How the fuck is DJ Shadow - Endtroducing ambient? By that reasoning, any DJ set with a minute long beatless break is ambient too.
― brotherlovesdub, Wednesday, 18 August 2010 20:49 (thirteen years ago) link
just ran across this today. very good and actually ambient.
http://www.archive.org/details/JOAT006
― brotherlovesdub, Wednesday, 18 August 2010 20:50 (thirteen years ago) link
xxx-post: OK the paulstretcb utility is really awesome, but why the fuck can't you save it as an .mp3?? you really do have to save it to .wav? anybody know how to convert these things? i tried converting it to an mp3 using vlc media player and it failed miserably. harumph!
― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 19 August 2010 00:09 (thirteen years ago) link
you can do it w/ itunes
― plax (ico), Thursday, 19 August 2010 00:12 (thirteen years ago) link
180. Brian Eno - Thursday Fucking Afternoon
Haven't heard this one -- is it rare??
― ilxor has truly been got at and become an ILXor (ilxor), Wednesday, 29 September 2010 15:06 (thirteen years ago) link
Ok so this is the place where I am supposed to talk about the Environments series? I bought 5 today for $4 and this is the description
Environments 5 (1974)
Side One: Ultimate Heartbeat (20:00)
A stethoscope heartbeat recording which can be used to calm infants, aid meditation or enhance lovemaking.
Side Two: Wind in the Trees (34:00)
The soft rush of wind rustling the leaves of a grove in late autumn.
The girl behind the counter fell just short of high fiving me once she read the description on the back. What part of the series was included on the Voyager album?!
― this customer is a jerk (La Lechera), Wednesday, 23 January 2013 05:53 (eleven years ago) link
I don't know, but when I die I hope I wake up on the Psychologically Ultimate Seashore.
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, 23 January 2013 05:58 (eleven years ago) link
The front cover states that the human heartbeat side can be played at 33 or 45. I can report that switching back and forth is pretty fun.
― this customer is a jerk (La Lechera), Wednesday, 23 January 2013 06:05 (eleven years ago) link
Also look at the cover imagehttp://farm9.staticflickr.com/8491/8407641043_afd705b639_z.jpg
The trees sound kinda like soft washes of static with birds.
― this customer is a jerk (La Lechera), Wednesday, 23 January 2013 14:58 (eleven years ago) link
I've been listening a lot to Blamstrain's "Disfold" album from 2006 on Sending Orbs... it's sort of a city version of an Environments album. Field recordings from train stations and city streets mixed into a narrative about a relationship. I love it.
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, 23 January 2013 15:45 (eleven years ago) link
Pitchfork just posted their 50 best ambient albums of all time:
“As ignorable as it is interesting.” That’s the classic definition of ambient music, stated by Brian Eno in 1978 on the sleeve notes to his album Ambient 1: Music for Airports. And he should know, since he basically invented the genre three years earlier with his album Discreet Music. But while Eno’s definition of ambient has been cited continuously in the decades since, the sphere of music he first defined has broadened, especially if you judge by how that word is used by listeners. “Ambient” is now used to describe all kinds of music, from tracks you can dance to all the way to harsh noise. For our exploration of the greatest ambient albums, we polled critics for their favorites, with the suggestion that “ambient” meant, in part, music that creates an environment, something like a cloud of sound, be it soothing, sad, haunting, or ominous. We also suggested that our take on ambient music shies away from heavy rhythms and tends more toward “drifting” than “driving,” which meant de-emphasizing ambient house. And we considered the fact that not all albums in a given artist’s catalogue qualify as ambient. Taking into account our writers’ interpretation of those loose guidelines, here’s our list of the 50 best ambient albums.
01. Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports02. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Volume II03. William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops I-IV04. Terry Riley - A Rainbow in Curved Air05. The KLF - Chill Out06. Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid07. Oval - 94diskont08. Pauline Oliveros/Stuart Dempster/Panaiotis - Deep Listening09. Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet10. Fripp & Eno - Evening Star
11. Gas - Pop12. Laurie Spiegel - The Expanding Universe13. Brian Eno - Apollo14. The Caretaker - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World15. Robert Ashley - Automatic Writing16. Terry Riley - Persian Surgery Dervishes17. Alice Coltrane - Turiya Sings18. Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline19. The Orb - Orbus Terrarum20. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
21. Grouper - A I A : Alien Observer22. Fennesz - Endless Summer23. Keith Fullerton Whitman - Playthroughs24. Brian Eno - Ambient 4: On Land25. Folke Rabe - What??26. Iasos - Inter-Dimensional Music27. Oneohtrix Point Never - Rifts28. Pauline Oliveros - Accordion and Voice29. David Behrman - On the Other Ocean30. Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place
31. Ashra - New Age Of Earth32. La Monte YoungMarian Zazeela - The Tamburas Of Pandit Pran Nath (An Homage)33. Steve Roach - Structures from Silence34. Charlemagne Palestine - Four Manifestations On Six Elements35. Laraaji - Ambient 3: Day of Radiance36. Windy & Carl - Depths37. Tim Hecker - Virgins38. Biosphere - Substrata39. Suzanne Ciani - Buchla Concerts 197540. Max Richter - Sleep
41. Brian Eno/Harold Budd - The Pearl42. Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays43. Eluvium - Talk Amongst the Trees44. Microstoria - snd45. Huerco S. - For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)46. Edgar Froese - Epsilon in Malaysian Pale47. Jon Hassell - Vernal Equinox48. Ernest Hood - Neighborhoods49. Bing & Ruth - Tomorrow Was the Golden Age50. Deathprod - Morals and Dogma
― willem, Monday, 26 September 2016 06:39 (seven years ago) link
Psyched that Alien Observer is on there.
― flappy bird, Monday, 26 September 2016 08:56 (seven years ago) link
pfork is garbage but this is a decent list. Personally I could give a fuck about Stars of the Lid and Grouper and some others but overall, not much to complain about
― Wimmels, Monday, 26 September 2016 09:10 (seven years ago) link
This is a pretty good list but are Oneohtrix Point Never and Tim Hecker really worthy to be included with two albums? Lots of canonical classics missing I guess but that might be refreshing, I mean Global Communication and Bohren have a high enough profile already.
― Siegbran, Monday, 26 September 2016 13:18 (seven years ago) link
I wouldn't trust any ambient top list with no FAX label albums in it at all...
― Tuomas, Monday, 26 September 2016 13:22 (seven years ago) link
was going to be either you or me tuomas to say that ..
― mark e, Monday, 26 September 2016 13:39 (seven years ago) link
In general, this list seems to totally prefer the "cool", minimal side of ambient, and totally ignore to more hippieish side that has been just as important for 25+ years. So no Namlook, Tetsu Inoue, Mixmaster Morris, Constance Demby, PWOG, etc.
― Tuomas, Monday, 26 September 2016 13:45 (seven years ago) link
Plenty of older new age hippie stuff in there though, although not the 90s variety.
― Siegbran, Monday, 26 September 2016 14:01 (seven years ago) link
hahaha, that's a list made by people afraid to admit in public that they like Future Sound of London.
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Monday, 26 September 2016 14:01 (seven years ago) link
It is interesting to see that the critical revaluation of new age 'cheese' is in full swing - Pauline Oliveros, Iasos, Ashra, Suzanne Ciani, that stuff was critically off-limits for a long while. I mean, Yanni, Enigma or Enya aren't going to pop up on this kind of lists anytime soon, but the more respectable end of new age is definitely back in focus.
― Siegbran, Monday, 26 September 2016 14:14 (seven years ago) link
if Eluvium is on this list there's no credible reason the first two Enya albums wouldn't be, except Pitchfork finds her way too unbeardly
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Monday, 26 September 2016 14:21 (seven years ago) link
Two Stars of the Lid albums in the top 20 is a bit rich for me personally, but I mean these lists are what they are.
― grandavis, Monday, 26 September 2016 14:27 (seven years ago) link
I thought Enya was hip again now, shows what I know.
FSOL's Lifeforms absolutely deserves to be on here somewhere.
