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Thread: Ambient Music: 50 Essential Albums

  1. #51
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Telomere
    Album: Zoetosis
    Year: 2001
    Scale of Ambience: 5
    Style: Space Music/Drone



    I'm not a big fan of the space music sub-genre of ambient, which is why you won't see very many albums from the 1980s on this list. However, this album right here is spectacular; there is a little more to it than simply being the music one might hear on a documentary about the Universe. I want to see a SF made with this as the inspiration.

    Track
    Awakening

  2. #52
    Super Moderator dreamdead's Avatar
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    Woah. That Telomere track is massive. So anchored, yet willing to wander along the outer edges of its melody. Very nice.

    Trying to make the time to write to each of these samples, which is the best environment for letting a song mesh with the mind for me...
    The Boat People - 9
    The Power of the Dog - 7.5
    The King of Pigs - 7

  3. #53
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting dreamdead (view post)
    Woah. That Telomere track is massive. So anchored, yet willing to wander along the outer edges of its melody. Very nice.
    Yeah - it's got to be the best example of space music that I've heard. It's substantial.

  4. #54
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Thom Brennan
    Album: Mist
    Year: 2000
    Scale of Ambience: 5
    Style: Environmental/New Age/Drone



    One man's ambient masterpiece is another man's new age/spa bore. I'm not going to pretend to be able to separate the two. I used to think it was based on artistic intent - was the artist making an artistic statement, or just music for the sake of making music (ambient); or was he trying to make something to be listened to with a specific purpose (relaxation) and place (new age/spa music). However, Marconi Union came along and was commissioned by a group of sound therapists to create a piece of music to be used for relaxation, and then they ended up creating what I consider to be the single greatest ambient track I've ever heard.

    Anyhow, this is about Thom Brennan, and his beautiful album Mist. Yes, you will find this in the new age section of a music store. Yes, they probably play it at spas and yoga studios. And yes, it's also very, very good.

    Track:
    Pondlife

  5. #55
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Silvercord and Altus
    Album: Lullaby
    Year: 2006
    Scale of Ambience: 5
    Style: Electronic



    Silvercord and Altus are two major artists in the realms of the netlabel ambient scene. You don't have to search too hard before you'll be running across their albums. This collaboration, Lullaby, is incredible. The first thing you'll notice is that the first song is *gasp* actually a song, complete with a hummable melody and vocals. From here the album becomes more traditionally ambient, but still takes little side roads back into the world of structured song.

    I'm honored to call these two label-mates, and the entire album can be downloaded for free via Earth Mantra.


    Tracks:
    For My Beloved Dreaming
    The Twilight Whispers Her Name

  6. #56
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: William Basinski
    Album: 982982
    Year: 2009
    Scale of Ambience: 3
    Style: Experimental



    William Basinksi has made a career out of sampling and creating loops of earlier recorded music. His creations can be challenging at times, but under the right set of circumstances, in the right environment, the repetitious nature of the sounds takes over creates an experience that can only be called hypnotic.

    Track:
    92982.1

  7. #57
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Robert Fripp & Brian Eno
    Album: Equatorial Stars
    Year: 2004
    Scale of Ambience: 3
    Style: Electronic/Guitar/Experimental



    Fripp & Eno, two long-time collaborators helped each other push the boundaries of music technology and sound. Fripp provides the endlessly-sustaining guitar, and Eno provides the treatments and the electronics. The results on this album are less abrasive than on their previous collaborations, which could sometimes be a little too heavy on the high-end of the sonic spectrum.

    Track:
    Trazed

  8. #58
    Super Moderator dreamdead's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    [B]Artist: William Basinski
    Album: 982982
    Year: 2009
    Scale of Ambience: 3
    Style: Experimental
    Listening to this now; it's excellent. If the rest of the tracks are as solid as the sample you posted, I'm sold.

