If you ask an Ambient music listener about a movie that could represent the archetype of an Ambient movie, chances are Blade Runner will be mentioned several times. "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain."— Roy Batty, Blade Runner The urban sci-fi ambience and the Vangelis original soundtrack are probably the reason listeners will mention the movie. But from my own perspective, what is fascinating about Blade Runner is the underlying emotional struggle the characters experience and how they transmit it. This is at the same time particular to their own background, and universal since the viewers can appropriate it and adapt it to their own experience. "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. [insert your own experiences here]. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain." Art is deeply rooted on the exploration of human emotions, it is a tool to expand the boundaries of human knowledge through dreams, introspection and creativity. Several XXth century art philosophies are of particular interest, namely, Expressionism, Dadaism and Surrealism because they push this exploration into more extreme situations, they show us the potential of opposite logics, distorted realities and random thoughts. Ultimately it is these abstractions, and particularly abstract art forms that are the foundations of dreams, introspection and creativity. From my perspective, Abstract music or ambient music, for a lack of a better term, is an art form that explores the idea of concepts, by exploring textures and moods, archetypal places and the sense of belonging. The key issue when curating “ambient art” is therefore the relevance to the listener’s own life. Abstract music needs to be rooted in the experience of the listener, meaning that the elements: urban sounds, noise, perceived silence and natural sounds, are relevant for “Ambient” music. What sometimes can be summed up as Field recordings. "Leonardo Rosado’s full-length Opaque Glitter is an ambient album based on field recordings which are the core of Rosado’s work. Luckily enough, they are just the basis for something fuller and bigger. Winds, rustlings, knocks and undefinable rushes complement the structure, but aren’t the lone component – rather, they are enhancements to the mood and refinements to the images." Tomas Slaninka's review1 of Opaque Glitter As Tomas points out it doesn’t mean that field recordings are exclusive, but rather a complement. They can even be absent if the music per se brings the aforementioned elements to the fore. Listen for instance to the piece The Big Empty by I’ve Lost – all played with guitar only. It feels like I’ve Lost is sharing his own experiences with the listener. Metaphorically speaking this music is a transparent figure that reflects like a mirror.
You may need: Adobe Flash Player. Life should be the core theme of an "ambient sound maker". And as in life, there are things imperfect and perfect, slightly sad or joyful, but never overly theatrical. The use of so called imperfect sounds like glitches, white noise, out of tune melodies and broken rhythms make sense when fit into a broader structure. Exaggeration and synthetic perfection are attributes that have to be used with care, since they will instantly transport the listeners into a reality that can be too alien. "It Ends Here is probably the richest and most intense composition on Opaque Glitter. Synthesizers evoking sound of organ (or processed organ instead?) are the bottom line of this track’s success: they are mournful, but not crying; blue, but not weepy; dark, but not mystic."2
You may need: Adobe Flash Player. Also relevant to "ambient music" is context. Track names, images, words, can and should be used, not to describe the work exactly, but rather work as complements that enhance multiple interpretations. "Coincidence does not exist. On the very day that I received the digital version of ‘Opaque Glitter’ I was finalizing a paper - co-authored with one of my doctoral students - that deals with so-called opaque firms; that is, firms whose creditworthiness is hard to assess for external lenders such as banks. At first, it just made me smile, but after a while I realized that I could perhaps do more with it."—Leo Van Hove, excerpt from an email to the author The combination of music with poetry and abstract images is a powerful enhancer of creativity. In fact, abstract languages such as the aforementioned ones can create endless possibilities and hence perpetuate the feeling of newness and familiarity at the same time. One of the projects I’ve been involved was the curation of a compilation of music called Brave New World that had as starting point: two poems and 20 photographs.
The poems and photographs were sent to selected musicians to serve as a source of inspiration for the creation of their track for the compilation. The end result is an appropriation of the source material into the body of work of each artist, and with that bringing a multitude of approaches that enrich the original material, in several ways, pointing out to even more interpretations. You can listen to some of the thoughts of the involved artists in the making of Brave New World podcast.
You may need: Adobe Flash Player. The latest project I am involved explores the reverse idea, creating sound postcards, with poems and images made specifically to attribute a context to the music.
You may need: Adobe Flash Player. The secret about a good poem or a good image is that it can be read and seen countless times and always amaze by its ever-changing meanings. Marc Rothko’s painting and Juan Ramon Jimenez poetry are fine examples of this argument. With music and "ambient music" this also should be pursued. In particular, due to the high level of abstraction in the sound language there are even more possibilities. In fact, when you compare the languages expressed by words, images and sounds, you can reach the conclusion that sound is the most subjective and abstract of all three. When I curate "ambient music" at FeedbackLoop Label I want to highlight musicians or non-musicians (sound makers) that explore these notions, consciously or unconsciously, and hopefully exposing them to an audience that understands and enjoys their work. In the age of mass information, and rapid inflows of new music it is easy to make a trade off between quality and quantity, hence a growing importance needs to be given to references that ensure a degree of quality, in order for listeners to know what to expect. In a sense, curating "ambient music" is also being a middlemen, an intermediary between the musicians and its listeners, functioning like a hub or a community that is established and can function as a reference place – which might contradict the idea that nowadays music labels are less and less important. This place of familiarity is achieved with a continuous effort, for a long period of time, offering a quality selection of "ambient music", all with a warm welcoming message. Listeners can therefore feel confortable in exploring and reaching out to a label and optimize the use of their time. Due to the particular characteristics of "ambient music" one of the most important things is to ensure it gets to its niche, so it can be properly listened and enjoyed. To conclude and adapting the ideas Brian Eno expressed about "Ambient music" I would say that nowadays and after all the evolution "ambient music" has gone through, it should be more foreground music and less background music. Listening to ambient music just to have the room filled with sound waves is much like having the TV on when doing something else just for the company. References: (1) Tomas Slaninka (2011) Music Addicted - daily dose for your ears & mind. http://tomasslaninka.tumblr.com/post/7189710123/it-ends-here |
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