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[La Creme]

Minimalsim, Ambient, Drone, Sludge, various trance musics, Post-Rock, etc.

Discuss.

[esp10nage]

For me has to have semblence of music.  I don't like when ambient decends too much into random.  I don't go much farther than Autechre and the odder DJ Krush tracks
Yeah okay, I guess I'm not an ambient fan.

[La Creme]

Do you want to be? Because I can definately make you one in about 3 steps or less.

[Johnny C]

Khanate's recent album, Capture & Release, is fairly minimal. It's a grueling listening and yet it's fairly rewarding.

[esp10nage]

I'm game

[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.   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.

[FreshJive787]

cant say im a fan of portishead man...

but ive loved boards of canada for a long time.

[elcapitan]

Brian Eno is the goods.

There's a lot of minimal technoey stuff coming out that is more "accessible", I guess. The fact that DJs like Ricardo Villalobos are getting relatively big names around the place makes me feel hopeful about the future of electronic music.

My two favourite newish downtempo electronic producers are probably Vector Lovers and Alex Smoke, both of whom are out on the Soma Records label. Another one I've just started listening to is Bluetech, on the Aleph Null label. (The friend who introduced me to them played me a song called Alchemie Dub, which sounds like "the kind of music that Guybrush Threepwood would listen to while the acid trip is subsiding.")

I recorded a minimalist kind of mix a while ago. It's a bit "flavour of the month", but I like it. If you're interested in this kind of stuff, I'd very much like you to have a listen and comment. A download link and a tracklisting can be found here.

[Storm Rider]

I can listen to sludge and to a lesser extent drone, but really, I prefer fast music because I like RAWKIN OUT.

[not_inspired]

something i have been working on



Filter Shift 128kbps 5.5mb

Filter Shift 256kbps 10.5mb

Thanks

Dale

[elcapitan]

Not bad! Sounds very retro.

The tempo's pretty nuts though. You would have a great deal of trouble mixing that into a house set.

[salada]

autechre have some drone stuff (collabs with the hafler trio and the gescom side project is kinda drone-y), but yeah.

i would like to like sludge-type stuff? a friend borrowed me a sunn album but i haven't really been able to enjoy it for some reason.

also, i have a new austrian housemate who likes german minimal techno. so we'll see where that goes.

also also, +1 to brian eno.

also also also, la creme: hi!

[Misereatur]

Khanate's recent album, Capture & Release, is fairly minimal. It's a grueling listening and yet it's fairly rewarding.

Dude, I never expected you to listen to Khanate. Awsome. You know they split up like two weeks ago? The new album is still going to come out.

Anyway, I got into drone and sludge hard in the past two years. I even found some guys to jam with.

[not_inspired]

Not bad! Sounds very retro.

The tempo's pretty nuts though. You would have a great deal of trouble mixing that into a house set.

its only 130bpm

[rynne]

Yes.



(Keeping w/ the thread’s theme here)

[nuisance]

something i have been working on

Heh, pretty different flavour of minimal from other stuff discussed here!    But good fun.  There's a whole resurgence in this kind of sound recently.  Dunno if you've heard much off Get Physical?  They've got that real bright and shiny sound going on, plenty of fun filtered bass.  I especially recommend Booka Shade, whose most recent album has some amazing bits and pieces on it.

[Gryff]

William Basinski's Disintegration Loops are pretty amazing. Here's the Stylus review, but long story short: Basinski originally recorded a bunch of loops in the '80s, but 20 years later when he went to transfer his tapes to hard disk, they started disintegrating as he recorded them. The result are these amazing ambient loops of slowly decaying music -- it's quite remarkable.

[timehat]

I greatly enjoy Reich as well as a bit of Glass, Riley, and Adams.

[OHsmeat]

La Cremes avatar says all I need to know thats a kick ass avant garde hiphop album, Dose one reigns supreme!

I've been really into drone and ambient again (I cycle like every 4 months or so)

recently I've dug on Belong who do a Fennesz like guitar drone but more warm and MBV like and Auburn Lull is amazing space rocky stuff like Stars of the Lid

anything on Mille PLateaux is HIGHLY recommended by me especially Kid606 "PS I love you" and Tim Heckers stuff and Shuttle 358 which are all in the ambient microhouse canon all very mellow and tasty. A lot falls into Musique Concrete/found sounds ambience (Shuttle 358).

Aphexs Ambient Works 2 is highly on the playlist lately.
Cult of Luna first album always gets much love especially track 2 (Hallowed) they;re swedish punish your ears slow metal and very very awesome.

