Please help expand my knowledge and enjoyment of ambient music. To me, the most successful titles are those which transport me to a new world. Exotic, sometimes inviting, sometimes a great and challenging quest, sometimes even a little scary. A few favorites Brian Eno Ambient 4: On Land John Hassell & Brian Eno Fourth World: Possible Musics Bill Laswell & Pete Namlook Outland IV Robert Rich Rainforest Steve Roach Early Man Harold Budd The Moon and the Melodies What am I missing? If you had just one suggestion, or fewer than five, what are they? What's absolutely essential? (PS, in case you are familiar with Hearts of Space, as a data point, I find much of that material to lack depth, too 'New-agey.' And although I like a lot of the more exploratory electronica of the '90s, such as Future Sound of London, that's not the genre I'm looking for here.). To find hidden spaces just below the surface, to unfold a higher dimension, or to succeed in hanging on to the dream just after waking. To enter the worlds of HP Lovecraft or ER Eddison. Thank you
I don't know much about Ambient music, but I love Robert Fripp's Let the Power Fall. Miles Davis' He Loved Him Madly is also excellent and was a big influence on Eno.
Yes, good one & I like what Bill Laswell did with it. (And I'll check out your Robt Fripp suggestion)
Robert Fripp - A Blessing of Tears Harold Budd/Brian Eno - The Pearl Fripp and Eno - No Pussyfooting David Sylvian - Approaching Silence Fripp and Eno - The Equatorial Stars
Steve Tibbetts - Northern Song Brian Eno - Neroli Harold Budd & Brian Eno - Ambient 2 Steve Roach & Robert Rich - Strata Steve Roach - Mystic Chords and Sacred Spaces These are all great. Scott
Don't forget the two LP:s Eno made with Cluster/Moebius Roedelius. He got a lot of inspiration from those guys, as did Bowie for his "Low" and "Heroes" albums. http://monolover.blogspot.se/2013/01/cluster-eno-sky-010-77.html
Selected Ambient Works Vol 2 by Aphex Twin The first is also great but a bit more pulsating For pure ambience also "Zeit" by Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze's "Cyborg".
Pulusha - Isolation The KLF - Chill Out Global Communication - 76:14 Marsen Jules - Herbstlaub The Dead Texan - The Dead Texan
I totally dig plenty mentioned here...to which I'd add this lesser known Paul McCartney as The Fireman masterpiece... the second album, "Rushes"...brilliant & beautiful!
Eno - Discreet Music Tim Hecker - Radio Amor Eno - Plateau of Mirrors Eno - Music for Airports Fripp/Summers - I Advance Masked
If you're curious and wish to dip a toe into the "dark ambient" sub-genre, Raison D'etre (Peter Andersson) and his album Requiem For Abandoned Souls is as good a place to start as any .....
Eno's anbd Fripp's albums are really good but as linclink said Rushes is a great album, unfortunately it's very rare on CD and even more rare on vinyl.
A few suggestions..... Virgins: Tim Hecker Ambiant Otaku: Tetsue Inoue Red/Green/Blue Trilogy: Solar Fields Polar Sequences: Higher Intelligence Agency Music Has The Right To Children: Boards Of Canada
Brian Eno Ambient 1 Music for Airports/Small Craft on a Big Sea Music for the Film, Sounds and Silence Steve Roach Sigh of Ages Ricardo Villalobos/Max Loderbauer Re:ECM or maybe Mogwai, Les Revenants if you like interesting sounds. Most of the above were recommended to me by a friend who was a big ambient fan. Eno and Steve Roach are good starting points.
Second that! Substrata is one of the best ambient records ever - should be considered a classic of the genre. I would add a few more Industrial Ambient titles as well: Coil - Remote Viewer Merzbow - Music for Bondage Performance Chris & Cosey - Electronic Ambient Remix series (4 CD's) Anything under Bill Laswell's Divination moniker - Akasha, Still, etc. Cyclobe - Wounded Galaxies Tap at the Window and Sulfur-Tarot-Garden
Michael Stearns, The Lost World Robert Rich and Steve Roach, Strata Mark Dwane, not sure -- he's done a lot of excellent work Repeat 1 or 2 (different title) ditto
The Pearl - Harold Budd and Brian Eno http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/41715/Harold-Budd-and-Brian-Eno-The-Pearl/ Ambiant Otaku - Tetsu Inoue http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/54367/Tetsu-Inoue-Ambiant-Otaku/ To The Shores Of Heaven - Jeff Pearce http://www.amazon.com/To-Shores-Heaven-Jeff-Pearce/dp/B00004SV3F You may find the link belowWORTHWHILE. http://music.hyperreal.org/epsilon/info/2001_classic_ambient.html
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol.II KLF - Chill Out Brian Eno - Music For Airports Biosphere - Substrata Stars of the Lid - Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid