Ambient Recommendations

The Anne Bourne is lovely, thanks for the recommendation. I love these big, quavering (not-quite) drones. It reminds me of Richard Skelton in places.

Cool ambient jazz album

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/nala-sinephro-space-18/

Recorded when she was just 22, Space 1.8 is the London-based musician’s debut album, though it sounds like the work of a far more experienced composer. On a suite of pieces that range from just over a minute in length to nearly 18 minutes, she weaves a loose fusion of jazz balladry, beat music, and the sort of beatless, synthesizer-centric whorls for which there’s no better word than “ambient.” Alice Coltrane’s spiritual jazz is an obvious touchstone; so is the otherworldly sound-shaping of Jon Hassell’s processed horn. Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders’ recent Promises is a tempting point of comparison, given the way Space 1.8 lays out soft, spongy electronics as the backdrop for emotive saxophone solos. Reed players Nubya Garcia, James Mollison, of the Ezra Collective, and Ahnansé—a saxophonist who has collaborated with a host of musicians including Garcia, Emma-Jean Thackray, and broken-beat icon IG Culture—all deliver standout performances. But Sinephro and her collaborators sound less concerned with precedent than possibility. Not so much interlocking as complementary, the album’s eight tracks—titled “Space 1” through “Space 8”—collectively map out a novel, singular terrain.

Indeed. I have a cool friend who recco’d that to me recently and have been LOVING it. Covers a lot of range, too. The last track in particular (17 minutes) is a red alert ambient recommendation for this thread, I think, but a lot of the previous tracks get into that territory too. Also some more kinetic, non ambient music that isn’t so ambient. Wonderful album.

I want to play in her band

I was surprised to find that it was sold out on every single conceivable marketplace that stocked it only 10 days ago. No word of limited pressing quantities mentioned anywhere. Wonder if it'll restock?

Downloading now, excited to listen.

Some of the ambient stuff on it reminds me of Ulla. I love the dynamics and interplay between its softer and louder moments.

It was weird because it was like that only hours after that review ran (sometimes BNM gives things a bump in sales), but I'm not sure where else there is buzz, because it was thoroughly cleaned out of all retailers selling online. Is there hype being generated somewhere else? I'm not as on top of things as I'd like to be.

xp to self

Like I came here and searched her name before KM posted and there was nothing, for instance. People must be talking or the first pressing was really low quantity.

https://nalasinephro.bandcamp.com/album/space-18

So in other words, where else is there buzz for this?

It's on Warp, FWIW.

I bought all the copies. I’m sorry.

Look, I don't know if I sound like an idiot or anything, but my takeaway from the fact that it's sold out so fast everywhere is that there must be a lot of excitement for this album, but I don't really know where to find any of the discussion that might corresponds to that excitement. I was also admittedly wondering out loud where I could pick up a copy eventually, but this isn't Warp customer support so that's not really what I'm asking ILX about.

Warp announced they'd signed her on Aug. 17. Not that long ago! There were definitely people excited and ready to order then, but it does seem odd that everything's gone already. Maybe the pressing was really small ... or maybe the P4k effect is still stronger than we realize. (Or both.)

Yeah I guess we're all a bit out of the loop. She's news to me. Sounds great!

Thanks for calling attention to the Blank Gloss disc - excellent stuff.

I just meant that people are probably buying whatever Warp is releasing. I was not being snarky.

If you've liked any of the other releases from The Transcendence Orchestra— last year's Feeling the Spirit was a favorite of mine— the new one on Editions Mego is pretty great, too.

https://thetranscendenceorchestra.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHbkPL9fcww

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EmdTe0A9es

you know you're in for some serious ambient when you see multiple monome devices

New Anne Bourne is great https://annebourne.bandcamp.com/album/morning-i-drift

Got the notification for this today. I've been listening to Wave pretty much daily since you mentioned it on here.

