Recommend some ambient music

[Pauline Walnuts]

New page slightly unsetting ambient.

[Pauline Walnuts]

This only happens to be what's on my stereo at the moment

[Famous Mortimer]

Popped on a bit of Eleh this morning, which was just lovely. "Homage To The Sine Wave" is the one I got, and although it's not that similar musically, it held my attention like an Eliane Radigue track, where I was really listening for the tiny little differences.

[Petey Pate]

Perhaps more jazz than ambient, but this track by three piece British jazz band Azimuth (not to be confused with the Brazilian band Azymuth) is outstanding. Lovely synth ostinato and singing. Drake uses a large chunk of it on his new album on an otherwise bland track, but I'm glad he did because more people are hearing this music.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/14/my-son-was-like-what-mum-norma-winstone-the-british-jazz-singer-being-sampled-by-drake

[WhoMe]

Perhaps more jazz than ambient, but this track by three piece British jazz band Azimuth (not to be confused with the Brazilian band Azymuth) is outstanding. Lovely synth ostinato and singing. Drake uses a large chunk of it on his new album on an otherwise bland track, but I'm glad he did because more people are hearing this music.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/14/my-son-was-like-what-mum-norma-winstone-the-british-jazz-singer-being-sampled-by-drake

Lovely tune. Fairly sure this is on Floating Points' Late Night Tales compilation as well

[Famous Mortimer]

I suppose they mostly count for this thread, but I was just listening to Scorn and even after many years of listening (on and off) I still don't think I get them. Today, everything I played just sounded like sad drumming with nothing much else happening - I'm sure there are ideas there, but I don't think they're being put across in a way I can appreciate.

Mick Harris (the drummer for Napalm Death's early albums, and the main Scorn person) also did a project called Lull which fits this thread a bit better, but I'm not sure I like any more than I do Scorn. Perhaps the worst thing I can say about it is it sounds like something I could knock up.

[Famous Mortimer]

New 36 album Cold Ecstasy is basically early '90s hardcore and jungle filtered through ambient, so you've got the big melodies and vocal samples but none of the beats. It's typically gorgeous.

Just got round to listening to this, and it's really good - something about it just works. Thanks @purlieu.

[JaDanketies]

This is my top choice and has been for about 20 years

collab with Sunn o))) is also good

should also recommend some dark-jazz

[The Mollusk]

Bloke from Emeralds who makes solo stuff under the name Imaginary Softwoods put out a very lovely album this year, The Notional Pastures of...

https://imaginarysoftwoods.bandcamp.com/album/the-notional-pastures-of-imaginary-softwoods

Soothing drones and warm melodies. At times reminds me of BoC and that sort of hauntologial stuff, plus also minimal artists like Taylor Deupree.

[Minami Minegishi]

One of my favourites. I'm a big fan of perma-frost, chill blown ambient.

[Key]

I suppose they mostly count for this thread, but I was just listening to Scorn and even after many years of listening (on and off) I still don't think I get them. Today, everything I played just sounded like sad drumming with nothing much else happening - I'm sure there are ideas there, but I don't think they're being put across in a way I can appreciate.

I kinda get this too but I think it depends what mood I'm in. Sometimes his stuff feels half-finished and under-developed, like you say its essentially all just very well produced agressive/bleak drum tracks with a few subtle background elements, but other times it really hits the spot and you can enter into some zen like state with it. Either way theres not really anybody else doing this type of thing. There was a Jodey Kendrick album called GEA that came out about 10 years ago that was obviously trying to ape the Scorn sound and it really missed the mark, it must  be harder to do than it looks. 

[Famous Mortimer]

Another name I just checked out to see if they were still going, and yes, A Winged Victory For The Sullen recorded a new album a couple of years ago I was completely unaware of. I like them, they have that "soundtrack music, but interesting" vibe that people like Ben Frost share.

[Famous Mortimer]

Having a reason to dig into my collection a bit more closely has brought bangers out of the woodwork. Or maybe I ought to just pay more attention.

Anyway, Scanner (not the German power-metal band, although they sound good too), who I assumed had long since stopped making stuff, has a new album coming out on the 19th. I played his collaboration with  DJ Spooky recently, and it's great, and the new stuff is quite different, "an affectionate tribute to the early 1960s and 1970s library music culture, using dusty, noisy electronic machines and physical tape". The preview track sounds like a banger, and I'm delighted he's still doing interesting things.