Category: ambient music

ambient music

Weblog Name Change

Some of you may have noticed the name of this weblog has changed.
“Sound is Audible Time” (a quote from a book by John Luther Adams: “Winter Music“) has been the motto of this weblog for over two years now. I felt it was time for something shorter.

“DreamScenes” was the name of one of the ambient-mixes I have created for NPS Supplement radio.
This particular one was broadcast for four uninterrupted hours back in 2002. 

“DreamScenes” is a short but effective description of what good ambient music can be. 
And, for some reason, it’s also the word that frequently makes search engine users land on one of my webpages.
(Could it be they came looking for a ‘dreamscene’ animated desktop backgrounds for Vista? 
Most of these animated backgrounds  are quite “ambient” natured too, so combining a desktop dreamscene with some of the music offered here may result in interesting combinations… )

By the way, the title is the only thing that has changed.
The rest of the weblog remains exactly the same. No need to change your links.

ambient music, RECOMMENDATIONS

Entia Non – Sub Routine

Entia Non - sub Routine

I can’t remember how I found the Resting Bell netlabel website – must have been on someone else’s weblog. The website layout looked promising enough, so I downloaded some of the albums available.
Starting, of course, with the latest release: Entia Non’s Sub routine.
The quality of the music of this album is impressive. Created by Australian artist James McDougall, it bears many references yet still maintains a completely personal sound.
It’s Entia Non’s first release on Resting Bell, after releasing other titles on U-Cover and Test Tube.

ambient music, other-music

The Young Person’s Guide to Generative Music

Dark Symphony

Koan, the music software that can be credited for creating a musical form that was neither “recorded” nor “live” (see previous post here ) did generate a lot of interesting musical projects.
Brian Eno’s diskette-release “Generative Music 1” may have been the most noticeable release, but certainly it wasn’t the only one that was interesting.

ambient music, RECOMMENDATIONS

Wouter van Veldhoven – Ruststukken

RustStukken

Wouter van Veldhoven ‘s Ruststukken is recently released on the new Belgian label ‘Slaapwel’.

Slaapwel means Sleep well.; Label owner Wim Maesschalck tells us:
“I set out, looking for people that would be good at making mind-soothing songs. I ask them to write a sleep-inducing record, I listen to it, and when I fail to reach the end because I fell asleep, I release it as a musical record with whatever means are available to me.”
Well that’s a heart-warming concept to me!

ambient music, RECOMMENDATIONS

Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent

Bloom. Huge. Allure. The Explanation. The Discussion. An Answer.
This is quite a special case (literally!).

Carefully scheduled in the last three years, Fovea Hex released three EP’s, each containing three songs, with a bonus cd containing remixes/reworks by The Hafler Trio (H30) for every initial release.
Concluding this series, in 2007, a beautiful box is released (as could be expected) containing all 3 EP’s and, if you want it all, also including the bonus cd’s.

ambient music, RECOMMENDATIONS

Robert Fripp & Brian Eno – Beyond Even (1992 – 2006)

Fripp & Eno

There have been quite a few mediocre (‘fans only’) releases by Brian Eno in the last couple of years. The 2004 collaboration with Robert Fripp was a remarkable exception, and so is their collaboration sketches overview “Beyond Even (1996 – 2006)”.
I call this a ‘sketches overview’ because  it feels like that: a collection of works that sound like good yet unfinished ideas. Which does not mean they sound like second hand outtakes that should not have been released. Most of these tracks are very beautiful indeed, and do deserve a life on their own. However some of this tracks still feel a bit outdated, even a bit mushy sometimes.