Posts Tagged ‘ambient’

A history of ambient music – and chill out – related

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

If you are interested in reading about ambient music, then I suggest you check out what Mike Watsons writes over at his site www.ambientmusicguide.com
Very informative and comprehensive article about ambient music and all the genres that exists around it and a lot of other interesting stuff related more looseley to the subject.
Here is a little extract: “At the start of the third millennium music to chill-out to makes perfect sense. As the Western world becomes faster, more complex, more rife with nervous energy, the joy of listening to some instrumental music that expresses both our external environment (both man-made and natural) and our inner spaces (both emotional and mental) is now more popular than at any other time in the history of recorded sound.

Such music has many names: ambient, new age, contemporary instrumental, experimental, spacerock, chillout, ambient techno, ambient trance, mood music, world music, new acoustic music. The protests of some musicians and A&R people notwithstanding, I believe one of these names in particular – ambient – is a perfectly useful signpost for the phenomenon. It points to music across a hugely diverse spectrum: from the gorgeous solo guitar of John Fahey to the environmental techno of Biosphere; from the minimal avant-pop of The Penguin Cafe Orchestra to  lush ambient trance of Ultimae Records and its artists.”

Read more here

<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music</a>

http://www.ganga.dk/

http://www.flincmusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/gangalounge

http://www.youtube.com/gangalounge

http://www.last.fm/music/Ganga

http://www.ilike.com/artist/Ganga

http://www.gangamusic.info/

http://www.bandbase.dk/ganga

http://www.reverbnation.com/ganga

Brian Eno – “On Land”

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

In this little summer series about older and newer albums in the downbeat chill out ambient genre, my eyes today have fallen upon the old Brian Eno classic “On Land” or “Ambient 4 On Land”.
It was my first Brian Eno CD, and I didnt know his music so well when I bought it back in 88 or something. The release is from 86 if I am not mistaken.
I remember it being a very surprising experience.
Slowly moving textures that almost makes you fall asleep. And this was for some years how i used this music.
I put it on when I came home from work or studies, closed my eyes, and let these weird but friendly sounds carry me away – perfect meditation music. Mostly because of the nature of the sounds. No waterfalls or waves, panflute or any other of these new age clichees that is so well represented in that kind of music. Just…well… interesting sounds and interesting atmospheres, the occassional recordings of frogs or bells and a deep drone of dark slow beautiful sounds.
I put this CD on and it put me out – many many times.
Its one of my all time favourite albums and it started my interest for Brian Enos music even though it was some years before I should start writing and producing electronic music myself.
I was studying organ at the Royld Danish Academy of Music at that time. So there was not really time for doing anything else than studying and playing organ for the 6 years it lasted.
Anyays, this is definitely one of the albums that has meant most to me over the years.
Brian Enos liner notes indicates that when he made these tracks/compositions, he had discovered that the synthesizer was not so usefull an instrument to achieve what he wanted.
He found use for all sorts of found sounds and recorded sticks, stones and pieces of chain and using nearly only non-intsruments.
On top of that, he used also the complete body of sounds used in his earlier works and incorporated them into these new tracks. As a result, some of the earlier works were digested by the new ones which were in turn, digested again. As a sort of recycling.
He writes: “This techniques is like composting: converting what would otherwise have been waste into nourishment”.
I think every now living producer/electronic music creator works like this. But back in 1986 when he wrote the revised version of these liner notes, it was maybe something else. The technical revolution was not started yet – it was before the liberation of the production means to normal people.
Now this techniques is everyday life for most music creators.
He wrote these lines 22 years ago.
Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music

http://www.ganga.dk
http://www.flincmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/gangalounge
http://www.youtube.com/gangalounge
http://www.last.fm/music/Ganga
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Ganga
http://www.gangamusic.info
http://www.bandbase.dk/ganga
http://www.reverbnation.com/ganga

Not everyone is into music

Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

I was approached the other day by a guy who obviously was interested in music, but just wasnt used to listening to the kind of sound I make. His questions in regard to my music was a real eyeopener to me.
It should be obvious to everyone, but sometimes as a musician/producer/composer its easy to forget that not everyone can understand what is up and down in regards to what you do.
Its an eyeopener really, to meet someone whom you have to explain everything to. Right from the bottom. Right back from where ambient comes from and what it has evolved into and all that. All the way back to Brian Eno and his first ambient  excursions. The history so to say, of what you do and where you come from.
That’s one part of it. That’s like explaining taxes or something to kids. Quite easy really, if you are a little creative.
The other part is the music in itself. This guy was used to listening to old rocknroll and he didn’t really understand was I was doing – he didn’t get the more ambient side of my tracks – the modal stuff, that only plays in one key and doesn’t modulate in a traditional tonal way.
This was harder to explain to him. I guess I really couldn’t take the explanation any further than the border where intellect meets sensation. I think the point here is that he didn’t really like it – it didn’t meet hi in known territory or he wasn’t open for this kind of sensation or something. Maybe also he was the kind of guy who needs to understand things before he can enjoy, maybe he just will never like it. I don’t know.
But he was curious, and that is a good place to start.Then things can develop from there.
<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music</a>

www.myspace.com/gangalounge
www.youtube.com/gangalounge
www.ganga.dk
www.flincmusic.com
www.myspace.com/flincmusic