Fragility, noise, and atmosphere in ambient music

This chapter will examine how contemporary experimental ambient music engages with notions of fragility, the aesthetics of atmosphere, and the use of noise to engender a more active listening experience than that proposed by Brian Eno in 1978.1 Although rather at odds with the generally accepted innocuous nature of ambient music – one that “tints” the environment – I propose that, through engaging with these concepts, composers can encourage different ways of listening to and thinking about ambient music, as well as reintroducing the sense of “doubt and uncertainty”2 that Eno originally ascribed to ambient music. In doing so, I mean to demonstrate that ambient music is far from being a contemporary comfort blanket to block out the perceived problems, or overwhelming influx of information, in society but is a genre that, at its best, can offer a reflection of contemporary culture and thought. In order to do this, I will present a framework for discussing ambient music, drawing on, and developing Nomi Epstein’s notions of fragility, Torben Sangild’s tripartite consideration of noise and Gernot Böhme’s aesthetics of atmosphere.