# I love ambient Music!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 9, 2001, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544 "2001-08-09T03:44:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 19\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![renigademaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@renigademaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/renigademaster)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/1 "2001-08-09T03:44:36Z")

</div>

I want to let the world know how much I love ambient music. I like all kinds of it from Minimalist to Ambient house, to Industrial Ambient. My favorite groups are:  
FSOL  
The Orb  
Brian Eno  
Tangerine Dream  
Amorphious Androgenous  
the KLF  
Art of Noise  
and many many more  
if you have any groups that you think I sould listen to please list them below.  
Ben

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/2 "2001-08-09T03:48:03Z")

</div>

[Steve Tibbetts](http://www.frammis.com).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/3 "2001-08-09T03:52:10Z")

</div>

Well, I am a composer who mostly writes solo piano works with a light orchestral background. I guess it’s considered a cross between New Age/ambient/classical. I just released a CD; let me know if you’d be interested in hearing a sample, I’d be more than happy to email you one. 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HalberMensch242](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@HalberMensch242](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HalberMensch242)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/4 "2001-08-09T04:18:00Z")

</div>

i’m sorry…but since when are KLF ambient?!..maybe it’s just me…and i only bought their tehcno/trance cds and forgot all about the ambient side of their catalouge…🙂

Talkin about ambient though…check out Lustmord or Robert Rich for really freaky dark ambient. Drones, heavy atmospheres, icky found sound samples.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Reemul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Reemul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reemul)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/5 "2001-08-09T05:10:11Z")

</div>

**Lustmord** rules! I’ve recently been turned on to [Muslimgauze](http://www.pretentious.net/Muslimgauze/index.htm). The guy who was **Muslimgauze** passed away last year(i believe), and he’s got a HUGE catalogue of material. Some of it i don’t care for, but there is some that are just beautiful, like “Beyond the Blue Mosque” and “Mullah Said”.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dave\_Stewart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Dave\_Stewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Stewart)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/6 "2001-08-09T06:51:35Z")

</div>

Didn’t Tangerine Dream do the sound track for Blade Runner?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/7 "2001-08-09T06:54:02Z")

</div>

Kruder and Dorfmeister, not exactly ambient, but close enough. especially if you like the orb. who aren’t ambient at all really

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/8 "2001-08-09T08:02:42Z")

</div>

System 7 did a pair of fantastic ambient albums in 1994, with The Orb’s help – [The Water Album](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=A4bkxu3tjan7k) and [The Fire Album](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Ajvfpxqukld0e). The rest of their stuff isn’t worth checking out so much, mind.

Have you tried the lighter end of drum & bass at all? You might find LTJ Bukem’s **Logical Progression** album/compilation suits your tastes.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Reemul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Reemul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reemul)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/9 "2001-08-09T21:52:37Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Dave Stewart \*  
> \*\*Didn’t Tangerine Dream do the sound track for Blade Runner? \*\*

I believe Vangelis did the ST for Bladerunner. I -think- Tangerine Dream did a sound track, but not the only sound track, for Ridley Scott’s movie, Legend. I seem to recall there being some controversy over sound tracks being included on the DVD release. I don’t remember whose went into the which release where or when, and whatnot.  
Speaking of Vangelis, he did the ST for “1492: Conquest of Paradise”, which is some keen music in itself. One of my first “real” 12 inch records was Vangelis’ “Heaven and Hell”. It was a gift, and when i first heard it (i was about 12 or 13 at the time) it freaked the hell out of me. I pulled it out a couple years ago, gave it a listen… and it still freaks me out 15 years later. 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/10 "2001-08-09T21:56:43Z")

</div>

Tangerine Dream made a very good soundtrack for the superb horror film **The Keep** (the one about German soldiers holed up in a Romanian castle during World War II and being picked off by a malignant presence). Very atmospheric music.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ich\_Bin\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Ich\_Bin\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ich_Bin_s)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/11 "2001-08-09T22:08:49Z")

</div>

I’ll second Crusoe’s recommendation. Logical Progression is a great, great album.  
I was also a big fan of the movie “The Keep”, I taped a lot of the music using my at-the-time-very-sophisticated method of holding a microphone up to the TV (heck, I was twelve). Excellent!

