Ambient - The Megathread

Just dropped this one: https://schematicmusiccompany.bandcamp.com/album/cypher

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Colin Dyer is an avant-garde/minimal ambient project headed by the San Francisco based sound artist William S. Braintree. A new promising actor in the DIY electronic music category Colin Dyer channels an isolationist and icy-looped atmospheric vibe with leading thematics as anxiety, fear, collective conditioning and insidious forms of totalitarianism.

https://igloomag.com/reviews/colin-dyer-cypher-schematic

My newest release 

https://orphicpriest.bandcamp.com/album/all-encompassing

I liked records by Lucy Gooch and TR Jordan this year and just noticed they're on the same label, Past Inside the Present.  After I had finished vomiting my own appendix out of an eye socket at the thought of an American ambient label naming themselves with a BoC reference I thought it might be an idea to check out some of their roster.  So I had a look and quite frankly it's the whitest thing I've seen since attending the National Socialist Trainspotters of Tyneside conference in 1988. 

http://www.pastinsidethepresent.com/artists.html

To calm myself at the awful heteronormative whiteness of it all I immediately went and listened to Bleep's top ten albums 2020.  However, I'm still interested in any recommendations beyond the obvious (36, r beny, Benoît Pioulard).   Thank you.

  On 6/30/2018 at 7:54 PM, kichiguy said:

 

He was incredible! I especially liked his early releases, static soundscapes and behind the wall of sleep.

 

 

 

Anyone here gone digging into Japanese ambient /fourth world music? Discovered Hiroshi Yoshimura the other day and keen to unearth other gems.

 

 

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Yes, that Hiroshi Yoshimura album is a masterpiece.

This one is sublime:

https://dither.bandcamp.com/track/b-5-iiiiiiii

  On 11/30/2020 at 6:57 PM, kakapo said:

I liked records by Lucy Gooch and TR Jordan this year and just noticed they're on the same label, Past Inside the Present.  After I had finished vomiting my own appendix out of an eye socket at the thought of an American ambient label naming themselves with a BoC reference I thought it might be an idea to check out some of their roster.  So I had a look and quite frankly it's the whitest thing I've seen since attending the National Socialist Trainspotters of Tyneside conference in 1988. 

http://www.pastinsidethepresent.com/artists.html

To calm myself at the awful heteronormative whiteness of it all I immediately went and listened to Bleep's top ten albums 2020.  However, I'm still interested in any recommendations beyond the obvious (36, r beny, Benoît Pioulard).   Thank you.

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What's the solution though? Round up all the poc's and force them to make ambient music? It's a niche genre already and I know that Zach/Isaac (the guys who run the label) try very hard to get a diverse lineup, particularly when it comes to getting women's music released physically. You can certainly argue the reasons why it's a genre dominated by white men, but speaking for myself (who personally knows many of the most renowned ambient artists) it's a very welcoming, friendly community and there's certainly no gatekeeping involved. Beyond that, it's not like we're some monolith entity. The actual sound changes massively between all the artists on the label, each bringing their own unique experiences to the table. Dismissing artists cos of their skin colour? I'm sure there's a word for that.

  On 12/9/2020 at 2:12 PM, brisk said:

 Dismissing artists cos of their skin colour? I'm sure there's a word for that.

Yes, it's called positive discrimination, but that's not what I'm suggesting. I don't have a problem with Whambient!  I think people should be prepared to increase their normal expenditure on music, and spend it on music made by marginalised groups, even if they don't like or won't actually listen to the music.  That's how I ended up with 4 copies of Lara Rix-Martin's ewok tribute album Sleepmoss.

The day after i post my top 2020 album list, I suddenly discover this soothing, blissful thing.

Matthew Cardinal - Asterisms

ans's full discography currently 90% off

really lovely and shadowy album. droney sorta thing...hardly anyone has picked it up on Bandcamp and that is honestly a shame:

https://notyetremembered.bandcamp.com/album/blush-to-the-snow

Been listening to these:

Jim O'Rourke - sleep like it's winter

https://jimorourkenwm.bandcamp.com/

Model 500 - Starlight (Intrusion Dub)

https://aethergaze.bandcamp.com

excellent album, almost unbearable intense on headphones.

Air Flows | J Foerster / N Kramer (bandcamp.com)

Absolutely love this from Ian Hawgood, the second track especially.

https://homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/--4

It's the follow up to this, which is also excellent.

https://homenormal.bandcamp.com/album/no-voices
 

Akolouthos | Piewan (bandcamp.com)

Ten bucks for the whole set, there's some really good drones and ambiences. Recommended.

  On 10/2/2020 at 6:22 PM, kakapo said:

It's not possible for a band to produce ambient, least of all one with 30 members.  Ambient is produced by individual male auteurs, with occasional collaboration allowed, preferably other white men.  Please use the correct and preferred terms.

Manbient can be substituted for ambient if the individual is particularly worthy of respect i.e. older than 40.  Otherwise:

Banbient

Womanbient 

Tranbient

BLMbient

Japanbient

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This is a beaut:

https://experimentalrooms.bandcamp.com/album/ambient-waves-from-niigata

And this: https://linearobsessional.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-of-trains-train-of-ghosts

  On 4/15/2021 at 7:06 PM, dcom said:

Ten bucks for the whole set, there's some really good drones and ambiences. Recommended.

Oh, and a heads up for those who get the Undisclosed releases (emphasis mine): 

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I have just put up the entire discography on Bandcamp at a 50% discount for only $9.95, which I will run until May 10th of this year, after which I will take down the Bandcamp page and release the music back into the ether [make sure to actually download the release!]. So, basically, this is your last chance to own the music without names. I think there are some real gems in there, and it would be a shame to simply let it go without the last hurrah! I may still release the series as a compilation on the streaming platforms, but you won’t be able to own a lossless version of the individual EPs. I recommend for you to grab it while it’s here, and then we simply say goodbye…

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