Random Musing,
1. Do you listen to music when creating worlds, to encourage your creativity?
2. If so, what music? Youtube links encouraged.
Reasoning.
Might be interesting to see the types of music that lead to the creation of certain settings... somewhat interested in what Polycarp! and Steerpike listen to when creating their complicated worlds. I think Vreeg listens to goth music, he can correct me if I am wrong...what do you listen to?
http://somafm.com/missioncontrol/
These aren't necessarily the songs that inspire a setting, but these are the songs that help me be creative:
[ic]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AMiiwc6bBA
Riot Maker - TechN9ne
(...listened to a lot when writing Lini for the Mass Effect Game. Not that it has anything to do with her in any way.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fmGMeIU2O0
Big Black Spider - Techno
(General inspiration)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ymkav8ONak
Walking Away - She Wants Revenge
(Steampunk/Cyberpunk inspiration)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic6NFgwgTsw
Sister Self Doubt- Get Shakes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6YYgJspIVQ
New Wave- Mark and Alex
(More cyberpunk/steampunk!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du_ouycoP1k
World Destruction - Time Zone (feat Afrikka Bamabasta)
(more political)
(not the version I have but youtube seems to have about every version except the one I do hmm..)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPQWYrq6LSs
Beauty Beats by Beats Antique
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWIUcoVH3e4
Falling by White Pony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPH1OoTobtk
Airship Pirate by Abney Park
My second most played song with over 100 plays
[/ic]
*edit: removed Gaga's Telephone. The youtube version chops the song up too much.
OmegaLimit- yes, but which of those channels? And or more specifically, which songs?
It's my fault for stating "music" instead of "songs" in the first post.
Some awesome stuff posted in here. I don't listen to music while writing though as it distracts me and I am unable to get anything written. This is generally true of me regarding anything. When I'm listening to music I'm not doing anything else. If I am doing anything else the house is completely silent :)
Loving Light Dragon's responses
I don't usually listen to music when writing creatively, but sometimes I listen to Daft Punk and Massive Attack when writing essays for school - I tend to power through huge blocks of text rapidly for some reason while listening to those.
The first page of the link is mainly what I listen to. I listen to Mission Control all the time. If it's not that, it's something like Vangelis, The Dark Knight Soundtrack, Stalker Call of Pripyat Soundtrack, Halo 3 Soundtrack, Deus Ex soundtrack, Phillip Glass, Zander Zon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri1DH3hmNmE&feature=channel_video_title), and other various music lacking a lot of vocals. Mission Control is the big one, however.
My Playlists (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=magnuscaissie&aq=f)
This is 3 of my playlists, they're all awesome and alot of instrumental too, no voice ruining the imagination.
I strongly suggest the Ambience / Lounge playlist.
Kuba, Trentemoller, Royskopp, Cell, Jens Buchert, Daft Punk, Thievery Corporation, tracks from the Cafe Del Mar... they all juice up creativity trust me.
Much of the History and sory lines of Celtricia is actually based on music and lyrics. So I contunually add onto that storyline, playing this game.
//TheWhiteCity
I can't find a link, but the SOng is 'White City " by Thomas Dolby.
The First apostate to be booted out of the white city also had his roots in some music...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHOn093r-Ak&feature=view_all&list=PLBC72FDBA2C6C23C2&index=11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNIQrIXlrNw&feature=view_all&list=PLBC72FDBA2C6C23C2&index=3
Much of the Age of Heroes (http://celtricia.pbworks.com/w/page/14955268/Age-of-Heroes) was and is tied to the long discography of Gary Numan and a few others. ALmost the whole Bard vs arbor, as the agents of their repsective Planars, is fed by this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ci7lssNMRI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxvEaMXYfqk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOwwW9SOoOw&feature=related
the Vicorian renaissance and the romance of the intertwined families are also mainly a lyric-driven history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJEe9yIs2ZE&playnext=1&list=PLCE166EF279A5671D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrnn_Vi1lug&feature=related
And much of the current Igbarian plotline is also so driven....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyMGAwcnxa0&feature=related
this is a good start.
As my players know, I do use a fair bit of music while running games, usually taken from video games. My go-to tracks are often taken from Planescape: Torment, Dead Space I & II, and Amnesia: The Dark Descent.
Anyone have suggestions for other good ambient/background music that would fit the Cadaverous Earth? A lot of RPG music is too medieval/"high fantasy epic" to really fit the kind of grotesque grandeur and dark fantastic feel I want to evoke.
