Music playlist for Gloranthan games?

[Andy Evans]

My group tends to put on background music on in our games.  For Call of Cthulhu, this is pretty easy, but for Glorantha games less so.

Does anyone have any suitable background music suggestions, or even something like a Spotify or YouTube playlist?

Edited August 15, 2020 by Andy Evans

[Nick Brooke]

I tend to use the Xena soundtrack when I'm warming up for a new session; I kinda like having Wardruna playing as ambient background music; when my players start heroquesting, anything can happen (inc. Ride of the Valkyries, Thunderbirds are Go, White Rabbit, etc.)

[Sir_Godspeed]

This is going to depend entirely on what you find appropriate. For example, I know that some people associate "barbarians" with various kinds of metal, and others wants historically accurate instruments and so on, so I'm just going off my own loose preferences here, usually mood- and roughly thematic rather than anything else. 

Dragon Pass encapsulates lots of cultural influences that can be variously described as Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Levantine, and some other stuff as well, so that's where my mind went. I also tried to find some stuff that is evocative of tall mountains, windy hills, small steads and farms, rousing adventure, raining downpour, and the mediterranean climes of Kethaela. Prax is a bit of a mystery musically to me. I'm not sure I'd feel entirely comfortable going full on Plains Native American, but that might be me being needlessly squeamish. 

There are lots of themed mixes on Youtube if you try some different search terms, here's a couple I found, plus some video game soundtracks:, and at the end I just threw in some personal favorites. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ian Absentia]

Or how about Age of Empires (the original), featuring Brian Eno, Tony Levin, and I think even Peter Gabriel sneaks in there occasionally!

!i!

[Jape_Vicho]

I usually create yt playlists for eachgame with various appropiate ambient sounds (forest, city, cave, fight, spirit world, etc.) and change the tune in accordance with the location. Not every DM likes to do that but I think it must be pretty immersive, and there are loads of ambience tunes on yt.

[Nick Brooke]

Prax has an Ennio Morricone spaghetti western soundtrack. It is known.

[Jeff]

Cash, Morricone - dealing with the material world:
 

Bowie, Velvet Underground - dealing with the otherworld.

 

[Balakatun]

I created that playlist a couple months ago, haven't used it yet but I always thought of Glorantha when listening to any of these songs. All of it is from the Capcom Sound team for the Monster Hunter series, except one "The Peasant" from my beloved Weather Report. Obviously taste in music is extremely subjective...to each my own . There is even a 14s song for when a player fumbles^^

spotify:playlist:3zjKjL6ZOlAhmhs5TBGD9o

 

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by Balakatun

[Rob Darvall]

Most recently? Yakety Sax. (A Pavis drug deal went wrong)

[Beoferret]

 

[Quackerjack]

On 8/16/2020 at 2:02 AM, Nick Brooke said:

Prax has an Ennio Morricone spaghetti western soundtrack. It is known.

In particular, 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly for the discovery of Foes

and

The Ecstasy of Gold. I found this particularly evocative of the Zola Fel in the beginning, and then a heroic return. Perfect for a Cradle Defense scenario, or maybe Troubled Waters.

I've used Morricone for years to indoctrinate my kids. =)

John Zorn's version of the Big Gundown is outstanding for the Rabbit Hat Farm scenario. 

Edited August 18, 2020 by Quackerjack

[Westnovote]

The music is called 'The Orgy', and indeed in the film this is what is going on in the scene, but the images which come to mind when I hear this are that of a bustling ancient city.

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by Westnovote

[Nel]

I'm amazed that no one has yet pointed out Two steps from Hell and their orchestral soundtracks, which fulfill what I might tag as "mainstream epic".

Otherwise, if you prefer an anthropological approach, I'd suggest to look for music from RL cultures performed with suitable instruments.
For example, would Hsunchen play these increasingly disturbing drums?
They are from Extremadura, Spain, and they appear in a rural drama film, Los santos inocentes.