Much has been made of a recent renaissance in ambient music, but some would say that there is an overabundance of genre practitioners, with thousands of by-the-numbers, DAW-forward records being shuffled into the spheres of Bandcamp, Spotify, and other streaming services. While I tend to agree that there's a fair amount of uninspired drone and sentimental wankery being tossed into the ether, I pay close attention to the world of ambient music because of its ability to wrap itself around any sort of situation. Perhaps this is where I take issue with the term "wallpaper music," which is often used to deride the genre— good ambient music hums in the background, but also envelops me. In other words, it is not simple aural ornament, but a pulse or strain that alters my approach to the world, to listening, and to feeling.
Below is a considered mix of older favorites and quite a number of recent ambient tracks, recorded and mixed live, clocking in at just over two hours. While there are some affective shifts, I'd venture to say that the mix is one of serious contemplation and joy. Please enjoy.
Tracklist:
Ichiko Aoba- Kirinaki Shima
Anne Bourne- the commons
Steve Roach/Michael Stearns- Embracing the Infinite
Wind❏ws- Glacial Bay
Keith Fullerton Whitman- ACGTR SVP
A Winged Victory for the Sullen- Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears
Sacred Harp- Brother Green
Matt Lajoie- Showers Over Birch Point
---__--___- Julius Eastman/NY Metro Xylophone Player (feat.metoronori)
Matt Evans- Arcto I
Bellows- 8
xLWBxDRx- untitled, at sinjin
Bára Gísladóttir & Skúli Sverrisson- stretching skies
Rachika Nayar- A Burning Plain
Grand River- Canopies
BISHOP/REZAEI- Bulgar Rose
Emanuel Butera- Beginner's Mind I
Iu Takahashi- Forest and Thought
Richard Skelton- Æsc (First Branch)
photo credit for image on homepage: Mike Beauregard
