789 replies to this topic

[avec]

hello everyone,

this morning I had the idea to ysi some 'ambient' albums for y'all. what is ambient music? I don't know, look it up on wikipedia, it's too early in the morning for me to define anything. What I do know is I love the music, and I feel it's an oft overlooked field of music that can be highly creative if done right. Also there are a lot of bands dabbling in the music nowadays, such as sigur ros, m83, the books, akron family, etc, etc.

So I figure if response is positive, over the next days or so I'll hook you guys up with around ten or so albums that are my fav's. This is in no way representative of the full genre (I'm not going to dabble in any of the ambient house/dub stuff, that's just not my thing). But others are encouraged to join in and ysi if they'd care to.

So here goes.

The godfathers: Tangerine Dream

hxxp://s43.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2D965QPWNBR4U0VV8DP6E2F9T

This album, Phaedra, is an analogue masterpiece. Ever wondered what pure moog sounds like? Composed in 1974, but it is no switched on bach bullshit. These guys were out of their noodles farther than their krautrock contemporaries. It is the first of a group of six or so fantastic albums by this collective. Please don't think that this is going to be the new age junk that this band became. This is a challenging piece of music. Phaedra holds a symphonic quality, yet also sounds like the aural equivalent of syd barretts head on mushrooms.

[avec]

The Grandfather: Brian Eno

This guy needs no introduction, especially on a board like this. Composed in 1978, it's four tracks like Phaedra, yet quite the opposite thematically. Music for Airports does not need absolute attention. It can be meditated upon, or merely put in the background when doing other work, like folding your laundry or whatever you do when you're chillin. I've listened to it intently for years, yet have never tired of it. Eno uses simple and minimal piano lines, vocal samples blended through various studio wizardry. One of my favorites, and the album which made me delve deeper into the mystery of this music.



hxxp://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3CQI9DYETHZ9A0XSOBE0K2JF3U

I should have more music up tonight after I'm back from work...peace
avec

[emgee]

thanks! great thread so far....

[6ome 9irl]

yeah, keep it up, avec, thnx. ambient album covers> other covers

[avec]

Dark ambient: Robert Rich

Moving on from the trippy krauts and classically minimal brits, american Robert Rich exemplifies what some may call Dark ambient music. However, his music is much more inviting than many other dark ambient artists. Much like his southwest contemporary Steve Roach, he finds inspiration from ancient civilizations and their music (Rich is to middle eastern drone as Roach is to shamanistic, australian dreamtime reverie). This cd, entitled Trances/Drones, are 3 edited tracks of which he commonly would elongate into night long events in San Francisco in the early 80's. People would camp out, trip out, and listen to his music from evening until morning. On this cd he utilizes a host of electronic equipment, as well as a processed lap steel guitar (prominent in the first track), and natural reverbs. Enjoy.

Drones:
hxxp://s61.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=39ITW5X96N83T1VS69QX6FY31N

[st. park]

i am sadly unschooled in the works of tangerine dream. will check this out as soon as i get home.

[avec]

Post Rock Ambient: Windy and Carl

windy and carl are a musical duo from hailing from Michigan. Their sound frequently blankets the listener in guitar distortion and minimal bass drone reverberations. Windy's voice reminds me of a distant, twice removed Nico, but don't even try to listen to her lyrics (she is no graveyard poet).
Depths is an aptly titled collection. The title track drowns the listener in atonal guitar feedback waves, and what follows reminds me of sinking down further and further...as a whole this record can be quite exhausting, yet it is a comforting album in my collection that I revisit quite often. In fact, nearly everything I've heard by them I like. On Kranky Records.
p.s. they just released a new album a month or so ago.

Depths:
hxxp://s49.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1KBS78K5XTIS002V42K3XR6U1K

[moofman]

Oh, man, this thread is too much. Ambient is always one of those genres that I want so badly to get into, but the records usually take more than cursory listen to decide if I'm going to like so I never know where to start or if I should keep it for six months and then pull it out again and discover its greatness or what. Anyway, absolutely fantastic thread, avec. Keep it up.

[Vivian Darkbloom]

Three gems that someone should YSI- Harold Budd/ Brian Eno "The Pearl," Stewart Dempster and Pauline Oliveros, "Deep Listening" and David Hykes with the Harmonic Choir, "Harmonic Meetings"

[avec]

Three gems that someone should YSI- Harold Budd/ Brian Eno "The Pearl," Stewart Dempster and Pauline Oliveros, "Deep Listening" and David Hykes with the Harmonic Choir, "Harmonic Meetings"

I have the pearl. Will up it in the next few day or so if no one else does. Have been wanting to hear harmonic meetings. Oddly enough, deep listening should be arriving in my mail in the next few days.