OKie doke now I need to look at recommendations by other folk <3s to drone

[El Opium]

Drone artists I reccomend:
Birchville Cat Motel (my fave), Skullflower, Ashtray Navigations, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Burning Star Core, Hive Mind

Electronic Stuff:
Tim Hecker-Nice chilly laptop stuff, Tim Hecker, Seht

I also second the Arvo Part reccomendation.

[La Creme]

Skullflower are drone now?

A lot of the stuff you guys are describing as sludge or drone is really just doom metal. It has to be really goddam slow and simple and crushy to be drone and even more minimaximal than that to be sludge.

PS. tommydski please please, I need "Summing The Approach" pretty bad. I've heard some damn good things. AIM me or some shit, I'll send something good in return.

PSPS. Hey salada, yes, Autechre + Hafler Trio is hell sorts of excellent.

PSPSPS. Gryff, if you like the disintegration loops shit, it is pretty much something you need to do right now to get as much of Nurse With Wound's "Shipwreck Radio" as you possibly can. There's a whole lot of it so it shouldn't be too hard to find at least a little. It's basically just tape loop madness all recorded on a boat in the arctic circle using random, captured radio signals and natural reverb and stuff off of ice flows and it's really really really fuckin good.

[Borondir]

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.

Hells yes on the Pelican and Arvo Part.

I really love the so-called "holy" minimilast style that Part and a few of his peers have been doing.  Combining modern minimilast techniques with a
liturgical and sacred music inspiration ends up being really cool.  I've sung a few Part pieces in choirs, and its always a thrill,
though the long lines can be a bit taxing at times. John Tavener is another great holy minimilast, the male vocal ensemble Chanticleer has some
brilliant recordings of his work.  Apparently he has now progressed from being a Greek Orthodox convert to being a Hindu seeker.

Also, Khanate, Sunn 0))), and Cult of Luna meet my approval, but I don't have anything useful to say about them.

[salada]

my cat is an alien!

seriously.

[a pack of wolves]

i would like to like sludge-type stuff? a friend borrowed me a sunn album but i haven't really been able to enjoy it for some reason.

This may be because Sunn aren't actually very good. Earth did it a lot better, try them on for size. With sludge I always think of Iron Monkey and Corrupted as being pretty key, you really can't go wrong with the second Iron Monkey album Our Problem.

[El Opium]

Skullflower are drone now?

I would personally say they're mostly sludge with some drone tendencies if I was trying to be specific, but there's some pure drone stuff on their mid-nineties releases with the best example being the track "Smoke Jaguar" off of the Obsidian Shaking Codex album, but whatever is happening it's nice to see someone else on the board get into Skullflower.

[Der Turm, der Leute frass]

hmmm... the new "Bohren & der Club of Gore" album "Geisterfaust".....most minimalistic and slow darkjazz ever...if they would be a little bit slower, they'd move backwards.


Sunn O))) of course are also a hell of minimal (but cooooool) ....don't forget that there's a severe risk of spontaneous uncontrolled defecation if you listen to their "music" at maximum volume?



bands like pelican, Jesu, Cult of Luna usw. rule of course , no questions, theyre just great

[nuisance]

Haha, I tried listening to 'Geisterfaust' at double speed and it was still insanely slow.  If I'm in the wrong mood I'll generally bug out about half way through listening to even one track and start laughing.    I don't really think their doomy image comes across in the music, either - the music reminds me mostly of stuff like Angelo Badalamenti...

anything on Mille PLateaux is HIGHLY recommended by me especially Kid606 "PS I love you" and Tim Heckers stuff and Shuttle 358 which are all in the ambient microhouse canon all very mellow and tasty. A lot falls into Musique Concrete/found sounds ambience (Shuttle 358).

Hmm, don't think I've heard any Kid 606 that's very minimal, but there's a lot of interesting stuff to investigate on Mille Plateaux for sure.  Pretty weird how much they changed - their industrial-tinged fucked up hip-hop compilations were how I first heard acts like DJ Vadim, Alec Empire and Techno Animal.

Still, when it comes to minimal and ambient business there's plenty to recommend.

First, Vladislav Delay, who I frothed about upthread, for starters. 

Then the Oval material is the best kind of minimalism... confounding and difficult, but with an accessible tonality that makes it all pretty yummo.  I personally love the clean lines of 'Systemisch' most (well, mixed up with the um.. not polyrhythmic.. what's the term that means different phrase lengths all at once?). 

