I love it, I'd keep either the album art or album/artist on screen the whole time you are talking about it for people who phase out for a few seconds and you've moved on.
The Plateux of Mirror is also my fave from the Ambient series. Such a pretty album. And 'Rhubarb' on SAWII is truly gorgeous. First time I heard it I was blown away.
I guess it depends on the mood of the ambient music doesn't it, I wouldn't spend days listening to a Swans record over and over again or I'd probably feel the same too. Variety is the spice of life...
I’m a little surprised this doesn’t include William Basinski, The Disintegration Loops, particularly 1.1, the whole hour. I especially love the subtle transitions that occur around 40 minutes in. Love love love
another good way to get into ambient music, modern game soundtracks. Games like Doom 2016, Minecraft, or Silent Hill all not only have catchy songs but very minimal and serine sounding ambient or dark ambient soundscapes. It was through the Minecraft soundtrack I was able to get into ambient music and appreciate it a bit more.
All fallouts up to NewVegas as well as Stalker anomoly have really good ambient tracks that albeit, exist on the more suffocating side of the spectrum.
It's been a pleasure to marathon your videos. I was so thrilled to see Ravedeath, 1972. That and it's companion piece, Dropped Pianos, have both been in constant rotation since I came across them in 2011. While not solely ambient, Oval's 94diskont. has been a recent favorite. "Do While" is a masterpiece, in my opinion.
I recommend Tangerine Dream - Zeit Eraserhead soundtrack Bohren and der Club of Gore - Piano Nights (has a jazz/noir feel) and maybe Coil - Time Machines
Sunn O))) - Black One Coil - Time Machines Enemite - Necrolatry Velehentor - Velehentor Black Mountain Transmitter - Black Goat of the Woods Earth - Earth2 Special Low Frequency Version
You're spot on about Eno. I was 16 when Music for Airports was released and I was into heavy metal at the time. Id say I discovered Brian Eno when I was 21 and was into some mind expanding drugs at the time and was listening to some cuts from On Land by him in a cemetary at night with a friend and was taken to another level of audiovisual magic and soon bought every Eno album I could find. I'm going to say I've never seen any of your videos until recently when I watched your take on best 5 Krautrock releases and after watching this Im going to say good job!! You're spot on mate with your musical insights. I was so ready to watch and disagree with you ( because of your youthful good looks), but after hearing you out I hafta agree that you know your music. So keep up the good work my friend and keep posting...👍😉
you explain it so well your clear and don't drift away too much you should have more subscribers and also your editing is quite good note: I subscribed
Thanks so much for the feedback Vikram, and thanks for subscribing! also if you think I should have more subscribers don't forget to share the channel with people you know ;)
This has quickly become a channel I'm enjoying, both from the standpoint of discovering new music and engaging in dialogue with others about music. Here's list in alphabetical order (by artist): 1. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992) - had to go with this one for myself. Right from the get-go with Xtal, there's a feeling akin to joy listening to this. It's also probably one of the few albums me and my friends all collectively agree on as a favourite. 2. Brian Eno - Apollo: Atmosphere & Soundtracks (1983) - although of course Music For Airports is an excellent work, for me Apollo is the definitive Eno ambient album. Also, as far as introductions, the Ambient Series feel more like concept works, whereas Apollo covers more ground and variety in structure, design and sound. 3. Dead Can Dance - Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun (1987) - this is a bit of a cheat, but I think that the majesty of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard as a musical duo can match any of the transcendent qualities of ambient music. Xavier is a standout track. 4. Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene (1976) - although the German kosmische Musik scene was pioneering electronic music, Jean-Michel Jarre took it in a completely new direction with this masterful album. 5. Klaus Schulze - Mirage (1977) - the Schulze superfan in me could pick out any of his albums from the 1970s, but for me Mirage is the best example of just what he is as an artist. His eighth solo work since 1972's Irrlicht, five years on and this album is an exemplar example of how Schulze quickly perfected his craft.
Great artists! So glad to see a tim hecker record here! Tim hecker is an amazing artists and one of my all time favorites since I had my first tim hecker listen!
i would love it if you sometimes play a clip of what you're speaking about. I find myself pausing and listening to the song youre talking about on another tab. big up though love the videos! you have a flippin way with words
Thank You for including Tim Hecker!!!! Brilliant sound! 🦊 I also love the brittle spirits of Sylvian/Czukay "Plight & Premonition", the wonderful & bizarre"Zoolook" by Jean-Michel Jarre, the sound wall of "The Celts" by Enya (her first album self titled originally), and the stunning "Ambient Music Nature Watch" various artists on the brilliant Bruton label! (Also John Zorn's Naked City album "Absinthe"!)
