Over the last 20 years or so, since the early to mid 90s, I have listened to my fair share of albums within the psybient genre of music. Some artists are still with us while others have shone brightly, delivering glimpse of magic before fading away into the deeps of space from whence they came. Over this time, like many of you, I have pondered my firm favorites when it comes to best psybient albums.
Artists such as Shpongle and Ott who helped form the psydub genre and psychill acts such as Carbon Based Lifeforms and Aes Dana feature heavily of course. However as popular as these artists are I think there is always room for some lesser known acts who have released equally fascinating albums.
The list below comprises of what I believe to be the greatest albums by artists within an all encompassing "psybient" tag i.e psychedelic ambient, psychedelic dub, spacey psychill and genres that flirt about on the edges of those. There are many absolute gems in this list so I highly recommend checking them all out some time. This is a fairly 'loose' list, the main purpose is to get a good big list of best psybient albums to share online.
I'll be updating this list over time so you will see changes over the coming years as worthy albums are released. If you are interested in a list of compilation albums then stay tuned as I'm currently compiling that one and it's looking pretty awesome too.
Finally, I would love to hear back from you - what albums are in your top 10 ? Or is there anything else you could recommend to psybient fans that you think is worth a shout ? Drop a comment below and let us know what you are thinking.
Rank - Artists - Album
- Shpongle - Are You Shpongled ?
- Ott - Mir
- Carbon Based Lifeforms - World Of Sleepers
- Aes Dana - Memory Shell
- Hallucinogen - Hallucinogen in Dub
- Abakus - That Much Closer To The Sun
- ISHQ - Orchid
- Ott - Blumenkraft
- Shpongle - Ineffable Mysteries from Shpongleland
- Drift - Drift
- Entheogenic - Entheogenic
- Deviant Electronics - Blunt Instruments
- Aes Dana - Leylines
- Shpongle - Tales of the Inexpressible
- Ott - Skylon
- Celtic Cross - Hicksville
- Tripswitch - Circuit Breaker
- Kuba - Through A Lense
- Carbon Based Lifeforms - The Path
- Alien Soap Opera - Second Wave
- Shpongle - Nothing Lasts
- Gus Till - Ghosts Of The Earth
- Ashirvad - Ashirvad
- ISHQ - The Invisible Landscape
- Younger Brother - A Flock of Bleeps
- Shulman - Soundscapes and Modern Tales
- Cell - Hanging Masses
- Ooze - Where The Fields Never End
- Kuba - How the Future Sounded
- The Orb - The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld
- Younger Brother - Vaccine Electronic
- Yggdrasil - Prose Edda
- ISHQ - And Awake
- Solar Fields - Blue Moon Station
- Subsurfing - Frozen Ants
- Bluetech - Elementary Particles / Prima Materia
- Dub Trees - Nature Never Did Betray The Heart That Loved Her
- Saafi Brothers - Mystic Cigarettes
- Solar Fields - Movements
- Bluetech - Dreaming Into Being
- Hol Bauman - Human
- KLF - Chill Out
- Carbon Based Lifeforms - Twentythree
- Anahata - The Unmade Sound
- Desert Dwellers - DownTemple Dub Flames
- Digital Mystery Tour - Digital Mystery Tour
- Makyo - Purnima
- Shulman - In Search of a Meaningful Moment
- Don Peyote - Eternal Now
- Entheogenic - Spontaneous Illumination
- Eat Static - Back to Earth
- Kalpatura Tree - Luminosophy
- Scann Tec - Facial Memories
- Phutureprimitive - Kinetik
- Younger Brother - The Last Days Of Gravity
- Greg Hunter - Metasurfing
- Carbon Based Lifeforms - Interloper
- ISHQ - Sama
- Kick Bong - A Cup of Tea ?
