ambient music

before i get to the song, i have a few things to get off my mind first, ya’ll.  first off, the 10mbs limit on audio files is probably my most hated thing about tumblr.  i know i can find the videos on youtube (or download in a lower quality), but come on.   10mbs?  that’s ridiculous, i don’t know why the creators of tumblr specifically hate me.

now, second, and a little more importantly, i’d like to introduce you guys a tag i use for music in my library frequently when trying to describe it to friends, and having no real references points.  the term is space bass, and i feel like it could become a whole thing.  let me explain; often, i find myself drawn to music that is bass heavy, not in the top 40 hip-hop sense filled with sporadic thuds, but in a deep house/minimal techno way, where the bass can range from a distinctive, playful bassline to a rolling, muddled growl.  the music that i listen to, though from many diverse genres, also seem to remind listeners of space, the future, or robots.  thus the term space bass; music based on bass lines, unsure beats, and a glimpse into the future.

‘but blackastronaut’, you’re saying, ‘this is just deep house!  we don’t need a new name.’  well, i agree and disagree, sometimes it is just deep house, like in the case of John Roberts or Scuba.  othertimes though, the lines are less clear.  what genre would you put Surgeon’s beautiful song Remover of Darkness?  or Shackleton’s Masssacre?  for my friends, space bass is short hand for deep, moody electronic music that’s hard to categorize, and i think it’s pretty good shorthand who might not know the difference between 2-step and american dubstep, or microhouse vs chicago house, or know what idm stands for.  i also think it’s relatively self explanatory, and describes the music in a way good enough to get the idea, like the way chillwave becomes immediate once you’ve heard Toro y Moi or stoner metal after Sleep’s Holy Mountain, or shit, even idm after hearing Aphex Twin (to an extent).  like chillwave and idm, it is also a name being made up by some blogger with too much time, so i don’t see a reason it can’t stick.  so, with that said…

this song, New Ground, from Andy Stott’s beautiful release Passed Me By, has been playing on my computer nonstop.  it’s space bass/ (don’t worry, you’ll get used to it after a while), deep house perfection, and manages to stand out from an absolutely breathtaking album.  don’t bother playing this on your terrible laptop speakers, though; this song’s pulsing, droning bass and simple yet effective beat are made for subs and sound systems, not skullcandies or your macbook.  i’m a fan of doing a lot with a little, and Andy Stott delivers on all counts, using a sparse sample to break up the waves of sound his bassline conjures.  the result is a hypnotic, relaxing song, one highly recommened for fans of ambient or drone-esque stuff like Surgeon, Boards of Canada, Shackleton, Oneohtrix Point Never, etc etc.  it is my favorite from his 2011 release Passed Me By, but not by much.  if you like this, i really suggest you grab this album as well as his album We Stay Together.  i doubt ya’ll will regret it.  plus, Passed Me By has one of my favorite album covers i’ve seen in a long while, if only for it’s simplicity.

this is the kind of music i want playing as i struggle to make repairs on my dying ship in space, running out of fuel, air, and alone, but moving forward nonetheless.

Andy Stott—New Grounds—Passed Me By