[Fathoms]

This is awesome. I'm going to burn an ambient MP3 disc once I've downloaded it all. It is a very difficult genre to know where to start with.

[Rajexico]

Good thread. If anyone finds "Music For Airports" a bit inaccessible (which it certainly is) they might want to check out "Discreet Music."

[avec]

Steve Roach: Early Man

When I first decided to throw down 20 bucks for some of this guys music, I was afraid it would be cheese new age. I mean, the guy looks like an aging southwest-desert peyote casualty. And reviewers on amazon came off sounding cult-like. Thankfully I had gotten my money's worth, and my worst suspicions weren't confirmed. Roach is swiftly becoming my favorite of electronic ambient artists. He is a diverse and creative musician, never afraid to take chances. The music ranges from absolute peace (structures from silence) to downright horrifying (magnificent void). He has the unique talent of taking the listener someplace else with his music. Early Man takes us all the way back, old skool, to tool-making, hunter gathering, cave dwelling days. An ambient 'concept' album (it's ok to laugh at that shit, but damn if it isn't good). It is thick and foreboding, with sounds galore leaking from inside out. Evoking images of dense forests, caves, and primitive earth landscapes. Anthropology majors will scorch their shorts!
For some reason, every one of his albums I don't really like at first. I didn't like this album much for a couple of weeks. I played it and played it, until the lightbulb went on. Give it a chance! It might be the same for you. The music is very dense and requires intent listening. Headphones or a bumping set of speakers are a plus...on Projekt Records.


Early Man:
hxxp://s64.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1F70G12ZBBG9Z2GLK62IOCDLOS

[avec]

Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works, Volume II

If you like ambient or even just think you may like ambient you should not be without this double disc in your stacks. A superb introduction to the genre, IMO. Aphex Twin’s Volume Two is a near flawless collection. Each track is a small composition within itself; little encapsulated worlds of sine wave perfection. Part jaw-dropping, part mischievous and dark. To cut it short, this album is wonderful and addictive. Download it!

Disc One:
hxxp://s44.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0D18F2IFZWDV103PYBGB4NQ713

[emgee]

Anyone have any Donnacha Costello or Manual?

Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works, Volume II

If you like ambient or even just think you may like ambient you should not be without this double disc in your stacks. A superb introduction to the genre, IMO. Aphex Twin’s Volume Two is a near flawless collection. Each track is a small composition within itself; little encapsulated worlds of sine wave perfection. Part jaw-dropping, part mischievous and dark. To cut it short, this album is wonderful and addictive. Download it!

Disc One:
hxxp://s44.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0D18F2IFZWDV103PYBGB4NQ713

The Holy Grail

[avec]

BUMP for those who may want to d/l these albums before the ysi's burn up!

[emgee]

Dark ambient: Robert Rich

Moving on from the trippy krauts and classically minimal brits, american Robert Rich exemplifies what some may call Dark ambient music. However, his music is much more inviting than many other dark ambient artists. Much like his southwest contemporary Steve Roach, he finds inspiration from ancient civilizations and their music (Rich is to middle eastern drone as Roach is to shamanistic, australian dreamtime reverie). This cd, entitled Trances/Drones, are 3 edited tracks of which he commonly would elongate into night long events in San Francisco in the early 80's. People would camp out, trip out, and listen to his music from evening until morning. On this cd he utilizes a host of electronic equipment, as well as a processed lap steel guitar (prominent in the first track), and natural reverbs. Enjoy.

Drones:
hxxp://s61.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=39ITW5X96N83T1VS69QX6FY31N

i'm digging this

[Vivian Darkbloom]

Continued props to Avec and his inspired choices so far...keep up the good work!!! Love this thread and will be following it closely.

[avec]

Experimental Audio Research: Beyond The Pale


Sonic Boom of Spacemen 3 was inarguably the more avante of the duo. Nothing showcases this better than when they split off: Jason got more heavy into a spiritual americana drug hybrid, and Sonic plunged deeper into the rabbit hole of the drone. His EAR project gives him a chance to let his hair down and try out some crazier shit, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But that's experimental music for you. Many times I admit he retreads old pathways, but this album is not one of them. Instruments include: saxophone, bowed cymbal, feedback of all kinds, and sonic's synthi vcs3 (where does he get all the money for these toys?). The real treat is on track one: Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine coaxed into playing some righteously scary wah wah licks on guitar. This album was also mixed by Sonic and Kevin, at Kevin's MBV studio. Ever feel like you've gotten too fucked up, but it's too late to turn back? That is the overall picture this album paints. Beyond the Pale.

Beyond The Pale:
hxxp://s54.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0WPKPD1YTO9YO05W1NJJIQGOWT

[st. park]

hey, people should also check out avec's avatar. or "tired sounds..."