Ambient music originated in the 1970’s, developing from the possibilities for sound design offered by new musical instruments such as the Moog synthesizer. Its a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere and often lacks beat or structured melody, using textural layers of sound which can reward both passive and active listening and create a sense of calm or contemplation. Ambient music “Alters the space you're in, your frame of mind. Memories crop up from the recesses and you feel relaxed, somehow eternal”.
Popularized by British musician Brian Eno, who said of his 1993 release ‘Neroli’, subtitled ‘Thinking Music Part IV’, that he wanted to “create music that permeated the air like incense”, ambient saw a revival in the ‘90’s with the rise of electronic dance music events and their complementary flip side - the ‘chillout’ rooms. This created a fresh subgenre – Chill, which incorporated innovations in electronic production such as looping and sampling. Chill music, shares the calming, relaxing effects of ambient, but distinguishes itself by including beats, which are generally relatively slow.
Ambient music continues to develop and experienced another surge in popularity during the 2020’s. This was partly due to an increased need for anti-stress remedies felt by people worldwide, and also partly due to the psychedelic revival, which enables people to explore their inner world, the one that ambient music tends to cater for.
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AMBIENT | CHILL
Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto & Bryce Dessner
