Encountering ambiguity and a failing of nomenclature, are we finding "ambient" an overly evasive term? This essay identifies some current key players, and analyses why they are turning the tide.
Defining my own music as "ambient" has been feeling less and less accurate as time goes on, but still evokes a certain vagueness that implants the ideas of wordlessness and defiance of traditional structure in the audient's head. As more and more shape and structure appears, I wonder what (if anything) "ambient" means. Sometimes it's an improvised live looping scenario, where a phrase morphs over time, degrades, evolves. Sometime, it's a more recognizable cinematic theme with identifiable melodies and sections. Is one "ambient" and the other not? How better describe? If I abandon the descriptor: does it matter? In any event...nice to see someone else thinking about this.
Defining my own music as "ambient" has been feeling less and less accurate as time goes on, but still evokes a certain vagueness that implants the ideas of wordlessness and defiance of traditional structure in the audient's head. As more and more shape and structure appears, I wonder what (if anything) "ambient" means. Sometimes it's an improvised live looping scenario, where a phrase morphs over time, degrades, evolves. Sometime, it's a more recognizable cinematic theme with identifiable melodies and sections. Is one "ambient" and the other not? How better describe? If I abandon the descriptor: does it matter? In any event...nice to see someone else thinking about this.
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