About Us

During the late 1980s, ambient music occupied a complex place in the musical landscape. The genre is mature enough to stand on its own – see, for example, the catalog of Venture Records, a division of Virgin Records that specialises in ambient and electronic music by artists such as Hans-Joachim Roedelius (cluster), Holger Czukay (Can) and David Sylvian (Japan) - but it likely exists as part of a wider aesthetic taste. Elements of ambient music combined with minimalism, systems, and pop emerged in the indie music scene, for example through the neo-romantic aesthetic of label 4AD and the reverb dream pop of groups such as Dif Juz, This Mortal Coil, and the Cocteau Twins (The latter even teamed up with environmental legend Harold Budd).

Until 1978 and the founding of Mute Records, there were few record labels devoted exclusively to electronic music. Due to a lack of exports, many early technological pioneers formed their own. For example, Juan Atkins founded the Detroit-based label Metroplex Records, and Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva founded their influential Plus 8 label. In the UK, Warp Records became one of the preeminent sources of home listening and experimental music in the 1990s. Later additions included Astralwerks, Ninja Tune, Black Hole Recordings and Perfecto Record labels.