If you are going to throw on more modern ambient (last 20 years or so) I highly recommend any Eluvium or Grouper. Both very distinct but droney and layered noise (especially if you put Stars of the Lid on there). Eluvium - Talk Amongst the Trees or Copia are good places to start. For Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer up a Hill or The Man Who Died in His Boat. Captivating in their own ways; I’ve returned to both of these artists over and and over again. Very surprised no one has mentioned either. Another modern ambient artist I would recommend is also Amulets - Blooming. Experimental guitar with tape loops and ambient noise; it’s worth checking out as well. Love the channel. Cheers!
I realize this was 3 1/2 years ago but man, Oliver, I love your videos. I just recently go into Ambient Music - thanks to you. I really like William Basinski a lot. I mean A LOT. Philip Glass has some good stuff, too. PS - almost forgot - all of you should also check out Marconi Union's "Weightless" album. Scientific proven to your lower your anxiety by 65%. Seriously.
Came across this Chanel out of nowhere and I remember one of the first videos I saw he briefly mentioned Phaedra and I was like holy shit I gotta see if he actually made a video about tangerine dream.
Chihei Hatakeyama is making the best droney ambient music in the world right now me thinks. He has a ton of output put "winter storm" is my favorite of his.
I think A Winged Victory for the Sullen's self titled album would've been a good addition to the list since you only show one contemporary album (SotL).
Really big fan of this channel, subscribed a little while ago. I love that you actually seem to know your stuff. Keep it up mate! It would be nice though if you could include some clips of the music your talking about but I get the whole copyright thing. All in all, bang up job!
this is my top 3 ambient albums... *Biosphere - Substrata *The Disintegration Loops I - William Basinski *The Pearl - Brian Eno and Harold Budd sorry for my bad english
It's interesting how you describe ambient music as requiring concentration, no distractions etc since Eno initially conceived of ambient as background music.
An ambient piece that flies under the radar is Jean Michel Jarre's title track "Waiting for Cousteau". At over 45 minutes long, it's virtually an album in itself. I think it's worthy of as much recognition as many of the other ambient greats but sadly- like Gary Numan- he doesn't seem to get the recognition he deserves. As one of the 2 million+ people who attended the Paris La Defense concert in 1990, this piece is special as it played for the build up to the concert starting. They've used it for the build up to many of the concerts since then and it works beautifully.
Check Zoviet France. A very influential ambient group from New Castle in the early 80s. Also Savage Republic from Los Angeles in the early 80s. They did some movie soundtracks.
He barely scratched the surface here but did quite well. There's just way too much to choose from sonically. Perhaps if he did the top 100 releases starting by when they were released then he'd have a more inclusive and all around better package to open... just a thought.
Here's a couple of my all time favorites... • William Basinski 'Disintegration Loops' - in a genre all it's own. • Hafler Trio 'BANG-An Open Letter' ...Difficult to find but worth the search... from Andrew McKinzie one of the earlier pioneers of found/ambient/noise/psychoacoustic • Soviet France 'Mohnomishe'... any of the Soviet France recordings are worth checking out . Most all their packaging is one off handmade materials... all unique handmade labeling and sleeves.
With a lot of ambient I admire it but rarely play it. I find Loscil interesting and relaxing, I also like the Japanese ambient stuff like Midori Takada's Through the Looking Glass.
i'd imagine that you've listened to it already, but tomorrow's modern boxes by thom yorke? i don't really know if it would be classified as ambient, but it's one of my favorites to listen to when you kinda get in that mindset when listening to ambient. songs like truth ray are so amazing that it almost puts you to sleep and there's the haunting aspects of pink section that put this album in my top five. idk, just thought you should know :)
Also people really seem to not know about Thomas Köner, he tends to get lumped in with dark ambient but I don't find it dark at all, it also has pounds more musical integrity than the rather corny and dated gothic pastiches that often get that genre label. His album Nuuk is an absolute masterpiece of permafrosted arctic ambient production, it has unbelievable dynamic range.
The Orb's ambient pieces have always been a personal favourite of mine within the genre. Biosphere, Maps & Diagrams, Milieu. I'm very interested to hear your last two choices, though. Not heard them before.
Nice choices. Good analysis. Personally I prefer Rubycon by Tangerine Deam to Phaedra. The Eno album is an excellent call. My top 5 would include Lifeforms by FSOL, Orbvs Terravm by The Orb and maybe either Chill Out by The KLF or 76:14 by Global Communication. But then there's the Boards of Canada...they probably deserve a placing too. Maybe a top 10 is more appropriate :-)
To anyone reading this, PLEASE listen to Woob 1194. I probably adore it so much because it's the second ambient album I listened to, after Woob 4495 (which is also incredible), but it's still a masterpiece to me, a must listen for anyone.
