From Issue 3.4 - May 1997
Like sex, music expresses that which cannot be spoken, cannot be
pictured, cannot be signalled in any other way. Like costume, music
evokes moods, brings forth personalities, and builds tension more
dramatically than other props. Like power and violence, music is a
dynamic force that can slip under the curtain of thought and trigger
rituals of spirit or of sheer physicality.
Cuir Underground asked a number of perverts to share the music that
fuels their fantasies, especially new and unusual music to restoke the
fires of your sex rituals. Thogh musical preferences re as unique as
sexual fantasies, perhaps their replies ill inspire you to new
perversities, both musical and sexual.
I like rhythmic, hypnotic work that doesn't overwhelm the scene with
distinguishable lyrics. Gentle or nurturing scenes can stick to stuff
like Enya and Dead Can Dance (the old standby). There are a huge
number of techno/trance compilations, some with cheesy titles like "A
Body Alternating Sexperience;" this sort of stuff often works well as
rhythmic background. Darker or more violent scenes can thrive on
harsher music, though I still prefer music that is repetitive and
hypnotic -- Lycia can be very soothing, but still has a hell of an
edge to it. If you're in to really heavy music during scenes,
something nasty and industrial like Skinny Puppy or Godflesh can work
well. If you don't mind lyrics, Nine Inch Nails or Ministry can work,
but I find them too distracting because you can understand the words
without too much effort -- exactly what I don't want in most scenes.
-- Thomas Roche, kinky author
I am a big fan of theatrical scenes. The music I select has a great
deal to do with what I hope to achieve. The scene which calls for
sensory overload might include head-thrashing heavy metal such as
Metallica or Guns N' Roses' "Appetite For Destruction." I choose the
type of songs which provide a heavy beat and screaming lyrics that
vibrate the walls and my partners. I find heavy metal useful in scenes
which are more physically demanding on me, such as a very heavy
flogging or a hard. Scenes that call for a more spiritual,
transcendent experience -- such as play piercing and other bloodsports
-- are often accompanied by New Age and Aboriginal Reconstructivist
music. I try to select groups with few or no lyrics so that my own
voice provides the emotional grounding for the bottom. I am especially
fond of Native American flute music, and have enjoyed many of Coyote
Oldman's recordings, most especially "Thunder Chord," as well as
Temple Of The Dream Jaguar's "Native Flute Ensemble". If I am planning
a scene with a new play partner I will often combine my old stand-bys
of Yanni, Enya, and Enigma. I find the Benedictine Monks Of Santo
Domingo De Silos' "Chant" to be the perfect background for a
role-playing scene with Catholic religious overtones. If one of my
scenes is to include some serious pump 'n' grind in addition to the
torture and blood, I might mix in some funky blues. My two favorite
choices are Joan Osborne's "Relish," and "Blues Traveler's "Four."
There is a nice little song called Help Me on "Relish" which has some
very appropriate Daddy lyrics.
-- Mistress Cat, Bay Area S/M party host
My favorite music includes: "Chime" by Orbital, which makes me feel
high on energy, and ready to face the horde of any fetish dance
floor. "Burn Baby Burn!" by The Electric Hellfire Club was made for
sleazy torture scenes. It is contemporary rock/industrial, stylish and
fit for a bit of serious SM. "Torture Rock" by Rockin' Belmarx is not
a serious S/M song, but is hopelessly sleazy in the 50s Las Vegas
style. "Sugar is Sweet," by CJ Bolland is another track from the
current dance scene, and the screeching post-punk lyrics leave little
to the imagination. I also recommend "L' Heuton Timoroumenos" by
Diamanda Galas. Galas is one of the finest singers of the American
gothic era, with the femininity and power of a serious opera
singer. This is one of the most erotic songs I have ever heard, and
conjures up images of bloodletting, vampires, red crepe...oh I feel
flush!