I also rate SND's 'Stdio' and 'Tender Love' very highly - if you can imagine ridiculously sparse, classical minimalists deciding to set up some synths and write some R&B (the former album) or 2-step (the latter) then ... well, actually if you can imagine that you're a fucking freak.  Still.. they managed to dodge most of the cliches of later Mille Plateaux type business - no glitches, no drones, no dub effects, no surface noise.  Just little ridiculously rarefied little constructs, with heaps of space, nice chords and the tiniest, tinniest rhythms.

Last, if you like Shuttle 358 I'd recommend you try out Electric Birds' stuff.  I think his best is probably 'Strata Frames' which is on Belgian label U-Cover, but the Mille Plateaux release is 'Gradations' is good too.

Drone artists I reccomend:
Birchville Cat Motel (my fave), Skullflower, Ashtray Navigations, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Burning Star Core, Hive Mind

Electronic Stuff:
Tim Hecker-Nice chilly laptop stuff, Tim Hecker, Seht

You're the only person outside NZ I've encountered who knows of either Birchville Cat Motel or Seht, but I've been stalking your comments for a while since you mentioned the former in the current listening topic.   Those guys play stuff sometimes at a crusty bar in Wellington run by various improv / free-jazz players.

[OHsmeat]

Haha, I tried listening to 'Geisterfaust' at double speed and it was still insanely slow.  If I'm in the wrong mood I'll generally bug out about half way through listening to even one track and start laughing.    I don't really think their doomy image comes across in the music, either - the music reminds me mostly of stuff like Angelo Badalamenti...

anything on Mille PLateaux is HIGHLY recommended by me especially Kid606 "PS I love you" and Tim Heckers stuff and Shuttle 358 which are all in the ambient microhouse canon all very mellow and tasty. A lot falls into Musique Concrete/found sounds ambience (Shuttle 358).

Hmm, don't think I've heard any Kid 606 that's very minimal, but there's a lot of interesting stuff to investigate on Mille Plateaux for sure.  Pretty weird how much they changed - their industrial-tinged fucked up hip-hop compilations were how I first heard acts like DJ Vadim, Alec Empire and Techno Animal.

Still, when it comes to minimal and ambient business there's plenty to recommend.

First, Vladislav Delay, who I frothed about upthread, for starters. 

Then the Oval material is the best kind of minimalism... confounding and difficult, but with an accessible tonality that makes it all pretty yummo.  I personally love the clean lines of 'Systemisch' most (well, mixed up with the um.. not polyrhythmic.. what's the term that means different phrase lengths all at once?). 

I also rate SND's 'Stdio' and 'Tender Love' very highly - if you can imagine ridiculously sparse, classical minimalists deciding to set up some synths and write some R&B (the former album) or 2-step (the latter) then ... well, actually if you can imagine that you're a fucking freak.  Still.. they managed to dodge most of the cliches of later Mille Plateaux type business - no glitches, no drones, no dub effects, no surface noise.  Just little ridiculously rarefied little constructs, with heaps of space, nice chords and the tiniest, tinniest rhythms.

Last, if you like Shuttle 358 I'd recommend you try out Electric Birds' stuff.  I think his best is probably 'Strata Frames' which is on Belgian label U-Cover, but the Mille Plateaux release is 'Gradations' is good too.

Drone artists I reccomend:
Birchville Cat Motel (my fave), Skullflower, Ashtray Navigations, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Burning Star Core, Hive Mind

Electronic Stuff:
Tim Hecker-Nice chilly laptop stuff, Tim Hecker, Seht

You're the only person outside NZ I've encountered who knows of either Birchville Cat Motel or Seht, but I've been stalking your comments for a while since you mentioned the former in the current listening topic.   Those guys play stuff sometimes at a crusty bar in Wellington run by various improv / free-jazz players.

I've got like meta quotes going on here! HA. Anyhow yeah kid 606 is truly a master of many genres check out the track "Sometime" by him its off the previously mentioned album. I also second that oval business but I think Ovalcommers is more in the drone territory and a bit more accessable than Systemisch, 94 Diskont (I know its spelled wrong don't feel like looking itup) has some really nice drone cuts too with the clicks being less pulsey and more like decaynig cds. I listened to Birchville but couldn't quite get into their sound maybe I need an album recommendation? OH I also wanted to recommend Phil Niblock if he hasn't been brought up excellent drone but only listen to if you're ready to give it time seeing as he is about as drone as you get but worth it. OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH and MINIT if you guys haven't heard them your missing out they use FRENCH HORNS and laptop trickery to create some of the most beautiful soundscapes evar! Now Right Hee is my album of choice for them. Cheers!

