Looking for indie ambient tracks.

January 7, 2008 8:49 AM

Looking for excellent indie ambient music.

I'm looking for energy-giving tracks (without vocals) that I can play at a low level in my small office. By "energy-giving" I don't really mean energetic; I mean upbeat, uplifting, steady beats or melodies that will boost my personal work tempo without drawing attention to themselves.

(I'm talking truly ambient -- although most of what I listen to is in the Orbital/Moby/Enigma world, recommendations don't have to be electronic, just appropriate for the background.)

I've become too accustomed to all the mainstream stuff I currently use and am looking for unknown artists I can support and that I'd never find without y'all's help :)

posted by crickets to media & arts (32 comments total)

I would definitely recommend The Tuesday Weld, particularly the album, The London Book of the Dead. There's a little vocals, but mostly very ambient, quirky music that's really refreshing.
posted by bronxteacher at 8:57 AM on January 7, 2008

You might find some via www.epiphanyradio.org.
posted by Ness at 8:59 AM on January 7, 2008

Explosions in the Sky - I caught these guys at Austin City Limits and on the Friday Nights Soundtrack
posted by doorsfan at 9:00 AM on January 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

May I suggest Dianogah? It's two bass players and a drummer, so it's not extremely ambient, but it's excellent background music. I listen to them at work frequently, actually. If you can't find anything of theirs online, let me know. Millions of Brazilians is my favorite.
posted by troika at 9:02 AM on January 7, 2008

This is a similar question. I linked to my answer, but the rest are just as good, too.
posted by ninjew at 9:12 AM on January 7, 2008

See these three previous threads.

I'll again mention Lineland's Pavilion album as my one electronic recommendation.
posted by wemayfreeze at 9:13 AM on January 7, 2008

Lamb, perhaps?
posted by djgh at 9:13 AM on January 7, 2008

Ray Lynch has long been one of my favorite "new age" artists... I find his stuff very accessible and upbeat. My favorite album is Deep Breakfast. Check out the song Celestial Soda Pop.
posted by kimdog at 9:23 AM on January 7, 2008

Ness, I'm already hooked on EpiphanyRadio. Thanks!
posted by booticon at 9:24 AM on January 7, 2008

Digitally Imported's Chillout feed : http://www.di.fm/mp3/chillout.pls
Any of SomaFm's feeds : http://somafm.com/
Iceberg Radio's chillout feed : http://www.icebergradio.com/#player/43141
Sirius channel 35

That oughta keep you busy for a while.
posted by Afroblanco at 9:44 AM on January 7, 2008

Lot of stuff here:

http://www.kahvi.org/
posted by lordrunningclam at 9:51 AM on January 7, 2008

Röyksopp is nice.
posted by cowbellemoo at 10:04 AM on January 7, 2008

If you really want ambient (Explosions in the Sky and Lamb are in no way ambient) you could try Eno's four part ambient series: Music for Airports (1), Plateaux of Mirrors (2), Day of Radiance (3), On Land (4). I'm not sure if you really want ambient though - 'steady beats' really doesn't seem to fit the description. You could also try Global Communication - '76:14' is a classic in the electronic/techno/"ambient" field.

Lastly I love (mostly) everything released by Taylor Deupree's 12k label. Very distinct sound.
posted by xmutex at 10:05 AM on January 7, 2008

Seconding somafm, it's perfect for what you described, and you'll find a lot of artists/songs that you'll want to add to your collection.

Air
Nightmares on Wax
Zero 7
Jonn Serrie (much slower/ambient...the guy that does planetarium music)

Toss any of the above into Pandora and you're sure to find the right fit.
posted by samsara at 10:13 AM on January 7, 2008

I really like what I've heard of Michaela Melián. For awhile I was listening to Stift on repeat.
posted by nnk at 10:20 AM on January 7, 2008

Oh almost forgot Boards of Canada might also be a good candidate.
posted by samsara at 10:24 AM on January 7, 2008

Sleeparchive, Monolake, and Minilogue all fit the bill for me. I've posted MP3's from these and others on my site in the past.
posted by migurski at 11:32 AM on January 7, 2008

Little Death Orchestra; their first (and only) album is worth a listen.
posted by highrise at 11:56 AM on January 7, 2008

From my recent listening, although I'd recommend most work from these artists:

Cendre by Christian Fennesz and Ryuichi Sakamoto
Harmony in Ultraviolet by Tim Hecker
posted by mikeh at 12:03 PM on January 7, 2008

You've gotta check out this guy Susumu Yokota. Specifically the album Sakura.

I think Mountains - Sewn would also work well.

And maybe Broken Social Scene - Feel Good Lost ... though it's not *exactly* ambient.
posted by pilibeen at 12:25 PM on January 7, 2008

If you use iTunes I would recommend going into the radio pane and listening to some of the ambient stations available there. You usually find an interesting mix and if a piece catches your ear you can see the title and download more from that artist. Some of the ones I like are Radio Ambient, Groove Salad and the Drone Zone. Epiphany radio was there until recently but for some reason seems to have been dropped.
posted by gallois at 12:39 PM on January 7, 2008

The Morr Music record label has a few really good samplers of a bunch of artists who would be right up your alley. You can download the double album and listen to samples here.
posted by evadery at 12:44 PM on January 7, 2008

Brian Eno.
posted by heavenstobetsy at 3:26 PM on January 7, 2008

As xmutex noted, for real ambient go with the Eno. On Land is eerie in a good way, and Music for Airports is a masterpiece. Enjoy.
posted by zenpop at 4:11 PM on January 7, 2008

Eno.

additionally, the work of Thomas Newman is pretty great in regards to what you're going for, and in general. The American Beauty score, the A Series of Unfortunate Events score, and the Finding Nemo score are all really fantastic, and all Academy Award nominated.
posted by The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew at 8:36 PM on January 7, 2008

Fitting along with Explosions in the Sky is the band KC Accidental. They have very lovely vibe.
posted by bigmusic at 10:17 PM on January 7, 2008

Departure Lounge - Jetlag Dreams

The whole album feels like you're at the airport saying goodbye to a loved one. Some songs induce feelings of melancholy but there are plenty which make you feel like things are changing for the better. I'm currently listening to Purple fluffy Haze, which fits your description perfectly.
posted by special-k at 10:19 PM on January 7, 2008

I completely forgot about Keith Fullerton Whitman. I'm listening to Lisbon right now, which is prob my favorite of what i've heard. Though Multiples is also good.
posted by pilibeen at 10:36 PM on January 7, 2008

I opened this to say Zero 7, but I see I've been beaten to that. Perhaps Thievery Corporation?
posted by phaded at 12:36 AM on January 8, 2008

The Field definitely fits the bill... it's good stuff.
posted by clearly at 1:56 AM on January 8, 2008

Burial. Critics are in love with him, it's not technically ambient, and there is the occasional muttered lyric, but it's great.
posted by zazerr at 9:32 AM on January 8, 2008

Slow Dancing Society - No lyrics. Very ambient.
posted by special-k at 12:12 AM on January 9, 2008