Marconi Union’s New Top-Level Recording Will Thrill Ambient Music Lovers

Lillian

New member
This review is for lovers of ambient music (you know who you are). If you enjoy music minimalism, extreme subtleties and introspective mind tickles, I have just the album for you. It is Weightless (Ambient Transmissions Vol. 2) by the group Marconi Union from England, generally topping many lists as the most important contemporary ambient act around.

The CD and digital album are comprised of six instrumental tunes each called “Weightless” and secondarily-titled “Part 1” through “Part 6.” “Part 1” was created a couple of years ago when the group was asked to write a piece of music specifically for the British Academy of Sound Therapy for scientific testing purposes. Subsequently, after being used in tests, the tune was named by the Mindlab Institute in England as “the most relaxing song ever.” That could have been the kiss of death right there, but instead it got people listening to the music and talking about it, and it began to sell and became what might actually be the first ambient hit (as far as I know).

While “Part 1” is definitely straight-forward ambient music, and, as such, without a doubt is highly relaxing, calming, stress-relieving (pick your modifier). But the rest of their music is highly-popular, cutting-edge ambient that gently floats, pulses, swishes, throbs, chimes and sounds like space wind at various points. But it is still ambient. All the music should have great appeal to anyone who likes ambient and has listened to numerous other ambient recordings before ending up here. For the uninitiated, I guess the only way to know whether you like ambient music is to jump in and get your feet wet, and this is as good a place to float away as any.
 
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