An Introduction to Ambient

This is a list of good essentials (imo) and starters into different styles of Ambient music. Some I may have made up or may not be in the right categories. I do what I can.

You will like this if your name is Andee.

Minimal:
Minimal ambient music is the roots of ambient music and many consider Brian Eno to be the father of ambient music. It's a definitely a good starting place. Minimal is relaxing and contemplative - book reading music, perhaps, sleep is good too.

Artists include:
- Brian Eno
- Stars Of The Lid
- The Dead Texan

Download sample pack: here

Neo-Classical:
It's exactly what it sounds like - New classical music. Usually piano-centric; very atmospheric and nostalgic. I enjoy Neo-classical the most on rainy afternoons or early in the morning.

Artists include:
- Ludovico Einaudi
- Johann Johannsson
- Worrytrain

Download sample pack: here

Ambient Acoustic:
Warm acoustic guitars sets a good mood for anything. Road-trips through the desert, formal dinners, sitting by a fire in a snowy log cabin, or just relaxing on the grass.

Artists include:
- Sumner McKane
- Kaki King
- James Blackshaw

Download sample pack: here

Ambient Lo-Fi:
Often giving off a creepy vibe, but wonderful once you get to know it. Ancient rituals, old dusty houses, and crackling, worn-out recording equipment.

Artists include:
- Natural Snow Buildings
- Pocahaunted
- Grouper

Download sample pack: here

Ambient Post-Rock:
If you're unfamiliar with post-rock, it's a usually-instrumental style of music for using rock instruments in a very non-rock kind of way. Songs are usually long, don't follow a normal rule of verse-chorus usage, and end up being pretty epic. Translate that to ambient music and it's quite something to behold.

Artists include:
- The American Dollar
- Hammock
- Jesu

Download sample pack: here

Ambient Electronic:
Electronic beats and stylings that usually end up sounding pretty romantic. For lonely nights staring out the window, heartaches; For distant city lights; For holding hands, and making out.

Artists include:
- port-royal
- Lights Out Asia
- The Album Leaf

Download sample pack: here

Minimal Techno:
Pretty self-explanatory, but very hard to imagine if you've never heard it before. Music for relaxing with friends, music for late-night drives, music for cleaning your room. If you're not a fan of "techno" and related genres, it's still worth checking out - It's not very similar.

Artists include:
- Evan Marc & Steve Hillage
- The Field
- Loscil

Download sample pack: here

Space Music:
Exactly what it sounds like. Music for dreaming of being in space, for stargazing, for falling asleep. So infinitely pleasant if you're in love with space.

Artists include:
- Jonn Serrie
- Steve Roach
- Seetyca

Download sample pack: N/A

Drone:
Drone, light drone, and dark drone are all really the same thing, but with different moods. Drone is a very good word to describe it, because that's what it is - Long, droning tones, wavering wavelengths, and big soundscapes. It may sound boring, but once you start, you cannot stop. I like to think it adds an extra layer of silence. You'll see what I mean.

Artists include:
- Aidan Baker
- Windy & Carl
- Eluvium

Download sample pack: N/A

Light Drone:
Drone with a lighter, innocent flavor. Usually the stuff you want to fall asleep to. Sometimes good romantic dinner music, or late-night snugglings and smoochies as well.

Artists include:
- Slow Dancing Society
- Northern
- Stephen Philips

Download sample pack: N/A

Dark Drone:
Drone with a sinister, evil flavor. Stuff to creep yourself out, to make you feel like a villian, or to just satisfy your craving for something... dark. Not for little girls.

Artists include:
- Lustmord
- Vrodhgr
- Rosetta (B-Sides)

Download sample pack: N/A

Drone Metal:
Distortion off the charts, dense walls of sound, slow brooding drums, drowning out vocals, thoughts, and melting your skin off. Nothing has ever been so brutally lovely.

Artists include:
- Nadja
- The Angelic Process

Download sample pack: N/A

Doom Metal:
Candles go out, eyes cry blood, livestock dies, hoods are donned, stormclouds hide the sun, a swarm of locusts descends, the wind howls. Prepare for the darkest hour.

Artists include:
- Sunn O)))
- The Mt. Fuji Doomjazz Corporation
- Omega Massif

Download sample pack: N/A