| Ambient techno | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1980s — early 1990s, UK and US |
| Other topics | |
Ambient techno is a subgenre oftechno that incorporates the atmospherictextures ofambient music with the rhythmic elements andproduction of techno.[1] It was pioneered by 1990s electronic artists such asAphex Twin,Carl Craig,The Orb,The Future Sound of London,the Black Dog,Pete Namlook andBiosphere.
AllMusic states that ambient techno, building off theambient house scene, blended the "soaring, layered, aquatic atmospheres of beatless and experimental ambient" with techno's "well-produced, thin-sounding electronics."[1] Artists fused the "environmentalist" work ofBrian Eno,Jon Hassell, andWendy Carlos with the rhythms of urban dance styles such as techno andacid house.[2] Ambient techno artists returned to the instruments of theDetroit techno andChicago house scenes, includinganalogue synthesizers, theRoland TB-303 bass machine, and theTR-909 drum machine.[3] Common elements included heavily reverbedstring pads and subtle drum programming that moved beyond the simple patterns of4/4 techno andhouse, while artists typically de-emphasizedsampling.[4]
One principal influence on the genre was the 1984 albumE2-E4 by German musicianManuel Göttsching.[5] The Orb's 1991 albumAdventures Beyond the Ultraworld would inspiredub-influenced ambient techno.[3]Artforum noted the genre's similarities withnew age: "swaddling the listener in a womblike sound bath, it means retreat from the environment, relief from the stresses of urban existence."[6] CriticSimon Reynolds characterized the style as a "post-rave genre" meant "for immobile contemplation," comparing it to "the aqua-mysticism and forest idylls ofClaude Debussy."[3]
The style would be associated with labels such asWarp,Apollo, GPR, andBeyond,[1] with releases focusing more onalbums than12-inch singles.[6]
Ambient techno departed from the communal, dance-oriented sound heard atraves and instead gained popularity in the early 1990s as a form of "electronic listening music."[3] Artists such asCarl Craig,the Black Dog, andThe Orb produced early works in the style.[7] Carl Craig's early releases as part of theDetroit techno scene (later collected on the compilationElements 1989-1990) showcased an ambient style of "narcoleptic, interior techno,"[8] and would inspire UK artists aiming to make atmospheric listening music.[9]Aphex Twin's 1991 recording "Analogue Bubblebath" would also signal a shift toward meditative, ambient-leaning techno,[3] while his 1992 debut LPSelected Ambient Works 85–92 became "the flagship of the emergent genre" according toSPIN.[10] ProducerPete Namlook released a prodigious amount of music in the genre, starting the labelFax in 1992 and becoming a "spiritual leader" of the movement.[11]
Other prominent artists in the style includedIrresistible Force,Global Communication,Higher Intelligence Agency, andFuture Sound of London.[6] According toAllMusic, early classics of the era included Aphex Twin's debut LP,Ultramarine'sEvery Man and Woman Is a Star (1991),Biosphere'sMicrogravity (1991), and the Orb'sU.F.Orb (1992).[12] Author Sean Albiez added Higher Intelligence Agency'sColourform (1992) and the Black Dog'sTemple of Transparent Balls (1993) as early examples.[4] The release of Warp'sArtificial Intelligence compilation in 1992 helped to establish the genre and featured ambient techno pioneers such Aphex Twin,B12,Autechre, the Black Dog,Richie Hawtin, and the Orb'sAlex Paterson.[13] B12's 1993 Warp albumElectro-Soma was also called a classic of ambient techno byResident Advisor.[14]The Quietus characterizedLuke Slater's early-90s work under his 7th Plain moniker as important to the style's development.[15] Following the release of Warp'sArtificial Intelligence series, the genre developed further into the "intelligent techno" scene.[1]
During the 1990s, compilation series such asChill Out or Die popularized ambient techno andhouse.[16] In reaction against the more "cozy" features of the early ambient techno scene, some artists would move toward adark ambient sound heard on releases such as Aphex Twin'sSelected Ambient Works Volume II (1994) and projects by other "ambient noir-ists" such asSeefeel and the duo ofDavid Toop &Max Eastley.[6]Virgin's 1994 compilationIsolationism served as a summary of this darker tendency.[6]
In the early-to mid-1990s, a small network of ambient techno artists developed around the Berlin-based labelsBasic Channel andChain Reaction.[17] In 1995, producerWolfgang Voigt began releasing influential ambient techno projects asGas, bringing together lush and expansive atmospheres with 4/4minimal techno beats.[18] Voigt co-runs the German labelKompakt, which has released installments of the influential ambient techno compilation seriesPop Ambient annually since 2001.[19]