Entertainment For Lively Minds
The music that dare not speak its name
Owing to a chronic health problem, I’ve recently been seeing an acupuncturist. Interesting guy, who has introduced me the music of Georg Deuter, who he met in India many years ago. Deuter is a Krautrock pioneer who turned New Age, relocated to New Mexico, and now has a very successful career making what many would describe as insipid relaxation music. (His CDs sell by the truck load). Thing is, I’ve developed a real fondness for Deuter’s Silence is the Answer, CD. It’s excellent meditation/relaxation music, and I’m keep to explore more of this vacuous stuff.
So, can anyone else confess to a fondness for so-called New Age, and if so, what’s your particular brand of medicine? And where does "credible" ambient/chill out music end and wishy-washy New Age begin; because it seems to me that the line is a little blurry and needs some clarification. Off the top of my head, here’s a few recognised artists whose real identities are under suspicion: Mike Oldfield, Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Vangelis, Brian Eno. What makes these artists more credible, in the eyes of the Massive, compared to those who operate entirely in the New Age realm?
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Ulrich Snauss'
"Far Away Trains Passing By" is a gorgeously hypnotic piece with a clear debt to krautrock and ambient but still sounding very modern. Highly recommended.
What does credible mean?
Good music is good music whether it's being made by a 'name' musician or a bloke in his shed with a copy of Garageband.
Credible?
Well, ...
...it seems to me that the label "New Age" has become a euphemism for crap, and I'm not quite sure whether this is fair. Eno has made many albums I would describe as New Age, but because he has rock roots, he is deemed more credible. Lots of people buy Eno, but would never think of themselves as New Age listeners.
Ambient vs New Age
In my mind anyway, the likes of Eno have a sense of darkness in their music, and sadness, that takes it away from being easy listening - and stops it being background music. Most New Age I've heard is designed almost to be relaxed too, and so stays on the right side of nice far more than I like.
I agree, to a point ...
...but what's wrong, or less worthy about seeking to make effective relaxing music? (As opposed to sexy, sad, dark, happy, angry music etc). I still think there's a lot of skill involved. It's not just about turning on a synth and sampling a bit of whale song. Or is it?
Just thinking about this some more...
... and I do think that there is something of a science to good meditation music that puts extreme limits on musical expression. I mean much of relaxation is about the absence of emotion, emptying your head and so on. So for the composer, jarry, jagged stuff and rapid tempo changes are out of the question. So are lyrics. The Cardiacs, for example, would struggle to get a deal on a New Age label. So good relaxation music is perhaps more about what it leaves out than what it puts in. But still, it's a skill.
New Age....
...is the section in which you'll invariably find the music of the late, great Michael Hedges. Straight out one of the finest guitarists ever.
Here he is, covering one FZ's loveliest tunes...
ich bin ein chrome dinette
a friend of mine found a book of FZ's lyrics translated into German. The one exception was the track Sofa #2, which had the German words translated into English. Thus:
I am the heaven
I am the water
I am the dirt beneath your rollers
I am your secret smut & lost metal money
down your cracks
I am your cracks & crannies
I am the clouds
I am embroidered
a am the author of all tucks & damask piping
I am the Chrome Dinette
I am the Chrome Dinette
I am the eggs of all persuasion
I am all days & nights
sorry, as you were saying..
Even better
is the track Ya Hozna, which contains all of the above in the original German - backwards. Great song. Not New Age at all, but...
confession
I go to sleep nearly every night listening to Fripp & Eno, either together or apart or in various configurations.
I particularly recommend Thread by Travis and Fripp. I just focus on one of the looping elements in the music and it sends me straight off. It's a beautiful record that also stands up to being listened to whilst awake.
Even a fairly dark piece like Fripp's The Gates of Paradise has a transforming effect that can hold the attention and instantly also distract you into sleep.
Anyway I am sure that there are plenty of people making excellent ambient music specifically for this purpose. Eno doesn't intend his ambient works to receive the artistic attention that they do.
The Pearl...
...by Eno and Harlod Budd is another great record to help you nod off.
Lustmord
For a taste of what one man can do in what is probably a very nice shed, try some Lustmord. New Age it isn't, ambient it is. Relaxing? Well, that's up to you.
The Dark Places Of Earth and his collaboration with Robert Rich, Stalker, are highly recommended.
Thanks for that
I've got a couple of his more abrasive earlier tracks (from Rising From The Red Sands excellent compilation), and hadn't realised he was still going strong in a different style - will definitely check out.
Stalker - Robert Rich & B. Lustmord
James EB, glad you enjoy the album. Just wanted to say that you can get STALKER from the Valley Entertainment / Hearts of Space Records website - http://www.valley-entertainment.com/stalker-1.html
Unless it's by Judy Collins,
anything with a Humpback Whale song on it is pants. Fact.
Honorable exception
I stand corrected.
Good spot Sir!
I suppose it depends on the intent.
Anything recorded by a smelly old hippy of limited musical skill with the intention of helping you to reflect your lambent chi towards the appropriate chakra whilst your crystal energies oscillate at the appropriate astral harmonic will probably be a load of old wank. Anything recorded by decent musicians with the intention of sounding good will probably be a bit better. Anything recorded by a smelly old hippy of limited musical skill with the intention of sounding good will probably sound like Neil Young. The other variation? Not sure. Kula Shaker?
Solo Andata
Produce wonderful music in this ambient/chill/meditative vein. Their 2006 work Fyris Swan is well worth seeking out. Just caught up on 2009's eponymously titled album. Clip below.
Some stuff which is in the Dubstep/Electronic space is good too - with a distinct Krautrock undercurrent.
Trentemoller's The Last Resort, for example
http://open.spotify.com/album/5Hsw2iSwkn9LWgWGruK4Xx
or Pole's 1 2 3
http://open.spotify.com/album/2rlYV5Qw3IXVy51I5GI3cS
Solo Andata "Look for me Here"
Thanks for the recommendation.
Fyris Swan is already on my Sunday evening shopping list.
A couple which I enjoy
even though I don't generally go in for New Age (but like ambient, in smallish doses):
Brock Van Wey - White Clouds Drift On And On (album of the same name)
Cyrille Verdeaux - Messenger Of The Sun
Depends what you like obviously,
but Wyndham Hill was a useful reference point. Their sampler CDs were a great intro, got me onto Michael Hedges, William Ackerman and Shadowfax (try Too Far To Whisper). Whether it falls into New Age or Ambient is debatable I guess.
Zidane
by Mogwai - also worth investigating. Ambient - but so much more than background.