Now this is really good. Music For Airports (even if that's entirely obvious) and Stars of the Lid, especially disc one. Respect for this list. Kind of expected something by Harold Budd but actually, although very beautiful, his stuff is a bit 'busy'.
Hello! I've been watching your videos for quiet a while now and without any hesitation can say that this is one of the best channels dedicated to music on UA-cam. I just wanted to ask if you can do a video on noise or maybe experimental music scenes of some countries outside US and Great Britain. Anyway, keep up the good work, loving your content. Good luck.
Thank you Pavil, that means a lot! Noise is on the list for sure, and I really want to delve deeper into geographically specific music scenes, including experimental. Have no fear, I will get to it all in good time! Thanks again :)
Rich G Aphex Twin - SAW 85-92 Autechre - Tri Repetae or Amber Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children or Geodaddi Polygon Window - Surfing On Sine Waves Squarepusher - Hard Normal Daddy or Big Loada
My favorite ambient albums: Brian Eno and Harold Budd - Ambient 2: The Plateux of Mirror AND The Pearl! Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works II William Basinski - The Garden of Brokenness Zoviet France - The Decriminalisation Of Country Music Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid Troum - Tjukurrpa (Part One Harmonies) Brian Eno and Jon Hassell - Fourth World, Vol. 1.: Possible Musics Harold Budd - The Pavilion of Dreams Hans-Joachim Roedelius - Jardin Au Fou Hortobágyi László - Amygdala Expedition Hortobágyi László - Memesis - Memragas From Another 21st Century
Damn, I just found your youtube channel and so far pretty solid lists. Choosing just 5 records as an introduction for an entire genre seems to be like a nightmare. Have you ever seen Hecker live? If you haven't please do, it's a whole new world, it's like listening to him for the first time, but better. I'd suggest to check out stuff like Internazionale or D.Å.R.F.D.H.S. (or anything from Northern Electronics to be honest), that label mixes ambient with chill techno and other genres making a really cool sound. Also, list suggestions: 5 albums to get into Norwegian Black Metal, 5 albums to get into US Black Metal and 5 albums to get into Folk? Subbed!
I haven't seen Hecker live yet, it's something I definitely plan on doing though when the opportunity arises. Some good suggestions there, I'll add them to the 2017 list!
It's become a fun game for me: just to compare my opinion on subject and your choice of albums for a video. And god, was I glad and somehow strangely proud of you that you included Ravedeath 1972 in this top :D What do you think of making drone top or dark ambient top? And I would really like to hear your opinion on "Steel Wound" by Ben Frost. I think this album really deserves much more attention than it gets.
Haha I'm glad my choices are appreciated! Yeah I will do both drone and dark ambient guides in the future definitely, probably sometime next year. wrt Ben Frost, I will probably do a guide to him in the future so I'll save my opinions for then ;)
After I'll listen to them I'll just want more music lol. Nothing is ever good enough to just let it be what it is forever. I am forever on a quest to find meaning in a genre.
What's your opinion on C418 ? Specifically the Minecraft Alpha and Beta albums. The Minecraft soundtrack is a name that I have really seen thrown around in the "Ambient" and/or "Video Game soundtrack" discussion
I know it would be lame to recommend Vaperwave in 2018, but these albums transcend just being Vaperwave albums. Birth of a New Day by 2814, and Antara Communication by Telepath, are two of my favorite ambient albums ever.
Oliver, I know this video is kind of old, but the music you've used as the outro to it caught my attention (both the piece that slowly fades in, as well as the ending riff). Would you be able to tell me the name of the song(s)?
Ghosts was a great project, probably saving it for a dark ambient video. Also if you think all the records here are stereotypical calm listen to the Stars of The Lid record and Ravedeath, 1972. Anything but calm, especially Ravedeath.
Yeah SoTL make dramatic ambient but it's still good, just listened to Ghosts a few hours ago and had to switch it off cause it's mostly crap. It has tops of four decent tracks and rest are trash. Sounds like Reznor is trying so hard to sound like Aphex but failing abysmally. One track in particular sounds A LOT like a track from Selected Ambient Works Volume Two.
