DARK AMBIENT AESTHETICS
Dark Ambient is neither a style nor a genre of popular music but an overall aesthetic. A dark aesthetic. It proposes a darkening and perhaps sometimes a blackening to the sounds more commonly accepted by mainstream culture as ambient, aka Brian ENO. Dark ambient has a sound colour akin to the darker spectrums of audacity, black, cosmic purple, blood red and earth brown. These colours though favouring the visual act are as a metaphor for their sound equivalents. As we probe for further truths in our reality we see the circumference of darkness in all its infinite glory, the outer cosmos and dark mater, the endless stream of nothingness.
The book that concluded the research phase aimed to unravel the mysteries behind Dark Ambient Aesthetics through both a personal journey as a composer and in review of the dark turn in which we currently reside. It was a journey through the creative processes used to compose dark ambient soundscapes whilst paying tribute to many other great artists within the meta genre. Does the music reflect our current meta modern condition? Are we experiencing a great change?
Research Timeline
Revisions and thoughts 2025 / 2026
Staying afloat in the creative arts is like a rolla coaster on Acid, throw in ADHD and other Neuro Diversities and you've got my art in all of its shapes, forms and sounds. I have enough of a challenge keeping up with my unpredictable nature. However, this is what I believe is unique about my out pouring. The movement to and from the shadow to the light is not only the human condition but one of the core threads within this research. Not only that but it is central to who I am and my artwork.
One of the key attributes of Performance as Research (PaR) is understanding the creative act. When in the performing act of creativity one is not in a place of research reflection. So it very much happens after the act, however you record or just remember the moment. The year 2025 brought the release of 6 albums and 7 if you include 'Nebula.' The sensibility in composition was from an ongoing desire to create without any research aesthetic. However, as I sit here in February 2026 I realise that this is just more dark ambient outpouring of different fusions. A continuation if you like of my previous research. I can not just ignore the thought and again in reflection I became aware that I have uncovered more tacit knowledge that is pertinent to the work.
Therefore, this had led me to consider not only revising the original book but continuing the work on researching Dark Ambient Aesthetics indefinitely. I believe the dark ambient movement continues to grow and morph as the global society evolves and shifts with each passing moment. The shadow continues a long with the problems of the human condition. New fears emerge and the interplay between light and dark, the binary if you like, evolves. Artists continue to explore dark aesthetics in art such as the Dark Arts Movement and dark ambient soundscapes still play an important part in mediation of science fiction fear based cinematic releases. The sonic metaphor continues.
DARK SPACE AMBIENT POST METAL 2024
2024 was a highly productive and positive year. The book was finished and published on Amazon I finally released 'Darkwood Forests' and 'The Wolf Returns' with the help of Phil Roscoe on vocals and some sound art elements on Darkwood Forests. The releases were much heavier and were a blending of dark ambient sound textures, drones, noise and doom metal fusions.
Other music also relevant to the research were released with 'Sleep' finally appearing on Hydrus Records as Nigel's Mind Voyage and entitled 'Neuro Space.' The descriptors for it at the time were space ambient, however, I felt it was albout calm and mindful dark amibent or more ambient. The main influences were once again the Berlin School in particular Klaus Schultze.
The book marked the end of the research so I thought and I started to consider a doctorate by works, in fact I was offered a funded position to do so but sadly the timing wasn't good so this has not yet happened. The rest of the year was extremely busy creating new dark space ambient soundscapes for release via Hydrus Records and for their streaming platform. You can find links to these shows and releases on the website. Again the dark ambient landscape was evolving within me and without awareness I was in subconsciously continuing PaR activities. Not only composition but live performance. The live performance being related to my initial research proposal.
THE DARK MOON ENSEMBLE 2022 / 2023
The Dark Moon Ensemble were a turn towards the light. The sound that come from this project was a fusion of dark ambient with neo classical and jazz leanings. As the project developed towards a 5 week A&R session at Vibey Studios in France with the amazing producer James Sanger I rediscovered the road I was meant to be on. Though the DME were in effect an experimentation of the dark ambient sound it provided a place of reflection which as result became part of the research that has been documented in the book. So it was through this part of my own recovery from 2021s breakdown and the whole DME experience that I returned to conclude that part of my research journey in 2024.
METAL MANIFESTATIONS 2020 / 2021
The COVID pandemic was here and the UK was in lockdown. The journey at LSBU had ended in January and Lockdown had started soon after. In a weird turn of events and in complete rejection of my academic study I picked up the drum sticks again and joined a metal band called 'Derade.'
In the June 2020 AVE Records released 'Dead Planets' on the world and I also got Jon E Smoke from MMH Radio to review it too. Read it here.