^ in fact I'm listening to Wave right now as I'm reading this. Great record to start the day with.

minimal dark ambient via sonification of weather data. for fans of Lull, Thomas Köner, Kevin Drumm, et al

https://tenselessmusic.bandcamp.com/album/cloud-of-unknowing

Kind of haunting record from Matt Evans here, composed in the aftermath of the death of his partner (and an acquaintance of mine), Devra Freelander.
https://thisismattevans.bandcamp.com/album/touchless

more on the new age than ambient side but i've been enjoying 'cymbalom solos' by michael masley. originally released as a cassette in 1985 and reissued this year by telephone explosion. i also really love the album art

https://assets.boomkat.com/spree/products/752953/large/MichaelMasleyCymbalomSolos_1_1280x1280.jpeg

current favourite (although not fully representative) song: 'childbirth in cave art'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcqAejSkFlc

yeah totally, I picked that up over the weekend and am diggin it a ton <3

this is gorgeous except it gets treacly towards the end, it’s supposed to be a “companion” to Satoshi Ashikawa’s Still Way:

https://wereleasewhateverthefuckwewantrecords.bandcamp.com/album/laistigh-den-ghleo

wonderful piece from Olivia Block, inhabiting the boundaries between ambient, field recording and electro-acoustic sound

https://oliviablock.bandcamp.com/track/october-1984

Listening to a few bits through my covid nimbus:

Black Swan, Repetition Hymns: https://blackswan.bandcamp.com/album/repetition-hymns-2xlp-digital-2020
Federico Durand, Herbario (Laurel is particularly lovely): https://federicodurand.bandcamp.com/track/laurel

I'm looking for music that would fit nicely in a playlist with these two things:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjG0ivBT4lQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT0Ex6bKnQ0

This might work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1xIUYZVKxQ

I'm liking the new Pendant album. It's a bit darker than the last one but not enough to be full on dark ambient

i like it too! agree that it's a little too lush to go full dark

Loving this: https://longformeditions.bandcamp.com/track/nine-movements-featuring-miguel-atwood-ferguson

ooh he did one of my favorite International Artists releases! thanks, will investigate

(Atwood-Ferguson, I mean)

Loving this: https://longformeditions.bandcamp.com/track/nine-movements-featuring-miguel-atwood-ferguson

This is great.

Just realised who Atwood & Ferguson are, too (thanks for the reminder, Sleeve)! If you meant this International Anthem rekkid, (with Carlos Niño) I wholeheartedly concur: https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/chicago-waves

#onethread

^^ yep that's the one

https://coh-official.bandcamp.com/

8 Soisong broadcasts have been released already this year - by Ivan Pavlov (COH), not clear how many of this was made when Peter Christopherson was still alive but they're interesting and quite magical at times. Some fleeting beats, 60s chansons or Asian pop songs may also drift in and out, but I'd classify this as ambient, overall.

thanks for that

I friggin love the tune Dry by Donnacha Costello. Minimal ambient perfection. More good ambient, less bad ambient please. Soz I will check out the recent posts here now.

dog latin I'd also love it if you could make any other recommendations similar to Oh Why. No need to bring up Clams Casino, they're canon already obv.

“dry retch?” hell yeah. that whole Costello lp is beautiful if a bit hard on the ears at times

viborg, Clams Casino...I dunno, nothing I've ever heard has made me thing "this is great ambient music."

viborg, I think Balam Acab was lumped in with the whole witch house scene in the early '10s. It's by far the best track on the album. I dunno, maybe stuff like Haxan Cloak?

I posted this on the Spotify playlists thread, but you all might like this selection of ambient, neo-classical, game and movie soundtrack music I put together based on the three tunes I posted upthread. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6NEfOjtgKLoD7LyXPXVEkw?si=6dafc7d7a5424c4b

(caveat: it does get quite "dramatic" at times, but it's meant to be listened to in song order)

That's quite a diverse playlist! As for Clams Casino, that was an unintentional thread derail. I don't really think of them as ambient at all, I just got excited at the mention of Oh Why because that is the one witch house song I consider transcendent and I was hoping for more along the same lines. So thanks for sharing your playlist.

And you're right, the Costello song was Dry Retch -- the version I had from some obscure old comp was mislabeled. I'll have to give a listen to the Together Is The New Alone album, I'm not completely averse to difficult ambient. Didn't initially note that it's 20 years old now. Clearly I don't quite have my finger on the throbbing pulse of contemporary ambient.

new Christina Vantzou (tape/digital) - https://slow-moves.bandcamp.com/album/releasing-spores

Multi Natural was a favorite last year, excited to give this one some dedicated headspace