- Zymosis - Elements into Data
- Bluetech - Rainforest Reverberation
- Outersect - Caldera
- Shakatura - Shakatura
- 23 degrees - 23 Degrees
- Stress Assassin - Within The Office Of Eye And Ear
- Shpongle - Museum of Consciousness
- Astroppilot - Solar Walk 2
- Mental Extensions - Inner Reality
- Benji Vaughn - Even Tundra
- Shulman - Random Thoughts
- Globular - Colours Of The Brainbow
- Green Beats - Cosmic Turtle
- Zero Cult - Dreams In Stereo
- Makyo - Swara Mandala
- Kalya Scintila - Open Ancient Eyes
- Third Ear Audio - Third Ear Audio
- HUVA Network - Ephemeris
- Kuba - Bringing It All Back Home
- Kliment- The Perpetual Ritual
- Green Nuns On Ice - Pan Electric
- Pineal - Cauda Pavonis
- Androcell - Emotivision
- Makyo - Rasa Bhava
- Spectralight - Temple of Stars
- Entheogenic - Golden Cap
- Flooting Grooves - Psydeburns
- Globular - Magnitudes of Order
- Puff Dragon - Sazanami
- Akasha - Into The Web
- Manta Ray - Numinous Island
- Shulman - Endless Rhythms of the Beatless Heart
- Astronaut Ape - Ten Minutes Eternity
- Youth - Youth In Dub
- Padmasana - Padmasana II
- Asura - Code Eternity
- Solar Fields - Until We Meet the sky
- Healer - Higher Grounds
- Kalya Scintilla - Dance the Spiral Never Ending
- Kyoto - Skywolf
- Ochi Brothers - Ochi Brothers
- Androcell - Imbue
- Capsula - Synthesis Of Reality
- Kaya Project - Desert Phase
- OM - Viaje Al Interior
- Kaya Project - Walking Through
- Sounds From The Ground - Terra Firma
- Phutureprimitive - Sub Conscious
- Shakatura - Galactivation
- Mahaon - The Awakening
- Birds of Paradise - Flight Patterns
- Dymons - Druids Brew
- Elve - Infinite Garden
- Makyo - Shringara
- Flooting Grooves - Antimony
- Matt Coldrick - Music for a Busy Head
- Jairamji - Kindred Spirits
- Ornament - Bleu
- Pitch Black - Rude Mechanicals
- Chronos and CJ Catalizer - Quid Est Veritas?
- Amuravision - Light Energy Performance
- Argaman - My Little Forest
- Astropilot - Solar Walk
- Globular - Self Fulfilling Prophecy
- Vlastur - Interaxion Dub
- Daheen - Green Chillies
- Kalya Scintilla - Beginnings
- Easily Embarrassed - Tales Of The Coin Spinner
- Entheogenic - Enthymesis
- Unusual Cosmic Process - Aquatic
- Galaxy - Science Of Ecstasy
- Entheogeic Sound Explorers - Magic Garden
- Salmonela Dub - Calming Of The Drunken Monkey
- Sinepearl - Cycles Within Cycles Within
- GMO vs Dense - Equation
- Desert Dwellers - Muladhara Yoga Dub
- Pitch Black - Future Proof
- Hinkstep - Second Sight
- Lauge and Baba Gnohm - Langbortistan
- Dense - Exhale
- Hesius Dome - The Age Of Steam
- ISHQ - Blue Infinity
- Kaminanda - Gateways of Consciousness
- Kurbeats - Folktronica
- Padmasana - Padmasana
- Seamoon - Expression Of The Moment
- The Peaking Goddess Collective - Organika
- Younger Brother - Vaccine
- Warp Technique - Make Animals Happy
- Don Peyote - Heaven and Earth
- Ganja Beats - Paradise and Tranquility
- Gus Till - Dub Shadows
- Hinkstep - Sunrise From The Treetops
- Kaminanda - Ancestors and Guardians
- Pan Electric and ISHQ - About Time
- Pitch Black - Electric Earth
- Saafi Brothers - Midnight's Children
- Perpetual Loop - Passage of Sound
- Mystery School Ensemble - Mystery School Ensemble
- Rena Jones - Echoes
- Perpetual Loop - Universal Flow
- Hoopy Frood - Psychonaut
- Seahorse Transform - Dust form a trip
- Radioactive Sandwich - A World Of Delights
- Soulacybin - Gratitude
- Sync24 - Source
- Sysphe - Running up That Hill
- Asura - Lost Eden
- Distant System - Spiral Empire
- Pan Electric - Conscious Pilot
- Koan - When The Silence Is Speaking
- Kuba - Inside Out
- Banco de Gaia - Last Train To Lhasa
- Kaminanda - Liminal Spaces
- Ren Toudu - Intangible
- Waterjuice - Liquid Journeys
- Soulacybin - Self Existing Earth
- Toires - Oued
- Tengri - Shipibo
- Sunmonx - Power Salad
- Warp Technique - Shaman Lik My Pea
- Miditeranian - Gondolieri in Space
- Electrocado - The Hass Effect
- Galaxy - Everlasting Tone
- Krusseldorf - Bohemian Groove
- Sundial Aeon - Analysis
- Saafi Brothers - Live on the Roadblog
- Terra Nine - Strange Craft
- One Mighty Atom - Mystery Karaoke
- Supersillyus - Interabang
- Asura - 360
- Slackbaba - Perverting Mankind
- Seamoon - Twisted Downbeat Adventure
- Tajmahal - Star Circus
- Will O the Wisp - Long Sleep Plain
- Brujos Bowl - Peace Data
- Kuma Mela Experiment - East Of The River Ganges
- Master Margerita - The Marginal Rules
- Gnomes Of Kush - California Kush
- Koan - The Fables Of Belovodye
- Shantifax - Delete Automation
The great thing about lists is everyone has a different 1! I've been enjoying your sets for several years now & really appreciate the time & effort u put into this blog so I don't want to be too critical. The only comment I would like to make is perhaps its a little too early to include releases that r only a month or so old, such as the gus till album u reviewed in ur last post & the sundial aeon album. I actually really like sundial aeon & was a little disappointed that the only album to make the list was the 1 I don't have from july! However there r now so many more artists for me to explore & to find out more about, so thankyou.
