Sign In
 
 
 
 

Description of Ambient

 
In its purest form, Ambient is a wordless bath of sound and light. Mesmerizing loop patterns, textures, stereophonic effects and drones carve out celestial synthscapes and deep sea spaces. The term was popularized by Brian Eno in the late 1970s with albums like Music for Airports. Techno acts like Aphex Twin and the Orb created numerous hybrids in the '90s by combining Ambient sounds with various electronic styles.
 

Ambient Key Tracks

 
 

Filed Under

 
 

Ambient Key Artists

 
Aphex Twin

Frighteningly versatile
electronic composer, as
comfortable with
avant-garde Classical music
as he is with nosebleed T...

Atom Heart

The unbelievably prolific
Atom Heart turned an
interest in German trance
into a one-man empire of
witty electronic futurism.

Bill Laswell

Remix specialist Bill Laswell
is one of the most prolific
artists of our time,
contributing to literally
hundreds of albums. He h...

Brian Eno

A brilliant conceptualist, a
founding member of Roxy
Music, and a self-described
"nonmusician," the
appallingly prolific Brian E...

Global Communication

Global Communication were
a pivotal duo from the U.K.'s
first wave of ambient
techno. Their members,
Mark Pritchard and Tom M...

Harold Budd

Though a self-admitted
unskilled keyboardist, Budd
is a true ambient composer
sought by ambient and indie
worlds alike. Budd says hi...

Hector Zazou

A French innovator of the
first degree, Zazou dabbles
in everything in order to
craft a symphony of sound
that's his own. This innov...

Jean-Michel Jarre

Debuting in 1976 with
Oxygene, Jarre
revolutionized electronic
music, becoming the first
popular artist in the genre...

Nobukazu Takemura

After years as a hip-hop DJ,
Japan's Takemura creates
experimental electronic
bleep music on the Thrill
Jockey label.

Pole

Working with sounds
between beats, Pole
features crackling hisses
and echoes as opposed to
beats and breaks. He take...

Robert Rich

Rich uses his consummate
musicianship to create
Ambient works of both
technical artistry and
psychoacoustic interest....

Tangerine Dream

Fusing surreal Berlin-school
rock and electronics, TD
were the greatest influence
on progressive sounds of
the '80s and '90s Founder...

The KLF

Infamous to some, famous to
others, Bill Drummond and
Jim Cauty made history with
their series of anti-industry
pranks. Their first act of c...

The Orb

The Orb's first release in
1989, inspired by their mix
experiments in Paul
Oakenfold's chill room,
invented ambient house....

William Orbit

Remix specialist William
Orbit became an
electronica pioneer in the
late '80s. Orbit, born
Wainwright, is best know...

Wolfgang Voigt

Wolfgang Voigt is the
cofounder of Cologne's
famed Kompakt label; he
has dozens of aliases to his
name. Among his best-kn...

Electronics

Listen to any song in the catalog through home audio systems, MP3 players, mobile apps and more.

Get Unlimited Music

Listen to anything and everything with a Rhapsody Subscription.
AMG - Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
© 2001-2009 Listen.com, a subsidiary of RealNetworks