Where's the disagreement?why bother infringing copyright? I'm happy to post stuff I've composed for use in scenarios, and if anyone else plays music maybe they should do the same... that way we'd get a totally original soundtrack for a totally original scenario
...just a thought...
The choices I made were from tunes I legitimately own. Every link posted is from respectable sites, not things I uploaded. I used short samples from Amazon.com where available & youtube as a last resort.None of these particular compositions are being suggested for the scenario. They are offered in consideration of the questions raised.
why bother infringing copyright? I'm happy to post stuff I've composed for use in scenarios, and if anyone else plays music maybe they should do the same... that way we'd get a totally original soundtrack for a totally original scenario
...just a thought...
as for 'what makes it steam and what makes it punk?' well... I've already mentioned The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, who essentially combine musical saw, steampunky samples, jaunty piano and acoustic guitars with a whole lot of crust punk to make something best described as steamPUNK... you avoid goths with gears by not over-emphasising orchestral music, doomy sub-bass and angsty, dark lyrics (NO SONGS ABOUT JACK THE RIPPER!!!!!)... you make it punk by using punk rhythms and playing styles. Frankly, steampunk as a genre and the Victorian age as an era are full of opportunities to discuss trad 'punk' themes (child labour? check! benevolent dictatorship disguised as democracy? check! wayward youths? check! street gangs? check! rich dandies trying to live a life of danger? check! drugs? check! decadence? check! repressive attitudes to sex, gender relations, race and freedom of speech? check! colonial rebellions? check check!
Welcome to CFC, VP!
I hope it's clear that I enjoy your music & the other musicians I mentioned. My disappointment is definitely only towards those who have a very narrow definition of the steampunk aesthetic. "Dark & gloomy" encompasses everything from Queen (ie "Death On Two Legs") to Kronos Quartet (try listening to Black Angels without getting unsettled), imho. I look forward to hearing what you do with the projects / topics you mentioned above.
I hope we can look forward to more postings from you - and about more than just the music.
P.S. - I interpreted Sir Sam Vines J the R comment as in reference to the Motorhead song, rather than yours.
In defense of our music... it isn't all dark and gloomy, but we happen to really enjoy dark and gloomy music. The songs on our current album only scratch the surface of the more serious subject matter we are working on. The whole point of this album was to make it as traditional Steampunk as possible to hook new listeners. Then we can drop some bombs.
Let me see here, right off the top of my head... here are some of the topics of songs we are working on:
(These are from a concept album about atrocities that various empires committed throughout the mid 19th - mid 20th Centuries)
The Areminian Massacre at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.
The British Empire's attempt at wiping out Ireland with the Great Potato Famine.
The Boer Wars and the general messed up history of South Africa during the Victorian era.
The biological experimentation of Japan during WW2 in camps such as Unit 731.
The torture and genocide caused by the Chekists during the Russian Revolution.
(we have a full album of songs about many more atrocities than these as well)
And for a few more on the social and philosophical tip we are writing songs about:
The wild rumors that Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Caroll) was in love with Alice Lidel (the young girl who was his inspiration for the Wonderland books).
A hip-hop track (with a very special guest MC) that explores the parallels between the social conditions of the 1880's and the 1980's, and how very little has changed in a hundred years.
The next album is titled "The Consequences of Time Travel", and the title song is that of a Time Traveler reflecting on all of the poor decisions he has made in his attempts to correct history. And reflecting on the fact that no matter what time period he goes to, humans always have the exact same problems.
Basically that's a peek at where we are going lyrically. The whole Castlevania-esque overblown orchestral sound is just a preference we have. We don't expect everyone to like it, and that's ok. We aren't going to use it all the time, in fact we are trying to incorporate styles from a vast range of different cultures. Hell we aren't even worried about sticking to the whole Steampunk aesthetic either. We will always make our music as atmospheric as possible, regardless of genre or influences.
And in defense of "The Curse of Whitechapel", if you really look into the lyrics, it isn't a song "about" Jack the Ripper... it's a song about his thought process, and how he justifies his actions as some kind of noble act to save humanity from certain doom. It's kind of a black comedy in a way.
Oh and I happen to really enjoy The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing. As well as many, many other artists who are proudly waving the Steampunk banner these days. We are actually planning on doing a small EP of Steampunkified covers of various appropriate Punk songs (i.e. Exploited - Troops of Tomorrow, Blitz - New Age, The Adicts - Joker in the Pack, etc).
Cheers,
Josh
Hi Josh, welcome to the discussion. Of course I also like VP, and my musical tastes reach back to pre-punk progressive stuff. That you would find us discussing you in connection to our planned game mod in this obscure corner of the web is just flank-steak amazing.
But I would remind you all, gentlemen, that we're discussing the soundtrack to a game, which is, by necessity, instrumental tracks (is there an instrumental version of The Curse of Whitechapel anywhere? That would perfectly open this mod..) We have a lot of time to fill, however, so there's lots of room for anything we want to use - as long as we have proper and official permissions for everything we use, of course.
I hope to stick some of my own music in if I can ever get it recorded.
As for the 'gloomy music' discussion: have you noticed that, historically, the gloomier the economy is, the more upbeat the music seems to be? And of course the inverse is also true, generally. See? A half-dozen good examples just popped into your head. It's a very general rule, of course, and there are lots of exceptions, but, as a general rule, it's generally true, more or less...
I'd lean towards the instrumental tracks for a game but that's just personal preference.
For a Lost Worlds theme I think we should try and sequence tracks that fit in with the evolving gameplay e.g.
Theme 1 - Britannia: Imperial. Magisterial. Classical
Theme 2 - Atlantis and The Underworld: Mystical but quickly turning to Disturbing and Eerie.
Theme 3 - Pellucidar: Primitive. Primal. Jungle Drums
Theme 4 - The Ether and The Moon: Ethereal. Mystical again.
Theme 5 - Mars: Ethnic. Noble. Savage.
Here are some picks all by the same musician and all royalty free. I've tried to arrange them in the order of the themes outlined above but you might find one or two out of place.
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Classical
Danse Macabre; Danse Macabre - Finale - period piece
Also Sprach Zarathustra - another period piece but maybe too associated with a certain movie
Funeral March for Brass - Victorian's loved funerals didn't they..
Consort for Brass - Stately, might even fit as Diplo Music for the Brits
Agnus Dei X; Schmetterling - for secret and evil societies
Tiny Fugue; Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - submarine music
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?feels[]=Action
Alchemists Tower
Exciting Trailer
Colossus
Stoneworld Battle
Failing Defense
Evil March
Exotic Battle
Power Restored
Vortex
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?genre=Horror
Deep Noise
Slow Ticking Clock
Pop Goes the Weasel
Dopplerette
Quinn's Song: The Dance Begins
Awkward Meeting
Decay
Seven March
http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/index.html?feels[]=Epic
Constancy Part Two
AngloZulu
Arcadia
Steel and Seething
Tenebrous Brothers Carnival - Snake Lady
Firesong