How Did You Discover Ambient?

[gis_sweden]

Interesting thread for a newcomer! Don’t know what Berlin School is or means…
The community have mentioned Budd, Eno, Tangerine Dream, Jarre, Tomita, Tim Blake (New Jerusalem the record I have. Check out the envelope!) and Kitaro. Okay I have listened to them to. Not recently but I have.
As being Swedish I want to add Ralph Lundsten and Björn J : on Lindh! (: + s => strange smily...)
But to my surprise no one has mentioned Yello. At least on their first records they had an ambient piece. Starting with the track “Blue Green” on the debut album Solid Pleasure (1980).

[Scott Snee]

The first Ambient album I got into was Indigo by Patrick O'hearn. Then came And The Stars Go With You by Jonn Serrie.

https://soundcloud.com/scott-snee

https://www.facebook.com/scott.snee

[MaximumMovementTheatre]

oh god, looking through I'm not sure if I'm going to be popular saying I heard Tangerine Dream playing in a record shop in 1976 and consequently my dad bought me Stratosfear. That led me down the path of electronica with Tangerine Dream and all the solo stuff, Schulze, Schnitzler and even dabbling with some Stockhausen. Got my first synth (Korg MS10) in 1978 and went from there. Didn't do much for many years and have recently got back into it. Hence the large gaps on my bandcamp page!

[truthiscolor]

My introduction to ambient was in the Chill Rooms at Raves in the early 90s. Groups that impacted me were the Orb, FSOL + Amorphous Androgynous, Biosphere, Higher Intelligence Agency, 23°, Spacetime Continuum, Banco de Gaia, etc etc. Pretty much anything on Waveform Records.

Wow.. ummm, has anyone started a 90s Ambient Music Thread???

[Off Land]

I didn't start to discover ambient music until 1996 when I started listening to FSOL - Lifeforms and Woob - 1194

Since then it has been a journey both forwards and backwards into the history of ambient.

[HypnoticImplant]

Long time ago, while playing computer games, especially Thief: The Dark Project - then I didn't even know what was I listening to. I'm guessing several pieces from Alone in the Dark 3 soundtrack can qualify as (dark) ambient, too.

Over 10 years later we reboot Demagolka, form Sithwomb (once Nakrikal's leading dark ambient project), rediscover Thief and develop immense respect for Eric Brosius and love of his work for the Thief series (1998 - 2004). This is when we discovered ambient for real.

[Ian Haygreen]

Funny, I came to Eno in the 80s via King Crimson and Robert Fripp. In the late 70s I was listening to everything from Tangerine Dream to Led Zeppelin, Haydn to Stockhausen. Tangerine Dream's "Zeit" (1972) was the first "ambient" album I got (in around 1978). I was into my prog rock and liked King Crimson. So I decided to investigate Robert Fripps stuff which lead to "(No Pussyfooting)" and then exploring Eno's stuff.

[Sky High Diamonds]

Yeah, it's easy for me to give more than less info on Eno...:o

I was less meaning for you to check out ALL of suggestions than just providing loose landmarks to help you find some style that appealed to you more than the others.


yeah, that's it, landmarks....

He he he, I was playing with you aoVI And I do appreciate the heads up and the landmarks. Check me out...I am now following Mr Eno, or Dark Shark as he is called, on Twitter. There, he has a new 'fan.'

I am listening to bits of his work from your recommendations and I can see how he is recognised as a pioneer of ambient music.

Do you have ALL those albums?

[Sky High Diamonds]

I forgot to say that I went off on a Yellow Jelly type trip for quite a while too, that definitely has ambient leanings. I'm still not entirely sure that I have fully discovered ambient yet, hence the Eno lectures…immmmm suggestions :D

I am hear to learn.

[Trônes de l'Obscurité]

Not much as "how I discovered" but much more as "how I started liking it": It was all fault of the Silent Hill Series OST. The mix between dark ambient/industrial ambient/rock/trip hop that Akira Yamaoka masterfully does have influenced me since I first played Silent Hill 2, back in 2003.

[Synthetic Aurality]

I can't really pin it down but probably went off at a tangent from Pink Floyd and started to listen to things like Dream Fish Ambient Dub and William Orbit. Tangerine Dream floated in and out of my awareness a few times. Philip Glass always interested me. I have never listened to Eno :eek:I had to look him up. Sorry :blush:

Don't feel too bad.. I didn't learn about Eno until I'd been listening to Tangerine Dream for years.. heh.. was into German electronic music for a loong time before I chased down some Eno!

[Sky High Diamonds]

That ought to keep you busy for a bit.... ;)

OMG. I have survived this long without Eno in my life. Is this compulsory? ;)

Only joking! I will do my best to listen to these recommendations. Thank you again!

I seem to be constantly crying out these words... "So much excellent music to listen to- so little time."

I hope there is ambient music in heaven :D

[seismic1]

I discovered Eno in '77, via Fripp

[windspace]

@aoVI: that's kinda funny. I discovered the Talking Heads through Eno...

I had a similar experience though it was through his production work with the Talking Heads.

Due to my liking Talking Heads, I purchased "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts" by Byrne & Eno. I admit it took me a few listens to warm to it, but then it became mandatory for me. That album is still in my Top 5 Albums of All Time list. Then I later explored more Eno.

[nadaRobot]

I believe you are in for a treat. let me know what you think--Maybe start with his collaborations with Harold Budd, like The Pearl.

A treat you say?...well thank you, I will give it a go. Although, a quick google into Eno's back catalogue demonstrates an extensive volume of work where I estimate that I may need a spare decade to listen to it all.

Thank you :biggrin:

Or you could do what I did: listen to "Before and After Science" and "Music for Airports" back to back... 'bout gave my teenage self an aneurysm trying to reconcile them as being by the same artist.

They're not actually *that* far apart, but there are a few tracks that might make one wonder.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk