Around christmas time, I became curious about ambient music, and I thought that I'd try to look into the genre. I have come across many of the producers and musicians before, but in my youth I never had the time, nor the concentration and will power to sit down and experience ambient music.
I have tried to compile a list of the top ambient albums of all time. Since I am not an expert, I have used various lists, listened to some albums, works, EPs, and asked around for recommendations. Although it is not perfect, I wanted to post the list in question. I curate one private list called "Ambient", where I add more than just classic albums, but also dark ambient, experimental stuff, as well as single tunes from various eras. I also curate the list mentioned above: "Top Ambient Albums of All Time". I have added the albums in somewhat of an alphabetaical order, and be sure to drop names of classics I have missed, albums that shouldn't be there, and recent albums that are solid enough to be in the "ambient" list and perhaps the "Top Ambient Albums..." list.
I will remove albums and review the list continually.
Top Ambient Albums of All Time
Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol. 2
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol. II
Ashra - Blackouts
Ashra - New Age Earth
Autechre - Amber
Autechre - Incunabula
B-Zet - Archaic Modulation
Ben Frost - By the Throat
Ben Frost - Aurora
Bing & Ruth - No Home of the Mind
Bing & Ruth - Tomorrow Was the Golden Age
Biosphere - Dropsonde
Biosphere - Insomnia
Biosphere - Microgravity
Biosphere - Substrata
The Black Dog - Temple of Transparent Balls
Black To Comm - Alphabet 1968
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music For Airports
Brian Eno & Harold Budd - Ambient 2: The Plateaux Of Mirror
Brian Eno - Ambient 4: On Land
Brian Eno - Another Green World
Brian Eno - Apollo
Brian Eno - Discreet Music
Brian Eno & Rick Holland - Drums Between The Bells
Brian Eno - More Music For Films
Brian Eno - My Life In The Bush
Brian Eno & Rick Holland - Panic of Looking
Brian Eno - The Ship
Brian Eno & Jon Hopkins - Small Craft On A Milk Sea
Bruno Sanfilippo - Piano Textures 1
Bruno Sanfilippo - Piano Textures 2
Bruno Sanfilippo - Piano Textures 3
Bruno Sanfilippo - Piano Textures 4
Call Super - Suzi Ecto
Carbon Based Lifeforms - Twentythree
Cluster & Brian Eno - Cluster & Eno
Cluster - Sowiesoso
Colleen - A Flame My Love, A Frequency
Daniel Lanois & Rocco DeLuca - Goodbye To Language
Deathprod - Morals and Dogma
Deepchord Presents: Echospace Liumin
The Detroit Escalator Co. - Black Buildings
East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays
Eluvium - Talk Amongst The Trees
Emeralds - Does It Look Like I'm Here?
Fennesz - Bécs
Fennesz - Black Sea
Fennesz - Endless Summer
Fennesz - Venice
Fhloston Paradigm - The Phoenix
The Future Sound of London - ISDN
The Future Sound of London - Lifeforms
GAS - GAS 0095
GAS - Königsforst
GAS - Narkopop
GAS - Pop
Global Communication - 76:14
Grouper - Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill
Grouper - A I A: Alien Observer
Grouper - Ruins
Hammock - Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow
Harmonia & Eno '76 - Tracks and Traces
Harold Budd - Avalon Sutra
Harold Budd & Brian Eno - The Pearl
The Haxan Cloak - Excavation
Helios - Eingya
Henrik B - Kryoniks
Huerco S. - For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
Iambic - Under These Stars, We'll Sleep Again
Ian William Craig - Centres
Iasos - Inter-Dimensional Music
Ishq - Orchid
Jean-Michel Jarre - Equinoxe
Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygène
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - A Year With 13 Moons
Jóhann Jóhansson - Englabörn
John Fox - The Complete Cathedral Oceans
Jon Hassell - Power Spot
Jon Hassell - Vernal Equinox
Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Jon Hopkins - Late Night Tales
Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place
Julianna Barwick - Nepenthe
Julianna Barwick - Will
Keith Fullerton Whitman - Playthrougs
Kiasmos - Kiasmos
Klaus Schulze & Pete Namlook - The Dark Side Of The Moog (complete Version)
KWJAZ - KWJAZ
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein - Stranger Things, Vol. 1
Laraaji - Ambient 3: Day of Radiance
Laurel Halo - Chance of Rain
Laurel Halo - In Situ
Laurie Spiegel - The Expanding Universe
Loscil - Plume
Loscil - Sea Island
Loscil - Submers
Loscil - Triple Point
Luke Abbott - Holkham Drones
Max Richter & Ben Russell - From Sleep
Michael Stearns - Encounter
Microstoria - Snd
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Moiré - Shelter
Motion sickness Of Time Travel - Motion Sickness Of Time Travel
Murcof - cosmos
Nils Frahm - Felt
Nils Frahm - Spaces
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal
The Orb - The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld
The Orb - Orbvs Terrarvm
The Orb - U.F.Orb
Orbital - In Sides
Oren Ambarchi - Quixotism
Oval - 94diskont.
Pauline Oliveros - Accordion & Voice
Pauline Oliveros - Deep Listening
Peter Broderick - Music For Confluence
Pink Floyd - The Endless River
Plaid - Reachy Prints
Raime - Quarter Turns Over A Living Line
Robert Rich - Below Zero
Robert Rich - Illumination
Robert Rich - Rainforest
Roly Porter - Third Law
Ruichi Sakamoto - async
Seefeel - Starethrough EP
Slowdive - Pygmalion
Stars Of The Lid - And Their Refinement Of The Decline
Stars Of The Lid - The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid
Steve Hauschildt - Where All Is Fled
Steve Hillage - Rainbow Dome Musick
Steve Reich & Ensemble Signal - Steve Reich: Music For 18 Musicians
Steve Roach - Dreamtime Return
Steve Roach - The Magnificent Void
Steve Roach - Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces
sun electric - 30.7.94 (Live)
Susumu Yokota - Sakura
Susanne Ciani - Buchla concerts 1975
Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
Tangerine Dream - Zeit
Teengirl Fantasy - 8AM
Terry Riley - Persian Surgery Dervishes
Terry Riley - Terry Riley: A Rainbow In Curved Air
Tim Hecker - Harmony In Ultraviolet
Tim Hecker - Radio Amor
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
Tim Hecker - Virgins
White Rainbow - New Clouds
Willam Basinski - The Disintegration Loops III
William Basinski - A Shadow In Time
Windy & Carl - Depths
Windy & Carl - Songs For The Broken Hearted
A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Atomos
A Winged Victory For The Sullen - A Winged Victory For The Sullen
I have tried to compile a list of the top ambient albums of all time. Since I am not an expert, I have used various lists, listened to some albums, works, EPs, and asked around for recommendations. Although it is not perfect, I wanted to post the list in question. I curate one private list called "Ambient", where I add more than just classic albums, but also dark ambient, experimental stuff, as well as single tunes from various eras. I also curate the list mentioned above: "Top Ambient Albums of All Time". I have added the albums in somewhat of an alphabetaical order, and be sure to drop names of classics I have missed, albums that shouldn't be there, and recent albums that are solid enough to be in the "ambient" list and perhaps the "Top Ambient Albums..." list.
I will remove albums and review the list continually.
Top Ambient Albums of All Time
Alva Noto - Xerrox Vol. 2
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol. II
Ashra - Blackouts
Ashra - New Age Earth
Autechre - Amber
Autechre - Incunabula
B-Zet - Archaic Modulation
Ben Frost - By the Throat
Ben Frost - Aurora
Bing & Ruth - No Home of the Mind
Bing & Ruth - Tomorrow Was the Golden Age
Biosphere - Dropsonde
Biosphere - Insomnia
Biosphere - Microgravity
Biosphere - Substrata
The Black Dog - Temple of Transparent Balls
Black To Comm - Alphabet 1968
Boards of Canada - Geogaddi
Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music For Airports
Brian Eno & Harold Budd - Ambient 2: The Plateaux Of Mirror
Brian Eno - Ambient 4: On Land
Brian Eno - Another Green World
Brian Eno - Apollo
Brian Eno - Discreet Music
Brian Eno & Rick Holland - Drums Between The Bells
Brian Eno - More Music For Films
Brian Eno - My Life In The Bush
Brian Eno & Rick Holland - Panic of Looking
Brian Eno - The Ship
Brian Eno & Jon Hopkins - Small Craft On A Milk Sea
Bruno Sanfilippo - Piano Textures 1
Bruno Sanfilippo - Piano Textures 2
Bruno Sanfilippo - Piano Textures 3
Bruno Sanfilippo - Piano Textures 4
Call Super - Suzi Ecto
Carbon Based Lifeforms - Twentythree
Cluster & Brian Eno - Cluster & Eno
Cluster - Sowiesoso
Colleen - A Flame My Love, A Frequency
Daniel Lanois & Rocco DeLuca - Goodbye To Language
Deathprod - Morals and Dogma
Deepchord Presents: Echospace Liumin
The Detroit Escalator Co. - Black Buildings
East India Youth - Total Strife Forever
Ekkehard Ehlers - Plays
Eluvium - Talk Amongst The Trees
Emeralds - Does It Look Like I'm Here?
