I often use the general algorithm for 2/1 as my "hello world" when I'm building new generative music systems. You don't need too many ingredients to set it up, and it yields some surprisingly decent sounding results.
The most recent one[0] I made was done when I was playing around with Rust, WASM, and WebAudio. (You'll need to press somewhere to start the sound)
Also a huge Eno fan here. Put together, I probably have listened to Music for Airports, Another Green World, Taking Tiger Mountain and Discreet Music more than any other artist. Maybe Philip Glass comes in at a close second.
Anyways, in 2016, Tero Parviainen (@teropa) shared this really cool long-form exploration called "JavaScript Systems Music – Learning Web Audio by Recreating The Works of Steve Reich and Brian Eno" that I enjoyed tremendously (and I don't even like Javascript!)
Check it out at: https://teropa.info/blog/2016/07/28/javascript-systems-music...
Previously:
How Brian Eno Created Ambient 1: Music for Airports (2019) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33172448 - Oct 2022 (127 comments)
I did not realize Eno could not read sheet music. I always thought he used graphical expressions in his presentations as an artistic choice.
I love this album. I often listen to it when programming, Ambient (or more generally: calm, instrumental music) helps me focus.
> I love this album. I often listen to it when programming
Me too. Its been a coding zone favourite of mine for many years.
The classical/instrumental version by Bang on a Can [1] is good too.
[1] https://www.discogs.com/release/1140705-Bang-On-A-Can-Brian-...
Do you have any recommendations?
I have an 'Ambient Radio' channel on https://ambiph.one, my soundscape generator: https://ambiph.one/?m=1-Ambient+Radio-bf100
There are some great less-well-known artists on there - if you tap the album art it'll link you to their Bandcamp if they have one
Woob 1194 by Woob https://woob.bandcamp.com/album/woob-1194
Sleep by Max Richter is great (and very long)
Sunset Mission by Bohren & Der Club of Gore is very very sleepy Jazz (they have released more albums, but this one is my favorite by a wide margin)
Long Ambients 1 & 2 by Moby - he was kind enough to make them available for download free of charge, too
Under Wires and Search Lights by Marconi Union
In A Silent Way by Miles Davis
Pretty much anything by Sigur Rós. It's not strictly speaking instrumental, but the lyrics are Icelandic, which I don't speak, so it's close enough
Cocteau Twins recorded many very ambient-ish albums. Not instrumental, but the "lyrics" are mostly glossolalia, so not distracting (at least for me).
No particular order:
Max Richter, John Cage, Tangerine Dreams, Klaus Schulze, Gavin Bryars, Richard Chartier, Asmus Tietchens, Tomaga, Boards of Canada, Stars of the Lid, William Basiniki, Joanna Brouk, Pauline Oliveros ...
I do way too much coding...
Here that is on spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3d3e49rSmge86cU4D4u8mn
Drone Zone on SomaFM (free internet radio) was how I discovered a lot of that stuff. Although they don't play the old classics as much these days, it's still good and they have a few similar stations there https://somafm.com/player24/station/dronezone
Not OP but I also often to listen to ambient while programming. A couple recommendations would be "Music for Nine Post Cards" and other works by Hiroshi Yoshimura, and "Music for 18 musicians" and others by Steve Reich.
In fact, the use of loops described in this article reminded me of what Reich called "phases", basically the same concept of emerging/shifting melodic patterns between different samples.
For me - Aes Dana (Season 5 is still my favorite) and Carbon Based Lifeforms (Hydroponic Garden, World of Sleepers, Interloper).
Actually, check out the whole Ultimae catalogue: https://bandcamp.com/ultimae
Carbon Based Lifeforms are amazing.
Sadly they peaked pre 2010 and then slowly became average.. Was huge fan on the days and saw them live once and DJ set another time..
Their album World of Sleepers is my favourite from them.
music for programming podcast: https://musicforprogramming.net/latest/
some of the artists below are not strictly speaking ambient as in brian eno kind of ambient
jogging house, r beny, biosphere, anthony childs (surgeon doing ambient), abul mogard, alessandro cortini, alva noto (glitchy ambient), benoit piouliard, bing & ruth, bvdub, mu tate, jake muir, ulla, log et3rnal, space afrika, heurco s, donato dozzy - plays bee mask, imaginary softwoods, jo johnson, koen holtkamp, mountains, kyle bobby dunn, oneohtrix point never, neel, pendant, romeo poirier, domenique dumont, …
I have so many suggestions.
But if I had to pick one: Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds of Start of the Lid
Biosphere - Shenzhou and Cirque, Stars of the Lid - The Tired Sounds of The Stars of the Lid are favorites of mine. I would also include everything by Microstoria which is not ambient but it works to the same end.
Stars of the Lid are sooooo good, yes! Their entire catalog is amazing.
A good place for experimental music is ubu web, in fact Brian Eno is also over there[1].
Edit:
Also if you're a programmer and what to learn a new programming language, then check out SuperCollider[2]. You can use that to create your own ambient sounds. SC has a great library for creating user interfaces along with creating sound.
There's also Strudel as a programmatic music composing app: https://strudel.cc/
Which, Claude is better than ChatGPT at generating code for.
The best is the instrumentals on David Bowie's Low IMO.
I know people love Music for Airports but I think it is incredibly boring compared to what Eno did with Bowie.
Beyond that the first few albums by The Orb are top notch.
Balam Acab - See Birds and Wander/Wonder are incredible.
Here's a playlist list of long-form ambient drone stuff I've been curating for a couple years now:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGMYnukvmgiXXFxuTKDvZfw-e...
I listen to it while I work.
For a good intro the Sleepbot Environmental Broadcast radio is well worth listening to. Also their write up on how and why they produce the broadcast is really interesting.
Absolutely! For instrumental focus music, check out Nils Frahm or Max Richter. Do you prefer more electronic or acoustic sounds?
Aphex Twin's "Digeridoo" is incredible. It's a 4-song EP so it repeats often, but that's a feature for me.
I've not seen Global Communication mentioned, 76:14 really is masterpiece. (Gamers will recognize a tune featured on GTA IV)
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works {85-92,Volume II}.
[dead]
All of his and his brother, Roger's albums are great for this reason. I would recommend Svaneborg Kardyb as well, who are a great instrumental band.
Wow. I turned on the randomized tracks under the "Deconstructing 1/2" and it's beautiful.
"Ambient 4: On Land" is for me one of the most beautiful and mystical Albums of all time
I am always vastly impressed by the beauty of instrumental albums, and just how memorable and easy listening they are. Eno is of course so high up the list, but as I have got older I have explored instrumental music, from classical to jazz far more and there is true beauty and artistry in conveying your message and making people feel with just instruments and no words.