So far I've used tracks from computer games, a couple movies, and instrumentals from various cultures.
http://www.geocities.com/mimir.geo/dark/music.html
I think it's nearly impossible to describe a plane by means of a single author or song, anyhow I've found some nice tracks in Aphex Twin's ambient works.
I would suggest to pay a visit to www.electronicscene.com and listen to some lounge/ambient.
I'll bet they pipe his music throughout the Lower Planes just to torment the petitioners. Evil.
It's also another reason the Celestials stay out of the Blood War...
I've been putting together background music to play while adventuring on each plane. I'm trying to get several songs per plane. I'm wondering if anyone has done this also? What are your suggestions for songs to play that relate to each plane? I'd like to check them out. Songs without lyrics are preferred.
So far I've used tracks from computer games, a couple movies, and instrumentals from various cultures.
When I ran the first adventure in Well of Worlds (Dahh, I can't remember), where the Primes went to Baator for the first time, I made a soundtrack of Cradle of Filth songs and played it low in the background while they were on Avernus.
I also turned off the lights and put on only blacklights. And instead of rolling to see if characters got hit by fireballs, I randomly tossed handfuls of rolled up orange origami paper (wonderful in the blacklight). Those that were hit had their characters blinded by the fireballs.
I also used a real sword, a pretty blue potion bottle.. And I used the Player's Primer to the Outlands CD when they found a mimir at the base of the Skulls. Luckily, one of my friends was really eccentric, so I actually had a metallic skull. She had gotten ahold of a real, original medical skeleton (aka a human skeleton), painted it chrome, and attached flashing lights in its eyes and a metal plate on its head. It worked perfectly for the Mimir.
Atmosphere is wonderful. For various Lower Planes, look into foreign Doom Metal (pretty much the only music I listen to), like Cradle of Filth, Tristania, Moonspell, and Theatre of Tragedy. Classical music is always good, too, and pick up some Gregorian chanting for Mount Celestia.
Limbo? Just try to get soundtrack of random mixed songs/sounds.
Mechanus, pick up some very rhythmic synthesizer stuff.
Use the Jeopardy "thinking" song for Mechanus... over and over on a continuous loop.
For Limbo I think novelty carribean dance music is appropriate: Banana Boat Limbo Song, Do the Limbo Dance, La La Limbo, Limbo Like Me, and other such classics would set the tone of the plane nicely. Every slaad loves to limbo! :coolcthul
Use Holst's Mars for Acheron. Also maybe Orff's Carmina Burana, the Conan soundtrack, the Hunt for Red October Soundtrack, and other pieces that are dark and martial.
Heaven is easy. You could go with either gregorian chant, or something new age-y.
Beastlands you could just use one of those Nature sounds CD's, such as rain or birds or woodland critter noises.
Olympus you could go with some of the various Olympics themes and fanfares, also John williams has a lot of rousing fanfares. Or you could go elven and use the elf themes from Lord of the Rings. Also, if you go the elven route, you could use celtic music or something like Enya.
Arcadia, hmmm... should be pleasant but precise. I am thinking something like Chinese music with plucked instruments. Also maybe music by such composers as Ravel or Eric Satie. Oh wait, the most perfect album for Arcadia, and I kid you not, no joking, is Brian Eno's "Ambient 1: Music for Airports." I know it doesn't have a very fantasy sounding name, but the music is dead on perfect for Arcadia. It might also work for other upper planes as well.
Mechanus, pick up some very rhythmic synthesizer stuff.
Can you say Kraftwerk? ..."Wir sind die Roboter"
She had gotten ahold of a real, original medical skeleton (aka a human skeleton), painted it chrome, and attached flashing lights in its eyes and a metal plate on its head.
That's terrific! That's how I want to go.
I hereby decree that upon my death I donate my skeleton to medical science on the condition that it be painted chrome and have flashing lights installed in the eye sockets of my skull.
It totally made the perfect Mimir. When I talked as the Mimir, I got to open and close the jaw. So campy and so fun. And it looked uber-creepy under the blacklight.
She also constructed a mock suit of chainmail for the skeleton.
Can you say Kraftwerk? ..."Wir sind die Roboter"
That sounds like good stuff. I need to get my hands on it.
for the Lower Planes everything by "Raison d'Etre" should work as well as the soundtracks by Angelo Badalamenti (e.g. "Mulholland Drive"); "sixth sense" soundtrack also works great
dark, fast paced music, especially for fights: Apocalyptica should do the trick
for Astral and perhaps Etheral Plane Lounge Music or Trip Hop, in this case I prefer Kruder&Dorfmeister, the various Café del Mar Compilations or Portishead
Mysterious or celtic tunes (e.g. for Ysgard): definitely Loreena Mc Kennitt, though they contain lyrics most of the time ("Marco Polo" is great for exotic locales and contains no lyrics)
