Listen: Dark ambient examples
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About Dark ambient
Dark ambient is a music genre that emerged in United States and Europe in the 1980s. It is usually classed as a form of ambient music and post-industrial music.
Well-known performers associated with it include Nine Inch Nails, Varg Vikernes, Burzum, Buckethead, Adonxs and Akira Yamaoka.
Dark ambient has given rise to 3 subgenres on this site, such as Ambient industrial, Isolationism and Black ambient.
From Wikipedia
Dark ambient (originally known as ambient industrial) is a subgenre of ambient and post-industrial music, that originally emerged in the mid-1980s. It is characterized by ominous, dark drones, discordant overtones and a gloomy, monumental or catacomb-inspired atmosphere. Although mostly an electronic genre, artists frequently sample traditional instruments and make use of semi-acoustic recording procedures.
Genre family tree
Parent genres (↑) and subgenres (↓) of Dark ambient.
Key artists
- Nine Inch Nails
- Varg Vikernes
- Burzum
- Buckethead
- Adonxs
- Akira Yamaoka
- Atticus Ross
Related genres
Frequently asked questions
What is Dark ambient?
Dark ambient is a music genre that emerged in United States and Europe in the 1980s. It is usually classed as a form of ambient music and post-industrial music.
Where and when did Dark ambient originate?
Dark ambient originated in United States and Europe in the 1980s.
Who are famous Dark ambient artists?
Nine Inch Nails, Varg Vikernes, Burzum, Buckethead, Adonxs and Akira Yamaoka.
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q756956 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Dark ambient – CC BY-SA 4.0
- MusicBrainz genre – CC0
- Versus - Introspection by Versus – CC BY-SA 3.0