Brian Eno has been behind the boards for some of the best albums made by David Bowie, Talking Heads, Devo, and U2 — and for having coined the phrase “ambient music.” Reading Cage’s epochal book Silence13 in the 1960s had a huge influence on him throughout his career. He is a prime example of a new type of composer who has drawn freely on the resources of many types of music and ideas about music. These include a variety of new wave, as well as African, Middle Eastern, and oriental styles. Also notable among his influences are minimalism, experimental new music, post-Cage avant-garde ideas, and electronic music.
Eno has exposed himself to a variety of traditions ranging from rock to classical, from avant-garde to experimental, as well as to a variety of non-Western musics such as Arabic,African, and Bulgarian. He listened to a lot of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley growing up. He used to sing along to Buddy Holly and Elvis. This was American music, African music, in the middle of the English countryside. What Eno calls the “lush, soft, silky quality” that he admired in the Ray Conniff Singers is a near-constant feature in his ambient music.
Eno has been able to diversify his creative efforts considerably. He is a prime example of a new type of composer who has drawn freely on the resources of many types of music and ideas about music. These include a variety of popular genres such as rhythm and blues and rock’n’roll, progressive rock, punk, and new wave, as well as African, Middle Eastern, and oriental styles. Also notable among his influences are minimalism, experimental new music, post-Cage avant-garde ideas, and electronic music.
To compare and contrast two of Brian Eno’s projects, I have chosen “Discreet Music” 1975, and Coldplay’s “Mylo Xyloto 2011. There is a 36-year difference in the two, which makes for a good review.
I can notice a similar tone and tempo within the two right away. They both have Eno’s ambient feel throughout most of the entirety of both albums. The use of instrumentation on both is quite similar differing with “Mylo Xyloto using more rock influenced drums and guitar. However the use of strings and synthesizers along with other ambient tones are very similar. After listening to the two albums, you can easily hear Chris Martin, Coldplay’s singer fitting in beautifully on “Discreet Music”.
Brian Eno’s career encompasses music, writing, lecturing, teaching and the visual arts. In dealing with his visual and musical aesthetic, his audio/visual installation work has been shown around the world, a total of 80 or so exhibitions to date. This has played a big part in his life being apart of visual installations. He has made an impact in the worlds of film, television, media arts, as well as galleries.
Eno’s approach to instrumentation and production qualities, are more unique than the average producer. His creation of ambient music alone is something special. In a lot of the songs that I have listened to, there are few to no vocals. This leaves the canvas open for all sorts of options to experiment with numerous instruments and sounds. Eno uses rhythm and blues and rock, progressive rock, punk, and new wave, as well as African, Middle Eastern, and oriental styles. Also notable among his influences are minimalism, experimental new music, post-Cage avant-garde ideas, and electronic music.
To be honest, I can say that I had never heard the name Brian Eno before, or if I had, it never resonated. It is always a beautiful thing to realize that the same person is behind so many projects as well as an innovator of a genre and style of something that you have always enjoyed. I have been a big fan of many of his pieces of work and projects from close to his beginning as an artist, musician, and producer. His use of incorporating all facets of art and nature really do inspire me. I am a huge fan of synthesizers and his definition of a style called ambient music is played in the background of my every day life. As an industry professional myself, I will always study his work and be influenced by this revolutionary man.
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