[soak]

2) Play them Boards Of Canada's "The Campfire Headphase". Straight through.

I always thought that In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country was the best intro to Boards of Canada.

[nuisance]

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH and MINIT if you guys haven't heard them your missing out they use FRENCH HORNS and laptop trickery to create some of the most beautiful soundscapes evar! Now Right Hee is my album of choice for them. Cheers!

I was stoked to see them a few times when I lived in Australia.  They're great great great.  'Now Right Here' is choice but I really like their first album, 'Music', too... although it's probably fucking hard to get hold of now.  It's on a somewhat rad Kiwi label called Sigma Editions, which also put out Vladislav Delay's album 'Ele'.  I emailed them to get the CDs, but that was 5+ years ago.

[OHsmeat]

Yeah no shit I tried to get Now Right Here legally but nothing doin, same with anything else in their library to be honest cause thats the only one I could get ahold of

[jeph]

hmmm... the new "Bohren & der Club of Gore" album "Geisterfaust".....most minimalistic and slow darkjazz ever...if they would be a little bit slower, they'd move backwards.


Sunn O))) of course are also a hell of minimal (but cooooool) ....don't forget that there's a severe risk of spontaneous uncontrolled defecation if you listen to their "music" at maximum volume?



bands like pelican, Jesu, Cult of Luna usw. rule of course , no questions, theyre just great

Dude do you seriously play a Chapman Stick?

\m/

[timehat]

I'm pretty sure that's a pic of Sean Malone, who plays bass/stick with various tech/jazz metal type bands, so no...unless that person is Sean Malone, which would be hilarious, but I can't imagine he'd be the type of person to listen to Sunn 0))).

[Der Turm, der Leute frass]

I'm pretty sure that's a pic of Sean Malone, who plays bass/stick with various tech/jazz metal type bands, so no...unless that person is Sean Malone, which would be hilarious, but I can't imagine he'd be the type of person to listen to Sunn 0))).

you're right. it's sean, yes.....and NOT me (unfortuately)

I'd like to play stick, that'd be totally awesome but maybe my fingers are too fat for tapping  ....... actually, i'm a tuba player (tubas are useless, i know)

omg......being a chapman stick player really would be hell of awesome


p.s.: i bet sean likes sunnO)))


everyone loves sunnO)))


seriously

[rynne]

I popped in Main?s Hz today, which is really in the mood of this thread.  Six multi-part drone/dub soundscapes over two CDs.  Recommended for fans of Aphex Twin?s SAW2.

[La Creme]

You like Sean Malone, therefore, if logic stands the test, you like Gordian Knot. And you like Bohren. You are my new best friend on the music forum. How's things?

[Storm Rider]

Hey, I like Gordian Knot. And Atheist.

But I've never heard of Bohren, is that what he's doing now? I know Gordian Knot's been inactive for the past few years.

[La Creme]

well fuck you storm

YEAHHHH

YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Der Turm, der Leute frass]

Hey, I like Gordian Knot. And Atheist.

But I've never heard of Bohren, is that what he's doing now? I know Gordian Knot's been inactive for the past few years.

bohren play the slowest music possible

hey, I like Gordian Knot AND Cynic and ATHEIST and O.S.I




p.S: I was at the atheist gig in wacken, not you storm

ha-ha

[Der Turm, der Leute frass]

You like Sean Malone, therefore, if logic stands the test, you like Gordian Knot. And you like Bohren. You are my new best friend on the music forum. How's things?

 we should marry 

[KharBevNor]

p.S: I was at the atheist gig in wacken, not you storm

Hey, me too.

[La Creme]

Khar you are tearing our fake tiny gay internet marriage apart.

Don't make me call up my fake tiny gay internet marriage divorce lawyer.

[OHsmeat]

funniest thing I'm getting a law degree specializing in tiny gay fake internet marriage...crazy

[timehat]

I would really liked to have seen Atheist play, but I'm much more looking forward to the upcoming Cynic reunion tour. If I had to choose a favorite band, they'd definitely be in the running.

[Storm Rider]

p.S: I was at the atheist gig in wacken, not you storm

Hey, me too.

You guys suck. Or more specifically, Wacken sucks for being in another fucking continent.

[Der Turm, der Leute frass]

p.S: I was at the atheist gig in wacken, not you storm

Hey, me too.

You guys suck. Or more specifically, Wacken sucks for being in another fucking continent.

 
jealous ?