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The Very Best Of "Dark Ambient" ?

post #1 of 29
6/14/08 at 12:31pm
Thread Starter 
I just finished listening to Jeff Greinke's "Cities In Fog" for the first time. It was quite a listening experience. Talk about an introspective, meditative, "becalming" musical journey, wow! I have no experience with so-called "dark ambient." I bought "Cities In Fog" based on a discussion thread here at Head-Fi. I love it and I would like to buy some more music like it. I don't need an entire library of dark ambient, but I would like to get three or four discs that are the best that the genre has to offer. I haven't heard, but I have heard of Steven Roach and Robert Rich, but they both have several CD's. I would like to ask those that are very familiar with dark ambient to direct me to the very best. However, all suggestions are welcome. TIA...
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post #2 of 29
6/14/08 at 2:37pm
yellow swans
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post #3 of 29
6/14/08 at 3:11pm
SleepResearch_Facility - Deep Freieze
Themed around the Antarctic. Full of long, sweeping, glacial tones. It works great to sleep to or to jump into for a completely engaging listen.

Thomas Köner - Permafrost
Another arctic based one, very wide, very spacious, delicate bass like none other.

Tim Hecker - Norberg
This one gets pretty maximal and intense, so many layers of sound that it's hard to describe.
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post #4 of 29
6/15/08 at 2:38am
Ionosphere - Angular Momentum is probably my very favorite dark ambient album.

"Deep Interior Research" is a damned haunting and creepy song, especially when the radio chatter starts a little bit in.
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post #5 of 29
6/15/08 at 2:42am
Lustmord is really good dark ambient. I recommend the short film he made the soundtrack for "Zoetrope".

Download the 3 minute trailer here.
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post #6 of 29
6/16/08 at 1:09am
Hmm, a bit daunting to reply when you ask for only the very best. At best I only dabble in dark ambient, not even totally clear what that term means, but I do know Robert Rich and Steve Roach. The first one they did together a long long time ago is very good (at least I think it was the first, but not sure now). Called "Strata", and I think it really brings out the best of them both. Maybe it's not that dark, but kind of. Rich did make one in the mid 90s with the guy Lustford that Akathisia mentioned, based on the film "Stalker" that is very very dark, and very good. Rich followed it up with one of my favorites in Seven Veils, an incredible sounding CD with a lot of middle eastern influence. Some great guitar and cello work giving a real organic base to the soundscapes.

But for a real classic that has weathered time, and was probably a big influence on Greinke, coming a few years earlier, Brian Eno's "On Land" is the one if you don't have it already.
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post #7 of 29
6/16/08 at 10:16am
I don't know if you would consider this Dark Ambient. Check out "Deep Forest", "Enigma" they are more upbeat, but some of the songs are calming and dark.
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post #8 of 29
6/16/08 at 9:22pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Davey View Post
Hmm, a bit daunting to reply when you ask for only the very best. At best I only dabble in dark ambient, not even totally clear what that term means, but I do know Robert Rich and Steve Roach. The first one they did together a long long time ago is very good (at least I think it was the first, but not sure now). Called "Strata", and I think it really brings out the best of them both. Maybe it's not that dark, but kind of. Rich did make one in the mid 90s with the guy Lustford that Akathisia mentioned, based on the film "Stalker" that is very very dark, and very good. Rich followed it up with one of my favorites in Seven Veils, an incredible sounding CD with a lot of middle eastern influence. Some great guitar and cello work giving a real organic base to the soundscapes.

But for a real classic that has weathered time, and was probably a big influence on Greinke, coming a few years earlier, Brian Eno's "On Land" is the one if you don't have it already.
Thanks for all of the responses above. I will be continuing to make note of suggestions. Davey, funny that you should mention "Stalker." I was getting ready to pull the trigger on that one based on descriptions that I've read online since I started this thread. I don't have Eno's "On Land." Thanks again for the suggestions...
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post #9 of 29
6/17/08 at 12:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DLeeWebb View Post
Thanks for all of the responses above. I will be continuing to make note of suggestions. Davey, funny that you should mention "Stalker." I was getting ready to pull the trigger on that one based on descriptions that I've read online since I started this thread. I don't have Eno's "On Land." Thanks again for the suggestions...
Though I haven't played any of them for awhile, you honestly can't go wrong with any of the mid 90s Robert Rich CDs, they are all great. Seven Veils has that cool middle eastern sound, a little like Vas and Dead Can Dance, maybe Cul de Sac (another hot instrumental guitar and synth band that has made some very cool records with the Eno influence, though with some real appreciation and love for John Fahey too, couple of us often mention Crashes to Light around here), Stalker has the night and the fear, and Fissures with Alio Die is outstanding for its beauty, with both dark and calming passages. Yea, it's all kind of new age sounding in a way, but who cares what you do in your own home
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post #10 of 29
6/17/08 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Akathisia View Post
Lustmord is really good dark ambient. I recommend the short film he made the soundtrack for "Zoetrope".

Download the 3 minute trailer here.

x2
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post #11 of 29
6/17/08 at 9:24pm
Some giants of "classical" Dark Ambient:

Lustmord
SPK
Maeror Tri
Deutsch Nepal
Raison d'Etre
Archon Satani
Atomine Elektrine
Neptune Towers
Stratvm Terror
Ah Cama-Sotz
Coph Nia
Northaunt
Tiermes
Heid
Hazard
Chaos As Shelter
Necrophorus
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post #12 of 29
7/28/11 at 2:45pm

 

Yes, I know I'm necroing this thread, but I figured that maybe some people might get some use out of this thread...
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by synaesthetic View Post

Ionosphere - Angular Momentum is probably my very favorite dark ambient album.

"Deep Interior Research" is a damned haunting and creepy song, especially when the radio chatter starts a little bit in.


 

I really dig this recommendation.  Can anyone recommend something similar for me to enjoy?

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post #13 of 29
7/28/11 at 11:45pm

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post #14 of 29
7/28/11 at 11:57pm

I have to check out some of these bands =]

 

Plz check my new thread on dark-electro, my aim here is to cluster head-fiers with similiar music taste http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/564556/synth-ebm-dark-electro-gothic-rythmic-noise-experimental-chiptune-appreciation-thread-v1-1

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post #15 of 29
8/1/11 at 2:45am

I'm really like many here not sure what the term stands for?

 

Like many here I am well rounded in many styles of popular music.

So when I heard the term Dark Ambient I thought of Sunn O))) or Xasthur.

 

How could people talk about this form of music with out some of the major players?

Am I missing something here?

 

 

 

 Sunn O))) and Xasthur..........Black One

 Sunn O))) and Boris..........Altar 

 Burzum..........Filosofem

 

 beerchug.gif      Please Get Your Act Together People!


Edited by Redcarmoose - 8/1/11 at 3:22am
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