I still find The Ballasted Orchestra to be Stars of the Lid's best pure ambient record. Followed by Avec Laudanum but I find that album lacks variation and is often too amniotic for my mood yet its one of the best albums to fall asleep to. I usually like tension in my ambient music, I mostly like dark ambient really. I feel like Refinement moves into the more modern classical music Wiltzie would move on with with A Winged Victory For The Sullen (check out their debut LP if you haven't, it's absolutely one of the best modern classical records in recent memory). It's absolutely gorgeous, and definitely carries over their immaculate drone production, but I'm not sure if I'd consider it a direct representation of ambient music.
There's soooo many incredible artists you "missed". Benoit Pioulard, William Basinski, Helene Vogelsinger, Global Communications. Ambient is so incredibly beautiful, more people should listen this genre. I find it weird that you chose Tim Hecker to _get into_ ambient, I love his music, but I've always thought it's on the heavier side. Also, nice to find another person that finds Blue Calx to be a personal favorite.
I just checked out the site and it looks brilliant, (well I mean visually it looks terrible haha) I'll be getting stuck into it this evening I think, thanks for the suggestion Erin
I love it, I'd keep either the album art or album/artist on screen the whole time you are talking about it for people who phase out for a few seconds and you've moved on.
Thanks Jonathan, yeah if the consensus is that people would prefer that, I'll definitely make the change. Thanks a lot for the feedback!
definitly would keep the album art on! really nice channel you have here, subscribed! keep up the good work man
Hiroshi Yoshimura and other Japanese ambient musicians are definitely worth listening to also 👋
This guy could describe a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for 15 minutes, and I'd still give it a 👍🏻
The Plateux of Mirror is also my fave from the Ambient series. Such a pretty album. And 'Rhubarb' on SAWII is truly gorgeous. First time I heard it I was blown away.
I love ambient music but if I listen to it too much I get depressed. Lol. Brian Eno and Aphex Twin are awesome though.
I guess it depends on the mood of the ambient music doesn't it, I wouldn't spend days listening to a Swans record over and over again or I'd probably feel the same too. Variety is the spice of life...
listen to Eingya by Helios
very upbeat and melodic
deep cuts I can't go a day without listening 2 a Swans album. They r my fav band.
Trough i never get tired of listening to aphex twin
@@Neel-ff4mn soyjak
I’m a little surprised this doesn’t include William Basinski, The Disintegration Loops, particularly 1.1, the whole hour. I especially love the subtle transitions that occur around 40 minutes in. Love love love
I agree.
Cool video and good picks. I'd also recommend Steve Roach "Structures From Silence".
An album I've checked out due to your recommendation, really like it so thanks for that!
For me the definitive ambient album is "The Pearl" by Brian Eno and Harold Budd. Exquisite beauty.
another good way to get into ambient music, modern game soundtracks. Games like Doom 2016, Minecraft, or Silent Hill all not only have catchy songs but very minimal and serine sounding ambient or dark ambient soundscapes. It was through the Minecraft soundtrack I was able to get into ambient music and appreciate it a bit more.
Video games are very underappreciated for their ambient music.
All fallouts up to NewVegas as well as Stalker anomoly have really good ambient tracks that albeit, exist on the more suffocating side of the spectrum.
It's been a pleasure to marathon your videos. I was so thrilled to see Ravedeath, 1972. That and it's companion piece, Dropped Pianos, have both been in constant rotation since I came across them in 2011.
While not solely ambient, Oval's 94diskont. has been a recent favorite. "Do While" is a masterpiece, in my opinion.
disintegration loops my man. and pop by gas. otherwise an awesome video. great content.
Love anything Gas, Wolfgang is bae
deep cuts true
basinki is a hack
hell yeah basinski is based
I like the idea behind Disintegration Loops much much more than Disintegration Loops itself.
5 albums 2 get you into dark ambient, pls!
Diablo 2 is my fav and It's a friggin video game. Though it isn't a true ambient record
I recommend
Tangerine Dream - Zeit
Eraserhead soundtrack
Bohren and der Club of Gore - Piano Nights (has a jazz/noir feel)
and maybe Coil - Time Machines
@@carlospompeu3491 fifth one can be Lustmord - Stalker
GAS - Zauberberg
Sunn O))) - Black One
Coil - Time Machines
Enemite - Necrolatry
Velehentor - Velehentor
Black Mountain Transmitter - Black Goat of the Woods
Earth - Earth2 Special Low Frequency Version
Great track that unfortunately isn’t on streaming from SAWII is “Stone in Focus”. Absolutely beautiful track
Now it is 😀
So happy to see Stars of The Lid! Tired sounds is really the whole of my soul, so I really recommend that too.