Music for Airports is obviously important and what have you but for me On Land, Apollo and The Pearl are all superior records.
― Gavin, Leeds, Monday, 26 September 2016 14:44 (seven years ago) link
Ah well substitute Kitaro for Enya then.
I'm actually surprised at the PF love for Laraaji, I thought that was always considered as the dud one in the Eno series.
― Siegbran, Monday, 26 September 2016 14:49 (seven years ago) link
It's good, but the first half of it hardly seems to fit even the self-imposed rules that Pitchfork had for this list... it's pretty frantic for an ambient album.
― erry red flag (f. hazel), Monday, 26 September 2016 14:54 (seven years ago) link
Interesting enough list, albeit kind of arbitrary as to what fits and what doesn't. Biggest omission for me is no Labradford (unless I missed it).
― Sunn O))) Brother Where Art Thou? (Chinaski), Monday, 26 September 2016 15:45 (seven years ago) link
Just listening to David Behrman for the first time in a while - On the Other Ocean and Leapday Night are both fabulous (and both a massive influence on Jim O'Rourke).
― Sunn O))) Brother Where Art Thou? (Chinaski), Monday, 26 September 2016 15:50 (seven years ago) link
"but the more respectable end of new age is definitely back in focus."
where you been?
― scott seward, Monday, 26 September 2016 17:16 (seven years ago) link
pauline has been a hipster icon for ages in the states. jon hassell on the other hand has not. that is a more recent development. ciani-love definitely came about during the first wave of hepcat reappraisals.
― scott seward, Monday, 26 September 2016 17:19 (seven years ago) link
Replica is just the wrong choice for an OPN "ambient" album. the only straight up ambient thing he ever did was the Rifts collection and parts of R Plus Seven. Replica is a collage record.
― flappy bird, Monday, 26 September 2016 17:20 (seven years ago) link
It's a pretty good list. It's also very coherent for pitchfork, these are artists and albums they've been pushing for years, of course there's going to be missing stuff but it wouldn't make sense for P4K to give FSOL recognition, per example, when they rarely mention them or rate them high. Take it for what it is.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Monday, 26 September 2016 17:21 (seven years ago) link
i do wonder if people who weren't listening the first time are listening to 90's-era stuff lik gas, orb, oval, klf? do they speak to the iBud crowd?
― scott seward, Monday, 26 September 2016 17:22 (seven years ago) link
all the album links on the pitchfork list should have gone to this. and it should be #51 on the list:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peXoHKKA3d4
― scott seward, Monday, 26 September 2016 17:30 (seven years ago) link
― scott seward, lunes 26 de septiembre de 2016 18:22 (twenty-four minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I dont think that most of the readers of p4k are actually that young anymore.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Monday, 26 September 2016 17:48 (seven years ago) link
i like a lot of what's on here but it's undeniably on-trend wrt new age. like, erik satie should really be on a list that's actually interested in uncovering what ambient is, just as much as eno should be. i love laurie spiegel but i don't think she's ambient at all. eliane radigue 'fits' better i think. (don't mean to weigh token women artists here.) psycho-acoustic sound art type stuff feels connected to the ambient concept imo. maryanne amacher. robert ashley was a good call. in general there seems to be a fear of experimental classical / institutional sound art that isn't outsider-y enough. i love minimalism but solely focusing on it betrays a certain predictable pov.
― savvinesslessness (map), Monday, 26 September 2016 17:50 (seven years ago) link
tbr though 'ambient' may have made sense for eno in a specific context but it's a terrible category.
― savvinesslessness (map), Monday, 26 September 2016 17:52 (seven years ago) link
Yup, too broad, too subjective. Eno had a more specific definition
― i bill everything i duck (Noodle Vague), Monday, 26 September 2016 17:56 (seven years ago) link
But when I make playlists I operate in a v subjective way with definitions
― i bill everything i duck (Noodle Vague), Monday, 26 September 2016 17:59 (seven years ago) link
I mean even playback volume comes into play here
― i bill everything i duck (Noodle Vague), Monday, 26 September 2016 18:00 (seven years ago) link
pretty broad list, a lot of stuff i dont think of as ambient. Its a little rude to characterize minimalists/pure drone artists as ambient, isnt it?
