SOUNDSCAPES: My First Ambient Concert

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I went to my first “ambient” music concert recently. Or maybe I should call it “electronic”, or “experimental”, or “avant-garde”. I’m not sure people have settled on a single word that encompasses this genre.

I’ve always been interested in this branch of the music world. Many of the more cerebral rock bands have flirted with these subgenres. I remember Kid A (2000) by Radiohead being thought of as the first genuinely “experimental” rock record.

But most ambient music isn’t like Kid A. It’s more about tones, soundscapes, it’s quieter. There’s no drum kit. Less structured. Less chord changes.

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The first ambient record I heard was probably Brian Eno’s, Music for Airports (1979). That was a very popular record among the cool kids at my college.

I liked the idea of Music for Airports and made sure to listen to it. But I was underwhelmed. I understood the point of it. I liked the concept. But one listen was enough.

I was too young for that level of quiet and calm. And anyway, between that and say a catchy Depeche Mode pop song, the pop song would always win.

Depeche Mode—who were also innovative in their use of electronic sounds—had a singer, and lyrics, and a 4/4 beat and song structures that resolved in the traditional ways. For me, that kind of music was completely satisfying.

Ambient music was less so. The tracks were usually quite long. And tended toward esoteric and formless structures. They lacked the dynamics to make you want to dance.

And it wasn’t human enough. It didn’t give you that lead singer/front person to focus on, who you could see and hear and have opinions about.

These vocals-less, drums-less, electronic pieces were too much work. If you stopped actively listening to them, they blended into the background. You forgot they were even there.

And then there were bands like Throbbing Gristle, who split the difference. They used highly innovative electronic music, but with a super compelling front man, the legendary Genesis P. Orridge.

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