The tag line from the 4/5 review read "rock, metal, noise and drone are all valid components that are sent spiraling and spinning through the audio abyss." The review concluded "‘Dead Planets’ is not an album to cheer you up or to help you let off steam. It is a contemplative affair, allowing the listener to mull over fate and meaning in life and death. The soundscapes presented encompass drone metal and electronic dronescapes, embellished with smatterings of rock, prog and synth
experiments. When combined they offer a claustrophobic sonic view of a doomed solar system, conveying both the size and ultimately transient nature of our celestial bodies. A recommended dark ambient release.
The sensibility of dark ambient music although not necessarily in my consciousness at the time was beginning to explore many of its possibilities and upon reflection I would liken this album to the Norwegian experimental electronic and Black Metal band 'Ulver.'
My journey with Derade and the fitness levels to play their fantastic music took a turn for the worse as I had COVID, then Long COVID and a massive mental breakdown. I needed rest and after two months of complete rest and care from my amazing wife I started to come back to life. In August 2021 the album 'Sleep' was born. This in itself evolved and was finally released in 2024.
The End Times (LSBU AUTUMN 2019 / 2020)
October 2019 was a transition from ARU to London South Bank University (LSBU) and a new supervisor team. Although this chapter ended abruptly and the fall into another deep depression happened, just as COVID arrived adding to narratives of dystopia, the research continued in earnest. I now carried several identities Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Major Depression and GAD. The music come out in its droves and the images below allow to hear what come out. The aesthetics of which are documented in the Book.
The Autumn term of 2019 was highly productive and inspired with the Home Of Metal Symposium the mix became darker and heavier. Influences from Solstafir, NIN, Sunn o))) and atmospheric black metal were falling into the mix as my discovery of newer metal and post metal happenings were uncovered. Though albums and EPs were released over a four year period through various record labels in particular AVE Records and re released by The Mist Label more recently, they all arrived at this time. 'Motorbreath' was released 15.12.2019 by AVE Records.
Another point of interest outside the book was an ambient blog I'd started. The link to it is here. AMBIENT BLOG 2020
Home Of MEtal Symposium 2019
Interview with Matthew Brooks for MMH Radio 13.9.19
(Click the picture to watch the full interview).
The purpose of this performance acted as part of the research related to understanding the creativity and live experience of dark ambient music.
The top picture is linked to an interview about the research. The live shot is a 1 minute video from the performance whilst the next picture above is linked to the presentation for the interactive discussion on heritage and metal. The item to the left is the journal from the days events.
Further interviews can be found here: Jon E Smoke Interview 2.9.19
An IDEA FORMS
2018 - 2019 Anglia Ruskin University
The opening research proposal, as often happens in MPhil / PhD research, evolved within the first year from its first manifestation of 'Ambient Music, Authenticity and Performance: from the studio to the stage' into darker landscapes. Under the supervision of Dr Sean Albiez and our many wonderful and enlightening conversations on Ambient music I created the first group of soundscapes. As described in much detail in my book these were later released under the collective album 'Winter Clouds' shown below. You can hear and purchase it by clicking on the picture. It was whilst working on this album that the darker side emerged once again. It was amidst the winter in the UK whilst reflecting on 'Winter Clouds' that I recognised my affinities to dark ambient as opposed to ambient.
It was from this point that my musical landscape evolved towards a truer expression of who I was. That being a Sound Artist and Composer. Through the remaining three terms at ARU (4 in total) my music blended dark ambient with Doom Jazz, Berlin School Experimental Rock and finally the re emergence of my Metal soul. From my MA Studies the heavy metal and prog was revisited and lo and behold my MPhil / PhD work would continue in this vain.
Though the MA was drum kit composition focused the desire to research my need to express loud and aggressive noise and sound was key in both researches. The love of noise textures and deep dark drones where largely related to my admiration of bands like Black Sabbath, Motórhead, Judas Priest, NWOBHM* and more recently Opeth, Mastodon, NIN, Rammstein, Machine Head and Anathema. I also explored post metal acts but this was to develop at the end of 2019 after the Home of Metal Symposium.
The remaining two releases completed at ARU were 'NOiRa' and 'PROSAiC' in conjunction with Martina Surace on viola for NOiRa and Rob Blackman on guitar for PROSAiC. The original release of 'PROSAiC' was under the band name Black September Falls and like a ghost this has continued to manifest in my sound since it birth. The band Logo is shown below.
The final act in my time at ARU was to conclude with what was ultimately the reduced funding to University music departments in the UK by the government by 50%. My mentor quit and my journey ended. Fortunately my mentor managed to squeeze me onto the PhD at London South Bank University and it is there that the research continued.
*NWOBHM - The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (1979 - 1982).
