Albums similar to Chris Walla’s Tape Loops

DYMS

Really enjoy the ambient sparseness and invite to melancholy this album offers. I am wondering if others know of anything similar?

https://trans-records.bandcamp.com/album/tape-loops

[Deleted User]

It reminds me to “Explosions in the sky” and also some of my songs in BlocsWave which has some great sound packs for this kind of music

iansainsbury

I guess you're familiar with the Brian Eno ambient stuff - Music For Airports etc? This sounds very much like that.

DYMS

Thanka for the suggestions folks.
@dubbylabby which sound packa would you recommend for this type of music?

[Deleted User]

There are a lot, a simple hear some of them will give you an idea.
It also depends on the “colour” you want to achieve. I bought mostly dub (interdub) ones and some songwritting ones too, a bit indian (chimes) there... some rock guitars... etc

I don’t use all the sounds from the same pack... I start with an idea or loop and then I hear my feel to add some from, sometimes, opposite “styles”. Drop the bpm half sometimes, doubled it other times... search the “key” until I find the mood...

Even I purchased the two of swing to make some electro swing tunes

BlueGreenSpiral

I'm sure you have already listened to "Selected Ambient Works volume 2" but if not it you should try it out. It's best enjoyed horizontally after a heavy weekend and ambient sparseness is a good description of the album.

If I won the lottery I would look into the possibility of hooking up giant speakers on satellites spanning the globe with this song on repeat. My hunch is that crime rates would see a notable decrease

bleep

For piano melancholy ambiences, listen to The Pearl by Harold Budd + Brian Eno. So old, still so good.

When I saw the thread title I first thought of William Basinski and his reconstructed tape loops (Melancholia and The Disintegration Loops, for instance). Many nice pieces there, but perhaps more experimental than the above.

BlueGreenSpiral

I also thought of William Basinski @bleep

I can imagine that the listening party for "The Disintegration Loops" was more dramatic than most.

"Basinski has said that he finished the project the morning of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, and sat on the roof of his apartment building in Brooklyn with friends listening to the project as the World Trade Center towers collapsed"

iansainsbury

@BlueGreenSpiral said:
I'm sure you have already listened to "Selected Ambient Works volume 2" but if not it you should try it out. It's best enjoyed horizontally after a heavy weekend and ambient sparseness is a good description of the album.

If I won the lottery I would look into the possibility of hooking up giant speakers on satellites spanning the globe with this song on repeat. My hunch is that crime rates would see a notable decrease

love that album

ExAsperis99

Great thread. It goes to show that as ubiquitous as ambient has become, there’s real art to making memorable music, “Rhubarb” in particular. I’ve been listening to “Shenzhou,” by the Norwegian artist Biosphere.

BlueGreenSpiral

I agree @ExAsperis99

I'm in the habit of finding an album that I love and playing it to death until I can't listen to it again for about ten years!
That Aphex track still gets me every time

Wrlds2ndBstGeoshredr

Even sparser:

https://richc90.bandcamp.com/releases

greengrocer

@ExAsperis99 said:
Great thread. It goes to show that as ubiquitous as ambient has become, there’s real art to making memorable music, “Rhubarb” in particular. I’ve been listening to “Shenzhou,” by the Norwegian artist Biosphere.

Wouldn't call Biosphere ambient but rather experimental orientated

Early but still a classic

ExAsperis99

@greengrocer said:

@ExAsperis99 said:
Great thread. It goes to show that as ubiquitous as ambient has become, there’s real art to making memorable music, “Rhubarb” in particular. I’ve been listening to “Shenzhou,” by the Norwegian artist Biosphere.

Wouldn't call Biosphere ambient but rather experimental orientated

Early but still a classic

That's great stuff.
HIs output is pretty varied. "Shenzhou" is ambient in the sense that it is soundscapes, much the way William Basinski is. But it has a dark, noisy edge to it that the new-age ambient artists don't have. It's not all pretty drones.

