So here’s the thing. Lately, I’ve really been digging ambient albums, soundscapes, and film/game scores to the point where I really wanna sit down and compose the stuff. My taste in music’s been sort of in the “in ya face” kinda feeling for years now, but I’m beginning to see the good in minimalism and the use of empty space as music itself.
So. Prongers. Recommend me some tasty ambience, and to the musicians on this board, some technical know-how, yeah?
Checkout 1897 by Seaworthy. Really, really gorgeous ambient minimalism. Whole album was recorded in and out of a 100 year old decommissioned ammunitions bunker. As for the actual process
During a three month period as an ‘Artist in Residence’ with the Sydney Olympic Park Authoirity’s Arts
Program, Webb undertook a series of improvisations, compositions and field recordings within the bunkers
and surrounding natural environment. As well as pieces of looped guitar and electronics, installations of
field recordings played back with the bunkers were also recorded, using the natural reverb of the large
rooms as a way of processing the sounds of birds, insects and wind through trees. The large sandstone
bunkers were infused with so much natural reverberation that even the gentlest footstep seemed to take on
a life of its own.
Maybe the greatest ambient album ever is Aphex Twin’s ‘Selected Ambient Works, vol. II’. The masters are Brian Eno and Steve Roach. If you’re in to empty spaces check out Roach’s ‘The Magnificent Void’.
Here’s the theme to Jurassic Park slowed down like a bastard and gone all ambient: http://soundcloud.com/birdfeeder/jurassic-park-theme-1000-slower
Mick kinda nails it with his reply. Definitely Selected Ambient Works II. I’d also highly recommend Jean Michel Jarre, especially if you’re looking for ambient that’s a little more upbeat (and maybe you’re not, that’s okay too).
I thought the Jurassic Park slow-down was okay, but the Justin Bieber one was much more surprising. I guess it was taken off of Soundcloud, but it’s still on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0RqzP_N2Ps
What Mick said and a little Moby actually. I like his ambient companion disc and especially a few songs from Animal Rights album. I used to put some of those Aphex Twin or Moby discs on to pass out after long nights.
It’s not ambient, but check out Four Tet, Squarepusher, Bonobo and Cepia. Some of my favorite chill music.
Four Tet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwbn_sKCVRo
Squarepusher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od-0jDbyyoA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXpzK1ItQGw
For some soundscapes or film scoring, check out Zombi. Their music has a definite film score feel. Ive seen them a couple times and they are pleasing. Fans of Carpenter and zombie soundtracks.
This was my first ambient album also one of my favorite albums ever
I highly recommend this cosmic masterpiece.
You can never go wrong with Eno. If you haven’t heard “Ambient 4” or “Apollo” I highly recommend those two. Also, I just found out about minimalist composer Terry Riley. I haven’t heard much of his stuff, but I came across “A Rainbow in Curved Air” a few weeks ago. Good stuff.
I’m big into the soundscape guys. Steve Roach is a must-have. Also check out:
Thom Brennan - Mountains (1987), Mist (2004), Vibrant Water (2004)
Robert Rich - Rainforest (1989), Geometry (1994)
IXOHOXI (rare, the guy behind the project passed away, but I can hook you up).
Severed Heads (NOT ambient) released a very ambient soundtrack in 2005 called The Illustrated Family Doctor, that’s highly recommended.
Tangerine Dream - ‘Phaedra’ from 1974 is a classic that’s ahead of its time, and well worth a listen.
Paul Avgerinos - Muse From The Round Sky (1992) - very relaxing and layered, small doses of percussion, my first introduction to ‘space music’
Fripp & Eno - Evening Star (1975) - ambient classic
Fripp & Eno - The Equatorial Stars (2004) - dark, spacious, mysterious, you might dig this one
Vidna Obmana - Crossing The Trail (1998) A late discovery for me, but fast becoming one of my favorite ambient artists. Very light percussion on this release, almost tribal, lots of shaker, mixed with layers and layers of warm synth pads.