    Also, I feel stupid. I had the second Basinski track off that album accidentally playing over the Fripp and Eno track, which created a sense of cacophony that was jarring and disruptive. The Fripp/Eno track plays much better without the accidental juxtaposition. Not as into this style, but I can see why you're a fan.
    The Boat People - 9
    The Power of the Dog - 7.5
    The King of Pigs - 7

  9. #59
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    I am constantly playing ambient tracks over one another. I've discovered some very cool mixes this way.

  10. #60
    A Bonerfied Classic Derek's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Artist: Robert Fripp & Brian Eno
    [B] Album: Equatorial Stars
    Year: 2004
    Scale of Ambience: 3
    Style: Electronic/Guitar/Experimental
    Huh, I've heard/loved their two collaborations from the 70s, but didn't realize they had another one. I'm there.

    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    [B]Artist: William Basinski
    Album: 982982
    Year: 2009
    Scale of Ambience: 3
    Style: Experimental
    Have you heard The Disintegration Loops? I love the excerpts I've heard, but have been a bit intimidated by its length. Maybe I'll just do one part a day.

  11. #61
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Derek (view post)
    Have you heard The Disintegration Loops? I love the excerpts I've heard, but have been a bit intimidated by its length. Maybe I'll just do one part a day.
    That's pretty much how I feel. I think the album I chose is far more accessible. I've heard 1 or 2 of the DL albums, but I've never listened to a whole album.

    He's got a ton of stuff though. I was also going to pick Melancholia, which is a fantastic album, but decided to go with this one.

  12. #62
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Derek (view post)
    Huh, I've heard/loved their two collaborations from the 70s, but didn't realize they had another one. I'm there.
    I like this newest one the best.

  13. #63
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Offsets
    Album: Circular Drift
    Year: 2009
    Scale of Ambience: 2
    Style: Electronic



    Even as a fan of ambient music I will readily admit that a lot of the music in this vast and wide genre sounds the same. And really, that's part of the appeal. If you took a few random ambient compositions from the thousands in my library and played them, there is a good chance that I may not know the artist or the name of the track. One of the ways I used to pick the albums on this list is a simple listening test. I randomized my ambient library and played it in the background while I was at home or work. Anytime a sound or song would do something that grabbed my attention, or something that I particularly liked, I would take note of who the artist was and what album was playing.

    Over and over again, this album demanded my attention. Offsets is the colaborative effort of two long-time participants of the netlabel ambient/electronica scene, Benjamin Dauer & Dominic Dixon. It combines elements of electronica and traditional ambient, with Dauer's spacey guitar playing.

    The album is available for free via Distance Recordings.

  14. #64
    Super Moderator dreamdead's Avatar
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    :sad::sad:



    ritch:
    The Boat People - 9
    The Power of the Dog - 7.5
    The King of Pigs - 7

  15. #65
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    It's coming back. I've just been sick (AGAIN! dammit) and super busy at work.

  16. #66
    Super Moderator dreamdead's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    It's coming back. I've just been sick (AGAIN! dammit) and super busy at work.
    Cool. Just wanted you to know that someone's been appreciating all the music and write-ups.
    The Boat People - 9
    The Power of the Dog - 7.5
    The King of Pigs - 7

  17. #67
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Vangelis
    Album: Blade Runner
    Year: 1982/1994
    Scale of Ambience: 5
    Style: Soundtrack



    The main theme of the Blade Runner soundtrack contains what is probably the most iconic synth patch ever created and recorded. Vangelis' work on this album is nothing short of masterful, and the version released in 1994 is simply incredible in its use of samples and voices from the film; the album captures the entire experience of the film in an audio-only format. I don't know if film scores get any better than this.

    Tracks:
    Main Titles
    Blade Runner Blues

  18. #68
    The Disintegration Loops is by far my most listened to album on iTunes. I seriously fell asleep to dlp 3 every night for almost 2 years. It's unspeakably beautiful, and the disintegration conveys so much meaning. But it's also as ambient as waves on a beach.

