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[Blink]

Please link the songs you are referencing. This thread is for discussion AND listening.

Games have come a long way since Atari's blips and bloops, but there are still a ton of genres we don't come close to having in our medium. I want to hear them! The TIGSource art forums are way better about sharing inspirational content, (GIFs of games being worked on, Badass art styles, Mockups or please say this is going to be a game, etc) but I've not seen something like that on this board. So what genres do you wish you were hearing in games?

I'll start with some Diablo Swing Orchestra:



Funky modern acoustic piece? Yes please.

Second up, by Edith Piaf but sung here by Allison Adams Tucker:



Bioshock and Fallout have done a great job of bringing older music to us in recent years, but rarely do we get a love song as the focus of games like we do in movies. I would love to see a game that was able to touch on this feeling, and I think this song is a perfect example of it. Closest pieces I know to it are the hubs in Sonic Unleashed, which try to sound like their respective countries (the European ones have this feeling to them, music that could be heard in a plaza for a romance language).

Third, time to get a bit off beat, by Alessandro Alessandroni: Preludietto

The closest to this I know of is the surprisingly similar Astral Observatory from Majora's Mask (by far one of my favorite pieces in game music). It's a wonder or mystical style, but the a cappella here really makes it something unique (I love too how Akira uses a cappella-like singing, although at least Samurai Gunn's soundtrack has some similarities to that).

So yeah, any genre, any style, just something fantastic you wish games had. I'm hoping to come out from under my rock here!

[FelixArifin]

Hearing more Capoeira music would be great. Or the use of the berimbau in general. : O

[Audiosprite]

it's time for games to get real

[Eigen]

Much of what Balmorhea does. I would totally use it in Pioneers if I could.

[Jasmine]

it's time for games to get real

^
What I was expecting Burrito Galaxy's soundtrack to sound like.

I really enjoyed Balmorhea. It kind of has a contemporary folk song style to it. I really like it.

My thing is, developers have to create games that would warrant soundtracks such as these! I'd definitely would love to hear a soundtrack where the influence was similar to Balmorhea.

For me, I'd seriously dig a nice 70s funk style.
Something akin to



That, and some traditional folk stuff. Not anything English.
I'd absolutely love some traditional Turkish Music
Or Indian Carnactic Music.
 
(A superb example of this was pulled off in the Heavenly Sword soundtrack, where both of the aforementioned traditional music styles were combined, in a sense.)

[Blink]

FelixArifin: That's cool, I could see something like Jet Set Radio doing well off that.

Audiosprite: I LOST it at that one xD Music for game of the year.

Eigen: I love the acoustic sound, silence almost, it's really powerful. 3:55 in: Man this is good! Lots of energy. Braid had a gorgeous soundtrack, but this tops it for sure.

M4uesviecr: Oh man, I've been hearing a lot of this one by Barry White on the radio lately. What a good song. What kind gameplay could you put that to though? It might work in a game with love gameplay, but... we don't really have any of those. Same idea with the Turkish music: where would it be used? I've only heard this stuff for cultural representation in the past (Age of Empires or in ethnic restaurants). The Indian music however, I can definitely hear in Ocarina of Time. So I suppose Turkish could work for the same thing. (EDIT: Listening to the Heavenly Sword soundtrack, now I understand. Cool stuff!)

My old roommate made a piece that merges something like the Indian/Turkish styles with more modern stuff, like what Felix posted.

Sirhc7000: Daze[7000]

I would love to see a modern RPG using this for exploring an exotic palace or sweet pad (imagine a modern apartment complex's take on an Indian palace).

I agree that our games don't warrant these soundtracks yet, but with works like Journey, at least we're getting close. Hyper polished experiences seem to be the closest to what can call for it.

Loving this stuff so far! Keep it coming! (Below are some more from me)

The Cinematic Orchestra:

(Marty O'Donnell-like stuff, fantastic sweeping/moving orchestrations with piano)

Follow up to Barry White, George Beson:

(next closest thing is Sims music)

This might be turning it into just a "Songs you love" thread, but what the heck, Big 12: Trombone Shorty (next closest might be some of the Jazz in Sonic Unleashed, probably the highlight of that game)

[Jasmine]

The Cinematic Orchestra:

Gracious. Seriously loved the opening of that piece.

Daze [7000] was a sick tune, man! Really dug it!

I think music such as these could work, but setting would play an important part. I do agree, the game itself would need to be explorative, or more of an rpg, open worldy experience.

Speaking of Daze, I'd love to see some more hiphop influenced stuff out there.

An idea that comes to mind, instinctively, is an old web-game that I grew to love with every fiber of my being called



Though, I'd really dig hiphop more akin to Kick Push

Actually, I'd kill.
(In a good way)

Parappa the Rapper tried, but it wasn't heavy enough for me, haha. The game was still fun, though.

[Blink]

Kick Push was really smooth, very inspirational for classy/bond-like gameplay. I'd love to hear that in a game full of glitz and glamour.

Johnny Rocket Fingers: oh man, that style used to be all over Newgrounds and Addicting Games. Kind of this badass rock/DnB with a dark/evil/slimey tone to it, very "cool" sounds. Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I'd love to see a modern, cheesy parody of that genre of games.

[spookgoblin]

It would be refreshing to see some

or

in video games.  Denver-based Americana is definitely a one-of-a-kind sound that deserves a lot more exposure.

[acatalept]

Haunting a cappella:



More vocal textures and nuance in general, the human voice is such an incredible instrument

Opposite end of the spectrum... spastic glitch beats:



Turntablism just seems like an underrepresented but great fit for so many game styles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrB77HnPQlQ

And Reggie Watts?  Is that a genre?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMxj5jJdbzM#t=926  Amazing music that doesn't take itself seriously... (though that's a crappy recording)

[Blink]

acatalept: that a cappella is fantastic, really haunting and personal, beautiful even.

