What is Ambient?

[Laura]

Hi! Looks like I"m the first kid on this block!

Well, when I was shopping for a keyboard the salesmen asked me what kind of music I was interested in. I told them "ambient".

Well, yeah. I usually listen to the Shoutcast channel "ambient chillout psy." But I'm not sure how you differentiate 'ambient' from 'new age' and 'trance', except they have different rhythms.( There is also "world".)

My thoughts about defining these sub-genres: I think 'new age' is always peaceful, serene and meditative. Also, it puts me to sleep. It seems to be in a major key a lot and it has lots of flutes and ethereal sounds. It is never "heavy" or "dark."

Trance, of course, has an incredibly fast tempo. Or at least fast enough to dance to. Sometimes it seems to be just a collection of mechanical-sounding loops. But sometimes it can be melodic and spacy as well, which I like.

As for Ambient, I don't know if it always has to be slow & sleepy. I like when it has a definite beat, and I also like the spacy and somewhat dissonant or mysterious chords & melodic patterns. It doesn't put me to sleep, it stimulates my imagination. It's great for putting on the WinAmp visual patterns and, um, enjoying a little smoke.

One of the bands that inspires me most as far as keyboards/synth is Ozric Tentacles. Their music is rhythmic, melodic and it never goes for endless boring loops.

I dont' know if they are Ambient or not. Whatever they are, that's what I want to do!

 

[Skipp]

ambiental music for me is definitely something easy, smooth and calming. It doesn't matter whether it's a piano composition or something filled up with pads. It must be peaceful...

 

[Skot]

I think of ambient as having very subtle changes, slow pace, and softer sounds and tempo. Ambient is good for relaxing and smoking hookah or falling asleep. Caution: Not for use while driving long distances. May have a drowsy affect on some.

 

[Laura]

I think of ambient as having very subtle changes, slow pace, and softer sounds and tempo. Ambient is good for relaxing and smoking hookah or falling asleep. Caution: Not for use while driving long distances. May have a drowsy affect on some.

Then there must be some other label for music that is instrumental, spacey, evocative, trippy, ny lyrics or structure, but yet it does have rhythm, you can dance to it and doesn't put you to sleep.

Music like Ozric Tentacles. Like they play on the shoutcast station 'ambient chillout psy."

In the 60s they'd have called it "psychedelic". Only for some reason that doesn't mean what it used to.

 

[RotorOnTop]

Good thread Laura. I'm from the psychedelic generation, acid rock... leading right up to the big hair movement "metal" I stopped there and just kept it Hard Rock. I remember back in the 60's "LSD" and music generated a free form style of playing from the heart if you will. Seems creativitity, even in a comatose sleep mode will generate free form writing, dynamics, subtle bridges and vocals (harmonies) alot depends on the artist, mood (smoke induced) sum vino and texture of music being captured. Thanks for clearing up some of these categories for me. *smile* I've always liked the word "spacey" haha

 

[Przemo(c)]

Well, yeah. I usually listen to the Shoutcast channel "ambient chillout psy."

Hi there! That's my favourite station as well , but I am finding there also lots of Trip Hop music, for instance: Goldfrapp, Hooverphonic, Portishead, Zero7. So it's kind difficult to say if these groups are ONLY Ambient or maybe Trip Hop is a part of whole Ambient genre? But undoubtly is a peacefull, nice, full of specific atmosphere music. Take a Mission Impossible theme, slow it 5 or 10 times, add Psychodelic female voice (Emilina Torrini would be good) plus some strings and here you go ;-)

 

[eva]

My group of friends introduced me to Ambient music 4 years ago: Thievery Corporation, Zero7, Air...