    I also saw him perform a couple years back. The loop was really nice but, no matter how much I strained and how many things he did, I couldn't notice any change at all over the 30 minute set. :|

    Can't wait to check out the stuff of his that D posted.

  19. #69
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Idioteque Stalker (view post)
    The Disintegration Loops is by far my most listened to album on iTunes. I seriously fell asleep to dlp 3 every night for almost 2 years.
    That was me with Eno's and Budd's The Pearl.

  20. #70
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Harold Budd
    Album: The Room
    Year: 2000
    Scale of Ambience: 3
    Style: Piano/Neo-Classical



    Harold Budd's The Room is a beautiful collection of piano-based ambient compositions. The Room also features a variety of accent sounds and instruments that add perfect accompaniment to Budd's piano, creating a sonic tapestry rich with nuance.

    Tracks:
    The Room of Corners
    (Can only find snipits of songs from this album - lame)

  21. #71
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: High Skies
    Album: Sounds of Earth
    Year: 2010
    Scale of Ambience: 4
    Style: Electronic



    High Skies is Mat Jarvis, the other Gas. Sounds of Earth is a short and stunning EP of bubbling synth-sounds, SF vocal samples, and strange alien landscapes. I imagine this is what being underwater on another planet sounds like.

    Track:
    The Shape of Things to Come

  22. #72
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Another Fine Day
    Album: Life Before Land
    Year: 1994
    Scale of Ambience: 3
    Style: Electronic/Dub-Ambient



    Life Before Land is Tom Green's iconic ambient album from the heyday of 1990s dub-ambient. As a contributing member of The Orb, Green helped to define the sound of the decade's chill-out rave-scene, and LBL represents this sound as good as any and better than most. It's deep and sticky, whimsical and bubbly, and simply delightful.

    Tracks:
    Life Before Land
    Ammonite Spiral

  23. #73
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Maps and Diagrams
    Album: Cubiculo
    Year: 2010
    Scale of Ambience: 3
    Style: Electronic/Glitch



    Tim Martin has been a fixture in the netlabel ambient scene for some time. He records as part of a duo called Hessien, and Maps and Diagrams is his solo project. Cubiculo is a fantastic little EP that perfectly exemplifies one of the popular styles of the day. With simple, looping melodies and subtle sounds, coupled with glitching static and noise, the album is a rich tapestry of sound, brooding and dark, but not oppressive.

    Track:
    Kopangyang

    Full album available for free via Bandcamp

  24. #74
    What is best in life? D_Davis's Avatar
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    Artist: Pole
    Album: 1
    Year: 1998
    Scale of Ambience: 1
    Style: Glitch/Dub



    Pole takes the idea of minimal dub to whole new sub-level. Sometimes the music is barely there at all. It's like listening to a dirty, scratchy record through two feet of concrete, underwater, with ear-plugs. And it's really good. (thanks for the rec, Russ)

    Track:
    Fragen

  25. #75
    Bark! Go away Russ's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Artist: Another Fine Day
    Album: Life Before Land
    Year: 1994
    Scale of Ambience: 3
    Style: Electronic/Dub-Ambient



    Life Before Land is Tom Green's iconic ambient album from the heyday of 1990s dub-ambient. As a contributing member of The Orb, Green helped to define the sound of the decade's chill-out rave-scene, and LBL represents this sound as good as any and better than most. It's deep and sticky, whimsical and bubbly, and simply delightful.

    Tracks:
    Life Before Land
    Ammonite Spiral
    This is a favorite of mine and I'm so glad to see it made your list. You know what makes a release like this timeless? I've listened to it consistently since it first came out, even to this very day, and it hasn't reached it's expiration date yet. A bona-fide classic, and rep for its inclusion.
    "We eventually managed to find them near Biskupin, where demonstrations of prehistoric farming are organized. These oxen couldn't be transported to anywhere else, so we had to built the entire studio around them. A scene that lasted twenty-something seconds took us a year and a half to prepare."

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