The others mostly confused me xD but they're cool too.

spookgloblin: I have never heard Denver-based Americana before, and yes, it's a very authentic American style.

Personally: I've been listening to a ton of

lately. Fantastic 80s night racing vibe, and it makes me want to play a game about driving fast at night.

[s0]

Miles Davis- In A Silent Way

Fennesz- Caecilia

Toumani Diabate- Cantelowes (i think his music was in little big planet?)

Manuel Göttsching- E2-E4

[Chromanoid]

Nice thread

I often hear music and think: "What gameplay/theme would blend well with this music?" When I don't know an answer immediately, I want to see this music in a game Of course you can easily imagine all kinds of music in racing and rhythm games or as part of the environment (radio on the table etc.), but what play really fits the music?







Roy Buchanan - Fly... Night Bird
Che Sudaka - Grito Paz
Unter Null - A55fuckers, Inc
Denki Groove - Dareda!

[s0]

Blind Lemon Jefferson- See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

Albert King- Born Under A Bad Sign

Muddy Waters- Rollin and Tumblin

always thought itd be cool if there was a game with a blues soundtrack. bonus points if the music isnt used as a kitsch evocation of a certain time period. the closest i can think of is runman.

[Audiosprite]

always thought itd be cool if there was a game with a blues soundtrack. bonus points if the music isnt used as a kitsch evocation of a certain time period. the closest i can think of is runman.

bastion bro

[Woos]

I always liked just how Zelda implicitly incorporated different styles of music, like an appropriation of Ravel's Bolero (

) or the New Wave Bossa Nova (

). Incidentally, I heard an awesome Bossa Nova very nicely applied to Amanita's Machinarium the other day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRtCOJ6yrXw
Generally, Bossa Nova's seem to be used as "elevator music" or maybe Brazilian style bar Jazz (unsurprisingly, since the Bossa Nova is a Brazilian style of Jazz) But in Machinarium I really liked how it was put in a different context or atmosphere, namely that of a robot bar
I don't think i could think of any genre or type of music that hasn't been used to great effect in some game or other, but maybe that's just me...

[Blink]

Oh boy! Lots of new music.

C.A. Sinner: Your link for

was broken, which is too bad - this stuff is really good. I might go buy the album, I've never heard this kind of slow (sorrowful?) jazz before.

Caecilia sounds almost like a Proteus tune, but then it sounds like it's turning into the

- which, by the way, is fantastic. (ooh ee ooh!)

E2-E4 was also a lot of fun.

---

Chromanoid: Fly... Night Bird really hit me. It has that gorgeous sound that Katamari catches with its slower pieces, but is definitely unique from that too. Like a sunset viewed from outer space.

Grito Paz was a lot of fun - reminds me of the (also not a style in games really) Kablam! theme. I could see it fitting in a game like Sonic Rush, very high energy and festive pieces. (good for colorful, fast paced, light hearted action)

A55fuckers, Inc though... oh man, I almost couldn't get through that. It's so grungey/industrial/glitchy, and really dark, and really painful. But wow, that's potent. I'd love to see it in a horror game boss battle (someone once linked me the boss song from the end of Silent Hill 2 - butterflies something, it was really good and scary).

---

C.A. Sinner: You linked to Preludietto again! (I already linked that! Glad you gave it a listen and/or also like it?) I tried to search "Garfield Akers- Cottonfields Akers" and all I got was Cottonfield Blues. Is that what you meant?

That Blind Lemon Jefferson song is really interesting. It's got the vibe of passing the time, or just sitting on the porch and talking - calm reflection more than anything else, even though the subject is mournful and in anticipation of death. But... less anticipation, and more preparedness. I really like it, and I'm wondering where you would see it in a game. A loading screen before an inevitable self sacrifice? It's really interesting. Definitely the calm before... the end? Not a storm, that's for sure, but definitely the end.

Thanks for all the good blues and jazz!

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Woos: I forgot about Ravel's Bolero, that's cool, and Bossa Nova as a genre is REALLY cool (never knew what it was called). Machinarium has some great use of it.

[Voltz.Supreme]

The Residents have put out some great ambient stuff over the past 10ish years. In particular, Chuck's Ghost Music.

And speaking of Ravel... Isao Tomita does fantastic Synth versions of Ravel and many other classical composers. Fantastic for an outer space epic. Inspirational stuff! Daphnis et Chloe is already amazing enough without synthafying it!

Chuck's Ghost Music:




Isao Tomita:

[s0]

C.A. Sinner: You linked to Preludietto again! (I already linked that! Glad you gave it a listen and/or also like it?) I tried to search "Garfield Akers- Cottonfields Akers" and all I got was

. Is that what you meant?

oops yeah, sorry about that. what i meant was this:

but cottonfield blues part 1 is good too

and the correct bohren link is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_1-zwBsvjw

idk looks like i fucked up with the links there haha

[Blink]

I'm putting a new request at the start of the thread so we have more consistency with accessing music in here.

Leo J: this album by The Residents?



I'm really digging the atmospheric stuff here, very powerful (almost movie-like), very creepy though too

reminded me of some Splinter Cell stuff.

C.A. Sinner: Part 2 sounds equally good, thanks for the link!

---

Oh man, I can't believe I haven't linked this yet: Like They Do It In Harlem, a remix of Gimme Some Skin by the Andrew Sisters (which is also good, but not as fantastically unexpected as Like They Do It In Harlem).

This synth of new and old is really cool, also seen in Tron Legacy (eg. The Son of Flynn) and Switched On Bach (a good example is actually a fan tribute, Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, and I'd love to see more of this music in general, let alone games.