The Ambient and 'IDM' Thread

about time we talked about these related electronic genres! i'm putting them together because border between ambient and so-called IDM is fuzzy, to say the least. okay so the border with techno is also fuzzy, but we don't normally talk about music that might fall under these categories on here!

so basically i mean all electronic dance music that's not really meant for the dancefloor, and that is self-consciously made to be "listening music."

i got into techno, in part, through artists like aphex twin, the black dog, the orb, etc. later i started listening to biosphere, boards of canada, autechre, etc. but i haven't really been following much newer ambient or IDM.

what's good and new? what's classic and deserves mention? discuss!

Secede - Tryshasla
poppy, synthastic, with some really powerful melodies. favorites are 'kingdom of hearts', and 'Leraine'

deaf center- pale ravine
like afx's piano tracks on Drukqs, really really lush.

o9 - Church of the Ghetto PC
a bit more upbeat, but as a whole the album is a great listen. recommended for the car.

My favorite recent albums:

Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You
Dan Deacon - Bromst
Clark - Turning Dragon
Kettel - Through Friendly Waters (2005) recent-ish

Classic and Deserving Mention:
Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place
Arovane - Atol Scrap; Lilies; etc.
Daedelus - Of Snowdonia

Now that I think of it, there are way too many.

Belgium Plague Recordings is defo worth to check if you like dark ambient or drone music.

Plague Recordings Discography at Discogs

and everything by boss Lustmord

kilimanjaro darkjazz ensemble

or their alter ego Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

absolutely beautiful

morbid thank you

this is great.

didn't listen to other stuff but am planning to.

darkjazz... yes please!

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Originally Posted by baconstyle

Clark - Turning Dragon

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I havent stopped listening to that since it came out, such good production on it.

@ C.O. - Any of their albums are well worth having - I got one by chance and then got the rest after one listen, haunting and challenging, some of the tracks are so dark - proper musicians!

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Originally Posted by morbid

I havent stopped listening to that since it came out, such good production on it.

@ C.O. - Any of their albums are well worth having - I got one by chance and then got the rest after one listen, haunting and challenging, some of the tracks are so dark - proper musicians!

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I hear you. They are fabulous live as well... Saw them in London this summer, and they just blew me away. In fact, they blew the headlining act, Plaid, away as well....

Oh yeah, speaking of Plaid - three more classic albums

Plaid - Restproof Clockwork
Plaid - Double Figure
Plaid - Not for Threes

Not many IDM fans out there, eh?

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Originally Posted by stjohn

Secede - Tryshasla
poppy, synthastic, with some really powerful melodies. favorites are 'kingdom of hearts', and 'Leraine'

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wow. that album is ****ing good. a new find for me. many thanks!

That's not recent but still very good : Phlegm - Ashes (2xLP) at Discogs

I mainly use it for intros.

sorry no sample found on internet.

patrik skoog (under the name agaric) did a pretty amazing IDM record last year on we are records (we are 008).

can't seem to find the full tracks to post at moment, but here are some clips.

http://www.wearerecords.se/

Ochre's new album is really good. You can listen to all of his stuff for free on Ochre - Music by Christopher Leary.

Loads of free stuff available from netlabel Sutemos at Sutemos - subjective music reviews, articles, free electronic music, popular net label.

Also check out Myuzuk Myuzyk - home.

I really liked the most recent BT album, This Binary Universe, YouTube - This Binary Universe - the video version is great, if you like visuals.

Fortdax is making some interesting stuff with an organic / acoustic vibe to it FortDax :: the official site of FortDax.

Already mentioned, but Ulrich Schnauss is always a safe bet ulrich schnauss on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

Finally, some northern Europeans...

Gus Gus gusgus

Ruxpin Ruxpin on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

Galaktan Galaktlan on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

Oh yeah, I'm quite liking DubFX at the moment too Dub Fx >>

Massively original and impressive.

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Originally Posted by TechMouse

Oh yeah, I'm quite liking DubFX at the moment too Dub Fx >>

Massively original and impressive.

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+1

He supported the bloody Prodigy at one of their concerts as well!!!!!

Imagine what he sounded like through the system they would have been using

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Originally Posted by force

+1

He supported the bloody Prodigy at one of their concerts as well!!!!!

Imagine what he sounded like through the system they would have been using

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cool thread
I'm digging deaf centre at the moment
I'll check out some of these other recommendations they sound great
I wa a big autechre fan back in the day
and sun electric too

also clint mansell ( ex pwei )
his music for the film "moon" is non-stop in my ipod at the moment

really worth a listen
check the film too sci-fi fans ...

