New Music

About two years ago or so I heard a song from an album called “Ambient 1: Music for Airports”. It was played on a streaming station that I listen to sometimes that has relaxing ambient/downtempo music, the kind of stuff you play in the background while sipping wine and reading the New York Times. At any rate, one way or another I managed to stumble into the artist who did the song Brian Eno, and was surprised to see that the album “Music for Airports” was made the year I was born, 1978.

It seems as though Brian Eno was basically the guy who invented the ambient music genre, and through his four ambient albums, set the stage for the work that would be continued in the genre through the next three decades. I located and downloaded Ambient 1, 2, and 4, but have still yet to find Ambient 3. I encourage you to check it out if you like background soundscape type stuff. Be forewarned though, this is truly ambient music, not techno drum loops with synthesizers. The sounds played are meant to occupy a specific part of your brain and send smooth relaxing pulses through your body. Don’t go into this expecting any type of rhythm.

I’ve found his music calms me down quite a bit and helps me concentrate on the work I have at hand. I’m going to look into a few of his other albums, mainly the experimental ones, and see if there is anything else I like. Brian does have some more pop oriented stuff, but from all accounts I’ve been able to read his most influential music has been his ambient and experimental tones.

-Steve