Not sad or morose, needs to be qualitatively like being under a heating lamp, almost as if one were cocooned or swaddled in warmth.
- Probably “dark” is preferable but not necessarily,
- must be “warm”, can be “chill” but not at the expense of warmth,
- probably “soft” or “easy”/mellow, intensity should be fairly homogenous throughout
- “sonorous”, “fat”, possibly resonant is good
- definitely not cold/cool or desolate
- buzzy/buzzing/buzz/swarming/swarmy, oscillating, vibrato, very mild distortion or driftiness, like bees swarming
- dreamy but still warm (opposite of inception)
- ethereal is ok but not in conflict with warmth
- liminal is ok as long as it doesnt conflict with warmth
Harold Budd - Niki D (album: Luxa)
Sirena Beach from Mario Sunshine (very similar to Niki D)
Brian Eno - Neroli
Burst Error - Warm Reset
Earthbound - Buzz buzz prophecy
This is all very subjective so take all this as more general but try to recognize the spirit of what is being sought. A lot of this sound makes me think of if microwave rays were embodied in sound
Does P. J. Harvey’s Let England Shake fit the bill?
Dark, and warmer than cold I personally think. But maybe we’re understanding the temperature adjectives differently?
Edit: rereading the post with fresh, awake eyes - do it doesn’t. It’s very desolate.
Alohaha is great for this, it feels like sitting on a beach at night. Also in that theme are Green Arrow by Yo La Tengo and Island Music by Tennis.
If you like Harold Budd, then you might like Jon Hassell, maybe? I’m thinking of albums like Aka Darbari Java or Dream Theory in Malaya, there are many more with a similar sound.
Arvo Part for sure
Big Thief, especially the song Change, and you might like the whole album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, though much of it is quite noisy, does not fit your “the same straight through” requirement it is very warm and human sounding. She is such a great guitar player.
Michael Kiwukana
Tomorrow I can ask my friend who listens to more of the stuff in your list.
Ok I asked my favorite ambient music person and he recommended Steve Roach, particularly the album Structures from Silence, David Helpling, Jon Jenkins, and Alexi Zakharov.
Pj Harvey, Nick Cave and Portishead come to mind
Early Pink Floyd, especially the albums A Saucerful of Secrets and Meddle
I would consider portishead to fit the request. Nope still can’t think of anything better.
Re: “cocoon” and “space but warmly heated but at least some light,” I strongly recommend HVOB, particularly arguably their best record, Trialog
Here’s the first track as a taster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsBGIhaRBoc plus importantly for me, their music is so good to dance to
Love it
I’m glad :) More along the lines of “buzziness,” another rec along very different lines is this Ethel Cain track, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvIURYg4qY4 which is off one of my favourite records of 2025 so far, Perverts.
If you like that, the natural follow up is Midwife… Check this track off her album from last year, No Depression in Heaven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT0uFGSKQQU Going even further back along similar lines is early Grouper, like this from her 2007 record Cover the Windows and the Walls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39nQSD0a97A
Moby - long ambients.
Nine inch nails - ghosts.
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient works 85-92.
There’s a whole genre called dark ambient.
Bonobo - Black Sands
Play the first two song without a pause
Morcheeba - The Big Calm album
Apparat - Equals Sessions, Stay Still, Dämonen, Capri-Revolution
*Is it correct to summarize your description as “It’s really awful and horrible, but there’s nothing you an do about it and that’s okay.”?
Having reread the requirements, I think Kiki Rockwell is a much better match.
Witchy music that feels warm, dreamlike, and occasionally threatening. But never cold nor desolate.