You're spot on about Eno. I was 16 when Music for Airports was released and I was into heavy metal at the time. Id say I discovered Brian Eno when I was 21 and was into some mind expanding drugs at the time and was listening to some cuts from On Land by him in a cemetary at night with a friend and was taken to another level of audiovisual magic and soon bought every Eno album I could find. I'm going to say I've never seen any of your videos until recently when I watched your take on best 5 Krautrock releases and after watching this Im going to say good job!! You're spot on mate with your musical insights. I was so ready to watch and disagree with you ( because of your youthful good looks), but after hearing you out I hafta agree that you know your music. So keep up the good work my friend and keep posting...👍😉
Great, I am an immediate fan! You will probably become a major channel pretty quick.
Keep it up!
Thanks for getting involved Lukas!
you explain it so well
your clear and don't drift away too much
you should have more subscribers
and also your editing is quite good
note: I subscribed
Thanks so much for the feedback Vikram, and thanks for subscribing!
also if you think I should have more subscribers don't forget to share the channel with people you know ;)
Absolutely. Eno, Hecker, and Stars of the Lid. Love this Channel.
This has quickly become a channel I'm enjoying, both from the standpoint of discovering new music and engaging in dialogue with others about music.
Here's list in alphabetical order (by artist):
1. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992) - had to go with this one for myself. Right from the get-go with Xtal, there's a feeling akin to joy listening to this. It's also probably one of the few albums me and my friends all collectively agree on as a favourite.
2. Brian Eno - Apollo: Atmosphere & Soundtracks (1983) - although of course Music For Airports is an excellent work, for me Apollo is the definitive Eno ambient album. Also, as far as introductions, the Ambient Series feel more like concept works, whereas Apollo covers more ground and variety in structure, design and sound.
3. Dead Can Dance - Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun (1987) - this is a bit of a cheat, but I think that the majesty of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard as a musical duo can match any of the transcendent qualities of ambient music. Xavier is a standout track.
4. Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene (1976) - although the German kosmische Musik scene was pioneering electronic music, Jean-Michel Jarre took it in a completely new direction with this masterful album.
5. Klaus Schulze - Mirage (1977) - the Schulze superfan in me could pick out any of his albums from the 1970s, but for me Mirage is the best example of just what he is as an artist. His eighth solo work since 1972's Irrlicht, five years on and this album is an exemplar example of how Schulze quickly perfected his craft.
Great artists! So glad to see a tim hecker record here! Tim hecker is an amazing artists and one of my all time favorites since I had my first tim hecker listen!
i would love it if you sometimes play a clip of what you're speaking about. I find myself pausing and listening to the song youre talking about on another tab. big up though love the videos! you have a flippin way with words
Yeh, this would add to what you are tring to convey.
He probably can’t for copyright purposes
Thank You for including Tim Hecker!!!! Brilliant sound! 🦊
I also love the brittle spirits of Sylvian/Czukay "Plight & Premonition",
the wonderful & bizarre"Zoolook" by Jean-Michel Jarre, the sound wall of
"The Celts" by Enya (her first album self titled originally), and the stunning
"Ambient Music Nature Watch" various artists on the brilliant Bruton label!
(Also John Zorn's Naked City album "Absinthe"!)
If you are going to throw on more modern ambient (last 20 years or so) I highly recommend any Eluvium or Grouper. Both very distinct but droney and layered noise (especially if you put Stars of the Lid on there). Eluvium - Talk Amongst the Trees or Copia are good places to start. For Grouper - Dragging a Dead Deer up a Hill or The Man Who Died in His Boat. Captivating in their own ways; I’ve returned to both of these artists over and and over again. Very surprised no one has mentioned either. Another modern ambient artist I would recommend is also Amulets - Blooming. Experimental guitar with tape loops and ambient noise; it’s worth checking out as well. Love the channel. Cheers!
goated for blue calx, deep cuts!!!
Great content, I also think you are framed better in this video. In some of your others I'm like "he needs to sit up like one inch" haha! :)
I realize this was 3 1/2 years ago but man, Oliver, I love your videos. I just recently go into Ambient Music - thanks to you. I really like William Basinski a lot. I mean A LOT. Philip Glass has some good stuff, too.
PS - almost forgot - all of you should also check out Marconi Union's "Weightless" album. Scientific proven to your lower your anxiety by 65%. Seriously.
Came across this Chanel out of nowhere and I remember one of the first videos I saw he briefly mentioned Phaedra and I was like holy shit I gotta see if he actually made a video about tangerine dream.
Love your posts and the music you share! I'm still catching up, but keep them coming!
