Genre Reference Thread

Hi folks,

I thought it might be beneficial to have some sort of ongoing "genre recommendation" thread; Mike obviously mentions frequently that transcription is key, and I sometimes have some particular idea of what kind of sound I'm looking for (in terms of having heard a particular style), but draw blank when I'm trying to look for references to study and transcribe, i.e. looking for references for a typical "Japanese folk" sound,

It would be fantastic if experienced folks could curate some recommendations here, as even searching playlists on streaming sites typically comes up empty (BBC, CBC and the like tend to be much better). Genres could be within film, games, TV, or not at all. I.e. "Americana" -- <Insert particular score by Aaron Copland>, or "Classic Hollywood Horror" -- Psycho, by Bernard Herrmann (even mentioning the references these composers had would be useful). The "classical" label is an awfully large one to navigate as well, and some quintessential examples of varying styles would be quite helpful for newbies.

So, anyone want to chip in?

 

Ok folks -- a few recommendation requests:
-Traditional Japanese folk songs, the non-westernized/pop versions.
-That James Bond-y swing sound -- any specific songs or pieces from any of the films that stand out?

 

Says "video is not available". Only other stuff I could find with "Sakura" was over-produced J-pop.

 

Anything in particular in mind? I know the original melody was pulled from an Indian song Monty Norman wrote for a musical that never made it to stage, but that big sexy jazz arrangement's tonality is what I'm after. I've checked out some of the John Barry Seven and it's somewhat surf-rock-y.
As an aside, I love Radiohead's song for Spectre (that for some reason got thrown out in favour of Sam Smith's mediocre tune), it has similar flavour albeit more darkly applied:

More like "I can take on the entire world in an 80s montage"

 

Ok, new genre I'm looking for: existential horror. Not just "ahh, there's a murderer in my house!", I'm talking serious existential horror, like "will I ever be good at composing?"

Something with this flavour, but from any great composer (i.e. what they would have been inspired by):

 

Thanks for this! I know I've come across it at some point, but it was certainly lost on me.

In regard to "epic" -- I kind of hate the word now, and while I still like the sort of "grandiose" nature of the gothic aesthetic (refers to quite a few different trends and eras, but I'm talking the stereotypical one -- images of grand cathedrals, choirs, etc), I'm looking for the "classics" that inspire that kind of tone without the modern "epic" baggage. Sometimes chamber music can carry more dread than a full orchestra.

 

Ah, forgot about this one, thanks.

It's hard to find solid references for horror music that's both experimental (i.e. atonal) but also thematic. I was listening to the score for Dracula by Anton Coppola and it has some great ideas but doesn't develop terribly well and gets repetitive quickly.