― brimstead, Tuesday, 27 September 2016 00:14 (seven years ago) link
there's a LOT of stuff on there i wouldn't call ambient. but lots of good stuff so i don't care.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 27 September 2016 00:21 (seven years ago) link
yeah i know it's pretty narcissism of small differences... but somehow the act of listing ambient albums puts the definition of ambient music under severe stress
anyway here's a list
jordan de la sierra - gymnospheredj olive - sleepdj olive - buoyheathered pearls - loyalvarious - pop ambient 2002steve hillage - rainbow dome musickwaki - music for lazy peoplerobert turman - fluxdream carpets - interior fountainsjack jutson - mother officialjack jutson - mother official volume 2154 - strikeshuttle358 - understanding wildlifeadlib - adlibeno - nerolireinhard voigt - premiere worldulwhednar - withatten 1982vektroid - polytravellersshuttle358 - frameshuttle358 - chessadolphins into the future - canto arquipelagok. leimur - closed system potentialsmicrostoria - init dingcex - presumed deadrob theakston - i am waiting for you to stop being mad at me
― brimstead, Tuesday, 27 September 2016 00:58 (seven years ago) link
i mean
Pauline Oliveros/Stuart Dempster/Panaiotis - Deep Listening
i don't think this title is meant to be ironic!
― brimstead, Tuesday, 27 September 2016 01:04 (seven years ago) link
Well I don't disagree with the p4k list but as long as we're enlisting missing albums:
Popol Vuh - In den Gärten Pharaos (1971)Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht (1972)Roedelius - Wenn der Südwind weht (1981)Virginia Astley - From Gardens Where We Feel Secure (1983)Labradford - Prazision LP (1993)Susumu Yokota - Sakura (1999)Colleen - Everyone Alive Wants Answers (2003)Akira Rabelais - Spellewauerynsherde (2004)Belong - October Language (2006)Kevin Drumm - Imperial Distortion (2008)Áine O'Dwyer - Music for Church Cleaners (2012)
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 27 September 2016 01:12 (seven years ago) link
"sandstorm" encoded at 8kbps... is it ambient?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldFlcR31gYg
― brimstead, Tuesday, 27 September 2016 03:01 (seven years ago) link
this is an interesting list for sure but yeah snubbing fsol, global communication, and fucking SEEFEEL of all acts is just kind of bonkers
― laraaji p. henson (Stevie D(eux)), Tuesday, 27 September 2016 03:15 (seven years ago) link
04. Terry Riley - A Rainbow in Curved Air07. Oval - 94diskont08. Pauline Oliveros/Stuart Dempster/Panaiotis - Deep Listening09. Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet12. Laurie Spiegel - The Expanding Universe16. Terry Riley - Persian Surgery Dervishes20. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica22. Fennesz - Endless Summer23. Keith Fullerton Whitman - Playthroughs25. Folke Rabe - What??28. Pauline Oliveros - Accordion and Voice31. Ashra - New Age Of Earth32. La Monte YoungMarian Zazeela - The Tamburas Of Pandit Pran Nath (An Homage)34. Charlemagne Palestine - Four Manifestations On Six Elements37. Tim Hecker - Virgins
you can certainly use these as background music, or selectively attentive music, but i don't know, just doesn't seem correct.
who cares, right?
― brimstead, Tuesday, 27 September 2016 03:19 (seven years ago) link
― laraaji p. henson (Stevie D(eux))
Ah Seefeel forgot about them! Used to love them back in highschool.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Tuesday, 27 September 2016 03:20 (seven years ago) link
persian surgery dervishes sounds really intense and ecstatic to me, for example, like let's all have a rave up with terry
― brimstead, Tuesday, 27 September 2016 03:21 (seven years ago) link
this is THE Seefeel ambient jam, afaic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm4rtr03ZV8
― brimstead, Tuesday, 27 September 2016 03:22 (seven years ago) link