ReplyDeleteAs they say a review or list us just the first line in an argument. Personally I don't care how old an album is before it goes in my top list. Surely everyone knew Nirvana's Nevermind was then the number one album of the 90s when it was released. A brave call to put the new Shpongle so low. I was dissspointed with it too. A few too many half baked songs but it would go in my top 50 maybe. Nice to see abakus up there - fantastic album. Thanks for a great list to file away for a rainy day.
ReplyDeleteOne glaring omission of quintessential psybient, that I'd place very high -Timenvu by MIC, http://altar.bandcamp.com/album/timenvu
ReplyDelete.... @Anonymous I don't like the latest gus till either. Wouldn't make a top 500
I love the new Gus Till. It's very "musical". I would also add every Astropilot album
ReplyDeletemiditerranian no 2 - planet hop
ReplyDeleteDude you rule !! Bring on the compilation list
ReplyDeleteP.s OK Computer was the best album of the the 90s Dom
hi - I tip my hat to you. This is a magic collection
ReplyDeleteSuper
ReplyDelete"The day turns to night" from Are you shpongled ? Best tune ever !
ReplyDeleteKrill.minima – Nautica should be on everyone's list ;>
ReplyDeleteMy top ten
ReplyDeleteentheogenic - entheogenic
bluetech - elementary particles
celtic cross - hicksville
shpongle - are you shpongled
shulman - soundscapes and modern tales
yggdrasil - prose edda
hallucinogen - hallucinogen in dub
phutureprimitive - subconscious
cbl - world of sleepers
mental extensions - inner reality
2 entries for Phutureprimitive-Kinetik at 54 and 81? No.135, Equation is a GMO vs Dense release and 140. Exhale a Dense release
ReplyDeleteCheck out the new soulacybin - crunchy and tasty
ReplyDeleteShpongleddddd. Hard choice between first and second album
ReplyDeletegreetings!!
ReplyDeletehard choose
but it would be something like:
Entheogenic
Androcel
Green Beats
Ott
Celtic Cross
Chronos
Bluetech
Desert Dwellers
Yggdrasil
Ashirvad
Very nice list, agree on a lot of it :))
ReplyDeleteTop 10 is pretty close to my top 10.
But....
Zymosis - Between two Points is higly recommended. (Top 10)
im pretty sure you will agree on this ;)
Asura should be way, way higher. Just saying. #190?
ReplyDeleteGreat list !
ReplyDeleteThe only album that is missing for me is
Taruna - Beyond The Event Horizon
You should definitely check out this album. Would be one of my top 5.
Thank you for sharing your lifetime collection of Psybient Treasures !
ReplyDeleteI have already made some Wonderful Discoveries from your list ..
Alien Soap Opera - Second Wave .. So Perfect ) Thank You
Thanks very much, you rock!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting this together, this is awesome. I definitely have some listening I got to get to, going to be great checking these out. I am a big fan of the reggae-centric ones, so if anyone knows any good "psybient reggae dub" albums let me know. These two are my favorite:
ReplyDeleteDub Resistance-World Receiver
John Browns Body- JBB in Dub.
Also, were you really that disappointed in Museum of Consciousness? I thought it was dope.
PS- I am kind of in the process of discovering the psybient genre and I never knew how to describe the type of music I was listening to when people asked. I love the name psybient and you mentioned up at the top "psychill". That is rich, will definitely be using that from here on out when asked to describe Shpongle and Ott and those of the like.
Hi Chris
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. Museum Of Consciousness felt a little under baked to me. Too many songs seemed to just stop suddenly without the gradual fades or interweaving of tracks we hear on older Shpongle works. If you dubby sounds check out the artists listed in my dub mixes ( see the archive page and scroll down to the mixes listed as psydub ). Thanks for tuning in mate.
Gorgeous list. I've been there with you brother... so many years, so many albums. What I think you would love, is the Human Blue - Diskovery Channel (2005) album. Perhaps you know it but for some reason it's not on the list. I checked only one album from your list, as I know every single one of rest. And I have them all too, so thank for this one. :)
ReplyDeleteNice list :)
ReplyDeletetwo highly recommended artist/albums with the level off skill off shongle!!
Definitly try argaman and be amazed by his awesome tim burton styled music with very high quality production!!
Argaman - My little Forest
Argaman - Living in a Bubble
Zymosis - Between two points
Argaman is in the list at 121. I would rate it higher myself.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great list of treasures for me indeed, thank you for sharing!! :)
ReplyDeletenamaste