Chihei Hatakeyama is making the best droney ambient music in the world right now me thinks. He has a ton of output put "winter storm" is my favorite of his.
I think A Winged Victory for the Sullen's self titled album would've been a good addition to the list since you only show one contemporary album (SotL).
Really big fan of this channel, subscribed a little while ago. I love that you actually seem to know your stuff. Keep it up mate!
It would be nice though if you could include some clips of the music your talking about but I get the whole copyright thing.
All in all, bang up job!
Great vid mate. Would love to see a guide to Brian Eno, lord knows he's prolific and overall good enough to warrant it.
vecta aze you got your wish mate
yeah, i sure did lol.
True indeed. He's done it of course.
Great video! I'm curious why you didn't mention Sakamoto or Yoshimura: Async, Cendre, GREEN ... great stuff
was thinking the same thing! yoshimura’s green is definitely a personal fav of mine.
love it!!! subscribed
Great video. Subscribed.
I really enjoy your videos, nice work! I would add some Popol Vuh to this list :)
Thanks Rodolfo! Good shout, Nosferatu is brilliant
this is my top 3 ambient albums...
*Biosphere - Substrata
*The Disintegration Loops I - William Basinski
*The Pearl - Brian Eno and Harold Budd
sorry for my bad english
Your English is good.
It's interesting how you describe ambient music as requiring concentration, no distractions etc since Eno initially conceived of ambient as background music.
He said it could satisfy both perspectives.
An ambient piece that flies under the radar is Jean Michel Jarre's title track "Waiting for Cousteau". At over 45 minutes long, it's virtually an album in itself.
I think it's worthy of as much recognition as many of the other ambient greats but sadly- like Gary Numan- he doesn't seem to get the recognition he deserves.
As one of the 2 million+ people who attended the Paris La Defense concert in 1990, this piece is special as it played for the build up to the concert starting. They've used it for the build up to many of the concerts since then and it works beautifully.
Love this channel!
Check Zoviet France. A very influential ambient group from New Castle in the early 80s. Also Savage Republic from Los Angeles in the early 80s. They did some movie soundtracks.
thank you for this in depth video !
No Biosphere - Substrata?
That one is essential, in my opinion.
I'll have to increase the series one day and do '100 Ambient Albums', I always have to miss out so many great ones
deep cuts Dark Ambient next?
SORRY TO WAKE YOU
He barely scratched the surface here but did quite well. There's just way too much to choose from sonically. Perhaps if he did the top 100 releases starting by when they were released then he'd have a more inclusive and all around better package to open... just a thought.
Here's a couple of my all time favorites...
• William Basinski 'Disintegration Loops' - in a genre all it's own.
• Hafler Trio 'BANG-An Open Letter' ...Difficult to find but worth the search... from Andrew McKinzie one of the earlier pioneers of found/ambient/noise/psychoacoustic
• Soviet France 'Mohnomishe'... any of the Soviet France recordings are worth checking out . Most all their packaging is one off handmade materials... all unique handmade labeling and sleeves.
Love how low-key this guide is
With a lot of ambient I admire it but rarely play it. I find Loscil interesting and relaxing, I also like the Japanese ambient stuff like Midori Takada's Through the Looking Glass.
Hiroshi Yoshimura and Kenichiro Isoda are good too
i'd imagine that you've listened to it already, but tomorrow's modern boxes by thom yorke? i don't really know if it would be classified as ambient, but it's one of my favorites to listen to when you kinda get in that mindset when listening to ambient. songs like truth ray are so amazing that it almost puts you to sleep and there's the haunting aspects of pink section that put this album in my top five. idk, just thought you should know :)
I quite like TMB, but I wouldn't class it as ambient - sure it has ambient elements but its more along the lines of IDM
Amazing list!
Also people really seem to not know about Thomas Köner, he tends to get lumped in with dark ambient but I don't find it dark at all, it also has pounds more musical integrity than the rather corny and dated gothic pastiches that often get that genre label. His album Nuuk is an absolute masterpiece of permafrosted arctic ambient production, it has unbelievable dynamic range.
The Orb's ambient pieces have always been a personal favourite of mine within the genre. Biosphere, Maps & Diagrams, Milieu. I'm very interested to hear your last two choices, though. Not heard them before.
Nice choices. Good analysis. Personally I prefer Rubycon by Tangerine Deam to Phaedra. The Eno album is an excellent call. My top 5 would include Lifeforms by FSOL, Orbvs Terravm by The Orb and maybe either Chill Out by The KLF or 76:14 by Global Communication. But then there's the Boards of Canada...they probably deserve a placing too. Maybe a top 10 is more appropriate :-)
I saw the Music for Airports cover, I clicked
Your videos are great! Can you please do 5 Albums to Get You Into Art Rock/Experiental Rock?
