Do You Have Any Ambient Favorites?

 

Audiogoner Goldenear1948 wants to take things down a notch with some ambient music.  Aside from Brian Eno, what can you recommend?

Elizabeth

• Brian Eno “Music for Airports”
• Philip Glass and Uakti “Aguas da Amazonias” (best of all.. IMO)
• Enya “Watermark”
• Movie soundtrack “Run Lola Run”
• Bach “Goldberg variations”
• Nearly anything on the Windham Hill label…
• These are a few I like, which I can think of off the top of my head.

They may not exactly ‘fit’ the definition, but they are in the same way…

Bdgregory
I’ve always been an Eno fan, but in the past 2 years have really expanded my Ambient catalog. Some of my favorite artists:

• Eno – he has a lot out – everything in his catalog is worth having and most is even better than “Music for Airports”
• Harold Budd – like everything I have by him
• Frip and Eno – especially “Evening Star”
• Michael Brook
• John Foxx
• Robin Guthrie – not totally ambient – some is a little more lively.
• Klaus Schulze – more electronic, but ambient
• Tangerine Dream – really more electronic, less ambient

Also – some Jazz “ambient” I like a lot:

• Tord Gustavsen Trio – all of their catalog
• Bobo Stenson Trio – Cantando, War Orphans
• Ralph Towner and Gay Burton – “Matchbook”

Synthfreek
Here are some mixes I have on 8tracks.com:

• Introduction to Pete Namlook & Fax Records
• ECM Records Mix for fans of electronic/ambient music
• Deep Ambient Pt. 1
• Deep Ambient Pt. 2
• Ambient Dub Techno
• Some Mid-90s Chilout

Eslaudio

• Boards of Canada “Music Has a Right to Children” & “Geogaddi”
• Aphex Twin “Selected Ambient Works 85-92” & “Selected Ambient Works Vol. II”
• Future Sound of London “Lifeform”
• Nicolas Jaar “Space is Only Noise”

Check out ambientmusicgude.com for more suggestions.

Ghosthouse
Check out the site “MixCloud”. a TON of ambient there. See mixes by LowLight Mixes and also Chronaut. To add a little to Bdgregory’s reply…give a listen to the “Mysterious Skin” movie soundtrack collaboration between Guthrie and Budd. Can be found on YouTube.

Others to try: Loscil, Helios, Jasper TX, & Tycho.

If you haven’t heard them yet, you might enjoy STARS OF THE LID very much.

Brian Eno remains continues to be active in this area. Search him on YouTube and you are sure to find something more you will enjoy. Thursday Afternoon comes to mind.

Rbrowne
Using the term “ambient” broadly and not narrowing it down to various sub-genres, here are some of my favorite ambient artists (in alphabetical order):

• Antonymes
• A Winged Victory For The Sullen
• Olafur Arnalds
• Bersarin Quartett
• Black Swan
• Will Bolton
• Michael Brook
• Harold Budd
• bvdub
• Celer
• Dakota Suite
• Brian Eno
• Emanuele Errante
• Ex Confusion
• Nils Frahm
• Robin Guthrie
• Robert Haigh
• Greg Haines
• Chihei Hatakeyama
• Johann Johannsson
• Marsen Jules
• Keith Kenniff
• Leyland Kirby
• Saito Koji
• Clem Leek
• Loscil
• Marconi Union
• Brian McBride
• Alva Noto
• Dustin O’Halloran
• Olan Mill
• Yui Onodera
• Fabio Orsi
• M. Ostermeier
• Pjusk
• Ramses II
• Stars Of The Lid
• Strom Noir
• Nicholas Szczepanik
• Ryan Teague
• The Dead Texan

Fluid Radio – Channel 1 has a nice streaming selection of music in the Ambient/Electroacoustic/Experimental/Drone genres. Check it out.

Who are your other favorites?  Comment below!