Illbient
Encyclopedia
Illbient is a term allegedly coined by DJ Olive
to describe the iconoclastic music
being produced by a community of artists based in the Williamsburg
neighborhood of Brooklyn
, New York
in 1994. The word "Illbient" is a portmanteau of the hip hop
slang
term "ill" (a positive expression: bad meaning good) and "ambient
".
Other definitions, such as those coined by psychedelic musician Helios Creed
, state:
"although Eno
invented ambient music while ill in bed - "illbient" is actually an extreme retro offshoot that demands that the listener produces a doctor's note before being allowed to purchase."
Though there are many individualistic variants of Illbient, the music is characterized by interesting dub
-wise layering of soundscape
s, hip hop
-influenced use of samples
and a progressive approach to beat programming that encompasses all genre
s of world groove and electronic music
. Usually, but not always, illbient uses beats
more than purely ambient music, and often illbient includes loops in the recordings.
Illbient was introduced to the public at large in 1996 through the Asphodel Records
Incursions in Illbient compilation
and a feature in The Wire
magazine.
According to DJ Spooky
, DJ Olive
started an event in Brooklyn
called Lalalandia - that had nothing to do with illbient. It is perhaps worth noting that DJ Spooky also claims to have invented the word Illbient in relation to the multicultural digital arts scene in Manhattan. To his credit, he released Necropolis, a mix CD in 1996 as a follow up to the 1995 Subharmonic release VALIS
1 CD that first pulled together many Illbient associated artists. DJ Spooky wrote the liner notes to the VALIS release and recommended many of the artists that were included on the compilation. DJ Spooky strongly disagrees that DJ Olive coined the term illbient. The compilation that Asphodel put out took many of the same artists that DJ Spooky pulled together, and made a commercial release in October 1996.
DJ Spooky's events like Molecular at The Gas Station on Avenue B and Second street in Manhattan set the tone for the genre, and predated all of the Manhattan events around what later came to be called "illbient."
DJ Olive
DJ Olive is an American disc jockey and turntablist active in free improvisation, jazz and illbient music. He is often credited with coining the latter term....
to describe the iconoclastic music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
being produced by a community of artists based in the Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
neighborhood of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1994. The word "Illbient" is a portmanteau of the hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
term "ill" (a positive expression: bad meaning good) and "ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
".
Other definitions, such as those coined by psychedelic musician Helios Creed
Helios Creed
Helios Creed is an American guitarist, singer and bandleader. He first came to prominence in the mid 1970s with the San Francisco band Chrome. They are credited with being the godfathers of what later became known as Industrial Rock music...
, state:
"although Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
invented ambient music while ill in bed - "illbient" is actually an extreme retro offshoot that demands that the listener produces a doctor's note before being allowed to purchase."
Though there are many individualistic variants of Illbient, the music is characterized by interesting dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
-wise layering of soundscape
Soundscape
A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology...
s, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
-influenced use of samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
and a progressive approach to beat programming that encompasses all genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s of world groove and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. Usually, but not always, illbient uses beats
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
more than purely ambient music, and often illbient includes loops in the recordings.
Illbient was introduced to the public at large in 1996 through the Asphodel Records
Asphodel Records
Asphodel Ltd was a San Francisco-based independent record label founded by musician Mitzi Johnson in 1992. The label is named after the mythological flower that grows along the banks of the River Styx in Hades....
Incursions in Illbient compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
and a feature in The Wire
The Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
magazine.
According to DJ Spooky
DJ Spooky
Paul D. Miller , known by his stage name DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Washington DC-born electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics or his fans as "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntablist, a producer, a philosopher, and an author...
, DJ Olive
DJ Olive
DJ Olive is an American disc jockey and turntablist active in free improvisation, jazz and illbient music. He is often credited with coining the latter term....
started an event in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
called Lalalandia - that had nothing to do with illbient. It is perhaps worth noting that DJ Spooky also claims to have invented the word Illbient in relation to the multicultural digital arts scene in Manhattan. To his credit, he released Necropolis, a mix CD in 1996 as a follow up to the 1995 Subharmonic release VALIS
VALIS
VALIS is a 1981 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. The title is an acronym for Vast Active Living Intelligence System, Dick's gnostic vision of one aspect of God....
1 CD that first pulled together many Illbient associated artists. DJ Spooky wrote the liner notes to the VALIS release and recommended many of the artists that were included on the compilation. DJ Spooky strongly disagrees that DJ Olive coined the term illbient. The compilation that Asphodel put out took many of the same artists that DJ Spooky pulled together, and made a commercial release in October 1996.
DJ Spooky's events like Molecular at The Gas Station on Avenue B and Second street in Manhattan set the tone for the genre, and predated all of the Manhattan events around what later came to be called "illbient."
Illbient musicians
- DJ SpookyDJ SpookyPaul D. Miller , known by his stage name DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Washington DC-born electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics or his fans as "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntablist, a producer, a philosopher, and an author...
- DJ OliveDJ OliveDJ Olive is an American disc jockey and turntablist active in free improvisation, jazz and illbient music. He is often credited with coining the latter term....
- ByzarByzarByzar is an experimental electronic music ensemble, considered one of the founders of the Illbient genre, along with DJ Spooky, Sub Dub, We, and the Soundlab collective, active in the New York experimental dance/electronic music scene during the 1990s....
- WeWe (group)We™ was an illbient production and DJ collective that was formed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the early 90's by DJ Olive aka Gregor Asch, Lloop aka Rich Panciera and Once 11 aka Nacho aka Ignacio Platas. They have released music on Asphodel Records alongside DJ Spooky, Byzar and Sub Dub. They are...
- Sub Dub
- Motown Junkie
- Collarbones
- Techno Animal
- Teargas & PlateglassTeargas & PlateglassTeargas & Plateglass are a band who produce electronica/hip hop music with accompanying videos.They are influenced by the works of Godfrey Reggio and Sebastaio Salgado, David Sylvian, Jennifer Charles, Tweaker and David Hykes.-History:...
- Ryan's Dunn
External links
- Jah Sonic about DJ Spooky
- [ Allmusic Guide]
- Boston Phoenix article