PleasingFungus's Devblog

Musician Wanted

Update, July 20th: I’ve received a large number of applications, more than enough to find the artist I need.

The game is coming close to completion, so I’m looking to finally hire a musician!

Silicon Zeroes is a puzzle game in which you start from scratch and build up to eventually making a computer*. It’s inspired by Zachtronics games (e.g. SpaceChem, Shenzhen I/O) and by my own older game, Manufactoria, in that it’s a ‘creative’ puzzle game about building and experimenting. Mechanically, though, it’s pretty distinct from other games out there.

The game is set in an unspecified year somewhere in the 1960s. It’s partially a fictionalization of the historical companies that created Silicon Valley (e.g. Fairchild Semiconductors), and partially a pastiche of the startups that populate it today. There’s a great feeling of optimism and enthusiasm, sometimes a bit unmoored from reality.

The game looks like this:

Part of a complex machine.

The puzzle select screen.

I’m looking for about 8-12 tracks, totaling 20-25 minutes of music. The style I’m imagining is 1970s synth music - e.g. Jean-Michel Jarre or Klaus Schulze. (It’s slightly out-of-period, but I haven’t been able to find anything more 60s that would fit the game - if you have something in mind, I’m open to discussion.)

Most of the tracks will be background loops, with a few short non-looping cutscene pieces - I’m not looking for anything complex/interactive involving layering, etc.

Ideally, I’d like to have everything done within about 4-5 weeks of when you start working. This isn’t a hard requirement, but time is important.

Big plusses for a potential candidate are a professional/freelance music background and/or sample tracks with a style fitting the game. Neither are required, obviously.

If you’re interested, email me at pleasingfung@gmail.com. Include [MUSIC] in the subject line. You must have a portfolio (more than a couple of random pieces!) and billing rates, though of course you can give a general range - we’ll get into specifics if you’re chosen. Reasonable revenue split offers will also be considered. (I’m not interested in free work, sorry!)

If this isn’t for you, but if you know someone else who might be interested, please pass the word along!

I’ll update this post when the position is filled.

Update, July 20th: I’ve received a large number of applications, more than enough to find the artist I need.

*Technically, a CPU.