The Tragedy of Ambient (In III Parts)

A deep dive into the most misunderstood music genre

I’ve been increasingly confused about peoples’ usage of the word ambient to describe music.

They’re using it referring to all types of calm background music – from electronic soundscapes to jazzy lo-fi beats, from acoustic Spanish guitar to meditative binaural frequencies.

And while there’s still more than enough music fulfilling a narrower understanding of the genre, it’s become more difficult to make a distinction between ambient music with an actual artistic approach and that bland, functional aural wallpaper that streaming services are filling their “chill” playlists with – often delivered in bulk by faceless studio artists and a handful of production agencies, some of that modern Muzak sounds so generic as if it’s been produced with generative AI tools.

There’s a bigger question lingering beneath all of this: In this age of streaming and wi-fi, wireless headphones and bluetooth speakers, where the default mode of listening has become a kind of detached background consumption, a constant hum and buzz that soundtracks our daily lives, hasn’t all music essentially become ambient?

Questions like these are warranting an in-depth look at the often misunderstood genre’s cultural roots, its actual sonic characteristics and historical development.

The editorial platform and online record shop grains commissioned me with a string of three in-depth articles on the history of ambient, which were published over the course of the last months; the third and final piece just went live on Friday.

Find links to all three parts below.

Aphex Twin, 1994, photo: Sam Robinson (courtesy of Warp Records)

Part 1: The Roots of Ambient

What exactly is ambient music? This article traces the origins of the genre throughout the history of 20th century music, from Brian Eno’s 1970s milestones to its roots in classical, jazz, musique concrète, minimalism, early electronic music and art rock.

Read Part 1: The Roots of Ambient now

Part 2: Oceans of Sound

Here I am highlighting the influence of ambient from its rise in the 1980s to its temporary demise in the 2000s, looking at phenomena such as the Japanese environmental music scene, the acoustic New Age boom, chill-out rooms and after-hour raves, instrumental trip-hop and the sundown soundtracks at Ibiza’s Café del Mar.

Read Part 2: Oceans of Sound now

Part 3: The Ambient Boom

The last part revolves around the genre’s resurgence and growth since the mid-2010s – driven by streaming algorithms and amplified by the pandemic and its home office/shared workspace culture. While we saw the rise of an exciting experimental electronic underground, the distinction between ambient and ambience might have become more important than ever.

Read Part 3: The Ambient Boom now

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