Water Levels

For me, the water level music always stands out on video game soundtracks. It ranges from serene to stressful, placid to panic-inducing, capturing the feeling of marine melancholy with MIDI synths and bit-crushed beats. It can evoke the terror of a ticking clock or the coziness of an evening soak, sometimes within the same song
Jams like Aquatic Ambiance and Dire, Dire Docks inspired the crazy concept behind this here compilation. Essentially, I asked each artist to think up a fake video game and then compose the water level music for said game. What you’ll find here are lovely interpretations of that central idea that span genres and countries. From the frenetic maximalism of sin(surface)x_falling to the waterlogged warmth of Leonora’s Lagoon, each track conjures nostalgia for imagined worlds. Sit back and submerge yourself in pixelated psychedelia. Just keep an eye out for sharks