DRAMA EDGE VOL. 2

Huge distorted guitars and creepy, burbling synths combine with propulsive drum loops in this evil, bone-crushing cut

Grungy power chords and slammin' drums meet Goth electronica in this very angry piece

A bit of 80's new wave guitar rock meets 90's production in this cut featuring E-bowed guitar, heavy drums and distorted tremoloed power chords

A funky trip to futuristic action film soundtracks driven by a distorted bass, analog synth blips and flanged guitar

Pounding kick drums and Goth rock guitars take you into the dark underworld of a post-apocalyptic city

Heavily processed and chopped guitar and big beat drums combined with electronica sound design paint a dark future populated by evil mutants and the superheroes who battle them

Tablas, sitars and Eastern-style vocals meet Western big beats and metal guitars in this cross-cultural slam

A feast of analog synths, scratches, and a heavy guitar riff push relentlessly to the finish of this big beat cut

A great futuristic spy chase piece that uses a fast grooving bass, chopped and processed vocals and funky drums to create a cinematic vibe. Half-speed Mellotron horns add a 60's spy feel to the second :30

Ominous filtered bass leads to an extreme-sports-style distorted guitar riff backed by drums and percussion

Lots of resonant filters on everything from the guitar to the drums give this sports-oriented cut a driving, yet spacious feel

Choppy guitar, tension-building strings and Mellotron flute prepare you for the inevitable invasion of the 30-story-high robots or the football team with a 600 lb linebacker named Otto

This one starts with a warning-sound synth line and builds steadily to a frenetic pace. Big hits throughout and a vintage organ section in the middle

A jungle beat pulls a metal guitar into a thin but angry sheen over this nasty, bad-tempered groove

Giant power chords soar over a killer hip-hop groove. Guitar processing and analog synths add a techno feel in the middle. Great for muscle sports

Punky guitars, Farfisa organ lines and a Euro-disco groove. Dance with attitude. Got a problem with that?

A contemplative mood created with piano and synth pads over a deep bass/hip-hop groove

Backwards string chords, and a piano paint a serious to sad mood

60's-style guitar and bass lines over a deliberately distorted drum groove that occasionally gets swamped by a big metal guitar

Featuring acoustic guitar, light pads and vibes, this cut is totally chillin' at the pool with its lounge meets hip-hop feel

Wild psychedelic backwards guitars and strings float over an English rave-style groove. Trippy, yet newsy at the same time (especially the second half)

Another piano/string groove, this time augmented by vocoder lines and timpani. Quiet and serious

An eccentric little number straight outta the Paris underground dance scene complete with 40's style string sections, a slammin' groove, cheesy Farfisa, men shouting and an almost-audible nod and wink

Sitar and big analog synths give this big beat cut an exotic and serious feel

Trip hop-style synth and heavy 5-string bass move under a drifting string section. Has a smooth urban/disco feel without getting too sentimental

Newsy tension conveyed by a pick bass, percussion and piano with techno sound design. The second half gets lighter until :47 when the tension returns

Old bluesy guitar and organ give way to straight-off-the vinyl crunchy drums and slap bass with a little old school funk guitar. Picture five twenty-somethings in a small economy car cruising L.A. trying to figure out how to make the scene

Tension-building swirling string line develops into a percussion/bass groove til :30, breaks down briefly, then continues with an organ line in the second half

Simultaneously urban and investigative, this cut combines mysterious synths and delayed piano with a slow groove

Bass harmonics and an eerie pad create suspense that's only partly diffused by the funky guitar and percussion-heavy groove. Hits and strings galore

A string section builds tension over a fast dub bass line and a skittish snare. Evil burbles and breathing sounds create an ominous atmosphere

Tablas and nylon string guitar join a scratchy hip-hop beat and an analog synth to make morning music cool and multi-cultural. Piano and flute appear in the second half and anchor the piece (Urban meets Urbane)

If computers had bad dreams, this would be the soundtrack: evil pads, ticking synths, an Industrial beat and all kinds of creepy hits and stings

