Ambient
Studio album by
Moby
ReleasedAugust 17, 1993 (1993-08-17)
GenreAmbient techno[1]
Length51:49
LabelInstinct
ProducerMoby
Moby chronology
Early Underground
(1993)		 Ambient
(1993)		 Move
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[2]
Music Week[3]
NME6/10[4]
Q[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]
Select4/5[7]
Spin Alternative Record Guide7/10[8]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+[9]

Ambient is the second studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released in August 1993 by record label Instinct.

Composition

The album is composed of electronic ambient pieces, similar to Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works releases. Like the Aphex Twin releases, the work is mainly instrumental (although there are samples of the sound of a choir vocalizing on "Tongues", and a woman saying "bad days" in the background of "Bad Days"). Many of the tracks are beat-driven, except "J Breas" and "Piano and String", which both use pianos and synthesizers. "Bad Days" uses a 'sweeping' synth effect, and "Sound" is a high-pitched loop playing and fading out and in. "80" uses synths mimicking an acoustic guitar.

The album has an experimental, moody style. Many of the tracks (including "Bad Days" and "Lean on Me") are dark and unearthly. There are also some more uplifting numbers, like "Heaven", "Tongues" and "Dog", which are more beat driven, danceable numbers. The track "Myopia" uses a bubbling synth-bass style. "House of Blue Leaves" and "My Beautiful Blue Sky" are more experimental beat songs ("House of Blue Leaves" is a simple beat and some keyboards, and "My Beautiful Blue Sky" is a tribal rhythm, synths, and a piano).

Track listing

All tracks are written by Moby

No.TitleLength
1."My Beautiful Blue Sky"5:19
2."Heaven"8:16
3."Tongues"5:37
4."J Breas"2:47
5."Myopia"4:46
6."House of Blue Leaves"6:20
7."Bad Days"2:27
8."Piano & String"1:35
9."Sound"1:11
10."Dog"7:35
11."80"2:05
12."Lean on Me"3:51
Total length:51:49

Personnel

Credits for Ambient adapted from album liner notes.[10]

  • Moby – production, writing
  • Bob Ward – digital editing
Artwork and design
  • Jill Greenberg – photography
  • Wendi Horowitz – design

References

  1. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "Ambient – Moby". AllMusic. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Moby: Ambient". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ Beevers, Andy (October 23, 1993). "Market Preview: Dance" (PDF). Music Week. p. 12. Retrieved February 1, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  4. ↑ "Moby: Ambient". NME: 32. October 30, 1993.
  5. ↑ "Moby: Ambient". Q (166): 137. July 2000.
  6. ↑ Berger, Arion (2004). "Moby". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 548–49. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  7. ↑ Howe, Rupert (December 1993). "Moby: Ambient". Select (42): 87–88.
  8. ↑ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  9. ↑ Hull, Tom. "Grade List: Moby". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  10. ↑ Ambient (liner notes). Moby. Instinct Records. 1993. EX 253.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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