Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[dukeorock]

Still got it. The main issue I had with it was fixed in an update, coinciding with me getting the Midibaby. Whatcha wanna know?

Just was curious if you liked it well enough. Seems really cool to me, but expensive enough that I’d want to be sure. I got a few kinda cool things made with the EHX 95000 (or whatever it was called), but in the end it seemed a bit to fidgety for live use

 

[hieronymous]

Posting before I forget:



One of my earliest ambient pieces, before I knew what ambient was!

Recorded at least 15 years ago - 2003 or 04? My Rickenbacker 4003S/8 8-string, plus my first experience with (even then) classic delays! Roland Space Echo, ARP synth, some kind of early digital delay - wish I had more accessible info! Might have to release this one on Bandcamp at some point...

 

[Feral Feline]

Haven't had much time to lurk around here of late, but had a few moments this morning and here's this post of awesomeness.

Reminds me of back in my teens, Brave New Waves on the CBC with Augusta LaPaix. About midnight the BNW programme came on with a variety of music, maybe some experimental "pop" stuff mixed with obscure New Wave — Strange Advance to the Spoons, whatever — then there'd be a band or author or filmmaker etc interviewed, the conversation interspersed with music/spoken-word/soundtrack etc. That would take me to about 3:30/4am when, interview concluded, Augusta would switch BNW into "Ambient Mode" and despite fighting to stay awake I would finally fall asleep listening to this sort of track you've posted in the quote.

Then the alarm-clock would bleet and blare and I'd be running late for school. Get home, sleep from 16:00 to 18:00, Dad would get home berate me for not doing homework in those 2 hours, we eat supper, evening filled with whatever activities (homework/TV/conversations etc) and then ... Back to bed and Augusta's soothing voice on Brave New Waves with great music, insightful interviews, and ambience into sleep ... Alarm ... School ... Nap ... Supper ... Brave New Waves ...



Brent Bambury was the next host (good), and after him Patti Schmidt (still good), but it was Augusta La Paix (great) that instilled <née installed> the ambient ear-worms I love and that eventually led me here.




Hope you're all doing well. Catch you on the flip-side...
FF

 

[steubig]

Spotify cut,
0,0000000000000001 $

seems generous

 

[dukeorock]

Forma Tadre is good listening while reading William Gibson, I’m finding

 

[Spectrum]

Forma Tadre is good listening while reading William Gibson, I’m finding

Wow, now there's a reference I didn't expect to hear...

I forget how or why, but some years ago I heard something from Forma Tadre's Automate album, which led to me tracking down a good copy of it on CD.

Later I found out that the album was a one-off oddball; an electronic side project by the band leader, I think. The band was actually a more darkwave-ish thing from the 80s. I then found out they have a youtube channel and are still sort of active on Bandcamp. I bought one of their records when they re-released it a couple of years ago.

But Automate is still my favorite. This stuff is so good. Even the album cover is awesome, looks like an empty city under an artificial sky, cold and machine-like and beautiful.

 

[steubig]

Forma Tadre is good listening while reading William Gibson, I’m finding

which gibson?

 

[dukeorock]

Wow, now there's a reference I didn't expect to hear...

I forget how or why, but some years ago I heard something from Forma Tadre's Automate album, which led to me tracking down a good copy of it on CD.

Later I found out that the album was a one-off oddball; an electronic side project by the band leader, I think. The band was actually a more darkwave-ish thing from the 80s. I then found out they have a youtube channel and are still sort of active on Bandcamp. I bought one of their records when they re-released it a couple of years ago.

But Automate is still my favorite. This stuff is so good. Even the album cover is awesome, looks like an empty city under an artificial sky, cold and machine-like and beautiful.

Love that song a lot. The only thing I have by them is called Automate 2.0. I know very little about them, so the additional info you gave was most welcomed!

which gibson?