The scene: just minutes after the big disaster. Cinematic in feel, with heavily phased strings, and delayed drums, this cut conveys despair and also a determination to go on with life

Dramatic, yet neutral, this Middle Eastern percussion piece is augmented by a sinuous synth and haunting pipes. The second half is a percussion/bass-only remix of the first :30

Something or someone is trapped in cyberspace and our hero has to navigate through dark decay to get to it. Big drum hits, plaintive, minimalist flute, and a vocal fragment set the spooky mood

A murder in a dystopia--no time for mourning, revenge is first. A string quartet mourns while the drums seek vengeance. Oversized, breathing hits

One of the few cuts without percussion. Glassy synths and huge, slow gongs, a piano and an analog synth create an alternate reality where everything is frozen in time

Polyrhythmic pizzicato strings create a sense of dramatic unease while a steady hip-hop groove and a soft anthemic synth assure you that everything's going to be okay

Steadily rising in tension, this percussion and synth cut features big, backwards orchestra hits and the ambient sounds of evil things in the shadows

Reptilian howls and slithery percussion let you know you shouldn't be visiting this slimy alien nest. Second :30 starts quietly suspenseful with strings and piano, but builds to a big attack

Things flit by the corner of your eye. Did that gargoyle just move? Slow, pulsing synths, big hits and exotic percussion all say, "Yes, GET OUT!!!"

Slow, sweeping pads and a rock-solid bass are joined by hip-hop drums and percussion and a scintillating synth line. Somber, but full of motion

Lots of little sound bits set up a spacious groove punctuated by a vibe line and a stuttering drum part. Says high-tech in a slightly unsavory way

A jungle beat says "Listen to the way that engine purrs and the car handles," while the sad string quartet and piano say, "Too bad you can't afford it." Lots of dub/electronica hits

A flangey, spacey drum loop and sweeping analog synths are anchored at :19 and :45 by a heroic guitar line

Urban, electronica and metal collide in this intense, but spacious cut. Metal guitar riff comes in at :19 and later, a frenetic Hammond organ

Remember the 80's when MTV was young, synth bands were having their day and sad, Brit baritones sang about everything in the same despairing voice? Maybe this will remind you of the days when it was cool to pretend to be a robot in a disco

Chattering, arpeggiated synths, big timpani and a chugging beat suggest big news and the race to get to the story first

Newsy and contemplative, this cut provides the soundtrack to an overview of any heavy news story. Steady drums and bass and soft pad are punctuated by percussive breaks

Relentless as a giant robot, this pounder combines Industrial percussion with Eastern, Goa-style synths to create an exotic and fearsome hi-tech piece

Big, distorted hits make the point in this part techno, part punk groove with growling synths

A mildly happy number for a change. Features 12-string acoustic, tremolo electrics and the feeling you had after your first kiss

Sighing synths and a drum machine augmented by orchestral percussion and piano provide the backdrop for the news in the 21st Century

Industrial sound design and aggressive, processed guitar join pounding drums, coming together by :19 to push this newsy cut into overdrive

Add hip-hop grooves to a little guitar-driven R & B, break it down with some scratching and you've got a happy and slightly over-caffeinated number

Spy music for computers. Gnarly analog synths, heavily filtered drums and squishy hits plus a spy melody at :11 and big hits make this good for the scene just before the chase

Trancey looped guitar and soft pads, a dance groove and a Mellotron flute melody greet the morning gently, but with a noticeable edge

Assembly line dance music. Machine noises, chugging upright bass and a jungle beat hustle along the conveyor belt. Features an organ line played by a robot in overdrive and a campy fashion show horn section. (Ready to wear music by the machines who made your clothes)

For those of you who loved Switched-On Classics, we've created a 90's Frankenstein monster: a blend of J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2's second and third movements set to a jungle beat and performed by a Chamberlin string quartet, a jazz bass and a harpsichord. Surprisingly tasteful but without a hint if refinement