Here's some music I have used when GMing Steerpike's CE:
Ghosts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_BNUwxAAGQ), by Trent Reznor.
The more sedate works of Lustmord (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD4H-E0UT0Q).
And when GMing LC's Jade Stage, pretty much anything by Debussy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3geejD5Dksk).
As for what I currently use during setting creation:
Rasputinas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ1SJ47cgEg); Debussy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGYj69MgT5k); Erik Satie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLFVGwGQcB0); Yoko Kanno (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nftxDrStny8); Nujabes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUwRGPxCG_Y); official soundtracks of the games FFX (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-xPudQ4yeo), Shadow of the Colossus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-g1ncoKihw), Ico (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys8BPn7liSA) and Braid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QbNfNdac3c), and of the film There Will be Blood (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HjWIr80ln4).
However, it changes from project to project.
AWESOME! Thanks for the tracks!
EDIT: How was I not familiar with Lustmord before, he's freaking perfect for CE!!! Will definitely use.
He's best in moderation. I've found my players become increasingly anxious, the longer Lustmord is on.
Oh yeah, and I forgot the Silent Hill soundtracks! Lots of creepy times there.
Lustmord is great. I might also suggest this for CE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH-0jGsl0vk
For some reason it just fits in my mind...
Also anything by Karl Sander, such as this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBXxHkceI98
As to what I would listen to when writing for my own settings... it really depends. A lot of the time, like those above, I tend to be more focussed on just writing. When I ran Demon-Haunted (which I still need to revamp and definitely rename) I played a lot of Karl Sanders during play, and seeing as the world was created for/during play I guess that counts...
Quote from: FnordHere's some music I have used when GMing Steerpike's CE:
Ghosts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_BNUwxAAGQ), by Trent Reznor.
The more sedate works of Lustmord (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD4H-E0UT0Q).
And when GMing LC's Jade Stage, pretty much anything by Debussy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3geejD5Dksk).
As for what I currently use during setting creation:
Rasputinas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ1SJ47cgEg); Debussy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGYj69MgT5k); Erik Satie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLFVGwGQcB0); Yoko Kanno (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nftxDrStny8); Nujabes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUwRGPxCG_Y); official soundtracks of the games FFX (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-xPudQ4yeo), Shadow of the Colossus (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-g1ncoKihw), Ico (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys8BPn7liSA) and Braid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QbNfNdac3c), and of the film There Will be Blood (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HjWIr80ln4).
However, it changes from project to project.
some really good options and choices there.
I can't praise the Dead Space soundtracks enough for anything grotesque or horror-related. You're right on with that choice, Steerpike.
I listen mostly to Classical when I do any kind of writing project.
Garden (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e04yCOqalv8)
Rich's Piece (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h32JZX-6mM)
RH (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A9bMTh9rdQ)
Bobby (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iimMKWF7SK0)
General Relaxing/Creating Music I enjoy. Maybe update when I find quality youtube videos.
Thanks Vreeg and Nomadic.
I liked Covenant's beats--they had a lot of good ideas, but the lyrics turned me off the songs.
Omega Limit- Ah, I didn't realize that Mission Control was actually a band- I thought it was a channel since the page also stated that it had broadcasts from the space shuttle.
SP
Daft Punk seems like a good choice for that.
As far as ambient music for cadaverous Earth- the same people who did Beauty Beats above- the Beats Antique have a few less in-your-face pieces... Maybe "Spiderbite", "Louie's Lullaby", or if we ever go to a carnival "Roustabout".
Fnord-
I forget if I found Ghosts through the CBG, but I think I did...noting that I also really enjoyed that CD set- particularly 3 Ghosts 1. If you're interested in the set SP, the first CD is free on the NiN site.
Sarisa- Very peaceful choices.
Nomadic- what do you think about this song for Eareg. I didn't think it applied until you insisted on convincing me of his dark side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wacHj2DsOb8
Also, for steerpike- for atmospheric music; check out the over 500 songs on this fellow's site:
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Horror
He really should be charging instead of giving this away for free.
Quote from: wacHj2DsOb8
[/quoteDon't think that really fits him. If anything fits him it'd probably be something a little more cowboy-ish.
Hm. I always thought that was a western-sounding song. But, fair enough!
Quote from: FnordAnd when GMing LC's Jade Stage, pretty much anything by Debussy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3geejD5Dksk).
It's an honor to be associated with such a pillar of compositional genius. (Might I make a specific suggestion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZHrqpG55B4)?)