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Originally Posted by davethedrummer

also clint mansell ( ex pwei )
his music for the film "moon" is non-stop in my ipod at the moment

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Oh yeah, that's another one.

His stuff for the Aronofsky films (Pi & Requiem for a Dream) was good too.

I liked the Cliff Martinez score for Solaris though - almost as good as the work Eduard Artemiev did on the original.

Oh, and another label to check out: thecentrifuge.co.uk

what is idm? what does it stand for?

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Originally Posted by DarkYoung

what is idm? what does it stand for?

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(I)ntelligent (D)ance (M)usic.

It's one of my least favourite genre names.

Firstly because it implies that all other "dance" music isn't intelligent, which is just patent bollocks, and secondly because a lot of "IDM" isn't particularly danceable anyway.

I think Electronica is a better word for it.

What is it?

It's basically a catch all term for electronic music that doesn't fit into any other pre-defined slots.

Oooh, also just remembered ISAN: http://www.isan.co.uk/

yeah 'IDM' is perhaps the worst genre name this side of 'uk tuff garage,' which really wasn't all that 'tuff.'

to me, the main common feature all ambient and so-called IDM has in common is that it's music meant just for your ears, and not really for your feet.

Even that's a bit inaccurate though, because a lot of the more traditional IDM stuff (think Aphex Twin, Squarepusher etc.) can be quite ravey and dancey.

Music good, genre nomenclature unfortunate. As always.

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Originally Posted by TechMouse

(I)ntelligent (D)ance (M)usic.

It's one of my least favourite genre names.

Firstly because it implies that all other "dance" music isn't intelligent, which is just patent bollocks, and secondly because a lot of "IDM" isn't particularly danceable anyway.

I think Electronica is a better word for it.

What is it?

It's basically a catch all term for electronic music that doesn't fit into any other pre-defined slots.

Oooh, also just remembered ISAN: isan

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the name reminds me of the album ISDN by FSOL, which i really used enjoy along with eatstatic. i'm also a big fan of hawkwind some of their instrumental tracks are pure electronica (imo)
i know what you mean i've always been a fan of things that enhance my mood, and i can't dance for toffee.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TechMouse

Even that's a bit inaccurate though, because a lot of the more traditional IDM stuff (think Aphex Twin, Squarepusher etc.) can be quite ravey and dancey.

Music good, genre nomenclature unfortunate. As always.

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yeah that's true, but i'm not sure analogue bubblebath, e.g., would really fit into 'IDM' unless you were just classifying all aphex as such.

...and +1,000,000 on disdain for genre classification. my current pet peeve is the vast amount of slower techno that's called 'minimal' even though it's not really minimalist at all.

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Originally Posted by DarkYoung

the name reminds me of the album ISDN by FSOL, which i really used enjoy along with eatstatic. i'm also a big fan of hawkwind some of their instrumental tracks are pure electronica (imo)
i know what you mean i've always been a fan of things that enhance my mood, and i can't dance for toffee.

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ISDN
ISAN

Integrated Services Digital Network
Integrated Services Analogue Network

check Tycho
he's signed to Ghostly International and has some nice tunes
Tycho on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

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Originally Posted by SlavikSvensk

yeah 'IDM' is perhaps the worst genre name this side of 'uk tuff garage,' which really wasn't all that 'tuff.'

to me, the main common feature all ambient and so-called IDM has in common is that it's music meant just for your ears, and not really for your feet.

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I hear you. I try to avoid even using the term. It sounds way to pretentious.

Frustratingly I love a lot of IDM but don't know much about it. I've picked up random tracks rather than whole albums, although I did get this the other day which I thought was great:

Infinite Scale - Ad Infinitum - has some Youtube clips attached if you want to check it out.

An artist who I think is superb but appears to have vanished off the face of the earth is a guy called CiM. His Delsin and deFocus releases are particularly good.

In fact, just about anything off the deFocus label is wicked, and dead easy to get hold of as well. Some of the artists on there have recorded pretty extensively elsewhere - e.g. Lackluster, who is well worth checking out.

I think someone mentioned Ruxpin in an earlier post, I'd second that, his music is beautiful.

Ah, and this album is wicked as well - Mr Projectile - Sinking

Funckarma - Solid State
Quench - Exclude

Run, don't walk, to your computer to download these albums!!!!