Music in Rifts

Here's some thoughts on music in Rifts. Please direct any replies to my personal e-mail address.

I.  Blurb on Music in Games
II.  The evolution of music in Rifts
III. Three types of Rifts music
     A) Folk Music
     B) Popular Music
     C) Underground Music (Frenoiz, Cybertronic)
IV. CD List

Color me biased, but I think that the music suitable for a particular game is one of the game's defining characteristics. However, most games devote very little attention to music. Perhaps its because they don't know any Music Theory majors with vast amounts of free time to write articles on the subject. Perhaps its because they're so busy proofreading and making sure their new books are released by the date promised. Perhaps because its part of an alien plot to take our women. Regardless, many GM's agree that appropriate background music greatly enhances any game, and will gladly rattle off a list of the music they use in a game.

I share this sentiment, but go one step further, switching CD's with every scene. My players tend to tease me about this (my "Birds in a Meadow" CD is now notorious after one very LONG wilderness adventure), but they agree that it also adds a lot to the game. As a GM, I find that it also helps focus the players, and get them in the mood for the game.

Also, in fantasy games, music can add a lot to help the players imagine an alien atmosphere. A CD of drinking songs would be good background music for their favorite pub at home. And what about when they're making camp with their elven traveling companions? A CD of solo flute music would help them imagine the melodies that are heard round the campfire every night. A different type of music makes players feel they are truly witnessing a different culture.

So, long story short, I enjoy thinking about music. Recently, I ran across an article about music in Rifts. While the article was very well thought out, it just didn't seem thorough enough for me. It skimmed over a few music forms, most of which were anomalies, and none of the music was anything easily obtainable by a GM. So, I got to thinking, and came up with the evolution of music after the coming of the rifts. This article delineates the more common kinds of music, and includes a list of CD's at the end GM's may want to check out (look in the bargain bin of your CD store first, that's where most of this stuff ends up). The styles of music here can exist alongside others quite well. After all, its a big world.

For the first part, styles of music are going to be unique to each population enclave. Communication between settlements is extremely limited, and since each settlement is isolated, and its music will evolve a little bit differently. However, in each human settlement, there will be a common ground of simple folk songs, such as "Amazing Grace," "Three Blind Mice," "Frere Jacques," maybe even "Louie Louie" and the opening riff to "Stairway to Heaven." I think these songs are the ones most likely to be remembered from the Golden Age, as almost EVERY one in our society, regardless of social status, etc, knows these tunes, and can sing them at the drop of a hat. Thus, they were passed down from one generation to another. These are what the budding musician first learns to play. Stairway to Heaven probably won't be common among instrumentalists other than guitarists, but among guitarists I think it would be a standard (though no one will be sure of its origins..I like the idea of it becoming a folk song, and thus becoming the basis for other compositions).

Also, what instruments are present will vary amongst settlements, and GM's discretion. I'd say instruments such as guitars, lutes, and violins would only be made in larger settlements, ones that can support people who make their living from activities other than farming. Elaborate horns, such as tubas and trombones, would be vary rare indeed, as they require some degree of skill to create. Simple instruments, such as recorders, can be fashioned by anyone with a bit of free time, and thus would be a very common instrument. Then again, whose to say what instruments a wandering merchant might bring in.

D-Bee populations, however, are a complete wild card. Music from other dimensions will tend to be odd, at best. In many cases humans won't even recognize it as music. GMs who are also (avant-garde) composers could try to write some of this stuff. But for the ease of the writer and the reader, this article will focus on the evolution of *human* music.

In larger cities, such as Chi-Town or Los Alamo, there would be a very large variety of music. Folk songs would still be popular, and this would probably be the music of choice among citizens. Actual formal concerts for this type of music would be rare, but a band playing "folk" tunes would probably be very common in coffee houses and small restaurants (the folk music of rifts would be very different from our idea of folk music). Also, in the Coalition cities, Coalition Radio sponsors a more mainstream type of music, reminiscent of today's "soft pop" such as Whitney Houston or Kenny G. These songs usually deal with the tale of a son/boyfriend/husband going off to serve the Coalition, and his tragic death while he was defending a village/shepherd/little girl from a d-bee/demon/magic-user. The song then goes on to say how sorrowful the mother/girlfriend/wife is at the loss of her loved one, but how she is proud that he died a noble death so that she and others can live in safety, etc etc. The name for this music is simply "Popular Music." This is the music the average Coalition citizen would listen to. Those who don't appreciate this music, such as punks and city rats, refer to this music as "skull music" (in reference to the Coalition's death's head motif) or "skullf*** music," or "music of the dead" etc etc. The city rats have their own kind of music, and low tolerance for state-sanctioned shlock.

A fad among the subculture of the larger, dirtier cities, especially the Coalition cities, is Underground music. Many inhabitants of these cities, especially the young and/or poor, are unaffected by skull music, and have feelings of extreme hatred towards the Coalition, which tends to be expressed in music. Since, most multi-level cities place the poor in the lower levels, the music has been labeled Underground music. The Underground music scene is incredibly active, and many of the performers in this scene are involved in some sort of resistance movement or another. Thus, the more aggressive Underground music has earned a bad reputation (which serves the Coalition just fine). Underground music has evolved in two directions: one is called Frenoiz, the other is Cybertronic. Most citizens cannot tell the difference between Frenoiz and Cybertronic, its all just noise to them...

