Early-Mid 1990s UK Ambient Techno

sacred_geometry · Post by **sacred_geometry** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:16 pm

Hey guys, hope everyone is well. I just wanted to share my thoughts on my recent obsession in electronic music: early-mid 90s ambient house/electronica. I'm just in love with the warm, laid back and ecstasy infused tones of the artists and the albums that defined this movement in the UK. Right now, I'm in the midst of revisiting early Orb releases such as Adventures Beyond Ultraworld and U.F. Orb as well as Accelerator and Dead Cities by FSoL. Snivilisation and In Sides by Orbital, Spanners by Black Dog, and SAWI and II by Aphex Twin have also been in heavy rotation . It seems to me that newer chill-out music, even with the drastic improvement in technology and software doesn't quite reach the sublime heights that these album releases reached (some of these albums broke the UK Top 40). I also feel like these aforementioned albums don't get old as fast and have a tremendous amount of sonic depth that few subsequent artists have reached as time has gone by.

So in light of my thoughts, what do you guys think about this time and place in musical history in terms of the music, culture, and artists? Does anyone who lived through it all have any memories or opinions that they can share from the time? Any good shows?

hungry_manweaselbeast · Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:29 pm

not as epic as those you mention but File With Interpol - Northern Borders is warm and very 90s

and free on my label

http://myuzyk.net/releases/File-With-In ... YKN005.php

the 90s were the golden era for electronica, loved it!

gigs i saw include The Orb, FSOL, Biosphere and Higher Intelligence Agency ... all amazing

favourite albums off the top of my head are

The Black Dog - Spanners
Biosphere - Patashnik
Orbital - Brown album
Aphex - SAW1
FSOL - Dead Cities
The Orb - Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld
Chapterhouse Retranslated By Global Communication - Blood Music: Pentamerous Metamorphosis (more ambient than techno)
BoC - Music Has The Right To Children (less techno but 90s, albeit late, all the same)
KLF - Chill Out (ambient masterpiece)

observation · Post by **observation** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:43 pm

I agree.

Selected Ambient Works Vol 1 is probably the absolute classic for me. I would also add tracks by Salt Tank, FUSE (early Plastikman/Richie Hawtin), Sabres of Paradise, LSG, Bandulu, Spooky... lots of very very good stuff.

I would also mention some of the LTJ Bukem, Kemistry and Storm, Metalheadz stuff - not exatcly ambient, but some of the frantic drum and bass stuff actually ends up feeling quite chilled for me...

hungry_manweaselbeast · Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:00 pm

yeh man

Plus 8 and Hawtin & Acquaviva's DJing and the Plastikman productions were top notch

was going to mention the Sabres, Haunted Dancehall is a much loved album here

Spooky was from the area i live in

also folk like Drum Club and stuff on Rising High ...

kyriakos · Post by **kyriakos** » Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:44 pm

i love.

observation · Post by **observation** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:03 am

Yeh yeh yeh Mr Hungry, forgot to mention Bedouin Ascent - Music For Particles. And then there's Oval... Systemisch and Diskont are just absolutely f'in awesome...

Now that it's no longer the 90's I get some modern ambient thrills from Colleen, Camille, Alva Noto, To Rococo Rot, all the good stuff from Sutemos...

Hi Scores Boards · Post by **Hi Scores Boards** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 4:06 am

I don't think I can add much more to the excellent choices which everyone has posted on this thread!!
I was a big fan of Rising High, and liked the Chill Out Or Die compilations, One of my prized possessions is a Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1 t shirt which I got from R&S Records!! I liked the tracks released on DJ Ungle Fever, like Biochip C, Jammin' Unit, Air Liquide, Walker, and other colaborations which also ended up on Rising High. One of my favourites on Plus 8 has got to be Themes by Vapour Space. Another honourable mention has got to go to Nightmares On Wax, I thought Smokers Delight was another great album.

Vexille · Post by **Vexille** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:39 pm

I've been listening to Insides obsessively for the past couple weeks. Good stuff.

observation · Post by **observation** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 7:06 pm

oh yeh Air Liquide - This is Not A Mindtrip... and Nightmares on Wax - wahey

Hi Scores Boards · Post by **Hi Scores Boards** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 9:03 pm

Did anyone listen to the The Irresistible Force AKA Mixmaster Morris?
I thought his remix of Coldcut's Autumn Leaves was a classic. Did anyone listen to Morris's LP called Flying High?