Fennesz - Bécs
Fennesz - Black Sea
Fennesz - Endless Summer
Fennesz - Venice
Fhloston Paradigm - The Phoenix
The Future Sound of London - ISDN
The Future Sound of London - Lifeforms
GAS - GAS 0095
GAS - Königsforst
GAS - Narkopop
GAS - Pop
Global Communication - 76:14
Grouper - Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill
Grouper - A I A: Alien Observer
Grouper - Ruins
Hammock - Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow
Harmonia & Eno '76 - Tracks and Traces
Harold Budd - Avalon Sutra
Harold Budd & Brian Eno - The Pearl
The Haxan Cloak - Excavation
Helios - Eingya
Henrik B - Kryoniks
Huerco S. - For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)
Iambic - Under These Stars, We'll Sleep Again
Ian William Craig - Centres
Iasos - Inter-Dimensional Music
Ishq - Orchid
Jean-Michel Jarre - Equinoxe
Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygène
Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - A Year With 13 Moons
Jóhann Jóhansson - Englabörn
John Fox - The Complete Cathedral Oceans
Jon Hassell - Power Spot
Jon Hassell - Vernal Equinox
Jon Hopkins - Immunity
Jon Hopkins - Late Night Tales
Julianna Barwick - The Magic Place
Julianna Barwick - Nepenthe
Julianna Barwick - Will
Keith Fullerton Whitman - Playthrougs
Kiasmos - Kiasmos
Klaus Schulze & Pete Namlook - The Dark Side Of The Moog (complete Version)
KWJAZ - KWJAZ
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein - Stranger Things, Vol. 1
Laraaji - Ambient 3: Day of Radiance
Laurel Halo - Chance of Rain
Laurel Halo - In Situ
Laurie Spiegel - The Expanding Universe
Loscil - Plume
Loscil - Sea Island
Loscil - Submers
Loscil - Triple Point
Luke Abbott - Holkham Drones
Max Richter & Ben Russell - From Sleep
Michael Stearns - Encounter
Microstoria - Snd
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Moiré - Shelter
Motion sickness Of Time Travel - Motion Sickness Of Time Travel
Murcof - cosmos
Nils Frahm - Felt
Nils Frahm - Spaces
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica
Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal
The Orb - The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld
The Orb - Orbvs Terrarvm
The Orb - U.F.Orb
Orbital - In Sides
Oren Ambarchi - Quixotism
Oval - 94diskont.
Pauline Oliveros - Accordion & Voice
Pauline Oliveros - Deep Listening
Peter Broderick - Music For Confluence
Pink Floyd - The Endless River
Plaid - Reachy Prints
Raime - Quarter Turns Over A Living Line
Robert Rich - Below Zero
Robert Rich - Illumination
Robert Rich - Rainforest
Roly Porter - Third Law
Ruichi Sakamoto - async
Seefeel - Starethrough EP
Slowdive - Pygmalion
Stars Of The Lid - And Their Refinement Of The Decline
Stars Of The Lid - The Tired Sounds Of Stars Of The Lid
Steve Hauschildt - Where All Is Fled
Steve Hillage - Rainbow Dome Musick
Steve Reich & Ensemble Signal - Steve Reich: Music For 18 Musicians
Steve Roach - Dreamtime Return
Steve Roach - The Magnificent Void
Steve Roach - Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces
sun electric - 30.7.94 (Live)
Susumu Yokota - Sakura
Susanne Ciani - Buchla concerts 1975
Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
Tangerine Dream - Zeit
Teengirl Fantasy - 8AM
Terry Riley - Persian Surgery Dervishes
Terry Riley - Terry Riley: A Rainbow In Curved Air
Tim Hecker - Harmony In Ultraviolet
Tim Hecker - Radio Amor
Tim Hecker - Ravedeath, 1972
Tim Hecker - Virgins
White Rainbow - New Clouds
Willam Basinski - The Disintegration Loops III
William Basinski - A Shadow In Time
Windy & Carl - Depths
Windy & Carl - Songs For The Broken Hearted
A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Atomos
A Winged Victory For The Sullen - A Winged Victory For The Sullen
