I need more drone!

September 17, 2011 9:10 PM

Recommend me some Drone Classical.

I recently purchased the new A Winged Victory for the Sullen album. What other musicians or composers fit into this "Drone Classical" category?

What I'm looking for are contemporary composers / groups. I'm not looking for totally ambient music -- I already have a decent knowledge of where to look for that stuff, but I like the Winged Victory stuff because it seems to be a little more composed and have more structure than just straight ambient. And I like the sort of melding of electric instruments to provide the ambient texture with more traditional instruments driving the melody, etc.

Bonus question. I've recently gotten way into Zoe Keating (thanks NPR!). Can you recommend me some similar music?

posted by doogan nash to Media & Arts (13 answers total)

Best answer: Well, this is super ambient, but Richard Skelton does some amazing things with stringed instruments. His album packaging is also the most amazing ever.
posted by azarbayejani at 9:25 PM on September 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Some of Arvo Pärt's compositions are close to that. Here's Stars of the Lid playing Pärt's Fratres.
posted by D.C. at 9:43 PM on September 17, 2011

Pandit Pran Nath

La Monte Young

Terry Riley
posted by mirepoix at 11:23 PM on September 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Do you know the work of Charlemagne Palestine? It is my favourite thing. You might start with this utterly worderful Tom Ewing review piece...
posted by piato at 11:39 PM on September 17, 2011

This sounds heaps (if not exactly) like 'Bohren and der Club of Gore'. Sunset Mission was my favourite of theirs..

It's not always Drone, but it's hard not to like The Necks.. check 'Sex', 'The Boys' and 'Aquatic' for starters..
posted by bigZLiLk at 12:31 AM on September 18, 2011

Best answer: I wasn't sure to recommend it, but this "electric instruments to provide the ambient texture with more traditional instruments driving the melody" reminds me immediately of Shinjuku Thief's Witch Trilogy - The Witch Hammer, The Witch Hunter and The Witch Haven.. also, the earlier album written for a theatre production of Kafka's The Trial, called The Scribbler - featuring mostly piano and atmospheric old movie samples is fantastic..
posted by bigZLiLk at 12:36 AM on September 18, 2011

Best answer: If you're after piano-themed ambience, check out Eluvium.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:37 AM on September 18, 2011

Harold Budd and Brian Eno's Ambient 2/Plateaux of Mirrors might be up your street. Try out Above Chiangmai for an example.
posted by longbaugh at 5:37 AM on September 18, 2011

Also - Stars of the Lid are fantastic - their albums The Tired Sounds of... and And the Refinement of the Decline particularly.
posted by longbaugh at 5:43 AM on September 18, 2011

Response by poster: Longbaugh, half of A Winged Victory is Adam Wiltzie, also half of Stars of the Lid. And yes, fantastic.

Thanks for the recommendations everyone. Looks like I have a lot of new music to track down.
posted by doogan nash at 6:40 AM on September 18, 2011

Best answer: I run a record store in Toronto and part of my job is finding and promoting this type of music and I've never heard the term Drone Classical. I'd call it textured ambient or ambient drone or Modern Classical. Might help you in your searches. Also, artists like Svarte Grenier have been called Acoustic Drone or Acoustic Doom.

The Dead Texan is another Wiltzie side project as is sleepingdog.

Brian McBride also has side projects.

And I'll recommend:

Jacaszek
Kreng
Julia Kent
Hammock
*AR
Greg Haines
Jasper, TX
Anduin
Cliff Martinez
Celer
Ben Frost
Deaf Center
Leyland Kirby
Max Richter
Rachel's
Rafael Anton Irisarri
Ramses III
Scott Tuma
Svarte Grenier (especially his album Man Bird Dress, which I can't find online)
Sylvain Chaveau
Concern
William Basinski
Simon Scott
Elegi
Indignant Senility
William Fowler Collins

Labels you should keep an eye on include SMTG Limited, Miasmah, Touch, and Type. Also, Boomkat is a useful resource (though I find their prices a bit out of whack), especially their section which they call "Home Listening".
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 8:44 AM on September 18, 2011 [8 favorites]

Just saw your mention of Keating. Julia Kent (above) should be right up your alley.

And neither classical or drone but I'll also suggest Grouper.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 8:52 AM on September 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's quite extreme and different to a what I would call conventional drone, but you might like this album.
posted by ob at 10:24 AM on September 18, 2011