Fun Stuff > BAND
Hell Of Minimal
greenMonkey:
Minimalism: Arvo Part, Reich, Glass.
Sludge: Pelican (the track 'Drought' from Australasis especially)
Post-Rock: Slint, Sigur Ros, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Tortoise (if this is where you want to put Tortoise)
Slint is at the moment my favorite of the post-rock groups. Spiderland is probably some of the most fiecely emotional and poetic music I have heard.
nuisance:
FWIW, neither Autechre (OK, maybe the Garbage EP) or DJ Krush are ambient. Krush is often really minimal, but Autechre since '95 are really busy busy...
Anyway, minimalism? I fucking love it. I live for it. That said, more than any other kind of music I find it impossible to articulate why one thing works and another thing doesn't. When minimal music is shit I get an Emperor's new clothes type reaction - "there's nothing to this, there's nothing going on, it's meaningless" - but when it hits the spot there's something I find utterly... well, entrancing. Even when it's kinda boring it's exciting. ;) Haha.. I mean I find it like watching a Tarkovski movie or something - there's so much room for my brain to go nuts it opens up a sorta dreamy state, but still alert and engaged. For me, anyway. and then of course there's the opportunity for some ambient moments - put something on during a storm or headphone listening on a busy street - and let the sounds of the music and outside have a bit of a scrap.
My favourite of the classical minimalists, as per Michael Nyman's term, is Steve Reich. I don't understand the appeal of Glass at all. Except for the non-denomination Christmas play on South Park. :D I don't mind a bit of Arvo Pärt, but I don't know his stuff well.
In the rock tradition, I guess my fave is Neu!'s first album, which I reckon is superficially similar to some stuff like Floyd but with much less noodling and more motorik chugga-chugga. Also very partial to Cluster circa 'Zuckerzeit' and the collab between these two bands, Harmonia.
I don't know whether they'd see their roster as minimalists, but a lot of artists on Touch appeal to me. In particular Oren Ambarchi's later stuff, when he settled down a lot.
Despite clubbing for 13 or 14 years now I never really felt like I got techno until I saw Porter Ricks perform live. I was more about the funk, not the minimal, when I was going out. But they sucked me into this weird world and it was amazing. The beat super squidgy and rounded and the coldest, hugest drones swelling up around the metronomic oomf oomf oomf... real cold rush territory.
Among fans of minimal (techno) shit saying you like Vladislav Delay is sorta like saying you like... Belle & Sebastian or Death Cab or whoever... but, fuck, this guy is incredible. A weird swampy mess of sound most of the time, then comes out with these brittle techno tunes now and then. And then he busted out a couple of massive house records. Actually, the first of those, Luomo's Vocalcity is one of the best album's I've ever heard. One of the things I enjoy most is the suspension of the usual mallarky of building to some climax... these huge tracks are always changing ever so slightly but it's like you're just cruising on this vast plateau of good times, not heading for some big peak, but not falling off either.
Both Porter Ricks and Vladislav Delay have released stuff through the phenomenal Chain Reaction label, a kind of pinnacle of techno nerd-dom run by the guys who recorded as Basic Channel, Maurizio, Main Street and most recently Rhythm & Sound. Someone was bigging them up (what?) in the listening topic. A friend described Basic Channel as being like listening to techno from outside the club, half-way down the street. Often awesomely muffled and submerged, but with added hiss and crackle and madness. The whole defective feel of the production thrills me to bits.
Sorry, I got a wee bit excited. Anyone wants to ask for suggestions of any kind I'd (obviously :p) be happy to assist.
La Creme:
How to make anyone who likes any sort of lower-tempo electronic at all a fan of ambient music in a few simple steps:
1) Play them Portishead's "Dummy". Straight through.
2) Play them Boards Of Canada's "The Campfire Headphase". Straight through.
3) Play them Stars Of The Lid's "The Tired Sounds Of...". Straight through.
How to get someone who loves their metal into drone/sludge.
1) Play them Isis' "Celestial". Straight through.
2) Play them Men In Search Of The Perfect Weapon's "Nichts Geht Mehr". Straight through.
3) Play them Sunn O)))'s "Flight Of The Behemoth". Straight through.
Things are fun.
La Creme:
How to like Phillip Glass: Listen to "Glassworks". That is a brilliant thing. Do not ever ever ever under any circumstance listen to "Koyanasqaatsi" ever.
E. Spaceman:
oh, i like Koyanasqaatsi! Glassworks is a million times better though.
I think there is a distinct lack of Eno in this thread, his Ambient series is superb, Music For Airports is one of my favourite albums of all time. Discreet Music (although not a part of the series) is mighty fine as well.
Another reccomendation is the early Spiritualized albums, they are superb.
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