UK instrumental band 65daysofstatic has announced the official global release of their first video game soundtrack, No Man’s Sky: Music for an Infinite Universe, via Laced Records on June 17th. The release will coincide with the release of No Man’s Sky, the highly-anticipated science fiction exploration game from Guildford-based studio Hello Games, available on PS4 and PCon June 21st.
After the track ‘Debutante’ accompanied the first reveal of No Man’s Sky in 2013, the band spent over a year composing original music for the game’s soundtrack. No Man’s Sky’s procedurally generated universe is unlike anything yet seen in the gaming world, and 65daysofstatic’s sonic assault is equally ambitious. The release itself comprises 10 tracks of original music, plus a second collection of 6 soundscapes and sound design, exclusive to Laced Records in an all-encompassing journey of almost two hours. This music, alongside a vast library of raw audio comprised of loops, sound textures and melody is currently being fed into the game’s unique music engine under the auspices of audio director Paul Weir, effectively creating a self-generating soundtrack to infinity. Attempting to move away from the granular, soft-focus ambience often found in procedurally generated games, the in-game music aims to travel effortlessly between the minimal, barren melodies of outer space to the intense, visceral, aural squall of galactic survival. No Man’s Sky: Music for an Infinite Universe is equally grand in its ambition, an experimental and overwhelming sonic experience that pushes 65dos into new territory while retaining their innate sense of relentlessness, driving rhythm, and a tune you can hum.
Work on the game’s audio will continue right up to No Man’s Sky’s release, and 65daysofstatic are immensely privileged to have been given the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of sound design and composition. Given that their involvement in the project is now reaching the two-year mark, they are equally excited to get back out on the road and bring the energy and scope of infinite space to the live arena.
65daysofstatic said; “Being involved with No Man’s Sky is as unlikely as it is exciting. Two years of our lives have disappeared into a black hole and we’ve been spat out into another dimension. The project has pushed us to explore new processes and techniques, to rethink our relationship with our own music and to essentially soundtrack every narrative thread of a ‘choose your own adventure’ novel that exists only in our minds. We’re really proud of the results, and can’t wait to release the album and play it live.”
No Man’s Sky: Music for an Infinite Universe will comprise of a ten track album including a second collection of six soundscapes, all essentially part of the same body of work. Recorded at Chapel Studios, Lincolnshire with co-producer Dave Sanderson (Reverend & The Makers), and mixed at Castle of Doom, Glasgow by Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian) in early 2015, the album will be released by Laced Records June 17th.