Dangerous Music

Royalty free danger music for the background is still often used in creating short films and student films, as this music can help to push along narrative, express what a character feels, or enhance a suspenseful moment. This exciting music can also be used in creating trailer ads, encouraging viewers to give an unknown director and movie a chance.

Dramatic scores can help us to feel involved in the moment and that’s just what the director wants. A feeling of captivated interest, and “what happens next?” reaction to build upon. A perfect example of modern danger music is “Duel of the Fates” originally debuting in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, written by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The score is so well known it’s often used to lend other movies and commercial a bit of flair.

The Queen of the Night and Madama Butterfly are also commonly mentioned as all time greats.

Another type of music to download at your own risk is that of an experimental genre called “danger music” which is like the performance art of composition. These songs are written by musicians that want to manipulate the listener or performer, or even harm them in some way.

While this sounds quite bizarre, it is a growing movement in the underground scene, and such anti-musical artists like Takehisa Kosugi (Music for a Revolution) and Dick Higgins who created a series called Danger Music. Sometimes performers make the music unbearably loud and deafening or may do something surreal, like driving a dump truck through a rock concert. It’s all very weird indeed, and perhaps a good thing if you watch this type of genre on cable rather than in person.