Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror

Last updated

Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror
The Plateaux of Mirror.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 1980
Recorded1979
StudioGrant Avenue Studio, Hamilton, Ontario
Genre Ambient
Length39:30
Label E.G.
Producer Brian Eno
Harold Budd and Brian Eno chronology
The Pavilion of Dreams
(1978)
Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror
(1980)
The Pearl
(1984)
Brian Eno chronology
After the Heat
(1978)
Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror
(1980)
Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics
(1980)

Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror is a 1980 studio album by Harold Budd and Brian Eno. A work of ambient music, it is the second installment of Eno's Ambient series, which began in 1978 with Ambient 1: Music for Airports . Ambient 2 consists mainly of minimalist composer Budd playing improvisational piano in soundscapes produced by Eno. The album received positive reviews and led to Budd and Eno collaborating again for the sonically similar The Pearl (1984).

Contents

Background and production

Harold Budd and Brian Eno had previously worked together on The Pavilion of Dreams (1978) after British composer Gavin Bryars introduced the pair. [1] After returning from a four-month trip to Thailand, Eno began work with Budd on Ambient 2. [1] The album was recorded in Hamilton, Ontario. [2]

Eno explained production as mostly Budd improvising "in a sound-world [Eno] had created". [3] The music was improvised by Budd while Eno managed the "sound". He would set up the piano to be treated with electronic equipment, and then Budd would improvise with it. [1] Budd was able to listen to the processed sound as he played the acoustic pianos in the studio. [4] He discovered, as he played, how to best manipulate the treated piano, finding the best register and speed to play at, and how to make it resonate. [5] Budd described using choral and delay effects in extreme unintended ways: "you're hearing the effect as the sound itself, rather than using them to industry standards". [4] The project was the first time Budd experienced the concept of using the studio as a compositional tool. [4]

According to Budd, production came "so quickly and so easily that it was kind of a phantom, you thought you could do thirty more of those with the same joie de vivre ". [6] However, after completing their later collaboration The Pearl (1984), Budd came to think of The Pearl as more "focused", and Ambient 2 as a naive album. [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Austin Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Pitchfork 8.4/10 [10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 6/10 [11]
Tom Hull – on the Web B+ [12]

AllMusic reviewer Dave Connolly described Ambient 2 as "a lovely, evocative work". [7] Pitchfork 's Liam Singer wrote, "The Plateaux matches Eno's other ambient albums in its moments of deep beauty, though it does little to mute the human presence. One gets the feeling that Harold Budd was after something slightly different from Eno, as his playing seems a bit busy under the concept at hand. Still, left on in the background, Plateaux is a light-filled album that accomplishes the goal of transforming its environment." [10] Mojo wrote that Budd's "mix of lyricism and minimalism" contrasted well with Eno's style, as if they were destined to collaborate. [13] The Austin Chronicle wrote that Eno's treatments "refract" Budd's melodies, creating a prism-like effect and resulting in "a panacea for a dim day or the conduit for a floodgate of buried sensations". [8]

In a more critical review, PopMatters wrote that Ambient 2 is "intentionally banal...featureless... not designed to engage the listener on anything but a subconscious level. Trying to pay the music your full attention will result in nothing but frustration: nothing's really there." [14] Stylus wrote that the listener can gather a sense that Eno and Budd were not able to settle on a style for the album. [1]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Brian Eno and Harold Budd except "Steal Away" by Budd and Eugene Bowen. [2]

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."First Light"6:59
2."Steal Away"1:29
3."The Plateaux of Mirror"4:10
4."Above Chiangmai"2:49
5."An Arc of Doves"6:22
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Not Yet Remembered"3:50
2."The Chill Air"2:13
3."Among Fields of Crystal"3:24
4."Wind in Lonely Fences"3:57
5."Failing Light"4:17
Total length:39:30

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambient music</span> Music genre

Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It is often "peaceful" sounding and lacks composition, beat, and/or structured melody. It uses textural layers of sound that can reward both passive and active listening and encourage a sense of calm or contemplation. The genre is said to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual", or "unobtrusive" quality. Nature soundscapes may be included, and the sounds of acoustic instruments such as the piano, strings and flute may be emulated through a synthesizer.

