How Did You Discover Ambient?

[GaryG]

I also recall really liking Mick Harris' project Scorn, which if anything is kind of an experimental dub thing, and his project Lull which is to date still some of the best truly 'ambient' music around, IMO.

I don't keep up with the current output of many of the musicians that got me really into this side of music, I probably should.

I've found that even though I still love music as much as I ever did, the drive to check out everything out there has diminished a lot as I've got older. Maybe when you're younger with all that surplus energy you can afford to worry about missing out on something whereas now... I'll get around to it eventually probably.

But I agree, Mick Harris has made some great records. Scorn may have been my way into dub, thinking about it...

[Guest]

I also recall really liking Mick Harris' project Scorn, which if anything is kind of an experimental dub thing, and his project Lull which is to date still some of the best truly 'ambient' music around, IMO.

I don't keep up with the current output of many of the musicians that got me really into this side of music, I probably should.

I've found that even though I still love music as much as I ever did, the drive to check out everything out there has diminished a lot as I've got older. Maybe when you're younger with all that surplus energy you can afford to worry about missing out on something whereas now... I'll get around to it eventually probably.

But I agree, Mick Harris has made some great records. Scorn may have been my way into dub, thinking about it...

never head of these so I had a look at a vimeo clip of Mick Harris. he opening sound reminded me of this piece I(guitar) made with Eugene Carchesio(sax) from about 1986 https://soundcloud.com/greghooper/navy-guys-fuck

[Zach Zinn]

That piece was cool man, it actually reminded me of Penderecki's Threnody heh.. I dig your stuff. One of my favorite things by Harris is Actually the album he did with Bill Laswell, Somnific Flux:

[Guest]

thanks Zach - this Harris / Laswell album is great! and completely new to me

[Makrotulpa]

Realistically I think it was a combination of The Orb and discovering the joy of Chill Out spaces at some Byron Bay "Beyond the Brain" raves however I recall really loving the concréte parts on Pink Floyd albums - particularly on "Wish You Were Here" - the noises either side of "Welcome to the Machine" and the sudden drop to room sound at the end of "Have a Cigar". Reading David Toop's "Ocean of Sound" really cemented an understanding of what it was that I was appreciating.

[MindDivided]

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.

Well, this is awkward.
Just like the first post in this thread, I discovered ambient music through EVE Online back in 2006.
I still play from time to time, when my finances allow for it because it's really an awesome game that pulls you back in everytime.
As for the soundtrack, it inspired me back then to look for more ambient music but I got sidetracked mainly to the industrial genre, untill last year...

[S1gnsOfL1fe]

Well, this is awkward.
Just like the first post in this thread, I discovered ambient music through EVE Online back in 2006.
I still play from time to time, when my finances allow for it because it's really an awesome game that pulls you back in everytime.
As for the soundtrack, it inspired me back then to look for more ambient music but I got sidetracked mainly to the industrial genre, untill last year...

It doesn't matter how you got here...just that you got here! :D

For the record, I've heard that EVE is a pretty cool game (never played it) but that's definitely nothing to be ashamed of. I think everyone here has been on a journey to discover ambient. Nobody was "born" into ambient music, if you know what I'm saying. I'm a prime example.

Anyway, you're here and you found it! Listening to "Document 2" on the Axit SoundCloud page as I type this...FANTASTIC. :hypnotized:

Cheers!

[MindDivided]

It doesn't matter how you got here...just that you got here! :D

For the record, I've heard that EVE is a pretty cool game (never played it) but that's definitely nothing to be ashamed of. I think everyone here has been on a journey to discover ambient. Nobody was "born" into ambient music, if you know what I'm saying. I'm a prime example.

Anyway, you're here and you found it! Listening to "Document 2" on the Axit SoundCloud page as I type this...FANTASTIC. :hypnotized:

Oh I'm not ashamed of it, by no means. I had a great couple of years in the local industrial scene and only few regrets to go with it.
But the love of ambient grew with age, I guess. If I compare myself to let's say ten years ago, I simply need a lot more tranquility around me and ambient music is just the thing for that.
I've always been rather sensitive to stress and ambient helps me relax easier, while ten years ago I simply wouldn't have had the patience to listen to 10 minutes of drone for example.

And thanks for the compliment! Chris and I are rather proud of what we've done, and there's a lot more coming. ;)

[Mac of BIOnighT]

There's a line in a movie that always made me think... "You grow older, and the music gets louder". It's odd how in general "noisy," loud music becomes more difficult to listen to with age (with all due exceptions in terms of both people and music).

[Xalpheon]

I don't know when I got into Ambient, but I know damn well what got me into it, even if it were to be unconsciously (since I'm pretty sure that, at the time, I wouldn't have known enough about it to be able to call it Ambient).

The Myst III: Exile soundtrack. It's, in my point of view, a mix of Orchestral and Ambient. I love it to pieces. And next to that, Myst is a part of my life, in that it's one of the only games I've ever been deeply addicted to, and still am.

My love for Ambient started to grow when I found Juno Reactor - Lu.ci-ana, one of the best Drone Ambient pieces I know. Eventually I found Robert Henke (miraceously), and got seriously hooked on his Drone Ambient works. That's where it really started to grow.

However, I'm ashamed to say that I have a terribly small library of Ambient ;3; I hope to find more here though.

[Loose-Link]

Heard it here and there as I grew up, from film soundtracks to computer games, Zork Grand Inquisitor, Riven, Blade Runner to name a few off the top of my head. FSOL introduced me to the genre in a big way, from discovering their albums, then their ISDN broadcasts they did. Their tracklists on those shows were the guidelines that I followed, finding Eno and Tangerine Dream to name a couple.

[Kyoga]

I was in love with the Half Life and Starcraft soundtracks when I was a lot younger, but over the years I ended up forgetting about them or their musical styles. It wasn't until I was a couple of months into my own music production that I discovered digital synthesis, at that time of which I immediately began working to program an FM synthesizer in C++. After 2 years it's my own personal synth and it gives me a lot of the good and soft tones that I use for my music.

The first synthetic song I made was entirely ambient, but I didn't know what the genre was at the time. Upon talking to friends and getting feedback it became clear that I was in the realm of "Dark Ambient" music.. XD
to this day I don't know much about what defines ambient music or how ambient music works, but I do try my hand at making it and keeping it in my own chord-driven style.

So I guess honestly the way I found out about ambient music was by making ambient music.

[KrisM]

It tended to just happen as I noodled around on various instruments. Tuba, guitar, synths... I always liked 'pads' and slow attacks, and even in dance music my favorite parts in, say, trance was the breakdown with those big airy pads drenched in reverb lol. One of the first electronic tracks that I was ever really proud of was very ambienty (maybe... Berlin School?), and I've now realized that time and time again, it's the genre that comes more from within than something I have to force myself to do.

[Synthetic Aurality]

Wow, kindred spirits! I grew up on Tangerine Dream, Megabyte.. David Arkenstone, Tomito.. Klaus Schulze.. all over the highway. I wobbled back and forth between electronic/ambient/new age and (gasp!) metal, and slowly settled into electronic music, cinematic/soundscape, and ambient.

I like me some Eno and Fripp, as well.

[Seren]

In a record shop (Small Wonder Records in Walthamstow, London) - 1976 or 77 - had got into Hawkwind - guy in the shop introduced me to Klaus Schulze (Irrlicht and Cyborg) and Tangerine Dream (Zeit).

Then in 1982 stopped listening to music until about 1997 (when did riverdance come out?) and was given a CD - thought WTF is this thing, better buy something to play it on.

Was in a hippy type shop a couple of years later and found Steve Roach - The Magnificent Void.....