10 Comments
Jun 30, 2023Liked by Chris Dalla Riva

I'm an ambient music fan and artist. The best way I can describe it is you don't really "listen" to ambient music. You put it on like you would your clothes and let it be a part of you.

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Any good places to start with the genre?

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PS - thank you for the post about the Jeffrey Silverstein album. I was not familiar with him but am gonna give him a listen. I really like this song "Chet." I DO know who William Tyler is though and I can tell he worked on this song!

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Marconi Union's "Weightless" was what got me into the genre. There was scientific testing done on it that proved the song lowered anxiety immensely for the listener. (You can Google it for more info.)

From there I'd suggest checking out a classic standard like Brian Eno's "Music For Airports."

Aphex Twin is really popular but for me they are hit and miss from track to track.

My favorite kind of ambient is loop based, making my favorite album(s) of all-time:

William Basinski's "Disintegration Loops I-IV" - the tracks are repetitive but I swear they take me to another dimension.

The genre is sooo broad. I didn't get "into" the genre on purpose.....I just found one thing I liked and then did some research to find others that were like it and the next thing I knew I was down a rabbit hole and a fan.

Oh, and as long as I'm giving suggestions......the ambient music I produce is under the name Plastic Clouds.

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Love this sort of data deep-dive! So interesting.

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Thanks, Ray! I also saw your email will respond soon

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Jun 29, 2023Liked by Chris Dalla Riva

So true! "In fact, the more time I’ve spent studying music, the more I realize that most musical experiences aren’t better or worse than one another. They are just different."

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Dead and Company 2023 was phenomenal

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I agree with you about getting into Grateful Dead's catalog. This video was a great start, you really can hear the intricate details of the composition. Excited to dive into more.

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I can't stand Taylor Swift (or most mainstream pop music in general). I find it too shallow, bland, and boring. I prefer darker music with more depth to it that takes on social issues. Of "pop" music, I love Arcade Fire, who I saw last year. I'm looking forward to seeing Dead & Company next month.

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