<i>Another Green World</i> 1975 studio album by Eno

Another Green World is the third solo studio album by Brian Eno, released by Island Records on 14 November 1975. The album marked a transition from the rock-based music of Eno's previous releases toward the minimalist instrumentals of his late 1970s ambient work. Only five of its fourteen tracks feature vocals, a contrast with his previous vocal albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Lanois</span> Canadian record producer and musician (born 1951)

Daniel Roland Lanois is a Canadian record producer and musician.

<i>Ambient 1: Music for Airports</i> 1978 studio album by Brian Eno

Ambient 1: Music for Airports is the sixth studio album by Brian Eno, released in 1978 by Polydor Records. It is the first of Eno's albums released under the label of ambient music, a genre of music intended to "induce calm and a space to think" while remaining "as ignorable as it is interesting". While not Eno's earliest entry in the style, it is credited with coining the term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Budd</span> American avant-garde composer and poet (1936–2020)

Harold Montgomory Budd was an American music composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles and raised in the Mojave Desert, he became a respected composer in the minimal music and avant-garde scene of Southern California in the late 1960s, and later became better known for his work with figures such as Brian Eno and Robin Guthrie. Budd developed what he called a "soft pedal" technique for playing piano, with use of slow playing and prominent sustain.

<i>Discreet Music</i> 1975 studio album by Brian Eno

Discreet Music is the fourth studio album by Brian Eno, and the first released under his full name. The album is a minimalist work, with the titular A-side consisting of one 30-minute piece featuring synthesizer and tape delay. The B-side features three variations on Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel, performed by the Cockpit Ensemble and conducted by Gavin Bryars.

<i>Ambient 3: Day of Radiance</i> 1980 studio album by Laraaji

Ambient 3: Day of Radiance (1980) is an album by the American ambient musician Laraaji, which was produced by Brian Eno.

<i>Ambient 4: On Land</i> 1982 studio album by Brian Eno

Ambient 4: On Land is the eighth solo studio album by Brian Eno, released in March 1982 by EG Records. It was the final edition in Eno's Ambient series, which began in 1978 with Ambient 1: Music for Airports. The album was released to critical acclaim, and is recognised along with its predecessors as a landmark album in the history of the ambient genre.

<i>Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks</i> 1983 studio album by Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois & Roger Eno

Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks is a studio album by the British musician and producer Brian Eno, the Canadian producer Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno's brother, composer Roger Eno. It was released on 29 July 1983 by EG Records. The music was originally written for For All Mankind, a documentary film by Al Reinert about the Apollo program, though the film was not released until 1989. The score was written and performed by the trio.

<i>The Pearl</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Harold Budd and Brian Eno

The Pearl is the second collaborative studio album by Harold Budd and Brian Eno, released in August 1984 by Editions EG and produced by Eno and Daniel Lanois in Hamilton, Ontario. The Pearl is similar to Budd and Eno's previous collaboration, Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror (1980), consisting mostly of subtly treated piano textures, but with more pronounced electronic treatments and nature recordings. The album has been well received by music critics, and is considered by some as a landmark work in ambient music.

<i>Thursday Afternoon</i> 1985 studio album by Brian Eno

Thursday Afternoon is the tenth solo studio album by Brian Eno, released in October 1985 on EG Records. Consisting of one 60-minute eponymous composition, it is the rearranged soundtrack to an 80-minute video production of the same title made in 1984.

All Saints Records is a British independent record label. It was established in 1991 by Dominic Norman-Taylor. The label has published ambient music by Brian Eno and Biosphere.