No mention of God save the queen/under heavy manners or Let the power fall by Robert Fripp. Two of the most important ambient albums ever recorded
To anyone reading this, PLEASE listen to Woob 1194. I probably adore it so much because it's the second ambient album I listened to, after Woob 4495 (which is also incredible), but it's still a masterpiece to me, a must listen for anyone.
Now this is really good. Music For Airports (even if that's entirely obvious) and Stars of the Lid, especially disc one. Respect for this list. Kind of expected something by Harold Budd but actually, although very beautiful, his stuff is a bit 'busy'.
akira yamaoka - silent hill 2 ost
Honestly, the Silent Hill soundtracks (1-4) and the Ghost in the Shell soundtrack are the only ambient albums that matter to me.
you're pretty cute anon :3
;)
Hello! I've been watching your videos for quiet a while now and without any hesitation can say that this is one of the best channels dedicated to music on UA-cam. I just wanted to ask if you can do a video on noise or maybe experimental music scenes of some countries outside US and Great Britain.
Anyway, keep up the good work, loving your content. Good luck.
Thank you Pavil, that means a lot! Noise is on the list for sure, and I really want to delve deeper into geographically specific music scenes, including experimental. Have no fear, I will get to it all in good time! Thanks again :)
I expected this to be shit, it's actually spot on. Subscribed
Cheers Woah Dude, hit me up if there's any specific content you're interested in seeing in the future!
+deep cuts maybe IDM?
I'll add it to the list!
Rich G
Aphex Twin - SAW 85-92
Autechre - Tri Repetae or Amber
Boards of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children or Geodaddi
Polygon Window - Surfing On Sine Waves
Squarepusher - Hard Normal Daddy or Big Loada
Neel 2000 it's geogaddi, not geodaddi lol
My favorite ambient albums:
Brian Eno and Harold Budd - Ambient 2: The Plateux of Mirror AND The Pearl!
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works II
William Basinski - The Garden of Brokenness
Zoviet France - The Decriminalisation Of Country Music
Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid
Troum - Tjukurrpa (Part One Harmonies)
Brian Eno and Jon Hassell - Fourth World, Vol. 1.: Possible Musics
Harold Budd - The Pavilion of Dreams
Hans-Joachim Roedelius - Jardin Au Fou
Hortobágyi László - Amygdala Expedition
Hortobágyi László - Memesis - Memragas From Another 21st Century
I agree with all five. These five will tell you if you are interested in the genre.
Eno's soundscapes for me through so many grueling hours of homework
Damn, I just found your youtube channel and so far pretty solid lists. Choosing just 5 records as an introduction for an entire genre seems to be like a nightmare. Have you ever seen Hecker live? If you haven't please do, it's a whole new world, it's like listening to him for the first time, but better.
I'd suggest to check out stuff like Internazionale or D.Å.R.F.D.H.S. (or anything from Northern Electronics to be honest), that label mixes ambient with chill techno and other genres making a really cool sound. Also, list suggestions: 5 albums to get into Norwegian Black Metal, 5 albums to get into US Black Metal and 5 albums to get into Folk?
Subbed!
I haven't seen Hecker live yet, it's something I definitely plan on doing though when the opportunity arises. Some good suggestions there, I'll add them to the 2017 list!
really nice video
hey man, new subscriber and absolutely loving these genre guides so much. curious on your thoughts of Tim heckers Virgins?
Great guide, but how could you leave out 'Substrata' by Biosphere?? One of the most beautiful and immersive albums I've ever heard
It's become a fun game for me: just to compare my opinion on subject and your choice of albums for a video. And god, was I glad and somehow strangely proud of you that you included Ravedeath 1972 in this top :D
What do you think of making drone top or dark ambient top?
And I would really like to hear your opinion on "Steel Wound" by Ben Frost. I think this album really deserves much more attention than it gets.
Haha I'm glad my choices are appreciated! Yeah I will do both drone and dark ambient guides in the future definitely, probably sometime next year. wrt Ben Frost, I will probably do a guide to him in the future so I'll save my opinions for then ;)
The Pavilion of Dreams, Through The Looking Glass, From Gardens Where We Feel Secure, Music For Nine Post Cards, Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo
After I'll listen to them I'll just want more music lol. Nothing is ever good enough to just let it be what it is forever. I am forever on a quest to find meaning in a genre.
I get you, man.
