How Did You Discover Ambient?

[Heaven And Hell]

How did you discover Ambient?

I was on a 3d modeling forum and some of the members were working on an online game called Eve Online. I visited the site and they had all of the game's music available for download.

It's written by Jón Hallur.

I listened to his music from the time I discovered it to now.

I became interested in making Ambient music the moment I heard Jón's music.

[S1gnsOfL1fe]

Oh I remember this very distinctly...it was the 90's, the black light was on and there was a bunch of people in the room with herbal supplements being passed around. :eek: "Has anybody heard the new 'Orb' album?" my friend said. "Not yet...put it on!!!" The rest was history. :D

Seriously, I've always loved ambient music. That same friend introduced me to this group called "FSOL" (Future Sound Of London). I had their album "ISDN" and played it on repeat...many times over. It was supposedly a live set that was streamed over ISDN wires from London to somewhere else...New York maybe. That album changed my life.

It wasn't until I heard the music of "Solar Fields" that I knew what I wanted to do. His style is so inspiring and his compositions make such a lasting impression. It was then I knew I had to create music like that...the time was right, all I needed was the knowledge and the tools to get there.

[GaryG]

I guess the first true ambient record I heard was Tangerine Dreams 'Phaedra' (assuming that's considered ambient..? )

Was heavily into all kinds of prog as a teenager so wandered into electronic music like JMJ, Vangelis, Kraftwerk etc but I think TD were the first EM I really loved, probably the only band from that time I still listen to (oh, and Kraftwerk of course. Timeless music.) I think about that time I also bought my first Brian Eno albums which obviously lead to his ambient release a few years later...

Since then listened to all kinds of decidely non-ambient stuff but always seem to drift towards the 'ambient music' of whatever genre it is I'm listening to at the time (aphex twin when listening to electronic music, Earth when wanting some loud guitars, Stars of the Lid when in a post rock mood, Dub for Reggae etc etc...)

[Thought Experiment]

I'm showing my age here but what the heck...I was a fan of Roxy Music from the first album, then when Brian Eno left Roxy Music I bought every album he released as a solo artist or with Robert Fripp. So I was there when Eno took the leap from 'Another Green World' to 'Discrete Music' and actually coined the term 'Ambient Music'...a term which means so many things now, but I prefer to think of Eno's definition: 'music as ignorable as it is listenable' Of course, he didn't invent ambient music - Cluster and Harmonia covered similar territory, even Gong in their more contemplative moments, among many others - but his definition of the genre has always struck me as, well, definitive

[Heaven And Hell]

That's pretty much how I define it, too, without knowing that Brian Eno did, though not in those words.

Works for me!

[aoVI]

I am an oldie as well.

Listening to Talking Heads' More Songs About Buildings and Food when it was released and read the liner notes: Produced by Brian Eno. To me the Heads just kept getting better, and that name kept appearing. An older friend of mine lets me hear Taking Tiger Mountain (by strategy). I am sold on this 'Eno' fellow.

Flash forward to freshman year at college. A neighbor and I are comparing music tastes when he selects Plateaux of Mirror by Budd/Eno, and plays a few selections for me. I rush out later that day and purchase Music for Airports and the just released On Land. Oh...and Byrne/Eno's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Possibly one of my finest trips to the Record Bar. (an old store where people could buy these things called LP's)

In the following months I was exposed to Tangerine Dream, Cluster, Steve Reich, Eric Satie, Popul Vuh, among others.

I wasn't a big fan of the New Age/Sacred Space artists starting the late 80's, and continuing on to today. Didn't seem as mysterious and intriguing.

[GaryG]

I wasn't a big fan of the New Age/Sacred Space artists starting the late 80's, and continuing on to today. Didn't seem as mysterious and intriguing.

There's an interesting (or not ;)) topic; the thin line between ambient and new age...

Another release I should mention; Fripp and Enos 'No Pussyfooting'. Didn't really get it at first but when it clicked, wow.

[Thought Experiment]

Another release I should mention; Fripp and Enos 'No Pussyfooting'. Didn't really get it at first but when it clicked, wow.

My old record player had a 16RPM speed (in other words half-speed) - once you've heard 'No Pussyfooting' at half-speed you can officially say your mind has been blown... :D

[GaryG]

My old record player had a 16RPM speed (in other words half-speed) - once you've heard 'No Pussyfooting' at half-speed you can officially say your mind has been blown... :D

I've played with slowing things down using my DAWs timestretch and Paulstretch etc (the original Battlestar Galactica theme is just epic! ) but hadn't thought to slow already slow stuff down even further....

I may be some time... :D

[Heaven And Hell]

(the original Battlestar Galactica theme is just epic! )

I knew I was going to find some kindred spirits here.

[manducator]

I guess the first ambient I heard was something from Eno.

[trimph1]

uuummmmmm....hhhmmmnn...the first time I heard ambient was when I heard TD's Pheadra..still have that as well. :confused::D

[seismic1]

Probably the Fripp and Eno stuff for me. but then I started going through the TD back catalogue. I still think Zeit was a groundbreaking release. I like it more now than I did way back when.

[Heaven And Hell]

I need to admit something very embarrassing...I haven't heard much TD. I really need to change that. :o

[Thought Experiment]

I need to admit something very embarrassing...I haven't heard much TD. I really need to change that. :o

Well, there are those who'd debate whether or not Tangerine Dream should even be filed under Ambient - some of their music certainly is, but 'Phaedra' (even though I love that album) certainly doesn't fit my definition. However, their back catalogue is huge so there's plenty to catch up on...Have fun