That time NIN made a perfect ambient industrial soundtrack for Quake

The year was 1996. And Trent Reznor and NIN loved id Software so much that they made a deep, dark, legendary soundtrack for the breakthrough game Quake, for no fee — just for “friendship.” At a time when creativity can feel under attack, and the real world is starting to seem a little, uh, Quake-like, […]

Offbeat and daring music in games 2025 — most on sale now

For all the twin woes of the gaming and music worlds, last year saw even more imaginative explorations of music and games. Steam has extended sales on some items and third party sites have codes from a recent sale; Epic Game Store’s sale runs through January 8. And there’s a lot of winter ahead, so let’s dive in.

Peter Kirn - January 5, 2026

Super Space Club, lo-fi shooter to chill to, is free now – let’s praise Fat Bard

We need to talk about how good Fat Bard’s game soundtracks are. Super Space Club rebooted Asteroids as “a lo-fi space shooter to chill to,” set to the St. Louis production duo’s beats – and that game is free right now on Epic Game Store. So grab that. But it doesn’t end there.

Peter Kirn - May 5, 2025