After reading this thread, I came upon his latest releases, which are using found vocals the way I'm trying to, and it's at once thrilling and little irritating (having my great idea done so well). This is definitely post-ambient. Or possibly post-pre-ambient....

greengrocer

@ExAsperis99 said:

@greengrocer said:

@ExAsperis99 said:
Great thread. It goes to show that as ubiquitous as ambient has become, there’s real art to making memorable music, “Rhubarb” in particular. I’ve been listening to “Shenzhou,” by the Norwegian artist Biosphere.

Wouldn't call Biosphere ambient but rather experimental orientated

Early but still a classic

That's great stuff.
HIs output is pretty varied. "Shenzhou" is ambient in the sense that it is soundscapes, much the way William Basinski is. But it has a dark, noisy edge to it that the new-age ambient artists don't have. It's not all pretty drones.

After reading this thread, I came upon his latest releases, which are using found vocals the way I'm trying to, and it's at once thrilling and little irritating (having my great idea done so well). This is definitely post-ambient. Or possibly post-pre-ambient....

Thanks for that, wasn't aware that he still is developing
Although I think his use of found vocals gets slightly in the area where it become cliche. Also curious any links to your own work at the moment?

btw there was a huge russian site around that covered all (old/recent) ambient stuff. But can't find it anymore, probably talen down...

DYMS

Thanks for all the great links, examples, etc. Some amazing stuff. I am finding that I prefer the analog sounding stuff over the more obviously electronic inspired. Prefer without the 4 on the floor drums than with.

Finally found a use for this Apple Music account. Was able to download nearly all the recommendations to take a listen... Kind of a try before I buy

Keep the suggestions coming, and feel free to post your own stuff as well!

Redo1

@ExAsperis99 said:

@greengrocer said:

@ExAsperis99 said:
Great thread. It goes to show that as ubiquitous as ambient has become, there’s real art to making memorable music, “Rhubarb” in particular. I’ve been listening to “Shenzhou,” by the Norwegian artist Biosphere.

Wouldn't call Biosphere ambient but rather experimental orientated

Early but still a classic

That's great stuff.
HIs output is pretty varied. "Shenzhou" is ambient in the sense that it is soundscapes, much the way William Basinski is. But it has a dark, noisy edge to it that the new-age ambient artists don't have. It's not all pretty drones.

After reading this thread, I came upon his latest releases, which are using found vocals the way I'm trying to, and it's at once thrilling and little irritating (having my great idea done so well). This is definitely post-ambient. Or possibly post-pre-ambient....

I've been listening to the latest from him over the last few months and those speech tracks while at first are interesting after a while they get annoying. Ashra tempel new age of earth or eno stuff for example I can listen to for years and have. I am already done with biosphere.

ExAsperis99

@greengrocer said:

Thanks for that, wasn't aware that he still is developing
Although I think his use of found vocals gets slightly in the area where it become cliche.

It's interesting that you land on this as a cliche; I think he does it well, but I can see what you mean. I really like the way the Books do dialogue.

Also curious any links to your own work at the moment?

That makes two of us.

cian

Loscil, Lawrence English, Rafael Irisarri, Richard Skelton, Taylor Deupree, loads of stuff on Erased Tapes (the record label of Nils Frahm), bvdub, Lusine

Might also try John Luther Adams. He's a contemporary composer (mostly orchestral pieces).

BlueGreenSpiral

Max Richter "Sleep" the 8 hour version is on Apple Music!

If you're listening to Max Richter for the first time (unlikely) go with "The Blue Notebooks" especially on good headphones/speakers that can deliver those low frequencies...

oat_phipps

@BlueGreenSpiral said:
I also thought of William Basinski @bleep

I can imagine that the listening party for "The Disintegration Loops" was more dramatic than most.

"Basinski has said that he finished the project the morning of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, and sat on the roof of his apartment building in Brooklyn with friends listening to the project as the World Trade Center towers collapsed"

That’s an amazing and surreal story. ‘Hey, let’s go check out my master’...wow.

I love William Basinski. ‘Silent Night’ is my favorite. I reserve it for nights I absolutely can’t sleep these days.

As to OP, proper answers have been covered well.

DYMS

@oat_phipps said:
As to OP, proper answers have been covered well.

Very well. Thank you to everyone who has offered suggestions.

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