[ Hypnos Forum ]

Meg Bowles - The Shimmering Land
Nothing unusual here. Good, solid ambient. It is easy to drift away listening to this. Samples here: http://www.megbowlesmusic.com/

Brian B. recently posted in another thread:
"What's the music you've listened to with regularity over the long term?"
Which made me think this would be an excellent topic of its own.

Necro, I know.

I have opinions on what some of my long-term favorites are. But I thought it would be interesting to see what iTunes has recorded as my most-played albums over the last two years since a lot of my listening in that time has been iPhone or iTunes mediated. (Yes, I can hear the sighs from CA all the way over here in IL.    )

Here are the albums--in order--that I have listened to the most during the past two years. Each of them has been played over 200 times. Some of these would be on my "all time favorites" lists (e.g., I think I'm one of the few people in the world who actually thinks Midnight Moon was frigging amazing). Some of them I was surprised to see appearing (e.g., Absolutely Deep--an album I adore, but had no idea I had listened to it so much). Many of these are the kinds of albums that I'm likely to listen to on repeat; they fade into the background nicely when reading or writing.

Some of my self-nominated favorites, it turns out, have not been in heavy rotation in recent years despite the esteem in which I hold them (e.g., Roach's The Magnificent Void, Budd's The White Arcades, Rich/Alio Die's Fissures ). That's kind of interesting too.

Aglaia - Absolutely Deep
Steve Roach - Immersion: Three
James Johnson - Cube 4 Voices
Steve Roach - Midnight Moon
James Johnson - Entering Twilight
Steve Roach - Immersion Four
Steve Roach - New Life Dreaming
A Winged Victor for the Sullen - ST
Max Corbacho - Breathstream
8 Shades of Sound - Formaria

The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Deep ambient synth washes. Occasional dub influences. Great music for going to sleep and relaxing. 

Salt, Sugar, Fat - Michael Moss
Nonfiction. This book presents a history of the processed food industry, with an in-depth look at how foods are made, how the industry has evolved over time, how regulation and public pressure has affected it, and the science of processed food. I thought that this book would be one of those books that is designed to scare you away from eating processed food. But, it isn't (at least not on the surface). It is a quite thoughtful and balanced and has as much to say about consumer psychology as it does the food industry itself. The coolest part of it, in my opinion, is the discussion of how food scientists go about determining what they call the "bliss point" of a product--the threshold at which the amount of sugar maximizes people's positive impressions of a product.

My wife is reading the new Gaiman book. I'm eager to hear what she thinks of it.

I think you want my wife to kill me...

That's great!

At the risk of poking the hornet's nest here:

The term "ambient" is often used to reference music that is rooted in disparate traditions, using diverse kinds of instrumentation and techniques, and based on a non-uniform set of principles.

I think it would be impossible for someone like Prendergast to be familiar enough with all the niches to be able to speak with authority on all of them. He definitely seems to know his music history--and I learned a lot from listening to the video of his presentation. But I can hardly fault him for failing to cover every nook and cranny.

Nonetheless, I think Loren's question was a good one. I do consider it an omission that Prendergast didn't tip his hat to some of the ambient legends who were in his presence. Perhaps he's more familiar with this end of the genre now. My guess is that the ambient musicians that we often celebrate on the Hypnos forums (e.g., A Produce, Oophoi, Robert Rich) have a greater following in North America than they do in England. I could be wrong about that, however. Regardless, it seems quite reasonable to me that someone like Prendergast would be more familiar with and focused upon, say, club/DJ-driven ambient music rather than, for example, the desert-inspired soundscapes of Steve Roach.

ASC - Time Heals All (Silent Season, 2CD)
I have to agree with drone on that this is an awesome release; I have no doubt that this will be one of my favorites of 2013. Each track appears to be organized around a brief sample that is looped repeatedly, with various other sounds (some based on samples, field recordings, and others synthesized) that are heavily processed and layered on top. The result is something that feels organic and ethereal at the same time.

It reminds me a bit, both in its structure and its effect, of some of Marsen Jules' early work, in particular, Yara and (kind of) Lazy Sunday Funerals. Most of the things I've heard by ASC and his various monikers are more beat driven, so this is a pleasant surprise. Samples here: http://shop.silentseason.com/album/time-heals-all-sscd14

I'm eagerly (desperately) awaiting the new ASC release; I managed to get an order in after the additional 50 copies were announced.

Being on a budget, I've recently been exploring some inexpensive/free digital releases. A lot of stuff out there is kind of meh, but here are a couple of things that have stood out and will likely appeal to other forum members who are not morally and aesthetically opposed to non-physical releases. 

Arpa - Llaves
An ambient release from Miguel Isaza. This is rich with Colombian field recordings and soft drone work, mostly synths and occasional wind instruments. I think this will appeal to folks who like the organic side of Robert Rich and ISHQ.
Download free here: http://monofonicos.net/mne004-arpa-llaves/
Stream or order physical disc here: http://ins-out.bandcamp.com/album/llaves

Docetism - Askesis
A lot of dub ambient/techno tends to blur together for me; it is often difficult to pick out one artist's track from another. Docetism, while recording in this tradition, has a unique sound. I don't know how to explain it in words (maybe something on the boarder between dub and the more atmospheric stuff by Gas), but I strongly recommend it.
Stream/Download here: http://nichts.bandcamp.com/album/askesis

Pleq / Hakobune - Sleepless
A relatively short track (about 20 minutes). Very subdued and drifting drone works. Despite the title, it is excellent sleepy time music.
Stream/Download here: http://music.audiogourmet.co.uk/album/sleepless

I'm not sure if I envy those of you who have the ears to appreciate the distinctions in quality or whether I think you're cursed.