Frenoiz music is a direct product of the collapse of civilization. Almost no sheet music survived from the Golden Age. If any did, it was immediately snapped up by collectors, and locked away in a private vault. And with the Coalition's ban on literacy (or low level of literacy, depending on your campaign), and the world's emphasis on survival skills, rather than academic, those who can notate and read music are very rare. Thus, all underground musicians have developed a remarkable ear, and are masters at improvisation. Songs are usually a chord progression that turns into a jam, ranging from 8 minutes to an hour. Very few musicians have ever learned any concepts of music theory, so they are guided solely by their ear. This usually produces startling results, and the music is always very intense. Modern day equivalents are free jazz, and some of the more jam-happy rock groups. The music tends to be chaotic, loud, and angry, at least at the start. No one is sure where the name "Frenoiz" comes from, though the best guess is that its a (purposeful) mispronunciation of "Free Noise." Frenoiz artists come in all varieties. Many are scrawny, sickly looking teenagers, while others are imposing, dread-locked behemoths who never take the stage without a half empty bottle of whiskey. Lyrics can be rants against the Coalition, tales of perverse sex with inhuman D-Bees, or an ode to the singer's shoes.

The dominant presence of technology has made computers, keyboards and samplers very inexpensive. Thus, many "bands" consist of one person playing a keyboard, with a computer supplying the rest of the accompaniment, ranging from a drum beat and bass, to layers and layers of random notes. Afficiandos refer to this music as Cybertronic. Vocals, if any, can range from repeating a whispered word to wordless screams--it depends upon the style of the vocalist/composer. Cybertronic Instra-Mentalists (as most prefer to be called) tend towards long trench coats with an upturned collar, usually bright red or green, though any shade of is possible. Hair is worn fairly short, and stands straight up in the air. Dye-jobs are popular. They also wear lots and lots of jewelry, from brooches to body piercings to rings and necklaces. The ingestion of mind-altering drugs is common among Instra-Mentalists, though by no means is it prevalent.

Coffee House Folk Music:
If you have friends who are into SCA-type stuff, ask for some Filk. Otherwise, check the Folk section of the record store, though that doesn't really match with Rifts Folk.
Also check out Camper Van Beethoven, and maybe a little Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Popular Music:
Well, I know very little about this sort of music. I'd imagine singers like Carly Simon, and Ray Conniff would do, or Gloria Estefan...just tune the radio to an "easy listening" station. The lyrics, of course, won't match, but...

Frenoiz (FRE-noyz) music:
-Miles Davis - Bitch's Brew (definitely)
-Emerson, Lake and Palmer (the vast majority, but not all, of their stuff)
-The Fall
-Rudolph Grey's "Mask of Light" (if you can find it, its perfect. I'm not sure about his other stuff, though its probably just as good)
-Herbie Hancock - Headhunters (this would be an exceptionally calm and organized Frenoiz group)
-Jasper & the Prodigal Suns (a very mellow group that combines Frenoiz with Pirate rock (see the article on the Knightline page)
-King Crimson (not all of the songs, but a lot, such as "Requiem," "Sartori in Tangier," or "21st Century Schizoid Man including Mirrors")
-Thurston Moore
-Pell Mell
-Phish (either buy the double CD "A Live One" or snag some "bootlegs" from a Phishead friend. Their other CD's have almost no examples of their incredible jamming)
-The Presidents of the United States of America
-Rage Against the Machine
-Red Hot Chili Peppers
-Sun Ra should be good for this sort of thing (in the jazz section), though I've never heard them.
-They Might Be Giants (especially "You'll Miss Me" from the Lincoln album).
-Really, anything with a WHOLE lot of improvisation (long songs) that have parts that are just pure "noise" (actually, its an incredibly complex expression of the musicians' collective subconscious....;) or, to a lesser extent, anything thats just WEIRD.

Cybertronic Music:
-Cause & Effect
-Depeche Mode
-Double Fantasy
-Enigma
-Filter
-God Lives Underwater
-Jean Michel Jarre
-Thurston Moore (yes, again. He's a crossover artist ;)
-My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
-Nine Inch Nails, if you must ;)
-Stabbing Westward (maybe, I haven't heard much of their album)
-Tangerine Dream
-For some reason, I also see Dream Theater and White Zombie being feasible. Don't ask me why. Anything with a lot of sequenced keyboards.
-And, for the most part, either very dark, or with very loud singing, though many Cybertronic groups tend to go for more spacy feels.
-Look for "ambient" music, or some of the more chaotic techno. Industrial music could go under either category.

Warning: A few of these bands are ones I've only heard a couple of songs from. But unless they're incredibly diverse, the rest of the tracks on the album should work as well.

By Nate Trier