Finished up Idoru last week and started The Peripheral a few days ago. About a third of the way into the book and still don’t completely know what’s going on
Been enjoying Gibson off and on since the late 80’s(?). I think. Started with Neuromancer, which led me to a bunch of so called ‘cyberpunk’ books of that time

 

[dukeorock]

Now listening to 2814 while reading Gibson. That works well too

 

[steubig]

Finished up Idoru last week and started The Peripheral a few days ago. About a third of the way into the book and still don’t completely know what’s going on
Been enjoying Gibson off and on since the late 80’s(?). I think. Started with Neuromancer, which led me to a bunch of so called ‘cyberpunk’ books of that time

cool.
imo, it can be best to read his stuff in the order of the trilogies:

neuromancer, count zero, mona lisa overdrive (sprawl trilogy)

virtual light, idoru, all tomorrow’s parties (bridge trilogy)

pattern recognition, spook country, zero
history (blue ant trilogy)

the peripheral and agency have been less successful for me than those others.

i also recommend burning chrome, which is short stories. not all are great, but wintermarket is a highpoint for me.

i did a whole bandcamp release inspired by some of those (shameless plug). [mastering is too low]

 

[dukeorock]

cool.
imo, it can be best to read his stuff in the order of the trilogies:

neuromancer, count zero, mona lisa overdrive (sprawl trilogy)

virtual light, idoru, all tomorrow’s parties (bridge trilogy)

pattern recognition, spook country, zero
history (blue ant trilogy)

the peripheral and agency have been less successful for me than those others.

i also recommend burning chrome, which is short stories. not all are great, but wintermarket is a highpoint for me.

i did a whole bandcamp release inspired by some of those (shameless plug). [mastering is too low]

Hey, that’s really good! New Rose stood out for me, but I liked everything. Now I want to read to this

I read the first 3 (sprawl?) books in order, as well as Burning Chrome (a very long time ago…should read em again). Did Virtual Light and Idoru, but somehow skipped All Tomorrow’s Parties (doh!).
I’m enjoying The Peripheral, but can’t say I fully ‘get it’ yet.

 

[lordradish]

Just was curious if you liked it well enough. Seems really cool to me, but expensive enough that I’d want to be sure. I got a few kinda cool things made with the EHX 95000 (or whatever it was called), but in the end it seemed a bit to fidgety for live use

Well, let's just say you can do an awful lot with it. I like the visual display, and the 6x6 mode with three parts really gives you a huge canvas to paint with.
The main gripe about it is basically they rushed it out. I was an early adopter and a lot of the promised features weren't implemented, they're slowly coming out now. The big prob I had was not being able to go and make a seamless overdub, for drones and such. That's finally present and works well (I did some beta testing), but to get it really working as I needed it, I needed some CC commands, so I got the midibaby. The last thing I'm waiting on is an automatic fade in/out. It's coming soon, but again, this should have come out earlier.

What really surprised me is I don't think that they really consulted with many soundscape artists before planning this thing out. When it did come out, their forums were overrun with a bunch of us wondering why this and that wasn't even on the radar. I think they were so focused on conventional uses and integrating it with Beat Buddy that they didn't realize how this thing would be a soundscaper's dream with certain features. That said, they communicate really well and are busting their ass to get the other features in place. It's definitely not cheap. I was gonna get an Infinity 3. I still might sell this, just because I sometimes think it may be more than I really need. But in the right hands this thing is pretty powerful

 

[Spectrum]

Now listening to 2814 while reading Gibson. That works well too

Are you spying on my music collection? (And my book collection?)

I liked Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy. along with Burning Chrome which IIRC has a few stories set in the Sprawl setting, including Johnny Mnemonic (the movie was okay I guess, not great).

I disliked The Difference Engine, about the steampunk computer alt history. He co-wrote that with someone else and it shows. Peripheral was the only other Gibson I read and it was okay, at least the ending wrapped up the plot.

More recently I read Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson, which is another cyberpunk classic, great read and kind of funny in parts, too. The sci fi aspect of it is very interesting.

