Doing something different, to me, means wanting to do something different from my past work, especially in terms of what I’ve created for my Sound Arts course. My work so far has primarily been dominated by Harsh Noise & Power Electronics. I would like to show my versatility as an artist to both myself and my peers. I’ve dabbled in Dark Ambient before, but it’s something that I wanted to make more of a focus to improve upon.
The way I started to prep myself to create more Dark Ambient/drone tracks is to listen to some releases under that genre. This would help to refresh my knowledge and to do some critical listening to discover more than I previously knew.
Albums
- Sunn O))) – ‘Flight of the Behemoth‘
This Sunn O))) record is one of my personal favourites. The album primarily consists of fuzzy, distorted guitar drones. I find it interesting as it creates a rich, dark atmosphere with analog equipment. It is also a traditional instrument that I find inspiring. This piece shows drones can be made from all sorts of instruments, common and obscure. The record also features two tracks with noise music artist and maestro, Merzbow. He is well known and appreciated for pioneering noise music (in particular Japanoise), and his harsh, brooding style.
The works featuring Merzbow take low guitar drones and manipulate them with effects, turning them into noise hits. Merzbow uses samples of dissonant piano chords over the guitars. As the song continues, he brings in his signature squealing noise which is prevalent in a lot of his music.
This record was very helpful to revisit for this project. I really like the use of guitars to create a hellish atmosphere. As a fan of Merzbow, I thought the collaboration with him was particularly inspiring.
2.Tod Dockstader – Areils 1
As mentioned in a previous blog, Tod Dockstader’s ‘Ariels 1’ is a masterclass in Dark Ambient. This is one of Dockstader’s final releases, it was released in 2005 as the first part of the Ariels trilogy before he passed away in 2015. Dockstader had been making experimental music since the ’60s, so was a master in the craft by the release of this album. It is texturally rich, emotional, and well-balanced. This is one of my favourite examples of modern ambient work.
3. David Lynch & Alan Splet – ‘Eraserhead‘ Soundtrack
This soundtrack is also a good example of drone/Dark Ambient music. David Lynch and Alan Splet both work together to create a truly terrifying and unsettling atmosphere. This soundtrack stands well on its own. The soundtrack was made in the ’70s using D.I.Y. techniques and analog gear. Lynch and Splet would come up with creative ways to achieve the sounds they wanted to create, with the shoestring budget they had.
Listening to this again was a great way to understand Dark Ambient/drone music made at a different point in history, and to remind myself of one of the most influential soundtracks for this genre.
Bibliography
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Eraserhead: Original Soundtrack Recording. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b5WTcePU2k
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Song. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK5R1p7be_4&list=RDLK5R1p7be_4&start_radio=1&rv=LK5R1p7be_4&t=1
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Sunn O))) – Flight of the Behemoth (Full Album). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkcHJ5YnvbU