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Post by slowscape on May 6, 2021 17:29:59 GMT
This is a question I posed in the discord, but I think a forum post is more appropriate. - Does Ambient have to have a dark, eerie, or melancholic feel to it in order to be ambient?
- What makes ambient feel dark?
- Do you have any examples of "light" (as opposed to "dark") ambient?
The closest thing I can think of for something a little happier but still relaxing are field recordings of nature. Not exactly ambient, though. Thoughts? |
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Post by pt3r on May 6, 2021 17:48:09 GMT
Ambient just like any sort of music doesn't have to be anything, but I like to think of ambient as music that is mostly beatless with a strong emphasis on atmospheres.
Light ambient: Brian Eno, The Orb, Aphex Twin, Black dog, B12, ...
I guess dark ambient evokes more feelings of uneasiness whereas light ambient is more contemplative, meditative... but this is just superficial classification, after all music and it's impact lies in the ears of the listener.
Dark Ambient: Lustmord, Kammarheit, Treha Sektori, Dēofol (shameless plug  )
But then again some people find peace and consolation in darkness. Let's not forget; join the dark side we have cookies.
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cpruby
Junior Member
Posts: 73
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Post by cpruby on May 8, 2021 6:14:03 GMT
I posted in the Discord, but I mentioned that Brian Eno's Music for Airports is meant to produce a calming effect and reduce anxiety prior to flying.
Also think about the concept of sound healing (which apparently does not have a Wikipedia page). It's music and sounds that are to support meditation and some go as far as to believe that it has curative properties (this gets into weird numerology stuff where certain frequencies are holy or something). Typically this music features singing bowls, gongs, and other bell tones. I would argue that this is a kind of ambient music performance.
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Post by leytonthorne on May 9, 2021 7:30:16 GMT
Ambient just like any sort of music doesn't have to be anything, but I like to think of ambient as music that is mostly beatless with a strong emphasis on atmospheres.
Light ambient: Brian Eno, The Orb, Aphex Twin, Black dog, B12, ...
I guess dark ambient evokes more feelings of uneasiness whereas light ambient is more contemplative, meditative... but this is just superficial classification, after all music and it's impact lies in the ears of the listener.
Dark Ambient: Lustmord, Kammarheit, Treha Sektori, Dēofol (shameless plug )
But then again some people find peace and consolation in darkness. Let's not forget; join the dark side we have cookies.
SAW 85-92 and SAW2 by Aphex Twin totally kick ass! |
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Post by pt3r on May 9, 2021 8:03:28 GMT
Those were indeed the ones I was thinking of. |
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jubin
Junior Member
Posts: 70
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Post by jubin on May 9, 2021 12:26:08 GMT
Hm no, I've an example that comes to my mind : Illusion of time by Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini. I don't feel darkness in it.
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Post by moruial on May 9, 2021 14:53:07 GMT
As say above, music is whatever people want it to be. The thing is when we add "dark" in front of something, it instantly sound a bit "forbidden" and we want to know more about it. See, they have cookies, how can they not be dark?!
As for "light ambient" I've never came across the name, but it in the end it's only what we feel as listener. Some will say this feel boring and some other will feel it's Dark Evil music.
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Post by Gaëtan on May 10, 2021 5:10:04 GMT
It doesn't need to be dark at all. See Seil Records for example, who specializes in fairly beautiful, playful and optimistic ambient : seilrecords.bandcamp.com/ |
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Post by keurslagerkurt on May 10, 2021 8:04:20 GMT
It doesn't need to be dark at all. See Seil Records for example, who specializes in fairly beautiful, playful and optimistic ambient : seilrecords.bandcamp.com/Wow thanks for this label, really really really blissfull mmmmmm <3 |
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glitchyfrog
Junior Member
it's time for human music
Posts: 97
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Post by glitchyfrog on Jul 28, 2021 10:30:11 GMT
This is a question I posed in the discord, but I think a forum post is more appropriate. - Does Ambient have to have a dark, eerie, or melancholic feel to it in order to be ambient?
- What makes ambient feel dark?
- Do you have any examples of "light" (as opposed to "dark") ambient?
The closest thing I can think of for something a little happier but still relaxing are field recordings of nature. Not exactly ambient, though. Thoughts? I think, that it is more easy to build atmosphere with dark sounds that with bright and shiny sounds. All in all, Music is repetition, Ambience not. |
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Post by admin on Jul 28, 2021 11:07:19 GMT
A while back I found this free book of essays about ambient music: unipress.hud.ac.uk/plugins/books/19/From the introduction: This book should be read as a starting point for future research, one that seeks to critically interrogate the very meaning of ‘ambient’, how it creates its effect, and how the genre can remain vital and relevant in twenty-first century music-making. |
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Post by girault on Jul 28, 2021 15:34:08 GMT
I feel like there is nothing dark about ambient music, it becomes dark once in our brain. But the music in itself is not dark. Few things I think why we label ambient music as dark : - our brain has been formed to listen to repetition, we've been drowning in beats. And in reason : it is satisfying and reassuring, we can also predict more easily so we can also do something else while listening (like dancing, it is easier because you kinda know when to shake yur booty). Anyway, whenever there is a bit of a "wtf are we going?", our brain doesn't have the reassuring aspect of what it is listening to. It freaks our brain cells out ! - ambient music / drone stuff are often used in movies, and not when the character just won the lottery. I don't know it, but I'm certain it plays a role in our western brain. How many times people listening to my music went like "oh my god, that would be a perfect soundtrack to a Stanley Kubrick movie" - which, you know, was not the intention at all, but I take it as a compliment I guess hahaha !! The best example to show this is simply.... the theremin ! I mean, it was overly used in horror movies, and now if you listen to actual theremin player playing a jovial Ravel piece... well it sounds SUPER FREAKY and you think that the theremin player is just gonna kill you, or you kinda think it might be a diversion while his friend comes behind you with a knife, etc. I mean... poor theremin !
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Post by slowscape on Jul 31, 2021 4:04:36 GMT
girault, super good insight! I think you’re on to something here. admin thanks I’ll check out that link!
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Post by pt3r on Aug 1, 2021 8:15:32 GMT
Well pointed out girault the absence of a clear rhythm will indeed mess with our caveman brain; if a rythm goes slower that approx 30 bpm most people will also stop perceiving it as rhythm. I wonder whether that common sense of rhythm and musical perception is only a cultural thing (if you grow up hearing mostly non 4/4 rhythms do you cringe when hearing a 4 to the floor techno beat?) or whether it also has a biological back ground like we can feel/hear our own heartbeat which instills a certain rhythmical sense in our lizard brain. |
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