Top Five Ambient: Your Choices?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by tvstrategies, Aug 23, 2015.

  1. tvstrategies

    tvstrategies Turtles, all the way down. Thread Starter

    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
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2015
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  2. jimjim

    jimjim Forum Resident

    Side 1 of Eno and Fripp's Evening Star
     
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  3. Zach Johnson

    Zach Johnson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    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.
     
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  4. tvstrategies

    tvstrategies Turtles, all the way down. Thread Starter

    Yes, good one & I like what Bill Laswell did with it. (And I'll check out your Robt Fripp suggestion)
     
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  5. strummer101

    strummer101 The insane on occasion aren't without their charms

    Location:
    Lakewood OH
    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
     
  6. jimjim

    jimjim Forum Resident

    U2 - Basstrap
     
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  7. jimjim

    jimjim Forum Resident

    The Orb - U.F.Orb
     
  8. Scott in DC

    Scott in DC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    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
     
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  9. MONOLOVER

    MONOLOVER Forum Resident

    Location:
    UPPSALA, SWEDEN
  10. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    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".
     
  11. Defrance

    Defrance A Northern Soul

    Location:
    Calgary, AB
    Pulusha - Isolation
    The KLF - Chill Out
    Global Communication - 76:14
    Marsen Jules - Herbstlaub
    The Dead Texan - The Dead Texan
     
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  12. Axiom 1963

    Axiom 1963 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Shropshire, UK
    Biosphere - Substrata
     
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  13. Millington

    Millington Forum Resident

    Not forgetting side 2 of Fripp & Eno's Evening Star
     
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  14. 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!
     
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  15. Mother

    Mother Forum Resident

    Location:
    Melbourne
    Eno - Discreet Music
    Tim Hecker - Radio Amor
    Eno - Plateau of Mirrors
    Eno - Music for Airports
    Fripp/Summers - I Advance Masked
     
  16. moops

    moops Senior Member

    Location:
    Geebung, Australia
    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 .....

     
  17. Beatlemania 22

    Beatlemania 22 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    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.
     
  18. October Man

    October Man Extraordinary tunes from the hard drive

    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
     
  19. Dhreview16

    Dhreview16 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    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.
     
  20. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    The second side of Throbbing Gristle's "2nd Annual Report"
    "Cluster II"
     
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  21. Holerbot6000

    Holerbot6000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    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

    [​IMG]
     
  22. townsend

    townsend Senior Member

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    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
     
  23. David67

    David67 Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
  24. Rocker

    Rocker Senior Member

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    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
     
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  25. Willowman

    Willowman Senior Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    Manuel Gottsching - E2E4.

     

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