Elite: Dangerous' orchestral soundtrack was composed by a talented musician named Erasmus Talbot. It's perfectly nice, but there's also the game's other soundtrack, composed by the likes of Billy Gibbons, Norman Greenbaum, and Ace Frehley.
Any time I play the game, I tend to mute the in-game soundtrack and pipe in a classic rock playlist of my own choosing. Mr. Talbot's soundtrack is appropriately grand and often quite lovely, but it just can't compete with the magic of cruising past an asteroid belt while a chunky guitar solo plays.
As Luke pointed out to me when I was talking about it last week, I basically role-play as outer-space Doug Masters:
I'm not sure what it is, exactly, that makes classic rock and outer-space flight go so well together. While I'm pretty sure it predates Guardians of the Galaxy, that film effectively captured the space-rock "thing" better than most.
I know I'm not alone in this—plenty of people on various Elite forums have been sharing their favorite playlists for various activities in the game. For my part, I generally tune in to this terrific Rdio classic rock playlist, though I think I'll be curating my own playlist at some point in the future.
Some favorites:
Foreigner, "Juke Box Hero"
…for when I'm approaching a new starport.
Ace Frehley, "New York Groove"
…for when I'm in the middle of a long trip across multiple star systems.
The Doobie Brothers, "China Grove"
…for departing, be it for a short journey or a long one.
Norman Greenbaum, "Spirit in the Sky"
…for floating above an uncharted planet, taking in the view.
Kansas, "Carry On Wayward Son"
…aka "The Supercruise Anthem."
ZZ Top, "La Grange"
…for any dogfight, ever.
Anyone out there have tunes or playlists they listen to while playing Elite? If so, share 'em below.