A Brief Guide to Ambient Music

[@lily_lxndr]

I can’t believe how quickly these 40 minutes went by. Your love & curiosity for these albums is so contagious.

[@d0ubl3d]

LILY?!! ON ITS BOUNDO?!!

[@psych4003]

I think a great genre to dive into in a video would be Industrial.

[@RedStinger_0]

How To Disappear Completely is my favorite ambient band at the moment. Their analog textures, synth work, and guitar drones have such a heavenly aura to them and it's always nice to relax to their albums. The Mer De Revs and Seraphim series are amazing and deserving of attention.

[@wandregisel6385]

I've listened to them a bit, I gotta give them more of a try though, thanks for the unintentional reminder

[@antonasifl6792]

minecraft volume 1 is an underrated ambient album . and btw beautiful video much love!!!

[@noaj1234]

not underrated at all, tons of people consider it the best ambient album of all time. volume 2 is more underrated, that album is fantastic

[@ThisIsWideAngle]

"favorite ambient album of all time" is what you actually wanted to write. ​@@noaj1234

[@azu6985]

this is your best video, imo. amazing. so excited for the rest of the series! also, check out some natural snow buildings (if you haven't already).

[@ThatOneGuy7550]

Yes! NSB are so good incredibly underrated

[@maryfreegirl2029]

Istg i wanted to mention them but i always do around the internet so i stopped myself, im so obnoxious about this band ahaha

[@KarK1ttyy]

as a huge music nerd this video is amazing and that jacob geller cameo is so cool

[@unbearableburden]

This video is absolutely incredible! Thank you so much for this deep dive into this lovely genre. I would like to mention and recommend my favorite ambient album, which is Harold Budd's 'Pavilion of Dreams'. It is a beautifully tender piece of music, so diverse and rich in texture

[@Muskie_57]

I’d love a guide to post-rock. I feel like it’s a genre that has a lot of different things going on and many differences between where the genre is developed. Loved the video, can’t wait for more 👍

[@tonylefaive]

What’s great about videos like these is that right after you’re done watching I have something to do: listen to all the music you mentioned here.

[@JohnOverturf]

Great video! I appreciate your coverage of the history and touchstones in the ambient genre. I would argue that ambient music has its roots in the compositions of Erik Satie and his concept of "furniture music" (which also spawned muzak, ambient's evil cousin) and the musique concrète and electroacoustic composers in the 1940s and 1950s.

[@HMz83]

I always saw Virgins as a giant, endless library, littered with clues leading you towards something. I like to think that something is the thing on the album cover.

[@rotamsin]

another day, another banger from boundo ‼

[@joeroeder3742]

I love ambient for writing and reading - one of my favorites is Schwebende Musik by Hoverkraft. Timewave Zero by Death Metal band Blood Incantation is also a wonderful piece of ambient music. And don't worry, it's straight up space ambient, no hints of metal. Their other releases have always had a clear ambient influence alongside the gutteral vocals and blast-beats. I can't sing this band's praises enough.

[@maryfreegirl2029]

you mentioned so many albums i love!! if you like murmuure check out yoga by megafauna and screech owl (definitely not ambient though lol) which are also two of my favourite albums :)

[@KOOL_AID_KID]

This might be my favourite video of yours, amazingly written and crafted! ❤

[@celestial_shed]

Very comprehensive and well-researched video. A couple of names here I hadn't heard of that I will check out:) Let me just slide over the table the name of a very honourable mention. A man whose music I've enjoyed even before I ever heard of the term Ambient. Geir Jenssen, known as Biosphere. He was a reluctant member of a Norwegian pop band before he sought out his own musical path in Europe. He has made IDM and field recordings as well. The album I've listened to the most by him is “Substrata + Man with a Movie Camera” (1997). I could imagine it as the soundtrack for a movie or game about a person wandering around town in late autumn, solving a dark mystery with many layers. Like a modern subdued Lovecraftian tale. I should however mention that some of the tracks are definitely not in the Ambient category, as they contain some harsh and rhythmic sounds. But overall an interesting listen if in the right mood.

[@glaglo]

it would be nice to have a list of the album you talk about in here. I already knew some of them, but most of them are new for me! anyhow, really interesting video, I appreciate how much of yourself you put in it, thanks for sharing your feelings!

[@j4nk3n]

Helios and also hammock are very chill, veering off a bit goldmund is kinda piano ambient, you hear all the creaks and sounds of the piano itself and it feels very raw and comforting

[@ForgottenDawn]

I really appreciate videos like these. I hear it so many times, how "Ambient is just background music" when there's so much more to it. As soon as one of my all-time favorite albums, "Structures from Silence" got name dropped, I fell in love with this presentation. Thank you for sharing this. Ambient VGM honorable mentions: "Antichamber", "Kairo"

[@janetcraft]

Thank you Boundo for this entertaining and informative essay about Ambient Music. I enjoy learning and telling, (or explaining) friends about it.