-- Heather, Club Whiplash, London
The music I've used both at home and at parties includes the "Babylon
5" soundtrack by Christopher Franke, "The Phantom" soundtrack by David
Newman, "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles #1" by Joel MacNeeley and
Laurence Rosenthal, "Rollerball" soundtrack, "Alien Nation" soundtrack
by Dorff, Kurtz, and Herbstritt. For lighter bits of play I have used
"The Masochism Tango" and "Smut" by Tom Leher, "Toilet Slave" by the
Meatmen, the Addams Family soundtrack (the TV series, not the film),
and "Cause I'm a Blonde" by Julie Brown. Needless to say, I get some
interesting comments on my mixes, but they keep asking for more.
-- Dr. Charles Forbin, author of "Diaries of Ayesha"
My favorites include the Chris and Cosey ep "Come Down To Me" (with
Annie Lennox on vocals); anything by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, which is
Muslim devotional chanting from Pakistan; and some selections from the
"Hi, How Are You Today" CD by Ashley Macisaac (not the whole CD!).
-- Wolfie
Recently I've been using "Insides" and "Satan Live" by Orbital. Both
are sort of techno/ambient. "Insides" can be amazing if you're in the
right mood. You might also try stuff by Aphex Twin. Depending on how
you like your sound, you could also try "The Sinking of the Titanic"
by Gavin Bryars, which is kind of ethereal/ambient.
-- Dave, Huddersfield, UK
We love to scene with Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel." From the
hauntingly melodic "Cruel Prelude" and the whip-sound beat of "Don't
Be Cruel" and "My Prerogative," to the softer "Take It Slow," we can
really tune in with this mood-inducing album.
-- Jaguar, from the Internet
While there's a lot of music I like, the only one I could name off the
top of my head as a must for a play party would be "The Masochism
Tango" by Tom Leher to start off the night. Personally I'd like to
hear more Blue Oyster Cult and Hawkwind. I can also suggest what not
to play. I have safeworded on "In A Metal Mood/No More Mr. Nice Guy"
by Pat Boone, and if I hear Dead Can Dance one more time I'll puke --
Dead Can Dance has to be the most overplayed scene music there is.
-- Jay Moyes, kinky artist
My favorite scene music includes: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael
Brook's "Night Song" -- great, mystical, wailing, dark, romantic
music; any album by Morphine -- cool, sultry, smoky, seduction
grooves; "Superunknown" by Soundgarden -- ominous, crashing thrash
rock; and Nine Inch Nails -- of course!
-- Rob Jellinghaus, Bay Area hacker by day and pervert by night
My favorite scene music is Psychic TV, especially the "Live in Tokyo"
album. Although not on this album, "The Orchids" is perfect for heavy
cock and ball torture (the removal of the testicles is known as an
orchidectomy, after all). Although it's a cliche', I often use the
Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs" for female dominant/male
submissive scenes. Other favorites include the Cocteau Twins and Sleep
Chamber, an S/M fetish band from Boston with songs such as "Warm
Leatherette" and "Kiss the Whip."
-- Liz Highleyman, Cuir Underground Editrix
My bottom is such a smart-ass pig for pain that the only thing I can
threaten him with (besides PBS pledge breaks) is my own
singing. Fortunately, we also have recordings of good music! For a
long, involved scene my favorite is Handel's "Messiah" (the Christmas
portion). Tchaikovsky is also great. Depending on mood, I like his
violin concerto (especially with the tiger claws!) or the "1812
Overture" (great with a paddle!)."The Habanera," from "Carmen," sets a
nice pace for a spanking, and for a caning nothing beats the "Largo al
Factotum" aria from "Barber of Seville."
-- Jack Fertig, Astrologer and writer
My selections include "In the Realm of a Dying Sun" by Dead Can Dance,
"Passion" by Peter Gabriel, "Blue Bell Knoll" by the Cocteau Twins,
"The Hunger" soundtrack (this has to be timed just right, so that when
the "scary" music starts, you're at an appropriate place in the
scene), "Pulse" by Brent Lewis, "Mixed Up" by the Cure, the "Twin
Peaks" soundtrack, and The Art of Noise Ambient Collection. Enigma
used to be on my best list until I went to a party where the thing
played all night; after that, my partner and I declared a personal ban
on Enigma for a year. I like to hear certain music at the beginning of
a party or to set the mood before a scene, including music by Depeche
Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and The Mission UK. But while I'm playing, I
generally like to avoid songs with words, as they can be distracting
both for the bottom and for me (although Cocteau Twins and Dead Can
Dance don't count, since you can't make out any coherent words). I
just picked up Gabrielle Roth's "Bones" and "Waves," which seem good
for less active play like mummification, play piercing, and
bondage. Mostly the only music I buy these days is scene
music. Whenever we go to a movie, we always judge the soundtrack by
whether or not it would make good scene music.
