Some say that it all began when a promising musician was hit by a car.
In 1975, Brian Eno, erstwhile member of Roxy Music and budding solo artist, was struck by an oncoming taxi. The injury kept him bedridden for weeks. During Eno’s convalescence, he listened to an album of classical music at an almost imperceptibly low volume. Being in no condition to get up and turn it up, Eno resigned himself to this quiet addition to his surroundings. Now, it was inspiration that was striking him. Why not approach music as background sound rather than something for active listening?
Eno coined the term “ambient music” with his landmark release Music for Airports. In Eno’s words, this new genre “must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting.” What we can’t ignore is what it can add to your life. Here are a few of the top benefits of listening to ambient music.
Higher Productivity at Your Desk
Even though this genre aims to eschew memorable melodies, the musicians who thrive in this space still demonstrate remarkable creativity. Being a party to this creativity, if only via your headphones, could rub off on you. By letting this musical craftsmanship wash over your workdays, you could find yourself locked into tasks, achieving clever lateral thinking, or otherwise being more creative and productive.
Music for concentration and creativity:
- Tortoise – TNT
- Steve Reich – Octet/Music for a Large Ensemble/Violin Phase
- Max Richter – 24 Postcards in Full Colour
A Better Way To Fall Asleep
One of the hardest parts of any workday comes not from the nine-to-five job but when you need to power yourself down and get ready to do it all over again. It’s a time that people often spend stuck with their thoughts. Sitting in dead silence often isn’t helpful, counting sheep is a bit juvenile, and scrolling on your phone gives you the stimulating blue light that you don’t need.
Among the top benefits of listening to ambient music is finally getting that good night’s sleep. Along with favorable furniture and savvy design, some pleasant audio could be the last piece of the puzzle you need to create a calming sleep environment.
Top picks for falling asleep more easily:
- Brian Eno – Thursday Afternoon
- Stars of the Lid – And Their Refinement of the Decline
- Rachel’s – Music for Egon Schiele
Expand Your Musical Horizons
Ambient music gets a bad reputation in some circles. To people who don’t understand the genre, it’s nothing but white noise, waterfalls, or one long note on a synthesizer. That’s far from the truth. Low-key ambient artistry goes beyond synth pads and tape loops, and a growing interest will allow you to discover great works of music.
Long before Eno’s fateful accident, the French composer Erik Satie was exploring what he then termed “wallpaper music.” Many ambient albums are terrific entry points to the worlds of classical, jazz, and the uncategorizable. With the benefits in mind and the music to attain them, the rest is up to you.
Albums for exploring classical, jazz, and more, respectively:
- After the Rain: Pascal Rogé plays Erik Satie’s Gymnopédies, Gnossiennes, and Nocturnes
- Miles Davis – In a Silent Way
- Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie Quintet – Live at Montreux
