Best of 2008 (electronica-ambient)

1. 

   1. Lawrence English: Kiri No Oto

   Not for the faint of heart, Lawrence English’s latest opus, Kiri No Oto, is ambient music at its most demanding and austere. The title means “Sea of Fog” in Japanese, and English ...read more

2. 

   2. Fennesz: Black Sea

   The king of ambient electronica retains his title with another enchanting, engrossing album. Proving that ambient is about more than chillout, he builds magnificent yet delicate sonic cathedrals in...read more

3. 

   3. Gas: Nah Und Fern

   We try to avoid sticking compilations on this list, but every now and then something so special comes along, we would be derelict in not citing it. Gas’s Nah Und Fern is essential on so many ...read more

4. 

   4. Hauschka: Ferndorf

   German composer Volker Bertelmann (aka Hauschka) got our attention early last year when he released the sprightly-but-elegant Room To Expand, his first for FatCat Records. With his marvelous new Fe...read more

5. 

   5. Philip Jeck: Sand

   This is Philip Jeck’s fifth solo album for Touch. Sand was recorded live in Holland and England in 2006/2007 and edited in Liverpool in January, 2008 using Fidelity record players, Casio SK k...read more

6. 

   6. Koen Holtkamp: Field Rituals

   Holtkamp works differently solo than he does in the duo situation of Mountains; paradoxically, the results tend to be slightly denser, suggesting an indie, 21st-century version of the looped guitar...read more

7. 

   7. The Present: World I See

   You may not know Rusty Santos, but you know his work. He’s produced some of the best records of recent years (and that’s no hyperbole: his credits include Panda Bear’s Person Pitc...read more

8. 

   8. Max Richter: 24 Postcards in Full Colour

   The buzz about Max Richter’s fourth full-length album, 24 Postcards In Full Colour, has inevitably been focused on the music’s high-concept underpinnings: consisting of 24 short rington...read more

Tags: ambient , classical , electronica , minimal