While it’s barely ambient, I would highly recomend the newest album by Sigour Ros. Simlar to slower Cocteau Twins meets Pink Floyd.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/12 "2001-08-09T22:21:52Z")

</div>

Pink Floyd’s **Obscured By Clouds** (soundtrack to French[?] movie _The Valley_)

Anything by Jean Michel Jarre

Ricki Lee Jones **The Magazine** (Not quite ambient, but close)

You’ve already mentioned most of my favorite modern ambient artists… except one pair of Japanese women, but for the life of me I can’t recall either the name of their group or the title of the album I own… it’s at home of course. I’ll look it up when I get there.

Also, there’s a new Crystal Method album due out soon (if it’s not out already). They’re more trance/house than ambient, but if it’s anything like their first, Vegas, then most of the tracks should be quite suitable for just chillin’ if you don’t crank it too loud.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/13 "2001-08-09T22:41:18Z")

</div>

[Global Communication](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003RSK/qid=997396607/sr=1-1/ref=sc_m_1/103-5669262-4559022) and [Skylab](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003RXI/qid=997396652/sr=1-1/ref=sc_m_1/103-5669262-4559022) (although that first review of Skylab is way off the mark)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/14 "2001-08-09T22:46:09Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by bughunter \*  
> \*\*
> 
> You’ve already mentioned most of my favorite modern ambient artists… except one pair of Japanese women, but for the life of me I can’t recall either the name of their group or the title of the album I own\*\*

Could it be [Sugar Plant](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/107415/qid=997396928/sr=1-3/ref=sc_m_3/103-5669262-4559022)? I forgot to mention them but their “Trance Mellow” album is pretty good as well.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Semp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/15 "2001-08-10T00:16:13Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by HalberMensch242 \*  
> **i’m sorry…but since when are KLF ambient?!..maybe it’s just me…and i only bought their tehcno/trance cds and forgot all about the ambient side of their catalouge…🙂**

I must care about this (for some odd reason) since it made me register, but…

The KLF is credited with “inventing” ambient house (with significant help from Alex Patterson - AKA the only guy in the Orb who matters) with the **Chill Out** album. The White Room came out after that, so obviously they didn’t dwell on their creation, but Mr. (or is Dr.?) Patterson pretty much knew what he had on his hands.  
And as for suggestions, I’d say go with Rapoon if you can get it. His (one man band, typical of the genre) early stuff got quite good reviews, but I prefer his more recent stuff, especially **Tin of Drum** and **The Alien Question**.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/16 "2001-08-10T05:53:49Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by mouthbreather \*  
> \*\*Could it be [Sugar Plant](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/artist-glance/107415/qid=997396928/sr=1-3/ref=sc_m_3/103-5669262-4559022)? I forgot to mention them but their “Trance Mellow” album is pretty good as well. \*\*

D’oh! No, I was thinking of [New Rock](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000061OJ/qid=997422321/sr=1-1/ref=sc_m_1/104-0303717-2882369) by **Buffalo Daughter**.

And now that I listen to it again, that’s not quite ambient either. I don’t know quite how to classify it, other than experimental electronica of some type. But if you like **Laurie Anderson** you’ll appreciate Buffalo Daughter. Mate Laurie with The Orb and in a few tries you might get an offspring that somewhat resembles them. (Especially if you use the Conan O’Brian “If They Mated” method.) 🙂

But back to the OP… don’t ignore Jarre! He did some groundbreaking stuff in the 1980’s.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HalberMensch242](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecb155/32.png) [@HalberMensch242](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HalberMensch242)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2001, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/17 "2001-08-10T07:30:12Z")

</div>

oh oh…we can’t forget about **Can**. Creepiest band to come out of the 70’s…or at least one of several.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Lucki\_Chaarms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lucki\_Chaarms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucki_Chaarms)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/18 "2001-08-11T05:07:50Z")

</div>

Well, I love ambient too. I have this 3 disc set (2 CD’s, 1 DVD) called “The Chillout Session”. It rules.

Anyway, my I reccomend Amon Tobin, one of the many fine artists on Ninja Tune records.

The holy grail of ambient, for me at least is:

**Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works II**

I think one reviewer said it best when he declared “If the monolith from _2001_ could talk, this is what it would sound like.” I adore this album. I dream to this album, trip to it, and just plain listen to it. I really love it. I have to insist that you pick it up.

Lucky Charms

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-love-ambient-music/75544/19 "2001-08-11T15:22:12Z")

</div>

Gridlock  
Converter  
Axiome  
Xingu Hill  
Malada Fronta  
Pal

Or you could build a gerbil cage on top of a sythesizer and have ambient 24 hours a day.
