Teaching intentional listening with The Off-Score Project
The Off-Score Project is an interactive album released track by track that transforms singer-songwriter jazz into playable vignettes. I've been intrigued by the project since playing the opening track, Copy Machine, and was so glad to have the opportunity to speak with its dev team trio: YenTing Lo (she/her) whose music forms the basis of each game, Vanja Mrgan (he/him) who produces art and contributes to design, Ferran Bertomeu Castells (he/him) who handles programming along with design. We dive into the origins of The Off-Score Project back in 2017, the trade-offs of having already recorded all the music, and how the team is hoping to encourage listeners to think more intently about music as a storytelling device.
You can play The Off-Score Project on itch and follow updates on Twitter @OffScoreProject. Ferran is on Twitter @fonserbc, Vanja @Vmrgan, and YenTing @YenTingLo. You can also checkout more of Vanja's art on Instragram @vanjamrgan, and find YenTing's music on Bandcamp or wherever you get music (she also streams music regularly on Twitch).
Hopeful Things to Share
Vanja: becoming a US citizen (it's a weird time to be here but congrats all the same!)
Ferran: getting into submarine geology (super important work being done here for marine life, and the name is just cool)
YenTing: being nominated for several Golden Indie Music Awards, including best songwriter and best new artist (well deserved, good luck at the ceremony)
Things Discussed
The Off-Score Project
Copy Machine
Elephants Remember
Plug & Play (Etter Studio, 2015)
Kids (Playables, 2019)
Kritiqal Care is produced by me, Nate Kiernan, with music by Desired. It's available on Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get podcasts. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a loved one. It means a lot.