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Dramatic Instrumental Music


ants

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Ok, so I'm working from home, which means actually listening to music.  Although I (obviously) enjoy popular music with lyrics, it can be more distracting.  So my playlist is looping through a lot of my favourite instrumental pieces, which are generally of a dramatic nature.  Unfortunately this playlist isn't that long, so I'm repeating a lot across the day!

My question is - how do I find more of them?

I've found Spotify doesn't handle the recommendations for this kind of music particularly well.  My own library has formed rather haphazardly, with a lot coming from Movie soundtracks.  Other good ones can be instrumental versions of known popular songs.  

Examples of the music I'm talking about includes:

  • Movies: On the Nature of Daylight (Max Richter, from ArrivalLink), Time (Hans Zimmer - lots of his really - from Inception Link), Duel of the Fates (John Williamson from Phantom Menace), Conquest of Paradise (Vangelis from 1492), Clubbed to Death (Rob Dougan, from Matrix), and music from Piano, Gladiator, John Williams and Zack Hemsey generally.  
  • Instrumental versions of popular music: "Chandelier" by the Vitamin String Quartet (Link) and "Clocks" by the Dallas String Quartet (Link), Piano Tribute Players, 
  • Classical: Pacobel Canon in D
  • Popular that were always instrumental: Crystallize by Lindsey Stirling (Link), Sandstorm by Darude (Link), Intro by XXX (Link), Guardians at the Gate by Audiomachine (Link)
  • Other: Ash by Succession Studios (thanks John Oliver! :) Link)

So, any ideas where/how to look?  Because working from home (on my own) could be happening for a while! 

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If you like dramatic instrumental music I guess you might like post-rock?  Largely instrumental, sometimes influenced by 20th century composers like Ennio Morricone or Steve Reich, and quite often show up in move soundtracks.

Some particular suggestions:

65daysofstatic ("Radio Protector")

Explosions In The Sky ("First Breath After Coma")

Godspeed You! Black Emperor ("Storm")

Mogwai ("Christmas Steps")

Mono ("Ashes In The Snow")

This Will Destroy You ("The Mighty Rio Grande")

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I find that youtube pretty much has any song you like, or at least a cover of it. And you can create your own playlist on youtube, or go with recommended playlists based on what songs you've listened to.

I have a subscription for Amazon Music Unlimited, which has a lot of songs, but not everything. I've made some massive playlists.

I have a playlist which includes several albums by Audiomachine, Two Steps from Hell, and a few others.

On another playlist I have a bunch of movie/TV show soundtracks of historical or fantasy nature such as: 1492, Last of the Mohicans, King Arthur, The Last Samurai, Marco Polo, Game of Thrones, Black Sails season 1, Outlander, Dark Crystal (the Netflix show), The Last Kingdom, Conan the Barbarian, the Witcher (Netflix show) etc.

Another playlist I have soundtracks from SF stuff, mainly space stuff like Star Trek, Mass Effect, Stellaris, Blade Runner 2049.

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Thanks for the suggestions.  Added a number of songs by Two Steps from Hell yesterday, will check out some of the others today.  

Just to be clear, the issue isn't getting the music (I have a premium spotify account), its finding more good music of the style I want.  

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Does it have to be orcherstral/classic-style? Magic Sword are synthwave/electronic stuff, but it's suitably epic and dramatic (and has been used in movie trailers as a result).

And speaking of trailer music, Zack Hemsey releases all his albums with instrumental-only versions as an option and that is also very swaggery and cool as shit.

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Clint Mansell, obviously. Soundtracks for The Fountain (which I did a streamed Yin Yoga class to this morning at home), Moon, Noah, Requiem for a Dream.

Howard Shore (he's actually done LOADS of soundtracks not just LOTR and The Hobbit)

Mowgai Les Revenants soundtrack.

 

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Immediate Music

Audiomachine

Pfeiffer Broz

Two Steps from Hell

Brand X Music

Cavendish Trailers

Hi-Finesse

Twelve Titans Music

Siren Cues

As for composers (Zimmer, Shore, Howard, Desplat, Williams, Djawadi, Mansell, Silvestri and Enaudi aside):

Tom Player

Zack Hemsey

Falk Wunsch

Steve Jablonsky

Trevor Morris

Lorne Balfe

 

You can find playlists on YT that lasts for 8, 10, 12 hours. 

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Thanks all, still working through these (find I can't do it during working hours as I have to pay attention to when songs switch over).  Found a lot to add, Audioslave especially was a mine of songs.  

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I’m gonna link my Spotify playlist that I’ve made for just this purpose. It has a decent amount of classical and theatrical stuff, some of which has already been mentioned here, but if I were to point out one piece in particular it would be Wo Ist Übergang which is from Netflix’s “Dark”. A very chilling piece and it really encapsulates the mood of the show which is phenomenal btw if you haven’t seen it. I can’t recommend it highly enough. 
 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4QJCmHbLKa2edBOJSLVNvi?si=AQlyb7DfS1O9eSqDsGf2CA

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I am by no means a music expert,  but I always thought that Bear McCreary did a great job with the music on BSG.   Mostly instrumental and the main exception,  being the title song,  wasn' t in English either.   I assume he has other stuff out there too.   Also not sure if that stuff from TV is long for enough for you,  but you get the advice that you've paid for.

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