An ambient paradox: Brian Eno doesn’t “like electronic sounds”
There are certain names that are forever etched into the history of electronic music, but perhaps none more than Brian Eno. After finding his start with Roxy Music, Eno secured his reputation as a producer through collaborations with the likes of Talking Heads and Devo. Beyond perfecting the sounds of other artists in the studio, though, Eno began to hone a unique sound of his own in the electronic realm.
In between completing projects with post-punk pioneers and shoegazers, Eno spent his spare time creating an entirely new genre: ambient music. Almost at odds with the music he was producing as his day job, this new synth-infused sound was airy and atmospheric, intended as background music for airports or films, or so his album titles suggested.
Despite the genre’s unassuming nature, ambient music has built up a significant following since its inception in the late 1970s. Many artists have followed in the footsteps of Eno’s sonic ambience, from the dense stylings of Grouper to the sonic experimentations of Tim Hecker, while listeners have taken comfort in the sprawling escapism of the genre.
As the genre has become more universally known and loved, so too has Eno, who has become a lauded figure not only within ambient, but within the electronic genre more widely. So much of his discography and reputation exists within this sphere and yet, Eno once declared his dislike for electronic sounds.
During a 1982 interview via BBC Archive, the producer spoke about his preference for natural sounds over electronic. “I generally don’t like electronic sounds that much,” he admitted, “which you might find surprising since I always work with them.” The declaration certainly does come as a surprise, but Eno’s explanation shows how he blends the electronic with the human.
“I find natural sound, or sound produced from non-electric sources to be so rich and so interesting,” he explains, “And yet, the interesting thing about electronic sound is that it’s very easy to manipulate.” Combining the two, according to Eno, allows you to apply the freedoms of the synthesiser to the beauty of natural sound.
Despite his association with electronic, this technique has always dominated Eno’s own work, from his days with Roxy Music to his solo career. “Most of the time in Roxy that’s what I was doing,” he explained, “I was rarely using it as a sound source. And most of the time, now, that’s what I still do. But now, instead of just using the synthesiser, I use the whole studio as an appendage to the instrument in that way.”
Though it exists firmly in the electronic sphere, Eno’s music has always contained an earthly, human quality, too. Sampling rich and real sounds from nature and using the scope of electronic production to expand their sonic possibilities, his compositions make all the more sense when you understand his dislike for electronic sounds.
