Ambient music

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I am very much enjoying what I've so far heard from this genre.
Albums I've heard that I love:

Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II

Brian Eno: Ambient 2 & Ambient 4

Tangerine Dream: Phaedra (the last track, "Sequent 'C'" takes me to lost places)

Tosca: Dehli 9 disc 2

Various Artists: Pop Ambient 2004

I feel I need to know much about this genre, like what labels are big in this, are there any "scenes" around, what's current.. I'm so into music but Ambient seems to be the only genre which I like at least 50% of what I hear.
Can one inform me, even point to me websites with current information.

Psychedelic (trance)
The Infinity Project ( 'Mystical experiences' & 'Mystery of the Yeti' 1&2)
Entheogenic - discography

Shpongle maybe dont count as ambient but are worth mentioning. they have an occasionally similar but much fuller sound than the other two.

Other stuff
Biosphere
model 500
probably the label 'black dog productions' in general, from what ive heard
Plaid - dont know what youd call this - IDM? Some of its definately ambient in the aphex sense.

http://www.di.fm/edmguide/edmguide.html - downtempo section

WP thread;

http://www.wrongplanet.net/asperger.htm ... pic&t=8569

Last edited by psych on 13 Jan 2006, 10:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

I only listen to Brian Eno music. You might to look at his website:

http://www.enoweb.co.uk/

I really liked Aphex Twin's ambient albums. His other stuff was usually too weird for me. But I did like "I care because you do" that was a cool album

I really like Brian Eno but less for his ambient work that for his early work like Here Come the Warm Jets and when he was with Roxy Music. He has also produced or had a hand in other artists' most memorable work like Bowie's berlin albums and the Talking Heads Remain in Light.

Depending on your location, in the United States some National Public Radio affiliate stations carry Music from the Hearts of Space. I've enjoyed it for many years. Some episodes are great & some aren't, but variety/range within the genre make it worth a listen. It's generally more contemplative, less upbeat than other ambient/trance stuff. Also, there used to be a similar syndicated (interrupted by ads) show called Musical Starstreams, dunno' what became of it.
Don't know names of artists often when it's instrumental, which is frustrating. Rubicon album by Tangerine Dream, Plight & Premonition by David Sylvian & Holger Czukay-sparse meandering soundscapes. Trouble differentiating between types of music that overlap...
I've only got dial-up so can't listen to stuff online and downloading music takes too long-still have to rely on radio.

It's the music I listen to when I need to chill:

Brian Eno: Ambient 1: Music For Airports
The originator of ambient music and the classic ambient album.

Kraftwerk--Ralf & Florian
Made in between Autobahn and Radioactivity with just Ralf Hutter and Florian Schneider. A gorgeous mix of synthesizers with acoustic and electric instruments (guitar, flute).

Robert Fripp and Brian Eno--Evening Star
I love Roxy Music and King Crimson, and the two key members of both groups made some of the best instrumental albums of the 1970s. And they're still at it with last year's release of The Equatorial Stars.

King Crimson--Islands
The last two tracks, "Prelude: Song of the Gulls" and the title track, are perfect for relaxing/falling asleep.

Paul Winter--Canyon Lullaby
Paul Winter, a saxophone, and the Grand Canyon. Atmospheric.

HALO 2 Soundtrack

I listen to ambient music more often than any other sort.

I've bought several CDs in the past that advertised themselves as ambient music but featured hip-hop beats or dub basslines or "tribal drums". I find this sort of stuff ok in small doses.
Nowadays, though, I listen to little else apart from Brian Eno, and I very rarely buy CDs anymore.

Brian Eno's Ambient 4 is the most ambient thing I've ever heard. I'm darned impressed he could make something with no tunes, no melodies and no rhythms so listenable.
Listenable to me, that is.

But the track I listen to more than any other is a track called Postscript by Bowery Electric: a 12 minute long drone. I can read or do my homework while it's playing, or I can give it my full attention and just drift away.

At one time my favourite track was "A Huge Ever Pulsating Brain ..." by The Orb. A lot of their stuff is a bit too "pop" to be ambient though, if you ask me.

That online electronic music guide is great, though. A lot of that music I find fun in small doses.

I'd be interested in hearing more from Klaus Schulze too.

Skinny Puppy had a song called "Download" that I'd describe similarly, it's quite unlike their other stuff.

Orb: I like the 42-min. version of "Blue Room", enjoy the variety of clips sampled.

Heard of him, heard a bit of his stuff-seemed of interest.
Another artist: Recoil-a Depeche Mode side project, some albums were more techno/house w/singing, other stuff closer to Phillip Glass-style recurring patterns, no vocals. Wish I were better able to describe how nifty (in very different ways) some tracks are.
It's not "ambient", but is "atmospheric" and intense: Tuvan (Tuva's in Asia) "throat-singing", esp. the low deep rumbling sounds-it's spooky, enthralling, and calming-all at the same time. Went to Huun-Huur-Tu (name of the group) concert last night, so it's still repeating in my brain, like it a lot.

Free ambient, excellent quality.

http://www.ambient-nights.org/music.php

thanks guys for your replies

i'm enjoying di.fm, even though a lot of the ambient music is infested with drumbeats. i'm combining it w/ streamripper 1.61 - a great way to discover new artists.

i heard a verrry dark "industrial ambient" track called "Of" by Imminent Starvation. If you're like me and you like the darkest of the dark i'm sure you'll like this one.

omygod:

Chris Meloche - Loop 6

72mins 46 seconds of a constant deep drone and some echoey atmospheric sounds... perfect for headphones without realising you're wearing headphones.