What's your opinion on C418 ? Specifically the Minecraft Alpha and Beta albums. The Minecraft soundtrack is a name that I have really seen thrown around in the "Ambient" and/or "Video Game soundtrack" discussion
I know it would be lame to recommend Vaperwave in 2018, but these albums transcend just being Vaperwave albums. Birth of a New Day by 2814, and Antara Communication by Telepath, are two of my favorite ambient albums ever.
yes mate birth of a new day is stunning
hey oliver great channel, just wondering what's your day job? is it something to do with music? cheers!
Oliver, I know this video is kind of old, but the music you've used as the outro to it caught my attention (both the piece that slowly fades in, as well as the ending riff). Would you be able to tell me the name of the song(s)?
There was this other really good ambient album I listened to. I remember that it was 6 hours long, but for some odd reason I forgot the name...
glad to see aphex twin too
I'll add to the suggestion box Alpha Wave Movement, "The Edge of Infinity".
wish you had Ghosts by NIN since it sounds very different from the stereotypical calm background noise ambient
Ghosts was a great project, probably saving it for a dark ambient video. Also if you think all the records here are stereotypical calm listen to the Stars of The Lid record and Ravedeath, 1972. Anything but calm, especially Ravedeath.
Yeah SoTL make dramatic ambient but it's still good, just listened to Ghosts a few hours ago and had to switch it off cause it's mostly crap. It has tops of four decent tracks and rest are trash. Sounds like Reznor is trying so hard to sound like Aphex but failing abysmally. One track in particular sounds A LOT like a track from Selected Ambient Works Volume Two.
Bibio - PHANTOM BRICKWORKS is probably my favorite ambient album.
It would be awesome to have my album on a list like this someday!
I still find The Ballasted Orchestra to be Stars of the Lid's best pure ambient record. Followed by Avec Laudanum but I find that album lacks variation and is often too amniotic for my mood yet its one of the best albums to fall asleep to. I usually like tension in my ambient music, I mostly like dark ambient really. I feel like Refinement moves into the more modern classical music Wiltzie would move on with with A Winged Victory For The Sullen (check out their debut LP if you haven't, it's absolutely one of the best modern classical records in recent memory). It's absolutely gorgeous, and definitely carries over their immaculate drone production, but I'm not sure if I'd consider it a direct representation of ambient music.
There's soooo many incredible artists you "missed". Benoit Pioulard, William Basinski, Helene Vogelsinger, Global Communications. Ambient is so incredibly beautiful, more people should listen this genre. I find it weird that you chose Tim Hecker to _get into_ ambient, I love his music, but I've always thought it's on the heavier side.
Also, nice to find another person that finds Blue Calx to be a personal favorite.
I’m sorry Oliver but I think I have a crush on you. You’re so handsome and soft spoken.
Great ambient artists: Steve Reich, Roger Eno, Fripp & Eno, Global Communication, Robert Rich, Harold Budd, and many more!
'Reich Remixed' is incredible
The only one I didn't know there was many more.
your bulb is like a sleepy child who keeps going off to sleep and you wake him u
poor sleepy bulb
no dark ambient on here?
what a shame, i love lustmord and the likes
Flugmorph Lustmord is wonderful background music for my life.
Lustmord!...awesome!
I recommand music by Biosphere if you want to hear some good ambient - the albums Substrata, Microgravity and Shenzhou (my favourite) especially -)
One album that isn't technically ambient, but is ambient-adjacent that i'd recommend is Muzik Von Harmonia.
Anything produced by Carbon Based Lifeforms.
gogyoo I've heard of them through The Wonky Angle.
I could listen to you lecture me on macroeconomics and still have a great time. Rock on man. Come back soon. Gonna spam your Twitter soon. 🤘🏻
Phaedra showed up in Bandersnatch homie, must have been your doing!
Harold Budd is my fav
Luxa is pure magic
treefingers by radiohead got me into ambient music
why doesn't anyone comment on how objectively gorgeous this man is?
Love Ravedeath 1972
Check out the Xerrox albums by alva noto.
His work with Ryuichi Sakamoto is also killer.
also a very good album is pop by gas if anyone wanna explore some more ambient. Gas - Untitled #4 is my favorite track on that album
Have you ever heard the first part of William Balsinskis Disintegration Loops?
Klaus Schulze and Mystical Sun changed my life !
Have you listened to "passengers" aka u2 and brian Eno?
Have you listened to Soma Fm? It's a good internet radio with channels like drone zone, gives you endless ambient bands 24/7 to check out.
I just checked out the site and it looks brilliant, (well I mean visually it looks terrible haha) I'll be getting stuck into it this evening I think, thanks for the suggestion Erin