Mark Prendergast – The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Moby – The Evolution in Sound in the Electronic Age

This sprawling book traces the development of ambient music over the past 100 years, from composers like Mahler and Satie, to current musicians like Moby and Aphex Twin. It covers a huge amount of territory, and serves as an easy introduction to many of the significant composers and musicians of the twentieth century. The Ambient… Read More Mark Prendergast – The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Moby – The Evolution in Sound in the Electronic Age

March 18, 2004February 22, 20091 Comment

Steve Roach – World’s Edge

This 1992 release is complex ambient music at its best. The music has a mystery and edge about it, even a little uneasiness. The double-cd collection of dark ambient music is one of the finest works Roach has released, and is a classic piece of ambient electronic music. The cover of World’s Edge shows lightning… Read More Steve Roach – World’s Edge

March 14, 2004December 31, 2006Leave a comment

Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny – Western Spaces

This 1987 release was inspired by the landscapes of the American Southwest. Both Roach and Braheny enjoy the freedom and wildness of the California wilderness, especially the Mohave Desert. This inspired the music on CD, which has become a classic ambient space album. Western Spaces opens with a Roach track, “The Breathing Stone”. This track… Read More Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny – Western Spaces

March 9, 2004December 31, 2006Leave a comment

Free Ambient Music from Steve Roach

Ambient electronic artist Steve Roach has released an extended live version of his track Sands of Time. This is only available via the Internet, and is a free download. The track is a sequencer-driven piece that combines a rhythmic sequenced bass with Roach’s unmistakable ambient textures. He’s joined by synthesist Paul Ellis on this live… Read More Free Ambient Music from Steve Roach

March 5, 2004January 13, 20072 Comments

Brian Eno/Harold Budd – The Pearl

Brian Eno‘s first collaboration with minimalist composer Harold Budd, Ambient 2: Plateau of Mirror, was a groundbreaking classic of ambient music. Budd and Eno created beautiful soundscapes, haunted by melancholy piano themes. Their second CD, The Pearl, is even more beautiful.

February 23, 2004December 17, 2015Leave a comment

Brian Eno – Neroli

Neroli oil comes from the white blossoms of the bitter orange tree, and is an expensive pale yellow oil used in fragrances. Neroli is also the name of a 1991 ambient work by Brian Eno that is as exotic and ethereal as the fragrance. Neroli oil is known to have therapeutic effects, including as being… Read More Brian Eno – Neroli

February 23, 2004January 2, 2017Leave a comment

Mychael Danna – Sirens

Sirens is an interesting mix of space music and classical programatic music. It is minimal orchestral electronica, with occasional acoustic instrumentation added to provide interest and flavor. Fans of new age music and Danna will enjoy this 1991 release. Danna is a hugely prolific Canadian composer. His work is of uniformly high quality, and draws… Read More Mychael Danna – Sirens

February 18, 2004December 31, 2006Leave a comment

Robert Rich and Steve Roach – Strata

Both musicians contribute their fair share of ‘glurp’, which can’t really be explained, but accurately describes some of the ‘submerged’ organic sounds they make.… Read More Robert Rich and Steve Roach – Strata

February 14, 2004February 24, 2018Leave a comment

Dark Ambient Music

Dark ambient music explores the experimental fringes of ambient music, often using ambient sounds to create an unsettling or even scary soundscape. Dark ambient is rhythmless or uses minimal beats, and may include atonal synthesized washes and sample-based noise effects. One of the earliest examples of what could be considered dark ambient was Brian Eno’s… Read More Dark Ambient Music

January 26, 2004January 11, 20075 Comments

Steve Roach – Light Fantastic

This Hearts of Space release from Steve Roach explores ambient soundscapes and combines them with rhythmic backing. Roach’s ambient music is often built with metallic, otherworldly sounds that push his music into dark ambient territory. He uses a variety of analog and digital instruments to create long droning sounds, and then envelopes them in ambient… Read More Steve Roach – Light Fantastic

January 22, 2004January 5, 2007Leave a comment

Synthtopia

Tag: ambient music