All of the above influenced me to do my own ambient work. With the MOTIV album, I didn’t force anything, and recorded it all live. It was a Sunday, cloudy outside, and a cool breeze was blowing into the house. I had the synth in the front room plugged into my KRK studio monitors, and it seemed like the right moment to go for it and record whatever I thought up on the fly. There was no pressure to get anything ‘right’…nothing was written, and it just worked. Maybe try that approach? Just hit record, and see what gets captured to tape as you create from a blank canvas.
1002
Agree with everyone here on Aphex Twin and Eno. I’d also suggest checking out Tim Hecker, Aidan Baker and Boards of Canada (though some BOC stuff is a bit more beat driven).
I have another suggestion:
Ben Frost
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Adxi8O5lqQ
Eno, Tim Hecker, Lustmord, Aphex Twin, they’re all great.
Don’t have much to add here. Ambient is cool when I am really relaxing/dozing and listening to music simultaneously, which is not too often.
Lustmord is great stuff and his split with The Melvins kind of combines the appeal of Dark Ambient with some nice Industrial Metal. Great album.
One thing I would suggest is the band Growing, which is kind of a mix of Ambient and Noise but not harsh it’s very pretty with distorted melodic synths. The album ‘Color Wheel’ is the only one I own. It’s cool.
Lustmord, good call.
Some of my favs are Harold Budd, Eno, and Lustmord. Also mid-'80s Controlled Bleeding is very ambient.
Stalker by Robert Rich and Lustmord is very nice, inspired by the Tarkovsky film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khbdKXJJzLw
For “scary” ambient I like Kerovnian’s From The Depths Of Haron.
OK. You MUST check out Andrew Chalk, for starters…
Go here…
http://www.aquariusrecords.org
And use his name as the keyword search.
That’s essential. But be warned his music is ‘barely there’ ambient. When you play it on your stereo - at night with the lights off - it sounds like music coming from another room or from far away.
Then you need to check out William Basinski…
Go to the same site. Listen to the sound bytes.
And see what he does with tape loops. Incredible.
A lot of what the other forum members have mentioned so far is good…but doesn’t exactly qualify as ambient per se. Even Selected Ambient Works II often veers far from what is normally considered ambient.
For darker, more textured ambient, I recommend the works of Italian artist Maurizio Bianchi, particularly his later period work. His early stuff is more industrial.
icepick…I love love love ambient music. and I mean DEEP, minimal, droney stuff.
when I first wanted to get into ambient music, I got recommendations like the Orb and Aphex Twin’s SAW II. both great stuff, but there was just something that I wanted to get into more. I wanted to go deeper.
enter Lull…the project from Mick Harris of Napalm Death and Scorn. his earlier stuff as Lull is more industrial ambient, but by “Cold Summer” (highly recommend that one) …it’s deep, heavy, droney material,as was all his output from that point on. I recommend his ENTIRE Lull catalog, it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
Oophoi is another top choice, in particular his Uputaut album, which is one hour+ long track, and the Spirals of Time 3 cd set, which is a live performance outdoors that spans all 3 discs.
I also recommend Final, the project from Justin Broadrick. I’m not TOO familiar with the most recent stuff as I’m not as big a fan of it, but I think you’ll like it as well. I will, however, recommend Solaris, his best album under the project. great guitar manipulations (you can’t tell they’re guitars) , feedbacks, hums, drones, etc.
Rapoon is another great project to check out, most specifically the Kirghiz Light 2 cd album, Fire at the Borderlands, and Darker by Light. Excellent ambient material, with at times a tribal style influence.
Good job, Prongers.
Gonna snag some of these beasts very soon.
Thanks much.
[cool]
as for making ambient music…you’d be shocked with something you can do on a program like fruity loops!
find or create some samples, or record some feedback drones, no percussion…and just massivly drop the pitch. I’ve extended 30 second clips into 20 min long songs. it’s a real simple, raw technique that doesn’t take much technical know-how at all!
Final is not quite ambient. it’s more engaging than that. other than ‘3’ which is sorta bleh, the most recent stuff:
My Body Is A Dying Machine EP is pretty quiet over all.
Dead Air (Utech records, ltd) is actually noisey in a ‘noise’ kinda way and solid. Afar is tape manipulation only, no guitars.
I’ve tried to make ambient music - it’s much harder for me than you might think. I don’t have the patience for it.