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