-- Cuirdyke, from the Internet
I don't have any particular long-time favorite music. Over the years I
have been into Bach organ music, the Beatles, Flamenco, Edith Piaf,
Maria Callas, Simon and Garfunkle, highlights from Berg's "Wozzeck,"
"Gottschalk" (yes, "Night in the Tropics," but especially his Cuban
and piano music), and most recently 7th Symphony. I tend toward Big
Sound classical stuff, but every once in a while something comes along
that just carries me away. Last year I played a few times with a guy
who liked to play a CD of Gershwin's solo piano music. Being tied up
can add a whole new resonance to "The Man I Love." Then there have
been guys with whom I would have been happy to listen to a recording
of mating cats being dragged across a blackboard... I like music
during a scene, but no one piece or style or composer or performer has
emerged as the winner -- I guess I'm from the "whatever works" school
of music.
-- Al, from the Internet
For many years, I played Ravi Shankar and various other sitar/tabla
musicians. One time I had a date with a well-known punk around town --
foot-high mohawk and tons of attitude. We'd played at his house,
rather lightly because of noise constraints, although I do remember
violently face-fucking him. The first time at my place, I decided that
he wouldn't want to hear a sitar, so I played some sort of punk music,
and he asked me why he didn't get a sitar like my others boyz. Turned
out my unusual music choice had a reputation. I rarely play music now
during a whipping. I have come to prefer the raw sound of leather on
flesh, the excited breathing, and the unfiltered yelps.
-- Huck, from the Internet
"The passions enjoy themselves in the form of music," said
Neitzsche. He was right. At our own Fetish Nights we ask the deejay to
play music which supports scenes and S/M states of mind -- this means
we discourage deafeningly loud, percussive metal rock, or
anxiety-provoking industrial screaming music. "Dead Can Dance" is
great. The music for any scene should contribute to it, not compete
with it or try to overpower it. In my own dungeon, I like the new
complete "Blade Runner" soundtrack, the incidental music to "X Files,"
and the soundtrack to "Haunted Summer." I prefer longer cuts -- short
pieces with many pauses interfere with the flow of any scene. Some
ethnic and classical music works beautifully -- the Kodo Drummers,
gamelan music, Zen shakuhachi flute -- especially for tight, intimate,
tense, up-close edge play. For bullwhip play, I prefer more spacious
music, such as Gorecki's Third Symphony. If music is handled
correctly, one will not consciously notice it, but it will support the
state of mind required to make a superb scene for all participants.
-- Robert Dante, publisher, Boudoir Noir magazine
Check out "Drugfucked," the fetish soundtrack collection by The League
of Hedonists. Salvatore Mulligan and his brainchild the League of
Hedonists are fast becoming the Greek chorus of the London fetish
scene. It doesn't get any more current or real than this. Few
filmmakers have Mulligan's eye for fetish detail; none have his
musical talent. This man is not only the documenteur of London's
fetish milieu, but he's also providing the soundtrack. "Drugfucked" is
the soundtrack to the 90s fetish experience. These days no post-party
chill-out is complete without one of Mulligan's juicy slabs of video
sauce, and when the party wants to chill, the party turns up the
volume, kicks back, and lets Mulligan's sensual, phat beats take them
away. There's a good mixture here of the angel's and the devil's
tunes. "Water Baby" from Atomic is dripping with sensuality, Harlotz
Theme rocks. Mulligan's music is sprinkled with dub fairy dust, which
soothes the mind and tickles the libido. Breathy, sexy and for real,
it seems ripe with massive crossover potential. Coooool!
-- From Michelle Olley's review in Skin Two magazine issue 21;
submitted by Lisa Sherman, editor of Skin Two Online