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Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Ambient music


Some of my readers know I'm a big fan of ambient music. But what is ambient music? Well to be honest I'm not even sure that's a good catch-all category- I mean the stuff I listen to can variously be called space music, New Age music, chillout/ downtempo/ house/ progressive/ ambient- there are a lot of categories. Frankly I don't know what to call it sometimes. I've even seen the terms psybient and psychill. 

The one thing all this music has in common though, for me anyway, is that it's pretty chilled. So maybe chillout is the best moniker! Seriously though there is such a wide range of styles and sound but the common denominator is it's relaxing, often inspiring, and frequently great for sleeping or creative activities. Or just sitting in a dark room with headphones on and letting yourself drift in an aural soundscape. 

My earliest exposure to this kind of music was probably Kitaro and Tangerine Dream. A lot of Kitaro's stuff in particular is ethereal and just hits a chord- it's hard to explain. The bells, sound of the wind, gentle harmonies and instrumentation- it's amazing stuff. Tangerine Dream on the other hand is very rhythmic and synth- based, but they just create amazing soundscapes. Love On A Real Train is probably one of my favorite pieces of electronic music. 

Hearts of Space is another pioneer in the field of electronic/ space music. At one time Hearts of Space was one of the preeminent places to hear space music but I honestly think now that with Youtube and the internet they're a little less relevant? Or at least not as essential as they used to be for artists to get exposure. You can still listen to them on Sunday nights though on a lot of NPR channels nationwide.   

There's so much out there now. Bruce Mitchell and David Arkenstone are two artists who I really like- favorites would be Hidden Pathways and Stepping Star. Bill Douglas and the Ars Nova Singers do some amazing choral work. You can even listen to ambient Star Wars sounds, like this Death Star background (complete with intercom chatter and other sound effects). 

The Ambient channel on Youtube has some great mixes. JediMaster has a very well received series of Space Ambient Mixes - some are quite excellent. I'm a big fan of the SpaceAmbient channel as well- I go there quite a bit and have discovered some great artists, including Stellardrone and The Intangible.  

The other thing I like is actual ambience, or sounds without music. There's a ton of stuff out there, including starship sounds, Star Wars effects, you name it. I mean you can listen to a tropical storm or a medieval village- the skies the limit. Some I've listened to lately include Ambient Warp Starfield and Starship White Noise (10 hours!)

Here are some favorites























23 comments:

  1. nice music! I'm a big fan of classical music, and also New Age. I don't know many names, but Ray Lynch is a favorite of mine, probably the first time I discovered New Age music

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    1. Glad you like! I'll definitely check out that name.

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  2. I am not sure that I have listened to much ambient music, but you have me intrigued! I definitely have room for anything that will help me to sleep. I will have to give some of these a try. :)

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    1. Some of these would probably be great for sleeping!

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  3. The nearest I get to space music is The Planets! I really love the Mars track.

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  4. My only experience with ambient music is white noise and an app on my phone that has relaxing sounds like wind, ocean waves, wind chimes, etc. I can't use them that often because it drains the phones battery 3 times as fast but they're very relaxing :)

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    1. I like wind chimes and ocean waves. :) And I stayed at my aunt's once and she had a white noise machine, and I loved it- now I love white noise!

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  5. Wow, I had no idea there were so man options is so specific a genre. I tend to listen to more high-energy stuff, but I'm looking forward to checking some of these out!

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    1. There is a ton of stuff out there, it's amazing. And it's a nice counterpoint sometimes to more upbeat stuff!

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  6. I always think of this kind of music as spa music. I do like relaxing and reading to it.

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  7. What a great and informative post. Thanks for sharing all of these. I do like nice, quiet relaxing ambient music when I need to relax.

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  8. Kevin loves this kind of music but I have to be in a certain frame of mind for it otherwise it's like fingers on a chalkboard to me. lol But other times I find it so soothing.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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  9. I am a fan of Gaming Soundtrack music and ambient music. I usually do it when I am playing a game that doesn't need the music or when i am designing. I listen to it a lot at work. I have tons of play lists on spotify. I need to look up some of the ambent ones you mentions and see if spotify has them

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  10. Yes! As you know I like tolistens to "ambient" music when I'm cleaning, cooking, and eating dinner. I don't do it as much as I used to because audiobooks have wiggled their way into those activites, but I still love it and sometimes I just don't want words in my head from audiobooks or song lyrics. I used to listen when I read books, but for the last three or four years I have to have relative quiet when I read. Tangerine Dream is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Ambient, too! 🎵

    I think this is why I love movie soundtracks by Thomas Newman, they are very ambientesque. I used to search for soundtracks to fit the mood of the dinner parties I threw, and his compositions were almost perfection most of the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybt8iGik868

    I have always wanted to design a den/family room that looks like a spaceship room, with Star Trek ambient sound on a loop in the background. ha ha. 🚀

    Fabulous post. 👍✨

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  11. You know, I think I would like ambient music. I'm going to try ti!
    Jen Ryland Reviews

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  12. I am a big fan of ambient music. Love it on in the background during a massage. I also have a huge playlist on my Kindle that is playing while I fall asleep. Going to check out a couple that you have shared.

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  13. I've not specifically listened to ambient music but I do love the ambient sounds, like water, waves crashing, etc. Years ago I'd listen to CDs of those kinds of sounds when I was stressed or couldn't fall asleep.

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  14. Yeah, I pretty much exclusively listen to downtempo, ambient, and lounge. DO you listen to Groove Salad from SomaFM? That's my favorite free station. You can get to it via iTunes in the Radio > Ambient area. I also listen to SiriusXM Chill, and then I've created Amazon Music stations from artists like Bonobo, Thievery Corporation, Tosca, etc. I grew up in Detroit at the time of Electronic Music. It's what I like best!

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  15. This is such a great collection!! I'm going to have to forward this to some of my coworkers!

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  16. I never thought to listen to ambient music. Of course I have heard of it and know of it but never thought to listen. Lately I have had some political right wingers on in the background when I am writing reports or studying. I know it's weird and then there are times I have to concentrate and can't take anything on. Interesting post.

    Mary

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