A lot of people found about Ghosts because I posted a link to that music in the Tavern. But probably a lot of people found out about it in other ways, too, because it's famous music from a famous band. (NIN also did a similar project, same general sort of style but with a harder edge to it, with vocals. That album is called "How to Destroy Angels." I can't remember whether it was released for free or not.)
I often don't use music for writing or playing, because I've studied it too long. It's difficult for me to focus on something else besides the details of the music I'm listening to. When I do decide to break that rule, sometimes I go with one of these:
- strength (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzTvsHiCswE&feature=relmfu) in numbers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC_J-e4y6Dw) (they are beyond the ken of us mortals)
- Saint-Saens (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsD0FDLOKGA) is a badass
- listening to Faithless (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi8wTOz3nzQ) makes me feel like a superpowered (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4YIvscVUac) awesomedude (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puQFTV9Cn1k)
- massive musiccrush on Crooked Still (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB1ZGels-dY) these days
- Cevin Key (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST3zVUCrEpo) has an album called "the ghost of each room" that you are going to absolutely adore
- I will admit to being a bit of a Philip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcyTyLqkvoU) Glass (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsOPR9659Ww) junkie
- you can often get some surprisingly awesome stuff out of Dan Deacon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubT6L7kollg) (whom I really, really want to see live but the crowds are always too intimidating)
- Moby (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKYza81Ng0M) does some damned good stuff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_2i7ziBcZ4)
A huge amount of what I'm listening to lately is classical, and I'm not going to link much of it because I know most of you won't care, but it works for me. Also when I do end up using music as a soundtrack in games, I typically use less-recognizable soundtracks from films-- they work pretty well to set a mood without distracting (because that's what they're designed to do). Inception works pretty great, but my favorite lately is Never Let Me Go (which is a really good film, too; I recommend it).
I'm going to stop listing these before my list degenerates into a regular "stuff LC likes" list. I get too excited talking/posting about this kind of stuff.
LC, about 1/3 of my Ipod is classical, with a lot of Glenn Miller and Sinatra thrown in.
I've written whole bunches with Water Music on.
Sorry Light Dragon, I wasn't very clear when I talked about Mission Control. It is a radio station, they play artists such as Aether Generator, Vangelis, Biosphere, Dubtribe, Spacetime Continuum, Anomalous Disturbance, Anesthesia, Erik Wollo, Gel-Sol, Ishq, Parallel Worlds, Spice Barons, Between Interval, Vir Unis, and a ton of others, all with either live or historic recordings of spaceflights layered over.
Quote from: LuminousIt's an honor to be associated with such a pillar of compositional genius. (Might I make a specific suggestion?)
was[/i] the soundtrack to Jade Stage. Four out of five players agree (and the other one has terrible musical taste.
When are you not going to be a step ahead of me, huh?
Pah, I find that my music is what makes me want to create things rather than an aid to help the process-- there is no process without it. On the whole, I tend more to stories or making characters than I do worlds and settings. I will admit to having a preferred playlist for when I am writing any of them, though.
My original core setting (Corevon) is mostly inspired by a mixture of Broadway pieces, third-wave Ska, and occasionally rock. For examples see: Many similar Broadway pieces (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrvE4MufZ9c), Anything Me First (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpb0XB-gT_U), good ol' Streetlight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk9RRnpFg24); even the new stuff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5mFjnj4j2w), and hefty doses of Stadium Arcade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6pkumKWlM8) and Californication (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlUKcNNmywk) era Red Hot Chili Peppers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4L1Hu-6fcA). Also common is stuff like Matchbook romance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFdLSM8zVVI) and similar others (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mjlM_RnsVE).
My Science Fiction and Horror work, however, is a bit more influenced by The Offspring (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_LxyhCJpsM), Rise Against (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnbvOi4SpSk), Pennywise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkyaSfm0nhs), NOFX (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v8oDqN76Mc), even more Rise Against (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU1BlSgTXxw). R.E.M. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13WZVFutgQ8) and some select singles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOg5VxrRTi0) serve as something of a bridge into the occasional... oddity (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOArsNMVqGg) in this playlist. Strangely, the more 'up-beat' the music, the more likely it is to provide some wickedly dark material, whereas the heavier stuff tends to let me really get into the more positive emotional spectrum.
And, at any given time, Techno D-Day could be playing (By Joe Strummer and the X-Ray Style), which as near as I can tell, does not seem to exist on the internet.