I ran across 2814 randomly on bandcamp during a long train trip and wound up buying this on vinyl, fantastic cyperpunk record. They've put out some other releases but this is the best IMO.



It's hard to find anything else as "cyberpunk" as 2814, but Woob does some pretty good stuff.

 

[Bob_Ross]

More recently I read Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson, which is another cyberpunk classic, great read and kind of funny in parts, too. The sci fi aspect of it is very interesting.

I freely confess to not being at all familiar with William Gibson's work...in part because whenever his name came up in conversation someone then mentioned Neal Stephenson and the conversation veered off to talking about his works, and so my Recommended Reading takeaway was all Stephenson. That must've happened to me on at least three separate occasions in the past!

But fwiw I loved Snow Crash. And I loved The Diamond Age, so if you liked Snow Crash but haven't yet read The Diamond Age I would highly recommend that.
Quicksilver was a real struggle for me to get through, and I think that may have been the last Stephenson book I read.

 

[steubig]

Hey, that’s really good! New Rose stood out for me, but I liked everything. Now I want to read to this

I read the first 3 (sprawl?) books in order, as well as Burning Chrome (a very long time ago…should read em again). Did Virtual Light and Idoru, but somehow skipped All Tomorrow’s Parties (doh!).
I’m enjoying The Peripheral, but can’t say I fully ‘get it’ yet.

thanks

atp ties up the whole vl-idoru thing. amazing ending, i thought.

the blue ant trilogy is very good, imo. better than what’s now being called the jackpot series. maybe i’ll change my mind.

@Spectrum
yeah some sprawl stuff in there burning chrome. the johnny mnemonic movie is not good. there also a movie of new rose hotel, which is not good. only thing worthwhile is asia argenta .

and i agree, his collabs (including some in burning chrome) are not as interesting.

@Bob_Ross
gibson is worth a try. tbh, i read snowcrash and diamond age by stephenson, and i always came away feeling like he was constantly telling me how clever he was. not my thing.

 

[Bob_Ross]

i read snowcrash and diamond age by stephenson, and i always came away feeling like he was constantly telling me how clever he was. not my thing.

Hmm. It's been >25 years since I read them, I wonder if I would feel similarly now? At the time I remember thinking his premise was just well-researched...e.g., who had even heard of "Virtual Reality" in 1992?

btw, your criticism of Stephenson is precisely why I can't stand reading Humberto Eco: Dude, stop making me reach for a dictionary every three sentences and just get on with the story telling!

 

[steubig]

btw, your criticism of Stephenson is precisely why I can't stand reading Humberto Eco: Dude, stop making me reach for a dictionary every three sentences and just get on with the story telling!

eco. i liked name of the rose and foucault’s pendulum, but that one fit right into my infatuation with the albigensian crusade deal at the time.

every try any of steve erickson’s books? pretty interesting.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Not at all familiar w/ the name Steve Erickson

:::runs off to Google:::

 

[dukeorock]

Are you spying on my music collection? (And my book collection?)

I liked Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy. along with Burning Chrome which IIRC has a few stories set in the Sprawl setting, including Johnny Mnemonic (the movie was okay I guess, not great).

I disliked The Difference Engine, about the steampunk computer alt history. He co-wrote that with someone else and it shows. Peripheral was the only other Gibson I read and it was okay, at least the ending wrapped up the plot.

More recently I read Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson, which is another cyberpunk classic, great read and kind of funny in parts, too. The sci fi aspect of it is very interesting.

I ran across 2814 randomly on bandcamp during a long train trip and wound up buying this on vinyl, fantastic cyperpunk record. They've put out some other releases but this is the best IMO.



It's hard to find anything else as "cyberpunk" as 2814, but Woob does some pretty good stuff.

I’ll check out the Woob stuff! I loved Snow Crash when I read it…a very long time ago

Not at all familiar w/ the name Steve Erickson

:::runs off to Google:::

Same

 

[HotelX]

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, visionary master of reggae, dies aged 85

One of the GOAT died. Probably old news to you all.