Ambient Music: The Truth Of Music As An Art Form

Written by Jenna Dreisenstock

Ambience is the immerse of emotion; the essence of human existence. Swirling around us at all times as we bury ourselves further into the expression of ourselves, and the way in which we experience our fragile human lives – ambience, in its intricate shroud, is able to shift our perceptions of every situation we find ourselves in. It’s as though it lies at the essence of our core, yet often this core seeps so deep within us we are unable to bring it forth from its cloak.

To speak of artists who create ambient music is to speak of those who are so intricately aware of this immersion they are able to piece together, within their own personality; the coalescence of the everyday sounds we are so often unaware of, splicing them – sampling and merging, building world’s from the existing and non-existence; to shape and sculpt a realm in which an ambient artist’s world is so elaborate we are able to relate with even the most basic of everyday experience in sound without realising. The delicate weave of layers, of silence and luminesce, shimmering amongst the calm. An experience of our world both in realism and the metaphysical, as the ambience we hear around us is presented back to us as artworks, or distorted tenderly in ways we feel so deeply, yet may not realise.

This leads to me to a feeling of deep melancholia as I continuously notice ambient artists fall under the radar – except for a very special few, who often turn into pioneers of the genre. Yet I often watch as new ambient artists struggle to break through into the music scene, as it seems like a rather difficult genre of music to celebrate in ‘mainstream’ circles. It makes sense, of course – despite the pure intricacies, the sheer talent of ambient artists as they mold entire realms out of sound in a way that essentially presents the world as we know it back to us, as well as a beautiful form of self-expression – we all are aware that ambient music is not the go-to for the music we decide to play at parties. It’s not the genre of music we will usually hear on the radio, obviously. Most often, the general public tend to lean toward that which excites them, pop-songs that essentially all sound like one song – or some artists who are celebrated for playing electronic music that can end up so horribly drab as it repeats for seven minutes on a laptop with little to no creativity. People want to dance. They do not want to reflect. However, we all have different tastes and lifestyles.

The experience that is ambient music is an experience like no other – and it is certainly not for everyone. Yet to watch ambient artists continuously struggle for recognition as they create worlds in the most innovative of ways, piecing together narratives in ways we would never expect is something undefinable, something admirable. As we celebrate artists who create music that is so wonderfully energetic, it is also time we allow ambient artists into our hearts.