Dark Ambient

[OldJake666]

Hey,
Can you guys recommend me some Dark Ambient music? I've found this stuff is just awesome to draw to.
The only stuff I know of in this genre is Sunn O))) and Lustmord.
I'd appreciate some suggestions...
Jake

[corky13]

Burzums "Hlidskjalf" and "Daudi Baldrs" Album are very interesting.

[OldJake666]

Isn't Burzum just black metal?

I discovered some good stuff:
Æthenor
Biosphere
Dark ages
Diagnose: Lebensgefahr
Jacaszek
Darkspace

[Aly Fell]

Coil! Musick to play in the Dark - Vols 1 &2 (they also produced an unused Hellraiser soundtrack). Maybe Current 93 as well. Lustmord (as you say), but Jarboe (from Swans) is great, in fact Swans too. Lustmord have worked with Jarboe. Chris and Cosey. Not strictly Dark Ambient, but Dead Can Dance (Lisa Gerrard is superb - she worked on the Gladiator soundtrack), Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil... All pretty 'dark'! Also check out a band called Recoil and their album 'Liquid', which is Alan Wilder from Depeche Mode.

[Snarfevs]

Definitely check out the Fate soundtrack by Micah. Music for a movie that never got finished, afaik. He put the score up on Hybridized. I was listening to it when I saw this thread. It's fantastic study music and has been my choice of ambient listening when I need to get something written for the last few years.

[Hookswords]

Black Aria by Danzig. There are two volumes, all instrumental goodness.

[corky13]

Isn't Burzum just black metal?

Nope...Hlidskjalf and Daudi Baldrs where both made in prison just with a keyboard

[DanielC]

Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation

[Vorace]

Dead Can Dance +1 hehe
Dark Sanctuary
Dargaard

[arttorney]

Tubular Bells, by Mike Oldfield is an old school example. You would recognize the dominant theme of side 1 as the original Exorcist theme. Basically that theme is elaborated throughout side 1. Side 2 is similar but is variations on a different melody.

I don't know how dark is dark, but I don't think you can go wrong with anything by Synaesthesia, and the Blade Runner Soundtrack is kind of cool.

If you can stand vocals in the form of found lyrics taken from the radio, and other sources, then My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Eno/Byrne can get pretty dark. This is a sort of musical collage; a pioneering work of sampling.

[corky13]

Mirkwood...a side Project by Summoning , pretty much falls into Dark Medieval Ambient...or so I would call it. As it was never released you can download the demo-songs legally from Summonings homepage =)

[ChaoticKnight]

Dude thats all I listen to when I work.
Every Silent Hill soundtrack (esp Forest Trail- Silent Hill 2, Closed Way- movie)
Massive Attack (esp Danny the Dog)
Patrick O'Hearn (esp the album Trust)
NIN (esp "A warm place" and the album Ghosts)
VNV Nation (esp As it Fades)
Myst game series Soundtracks
Half Life 2 Soundtrack (esp Dark Interval)
Memento Soundtrack

Hope those are helpful.

[Earendil]

I'd like to add Mechwarrior 2 and Deus Ex. There's 23+ tracks so if these don't fit, try a few others.

Mechwarrior 2 Sample Here.
Deus Ex

[chriskot]

...And I'd like to add the Metroid Prime series, for Kenji Yamamoto's work. A lot of it is pretty ambient, and much of the ambient stuff is pretty dark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Nm_vlBJbw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuPJm2XQT0A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njkAfx-gFpI

Does something like this count?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM94qjpFw1I

[Kagemusha22]

How about "Drill n' Bass" artist Aphex Twin, his song "Come to Daddy" is pretty dark. Though it isn't really ambient after the first minute...;




Then there's Bowie's epic sounding Low tracks;

[Earendil]

Best dark ambient ever.
Alien Main Theme (Film)

Some of the stuff from Ghost in the Shell TV/Films I'd recommend.

"She Is"


Blues In The Net


Seikan Renrakusen

[TZA]

check out Stereo Hypnosis, they're amazing
http://www.myspace.com/stereohypnosis

[Psypomp]

Has anyone heard of Johnny Hollow? They're pretty good (I only have a few songs by them, though...)
I don't know if I'd call VNV Natin "dark ambient", but I will say that it is excellent for drawing/writing to.

[Earendil]

Another one.