A Cosmic jazz Adventure

Imagine, if you can, a space opera unfolding to the cosmic jams of Sun Ra, Miles Davis, and Alice Coltrane, weaving together the physical and metaphysical story of the universe's creation, all played out through the hardboiled b&w lens of film noir. If you've managed to conjure that image, you're beginning to grasp the ambition of Genesis Noir, a critically acclaimed video game on Mac, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

“The game sizzles with invention… An astonishing, memorable, and novel piece of work”

~The Guardian

Feral Cat Den, the game's developers, reached out to us after compiling a list of music references; then being surprised to discover we'd made half of them. *blush

“There’s a musical sequence in Genesis Noir which rivals the best in recent video game memory.”

~Vice

Musical Storytelling

Beyond a regular game score, Feral Cat Den saw the music as an integral part of Genesis Noir's gameplay. With no dialogue throughout its ~6-hour journey, Genesis Noir relies heavily on music and sound to tell its story.

We devised a system of leitmotifs to create plot signals and conceptual connections in the minds of our audience as well as expressing the unspoken feelings of the characters. As a result, the music becomes the glue of Genesis Noir's story, unifying and exploring its themes and emotions.

Making-Of

Read more about our techniques and approaches in these articles:

Scientific Sonic Storytelling

Weaving Science into the Soundtrack of Genesis Noir

Using the William S. Burroughs Cut-Up Technique

Writing Lyrics with an Aleatoric Touch for Genesis Noir

Explore Our Scores for Genesis Noir

Embracing Improvisation with Minimal Notation

The Album

We spent two months significantly overhauling and extending cues. Adding solos, new sections, and vocals to create the soundtrack release Big Bang: Music From the Universe of Genesis Noir.

“The soundtrack is fantastic”

~Metro

The Vinyl

iam8bit is, among other things, a video game music label and merchandising company, based in Los Angeles. They played a crucial role in the vinyl renaissance, and are the industry leader in premium physical editions of top-tier games. Including ours.

Order Big Bang: Music from the Universe of Genesis Noir on Luxury Double Vinyl here