Old School Ambient

[Ananda Bliss Harmonies]

Remember before ambient was really a thing? When what is called ambient today was categorized as New Age most of the time?

We wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to a few of the inspired artists who have created works a fair while back that have in turn inspired us, and no doubt many others.

Some artists and albums that we think are just fantastic and timeless:

Soma (2000) by Klaus Wiese. I remember a time when we would just leave track 3 on repeat. Over and over in the background. This practice is impossible with most music if your nerves have any sensitivity at all, but this is just that good. We were very sad to learn of his passing away in 2009. What little contact we had with Mr. Wiese was very pleasant and he struck us as a kind soul and an Ambient master. We purchased his entire CD discography (some 40 odd at the time) from him and his musical/business partner directly in 2001 and he was most gracious. Long live Soma and all of his 50 ambient Meisterstücke.

Soma.jpg

On Amazon


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Planetary Unfolding (1980) by Michael Stearns. I believe I read he created this on an analogue synthesizer from the 1970's, where he had to constantly move plugs and wires around to give it the sounds he was aiming at. It is a masterful work.

Planetary_Unfolding.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z_5x5F-vBo&noredirect=1

On his web site

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Angelic Music (1978) by Iasos. Track two with the frog pond field recording is particularly entrancing.

Angelic_Music.jpg

On Amazon

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Oceanic (1997) by Vangelis It is difficult to pick a single work out of his prodigious catalog of masterpieces, but this one is certainly great.

Vangelis_Oceanic.jpg

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oceanic-Vangelis/dp/B000002JB8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377698630&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=oceanic+vangelis" target="_blank">

On Amazon
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Join Inn (1973) by Ash Ra Temple. An incredible EP. Trippy as anything but never losing harmony. This one influenced me profoundly, during my teenage years. It went beyond the musical tastes and structures of the time. It showed me what soul entrancing music was possible and it brought me closer to myself and inspired me deeply. They are true ambient pioneers out of Germany in the early 1970's.

Join_Inn.jpg

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Join-Inn-Ash-Ra-Tempel/dp/B005F2EHI4/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377696859&amp;sr =8-1-fkmr1&amp;keywords=Ash+Ra+Temple+Join+inn" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8Id...p;noredirect=1
On Amazon

We could go on and on paying tribute to all of the excellent artists from whom we have drawn inspiration and energy over the years, but this short list is a fine start.

What are some of your favorite Ambient productions from years past?

Maha Devi Li Ra La @ Ananda Bliss Harmonies

Note: We have nothing to do with any of the record labels or artists listed here other than we deeply enjoy their music. The YouTube links are just random postings that I found via search, and have nothing to do with our presence on the site. They are just to offer you guys a sample of the works to which we are referring.

[seismic1]

Nice sounds, jespis :thumbsup: I used to own the Froese and Ashra LPs along with several other Schulze albums.

[Ananda Bliss Harmonies]

Thanks Jepsis! Great songs. I marvel that I hadn't heard Harmonia before. Excellent stuff! Love the Ashra track too.

Here is another excerpt from an old favorite:

Phaedra (1974) by Tangerine Dream (Master Ambient Pioneers)

Bummer that I could only find a 4min excerpt. My Favorite is the Title track: Phaedra. It is very entrancing with the buildup and culmination and almost breaks the waves and then subsides and ripples out.
You can get that on Amazon or listen on Spotify.
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I am a touch hesitant to share this because it is close to my heart, but here you have it:

Schwingungen (1972) by Ash Ra Temple.

I recommend in particular Track 3 (which was the whole B side), from 18:59 to the end on this recording, titled Suche and Liebe.

The first part is called Suche, (German for search) and it resembles the soul's search in the cosmos and the second part is called Liebe (German for Love) which is the harmonious resonance of an angelic chorus as an answer to the soul's search. This one always moved me very deeply.

Enjoy!

-Maha Devi Li Ra La from Ananda Bliss Harmonies

[Ambient Mechanics]

Thanks for these, guys..really nice listening here.

I make no secret of the fact one of my biggest influences has always been Vangelis, whose work has both entertained and inspired me from the very first time I heard it. As Maha rightly stated above, it's so hard to pick just one body of work or track from Vangelis..but if I had to, then it would most probably be this one..

There are, of course, many other..many of which I like personally, but my "discovery" of this album came at a formative time in my life and to this very day, brings back fond memories from that time.

Other albums of his I find particularly note-worthy..and in no certain order..are "Voices", "The City", "1492: Conquest of Paradise", "El Greco", "Direct" and "Albedo 0.39". Of course there are also the likes of "Blade Runner" and "Chariots Of Fire"..as well as the epics "China" and "Heaven and Hell"...the list just seems to go on and on.
Anyway, if you haven't yet heard these albums, then you could do far worse than checking them out whenever you get the chance to do so.

[GaryG]

Phaedra (1974) by Tangerine Dream (Master Ambient Pioneers)

Paging Mac of BIOnighT...

;)

[seismic1]

That Phaedra recording is not the 1974 original. It's a much later live recording ('88 I think)