My name is Doğu Zaifoğlu, I am a Cypriot music composer, working under the artist name “Mesophyll”.
With acoustic and electric guitars being my main instrument, I began composing music from a young age. My initial compositions explored progressive rock/metal styles, and I have always been drawn to storytelling and evoking feelings through music. When I later crossed paths with the game developer team “Dreamers Graphics”, my musical horizons expanded further.
The opportunity to make the original soundtrack for the game “Weather or Not” by Dreamers Graphics was a turning point for me. Through this project, I cultivated my skills as a composer and musical storyteller. I practiced making a cohesive soundtrack with recurring themes, associating musical themes with characters in the game, to enhance the impact of the game’s narrative. With this project, I delved into the realm of orchestral instruments, and tailored sound/instrument selection, allowing me to compose richer, emotionally more articulate music. Since I produced, mixed and mastered all of this music myself, as well as all the sound design, my engineering skills leveled up along the way. I released the full soundtrack for “Weather or Not” in September 2023 on all major streaming platforms.
Upon receiving consistent positive feedback on my musical storytelling, my mission was set: original soundtrack composition. Game music composition is the area I have most experience in, especially after completing the online course “Music Composition for Games”, hosted by AAA game music composer Jason Graves, which I completed with distinction. My mission is to work with other artists towards realising an artistic vision – whether it’s within the context of game music composition, or trying my hand at short film/series/film soundtrack composition in the future.
My latest work is the self-titled EP “Mesophyll”, released in late July 2025. This was not tied to any other project, but a three-part concept suite that is purely a creation of my own. Therefore, it stands as an up-to-date representation of my musical style and “vocabulary”. It features electric and acoustic guitar parts, orchestral instruments, ethnic and latin touches and samples recorded by myself, delivered with a progressive, story-driven style to help convey the intended concept. The third and final track, Essence, was very much inspired by the history and people of Cyprus, featuring samples recorded at Cypriot shorelines and cello and flute parts performed by Cypriot musicians. “Mesophyll” is now available on all major streaming platforms.
