Looking for instrumental "busy" music

August 12, 2009 10:40 AM

I am looking for snazzy, retro-modern sounding instrumental songs evoking busyness or a kind of brisk purposefulness. Two representational examples are Khachaturian's Saber Dance and Koop's Moon Bounce.

I am interested in anything in this vein, but I know there is one that's almost as freqently used as "Saber Dance" that I can't remember. I already know and love the incidental music from Ren and Stimpy.

posted by everichon to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

Could you be thinking of Flight of the Bumblebee?
posted by zer0render at 10:42 AM on August 12, 2009

There's also In the Hall of the Mountain King, of course.
posted by paultopia at 10:50 AM on August 12, 2009

The Typewriter, by Leroy Anderson.
posted by rocket88 at 10:50 AM on August 12, 2009

Best answer: "Powerhouse" is the go-to industrial progress soundtrack.
posted by martens at 10:57 AM on August 12, 2009

Popcorn.
posted by Sculthorpe at 11:02 AM on August 12, 2009

Devil's Gallop, better known as the Dick Barton theme is a popular cliche for this kind of thing - as used by Sir Digby Chicken Caesar.
posted by tomcooke at 11:07 AM on August 12, 2009

I'm also fond of The Basket Game from the Raiders of the Lost Ark soundtrack.

Two Rossini pieces, the William Tell Overture and Largo al Factotum are often used to evoke purposefulness/busyness.
posted by tomcooke at 11:21 AM on August 12, 2009

"Central Services / The Office" from the soundtrack to Brazil
posted by VeritableSaintOfBrevity at 12:00 PM on August 12, 2009

Ananda Shankar's Dancing Drums gives you that busy feel with an Indian inflection.

Steve Reich's Nagoya Marimbas is a minimalist version that is very nice.
posted by extrabox at 1:45 PM on August 12, 2009

Galop, from Shostakovich's Ballet Suite No. 1
posted by argybarg at 3:41 PM on August 12, 2009