright skyscrapers (It's only pretty on the surface. It's full of corruption and greed at it's heart.), the city sewers (It's a little bit steam-punk and a lot convoluted.) Other areas planned are a rocky coast, a spooky forest, a burrow much like the dense forest, rocky caverns, lava caverns, a snowy island with ice crystal caves.

I could make some ambient stuff for you, but don't count on me providing you with an entire soundtrack. I'm way too lazy for that.
Here's one of my songs, if you're interested.

Oh, wow, those are gorgeous. You really make me wish I was musically inclined enough to compose music for it. Alas, I'm mildly tone deaf, so any melody I tried to create would probably be disastrous... though my sense of rhythm is fine, and I have a serious percussion collection: one ceramic-bodied & two wood-bodied djembes, several smaller drums, assorted rattles, maracas & other 'noisemakers' including a funky wooden frog that's a cross between a güiro and a moktak, a set of Tibetan chimes, and a couple of calabash kalimbas I picked up because they go so well with non-tonal percussion instruments in a drum circle.

But the kinds of music I can make with those probably aren't going to be the kind of music you're looking for.  

This level looks awesome and I'd love to compose some music for it, but at the moment I don't have a computer with which I can compose (just a little netbook). I'm hopefully getting a new Mac this summer though (maybe as late as September) so if this is that long-term a project then perhaps I can help at a later stage, if you're still working on it.

@Razzorman: I like the 6ft tall Koala and the WaDF2 City, is that still alive?. You've definitely got the right idea. I'd like to have you on board. You would have most of a year to work on it. Also, I think I'm going to go with multiple artists collaborating.

@Jack: I have no idea what all that would even sound like. It would be hard to make an all percussion piece that doesn't command attention and doesn't drown out the sounds of Juni's footfalls. However, I would like to say to everyone that you don't necessarily have to be a tracker to get in on this. You just need to be able to make enjoyable background music.

@FM: I don't want to wait that long to start on music. Sorry.

I've been thinking since I posted yesterday  that breaking the work up among several artists would be best. I think the first step is to come up with a theme, a main melody. Once someone creates this, it could be sampled and remixed by other artists to create a few more of the tracks. Then the remaining tracks could be created by the same artists individually.

Once I finish writing the story, I'll be able to create a storyboard, and then a world map. With the world map created I'll be able to tell the musicians how large the different sections will be and, to a lesser extent, how long it should take to complete them. The environments will dictate the nature of the tracks and the size will dictate the length. I am willing to adjust my stuff to accommodate your stuff if the need arises. (eg. I ask for a 7 minute song. You make an 8 minute song and love it. I agree and lengthen the area.)

One last note: I will be using the music as music and not ambi. I don't like the way music behaves when treated like an ambiance track.

@Jack: I have no idea what all that would even sound like. It would be hard to make an all percussion piece that doesn't command attention and doesn't drown out the sounds of Juni's footfalls. However, I would like to say to everyone that you don't necessarily have to be a tracker to get in on this. You just need to be able to make enjoyable background music.

Well, that's part of why I threw you a couple of wiki links -- most of their percussion-instrument articles include audio samples. I don't expect most people to even know a djembe from a set of bongos.

Wrt drowning out Juni's footfalls, I think you may be thinking of kit drums (the kind heard in most rock songs, marching bands, etc.) which are very different from the acoustic/organic sounds most hand-percussion instruments produce.

But if you're shooting for a team of collaborating musicians... I have Audacity and a mic, so I can readily record sound samples for use by people who can actually compose songs. I think I'll try recording most of my instruments -- maybe this weekend, though I seem to have messed up my back which could make playing difficult -- and upload short samples to give a "feel" for each one. If there are a couple you particularly like the sound of, I could make those exclusive to this level if you prefer, and open up the rest to whoever wants to use them for sampling for other levels and/or non-KS uses. It would be nice to see more music composed for KS get away from synthesised-drum beats... which have their place, but are better suited to a technology-themed level or area than to a nature-themed one.

I'll leave the sample selecting to the musicians. They need to have the freedom to create. I don't want to interfere with their process anymore than necessary.

i can also contribute, if you want any more help.
here is a sample of my current project: http://www.box.net/shared/lbdqjsca7x

i use Reason and Ableton, and have samples of virtually all instruments known to mankind.

@SR: I've listened to your song about 30 times. It just doesn't feel right. I like most of the pieces, but it's like they don't fit together right. I think you'll have something good if you keep working on it.

• 0:42 The change here feels too abrupt for a piece that almost drones. It works at 2:08 though.
• 1:18 and 1:50 The "claps" just don't belong IMHO.
  
• 3:40 The end sounds unfinished. If it were to end there I think it would be better to end on the piano or the soft beats by themselves for a while. The drone needs time to drone.
• Overall I think it could be a third longer, and the the individual sections could be fleshed out more, smoother transitions between parts.
• I love the false starts with the piano before getting into it. I can see someone mustering up the will to do something, then finally doing it half heartedly, then losing the will again.

It sounds good for a rocky, lonely waterfront or sad, lonely ice cave. I don't know that I'll want much sadness or loneliness in the level. It would help if I could provide a game script so you know what I want, but I'm still writing it. Mystery and curiosity are always good feelings for an exploration based game.

oh ya its definitely in progress, i was just giving that as an example.
i would start from scratch for a song for your level, not use this one.
unless you want me to modify this for your level, and make it much longer/different. i could do that too.

i'm actually in the middle of recording vocals for it, so ya its structured a bit weird (ex: the strange claps and stuff actually work with the vocals.) it's not meant to be an instrumental piece.
it's a cover of Regina Spektor's "On the Radio", if you want to listen to that song and sing along with this youll find the structure.

but thanks for the tips, ill keep them in mind.

I can't compose or even make music, but I recommend 8-Bit collective.
Then again, I'm a n00b and you're probably all been there.

http://8bitcollective.com/music/

But I like it for BGMs and such, even just music to listen to. It's Creative Commons, I do believe, only requiring a link to the artist's page.

Actually, I've never seen that posted before.
However, originally composed music will still be a lot cooler than something you got with a CC license.

I could try to make some stuff for this level. if anything that's up on my soundcloud fits I'll be glad to make more in those styles
link:
http://www.soundcloud.com/lilmanjs

@lilmanjs16: I listened to your entire sound cloud. Everything is huge. I try to imagine your songs as environments and I'm always in wide open spaces; oceans, deserts, tundras, space. TToK --working title-- is mostly going to be cramped environments; tunnels, dense forests, a crowded city, labyrinthine temples. Also, Knytt Stories in general is very small. The screens are small. The creatures are small. The sounds the creatures make are small. Your forays into non-ambient genres were successful, and the ambient itself was quality work. I'm interested to see what you would do with TToK in mind. Pick one of the previews above and see what you come up with. Or, the temples will feel somewhat like Dungeon by Evangelos. Play it with the sound off and see what it inspires.

@Razzorman: I give you the same advice I just gave lilmanjs16. Pick a screen and see what it inspires, or play Dungeon by Evangelos and see what it inspires. I've got most of the story worked out. If you want to tackle the theme melody I'll send it to you with a storyboard when it's finished.

@StaticRomance: I give you the same advice I just gave the other two, compose something for TToK and then I'll truly know if you'll be right for this project.

At everyone, I'm looking for music on the web to give examples of what kinds of things I'm looking for. I'll post links here with descriptions of what I like about them and what I don't. I hope it will be helpful without boxing in your creativity.

Alright. To avoid confusion and wasting time, I think we should agree on who makes what.
I'd like to make something for the treetop labyrinth looking area, but I'd be fine with making some cave music too.