[@SebaDiGiuseppe]

Amazing video with tons of content, thank you very much and specially thankful for the mention of videogame music. Minecraft's music, at least back in the Alpha times of the game, used to play in such amazing moments. It took my breath away every time

[@ValiumNightclub]

Ambient and drone sounds are so ethereal, enchanting vid:)

[@anishsawan6496]

I would love a Guide to Slowcore. Mostly coz what I've heard I really like but I'm not very familiar with it at all... And it sounds interesting

[@zenbrandon]

I've been binging your videos, I love the way you write and describe these disparate genres and albums. After watching your videos all I want to do is lay down and listen to music non-stop.

[@LoveFactoryParties]

This was a phenomenal video, I'll definitely be revisiting this. Thanks for all the great artist/album suggestions.

[@flores7475]

Oh my god thanks for mentioning trha. I own like all of his music on bandcamp and it’s cool that he’s getting some recognition because i can’t stop listening to his stuff. I don’t listen to a lot of metal generally but his catalogue is so hypnotic and beautiful.

[@kingofsushi4822]

Another excellent video! Would like to throw you Jean-Jacques Perrey's Prélude au sommeil as a rec for very early ambient music from 1958(!), might be some of the most Ahead of Its Time music out of all the music that can be called Ahead of Its Time while also being lovely as heck

[@itsboundo.]

I've already talked about this one in my Random Record Recs video! Amazing amazing album !!

[@bjarnebj7846]

Amazing video!! You’re the goat music youtube channel!

[@smidlem1117]

going to join in suggesting my own fav ambient pieces, patricia taxxon's ambient work comes to mind, as does the collaboration single between brian eno and kevin shields the weight of history/only once away my son, which might be my favorite 20 minutes of ambient music ever. while it's not strictly ambient, since there's discussion of some tape music, i think alvin lucier's i am sitting in a room is essential listening too! excellent video!!!

[@maxhill1827]

Lovely video! I’m writing a Spoken Word Ambient Audiobook. Very similar to John Foxx The quiet Man. Still looking for a musician. Ambient music is the meeting of human emotion + Environment in the electronic world.

[@tissilix]

Incredible video boundo! looking foward to whatever you were hinting by the "a band i will be talking about soon enough" to do with coil. i was actually really looking foward to when you would eventually make a video on the row with The Ape of Naples, as that does pop up in the main mu-core chart. Musick to play in the dark is incredible too. One of my favourite bands.

[@thecolorcomputer]

I was pretty blown away when you mentioned "Nice". Hadn't heard of the band, let alone the song. A lot of cool stuff going on in that recording. Thanks! It's exciting to get new perspectives on musical origins 🙌

[@EponaDreams-AmbientDreamscapes]

Wow, what a brilliant documentary. It must have taken months to put together and edit. Lots of new music for me to listen to. Was surprised to find another person aware of Wave Notation, which I love. Will check your other videos. Thank you.

[@dannylight7022]

Great video, 43 minutes and not a second was wasted, again, great video

[@wandregisel6385]

Good video! Not too much time devoted to my personal favourite, Stars of the Lid (understandably, since you had to cover a lot), but really every album of theirs is worth listening to in it's own way. For their earlier, dronier sound, The Ballasted Orchestra is pretty exemplary, and is a great ambient/drone album in general. The last track in particular is to me a model for what ambient should strive for: music that isn't insistent on "going" anywhere, but nonetheless moves and grows, slowly and interminably, beautiful in it's length and each passing moment. I think this is also captured in their next album, Per Aspera Ad Astra, which I consider to be their most underrated album. That moment (and you'll know it when you hear it) in Low Level Listening Part 3 is one of the most beautiful moments in music I have ever heard

[@frankfable]

Thank you for this amazing video 🙏

[@JohnSmith-tq1hv]

bro, add a list of each album in the description

[@OneTwo-jb6ce]

yes

[@DeafmanDuhCyborg]

Ask nicely don’t order people around like your free entertainment slaves

[@matthewkorndewal2805]

Amazing video!

[@OneTwo-jb6ce]

love these

[@ConductiveFoam]

Came here from your F@scism in Black Metal video - which as an anarchist fan of the genre I enjoyed immensely - and I'll surely watch more of your things! I really liked this video as well, so thank you very much for it. :) Also, please, please, please talk about Coil at some point for as long as possible. I love all their works to death and I don't have anyone else to geek out about them to lol

[@Coolldown]

Excellent video!

[@TheSubspaceCafe]

so happy i found your channel. This video is exactly what i was hoping to find.

[@void101com]

Great video, many thanks for sharing! 👍

[@MaxChalkley]

HOLY SHIT! JACOB GELLER GUEST APPEARANCE!

[@navycream1900]

This video when it goes hard, goes incredibly hard.

[@mdnghtppl0000]

incredible video thank u for sharing ur interest and enjoyment ✨

[@ThatOneGuy7550]

Talk about Natural Snow Buildings

[@nobuo22]

Great video. Really missed jonsi & Alex, Jon Hopkins, hammock and nils frahm here though🔥

[@thisisfrankie]

Fantastic video! Thank you so much for the information

[@GEEBERTOS]

Love these videos plz keep them coming

[@johnwright5126]

This was AMAZING!!!

[@jesterforthemasses]

thank you for such a great video!!