<i>The Room</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Harold Budd

The Room is an album composed and performed by Harold Budd, released in 2000.

<i>The Pavilion of Dreams</i> 1978 studio album by Harold Budd

The Pavilion of Dreams is the second album from minimalist composer Harold Budd. It was produced by Brian Eno. Billed as "an extended cycle of works begun in 1972," it was recorded in 1976 but not released until 1978 on Eno's label Obscure Records. It was later re-released on Editions EG in 1981.

<i>Music for Films III</i> 1988 studio album by various artists

Music for Films III is the third entry in Brian Eno's "Music for Films" series. It was the first in the series to include music from artists other than Brian Eno, including Roger Eno, Michael Brook, Laraaji, and Harold Budd, among others, with Brian Eno involved with the production of all tracks.

Gene Bowen, also known as Eugene Bowen, is a composer, guitarist, pedal steel guitarist, sound designer and vocalist. He has collaborated with and appears on recordings by a number of new music composers, including Harold Budd and Daniel Lentz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Eno</span> British musician (born 1948)

Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno, also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambient music and electronica, and for producing, recording, and writing works in rock and pop music. A self-described "non-musician", Eno has helped introduce unconventional concepts and approaches to contemporary music. He has been described as one of popular music's most influential and innovative figures. In 2019, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music.

<i>Small Craft on a Milk Sea</i> 2010 studio album by Brian Eno with Leo Abrahams and Jon Hopkins

Small Craft on a Milk Sea is a 2010 album by British musician and record producer Brian Eno. The album—his debut with Warp—was released in Japan on 19 October 2010, in the United States on 2 November, and the United Kingdom on 15 November. The album was recorded with collaborators Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams in 2009 and 2010 and was released in several formats, including Compact Disc; digital download; a box set featuring the album on Compact Disc, vinyl, and download, a bonus CD with four extra tracks, and a lithograph by Eno; and another box set with all of the previous media and a 12" square silkscreen print by Eno and a copper plate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Budd discography</span>

Harold Budd was an American ambient/avant-garde composer and poet. Born in Los Angeles, he was raised in the Mojave Desert.

<i>New Green Clear Blue</i> 1989 studio album by Dan Hartman

New Green Clear Blue is the seventh and final studio album by American musician and songwriter Dan Hartman, released by Private Music in 1989. The album represented a big stylistic departure for Hartman; it consists of instrumental, ambient songs, with the concept of being a journey into the subconscious. New Green Clear Blue was written, performed, engineered and produced entirely by Hartman.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Weiner, Matthew; Burns, Tom (27 September 2004). "Brian Eno and the Ambient series, 1978-82". Stylus. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror (liner notes). Editions EG. 1980.
  3. Gill, Andy (June 1998). "To Infinity and Beyond". MOJO.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Prendergast, Mark (December 1986). "The Sound-Painted World of Harold Budd". Sound on Sound.
  5. Diliberto, John (March 1993). "The Audio Interview: Brian Eno: Music For Listeners". Audio.
  6. Goldstein, Dan (July 1986). "The Serpent and The Pearl". Electronics & Music Maker.
  7. 1 2 Connolly, Dave. "Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror – Harold Budd / Brian Eno". AllMusic . Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  8. 1 2 Chamy, Michael (17 December 2004). "Brian Eno and Harold Budd: Gift guide". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  9. Larkin 2011.
  10. 1 2 Singer, Liam (7 October 2004). "Brian Eno / Harold Budd: Discreet Music / Ambient 1: Music for Airports / Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror / Ambient 4: On Land". Pitchfork . Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  11. Powers 1995, p. 129.
  12. Hull, Tom (12 November 2023). "Grade List: Harold Budd". Tom Hull – on the Web . Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  13. Barnes, Mike (October 2004). "Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream". Mojo.
  14. O'Neil, Tim (28 November 2004). "Harold Budd & Brian Eno: Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
Works cited