Quote from: CoyoteCamouflagePah, I find that my music is what makes me want to create things rather than an aid to help the process-- there is no process without it.
Your list seems the closest to my style, followed by Vreeg's list. Most people here seem to take the traditional method--inspiration by classical/techno/music rather than words' interaction with music. And then between the three of us, you and I seem to pick ones that *may* be chosen primarily because of the words' interaction rather than the words themselves ... Interesting; I don't know if the different methods lead to different types of production.
I guess the classifications would be:
No Music for inspiration (Nomadic)
Background Music for inspiration
Words for inspiration
Music and Words for inspiration (Vreeg?)
Interaction of the two for inspiration (CC/LD)
Well, okay.
[ic=Writin' Music]Niyaz - The Hunt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iio1iQhuJYM)
Niyaz - Beni Beni (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7fDj1o3TGQ)
Altan Urag - Ijii Mongol (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEKqTAhvzKs)
Altan Urag - Mirage of Faraway (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YJT2nO6RUw)
Europa Barbarorum Soundtrack - Nomadic Theme (http://www.europabarbarorum.com/webfiles/music/Nomadic_Theme.mp3)
Kazakh Folk Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLO4O0cgJC8&feature=related)
John Adams (HBO) - Intro Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6DPeCXV5bI)
Sigur Ros - Sæglópur (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgEGVKwURKc)
Dvorak - Symphony From the New World (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yctfXIqugXc)[/ic]
I also have some game tracks that I didn't see on youtube - NWN, some HOMM2 opera (hell yeah opera), and a few dozen Knytt Stories environmental tracks.
This list is not wholly representative of what I listen to on a daily basis. I listen to a lot of music with lyrics, but music with lyrics that I can understand tends to distract me whenever I'm trying to write something. It's like someone talking about something completely unrelated right in your ear while you're trying to concentrate on something else. Anything that's instrumental or simply in a foreign language is acceptable.
It really depends on which setting and what part of which setting I'm working on - tone, theme, etc. I tend to, like Polycarp, go for music with either foreign language lyrics or no lyrics for the same reason. However, if I get stuck, the best way to get myself unstuck is pop on "Requiem for a Tower" or "Requiem for a Dream" (the former if I'm working on military/monsters/battles, the latter if I'm working on courts/countries/personas) and imagine scenes from my world taking place to the music. Other than that, it's kind of all over the place.
interestingly enough, worldbuilding might be the only creative activity that I don't do when listening to music. I think part of it is that I don't have as many worlds as I have, say, guitar riffs, poems, or drawings, and part of it might be that... well, there's a bit of a difference in scale between a poem and an entire world.
That said, the cyberpunk project I started definitely did have some pretty heavy musical influences, which I listed in that thread (http://www.thecbg.org/PLUGIN_DIR/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?26959).
I listen to tons of music when I write! Of course, none of them really contain any lyrics; I find that if I listen to music while I write, I often end up unable to divide my attention between the lyrics of the song at hand and the words I'm trying to type out/write. Thus, I usually listen to soundtracks, or, more recently, nothing at all. Sometimes, the white noise of a fan is all I need.
I'm one of those people who paces a lot and thinks. I'm a fairly social guy, but when I want to be alone, I want to be alone. During that time, if I'm not writing, I'm usually pacing around a room with my headphones on, listening to music and speculating about what I want to write.
However, if there's one song I always listen to before I write, it's this one: Comfort in the Orchestration (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4I1o_7BzU) by the Reign of Kindo. I feel it very accurately describes my experiences with creating a setting and launching my players into it :).
I completely forgot the song LC wrote for my Dystopia setting back in... 2007 or something (shit, was it that long ago?). That tune was a massive influence, writing in the wee hours of a frosty winter morning.
Hahaha, I completely forgot that, too.
Of all the orchestral flotsam and jetsam I wrote down, I'm glad that's the one piece that got read by an actual ensemble of human beings (and cellists)
edit: cellists you know I love you, please don't hunt me down
My Uncle is a drug-addled transvestite rock cellist. He thinks he's from outer space.
(I think he's from Washington D.C.)
Quote from: Sir Digby Chicken CaesarMy Uncle is a drug-addled transvestite rock cellist. He thinks he's from outer space.
(I think he's from Washington D.C.)
I need a 'like' button for this.
Knight Writer- forgot to welcome you to the site I think in my post- Welcome and thank you for your input (!)
Still Waters--VNV Nation