[@VampireFlutist]

18:38 wait is that Jacob Geller? What a crossover, holy cow

[@teddydenney5788]

How do you spell the dark ambient album by Crang

[@wiseoldfool]

In space, no-one can hear you ambient.

[@unduloid]

Wow, I'd love to hear some of that Van-Guh-Leese music...

[@juanjo_sound]

Incredible video 👍

[@HistoryGarden]

Excellent video. Next video you should check out Boards Of Canada and adjacent musics.

[@arrow2593]

Boundo is your profile pic on RYM you?

[@itsboundo.]

My rym name is bound_internal, with the protagonist from Titane as my pfp!

[@spinalcord9461]

​@@admprzyaoty for the look and how easier it is to find what ur trying to rate. Rym for community

[@luatrilogy]

this video is amazing ur very awesome

[@arcanonove]

please list the mentioned albums in the description

[@Zuddama]

Hello there, I'm Zuddama and I need help. Yesterday I wanted to listen to an album on YT that I had listened to and really enjoed, but I can't find it because I forgot the name. I remember the cover was a bit dark, maybe of a city and there were elements of orange and pink and blue tones on the other side. It was like ambient music of the past century, probably 70s or 80s. I remember that one of the first tracks lasts about 4 minutes and was pretty scary. I found that album on a YT rare music channel. I hope I remember well what I just wrote. In case you have any ideas, please let me know. Thanks

[@arbitrarygrill6886]

Uboa mentioned!

[@mvjonsson]

The music of Erik Satie has been of great influence on ambient music.

[@lunamcgrath3266]

what is the visual at 28:30 from?

[@BionicBrady]

May I ask you a question. What were your musical influences leading up to ambient music I'm very curious

[@itsboundo.]

All over the place! Rock and especially metal were where I really cut my teeth on music but by the time I started getting into ambient I was listening to just about anything I could get my hands on!

[@ubeinn]

I posted a comment with a playlist of albums mentioned but it got deleted? Is that something I shouldn't do?

[@itsboundo.]

I think KZbin blocks comments with links? I saw ur comment but idk where it is not :(

[@noreverie]

Should've mentioned the wii and wii u home menu's under the games category

[@crabb9966]

Daaamn ambient music is so much better than all other genres

[@crabb9966]

I have played so much Brian Eno and I'm still not bored. Other music is bound to bore

[@crabb9966]

And then Brian Eno is just one artist. I like japanese ambient particularly

[@WildBCFly]

Please talk about DungeonSynth/DinoSynth

[@baatthory4258]

fucking fantastic video man

[@Buttershooter]

10:11 Name of song?

[@d0ubl3d]

Rest in peace to Brian McBride of stars of the lid who recently passed away

[@JesaiaLowejko]

Part 2: Ambient guitar. 🤞

[@denisjames8024]

the later burzum is some of the best ambient music around, varg is a genius!

[@charlesrump5771]

When your exposition has to be at least 100 words.

[@jukkauh]

Ambient was born as brilliant experimental tape-loop minimalism and died as a desperate attempt by modular synthesizer owners to justify their purchases by making *something* that wasn't a fart noise or bad EDM, without requiring them to know anything about harmony or melodic progression.

[@JumpingCow]

In many ways this be true. It all depends on the artist, of course.

[@kafkawilde4604]

Lol you have a point

[@danielthornbury9483]

Raymond Scott

[@foilhat]

This video is really lacks Harold Budd masterpieces. I'd pick "Pearl", or even "The Pavilion of Dreams". Or, the greatest ambient Americana, the trilogy of albums by duet of Harold Budd and Clive Write (especially, "Little Windows")

[@copperknobmusic]

Just found this Chanel. Enjoying it. Love ambient music. I have a 4 hrs liminal space ambient album containing tracks over 2 decades. You might enjoy , on my channel :)

[@Thus-Spoke-Zarathustra]

Name HIM

[@crash936]

Can ambient obscure music artist make a living >?

[@MarcoPolo-vr6wo]

!

[@lucaslorenz8812]

BURZUM BURZUM BURZUM

[@DefinitelyEllie]

Great video, introduced me to some new stuff, also lovely to see the cameros from Cyder and Jacob

[@maryfreegirl2029]

MURMUUUUUUUREEEEE

[@hazardousenvironmentspart0540]

Both the best ambient album and best metal album ever

[@maryfreegirl2029]

@@hazardousenvironmentspart0540 REAL!!

[@DeafmanDuhCyborg]

So verbose you even more boring then ambient music. Tighten up my boy ⚓️🏴‍☠️🚀

[@votanhiYT]

Why are you talking? Don't you want to introduce ambient music? You talk useless and unnecessary, so I can't hear the essential music. Your actions are very annoying.

[@stormRed]

Thank you for this incredible video!

[@hazardousenvironmentspart0540]

how do you spell the name of the album at 33:36

[@maryfreegirl2029]

Works for abattoir fermé

[@itsboundo.]

The 2 albums I mention around then are "Moenai Hai" and "Works for Abattoir Fermé"! Hope it helps you find either one of these fantastic records :)

[@hazardousenvironmentspart0540]

@@itsboundo. thank you