Thom Brennan
Encyclopedia
Thom Brennan is an American
electronic
ambient
music
ian, composer and synthesist.
Active since the 1980s with his first album Mountains
(1987), he belongs to the scene of Californian pioneers of electronic music. His style encloses the principal traits characterizing the evolution from Terry Riley
's and Morton Subotnick
's minimalism
to the form of electronic New Age
suite.
s, with rare use of samples and without any acoustic instrument. His production consist mostly of beat
less soundscape
s; however, in a few works which himself calls rhythmic journeys, Brennan employs percussive sounds and, more frequently, rhythmic synth patterns or timbral movements.
His first work, Mountains
, was recorded on a 2 track stereo cassette deck in 1987; it was inspired by memories of Thom Brennan's childhood on an island in the East China Sea. This album was one of the most ambitious works of the so called Los Angeles school ; Steve Roach helped with the production.
His compositions are largely inspired by nature, especially by American Southwest landscapes and by Pacific Northwest
forests. All this results in a neo-classical ambient impressionism distinguished by a strong visual approach, as shown in albums like Mist and others he has recorded, starting from 2001, after a move to Seattle.
In addition to his solo productions, Brennan appeared in collaboration with other well-known ambient composers such as Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny on Western Spaces
(1987) and Vidna Obmana
on Amplexus: Collected Works from the 1995 Ltd Series (1997). However, all of Thom Brennan's main works are self-productions, and since the beginning of his career he has chosen the World Wide Web as the primary channel of distribution. Today he continues working as an independent artist, publishing his releases through his own label, Raingarden SoundWorks.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
ian, composer and synthesist.
Active since the 1980s with his first album Mountains
Mountains (album)
Mountains is the eighth studio album released by American country music group Lonestar. Its final album for BNA Records, it produced two singles on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Mountains" at #10 and "Nothing to Prove" at #51. After the latter single peaked, the band was dropped from BNA, due to...
(1987), he belongs to the scene of Californian pioneers of electronic music. His style encloses the principal traits characterizing the evolution from Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
's and Morton Subotnick
Morton Subotnick
Morton Subotnick is an American composer of electronic music, best known for his Silver Apples of the Moon, the first electronic work commissioned by a record company, Nonesuch...
's minimalism
Minimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
to the form of electronic New Age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
suite.
Works
Thom Brennan's music is realized almost exclusively with synthesizerSynthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, with rare use of samples and without any acoustic instrument. His production consist mostly of beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
less soundscape
Soundscape
A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology...
s; however, in a few works which himself calls rhythmic journeys, Brennan employs percussive sounds and, more frequently, rhythmic synth patterns or timbral movements.
His first work, Mountains
Mountains (album)
Mountains is the eighth studio album released by American country music group Lonestar. Its final album for BNA Records, it produced two singles on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Mountains" at #10 and "Nothing to Prove" at #51. After the latter single peaked, the band was dropped from BNA, due to...
, was recorded on a 2 track stereo cassette deck in 1987; it was inspired by memories of Thom Brennan's childhood on an island in the East China Sea. This album was one of the most ambitious works of the so called Los Angeles school ; Steve Roach helped with the production.
His compositions are largely inspired by nature, especially by American Southwest landscapes and by Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
forests. All this results in a neo-classical ambient impressionism distinguished by a strong visual approach, as shown in albums like Mist and others he has recorded, starting from 2001, after a move to Seattle.
In addition to his solo productions, Brennan appeared in collaboration with other well-known ambient composers such as Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny on Western Spaces
Western Spaces
Western Spaces is a collaborative album by the American ambient musicians Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny. This album is the first of Steve Roach’s many musical tributes to the Southwestern Desert....
(1987) and Vidna Obmana
Vidna Obmana
Vidna Obmana is a pseudonym used by Belgian composer and ambient musician Dirk Serries. The name Vidna Obmana, a phrase in Serbian, literally translates to "optical illusion" and was chosen by Serries because he felt it accurately described the music...
on Amplexus: Collected Works from the 1995 Ltd Series (1997). However, all of Thom Brennan's main works are self-productions, and since the beginning of his career he has chosen the World Wide Web as the primary channel of distribution. Today he continues working as an independent artist, publishing his releases through his own label, Raingarden SoundWorks.
Discography
- MountainsMountains (album)Mountains is the eighth studio album released by American country music group Lonestar. Its final album for BNA Records, it produced two singles on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Mountains" at #10 and "Nothing to Prove" at #51. After the latter single peaked, the band was dropped from BNA, due to...
(Cassette), TMB Music, 1987. - Western SpacesWestern SpacesWestern Spaces is a collaborative album by the American ambient musicians Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny. This album is the first of Steve Roach’s many musical tributes to the Southwestern Desert....
(CD, LP, TP; with Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny; track: In The Heat Of Venus), Innovative Communication/Fortuna, 1987. - Mohave I (1989)
- Mountains (CD, Album), Rubicon, 1993.
- The Path Not Taken (CD, Mini, Ltd), Amplexus, 1995.
- Beneath Clouds (CD), Arya, 1996.
- Amplexus: Collected Works from the 1995 Ltd Series (CD; with Steve Roach and Vidna ObmanaVidna ObmanaVidna Obmana is a pseudonym used by Belgian composer and ambient musician Dirk Serries. The name Vidna Obmana, a phrase in Serbian, literally translates to "optical illusion" and was chosen by Serries because he felt it accurately described the music...
), Projekt, 1996. - Mist (Cdr), Space For Music, 2000.
- The Dragon's Dream (CD), TMB Music, 2001.
- Mist (Cdr), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2001.
- Secret Faiths Of Salamanders (Cdr), Ampcast.com, 2001.
- Shimmer (CD), TMB Music, 2001.
- Shimmer (Cdr), Ampcast.com, 2001.
- Strange Paradise (Cdr), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2001.
- Vibrant Water (Cdr), Ampcast.com, 2001.
- Vibrant Water (Cdr), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2001.
- Satori (Cdr), Zero Music (USA), 2002.
- Collective Series Vol. 1 - Basic Space (CD; with other artists), Space For Music, 2002.
- Schwingungen Radio Auf CD # 85 (CD; with other artists), Cue Records (Germany), 2002.
- Signals In Moonlight (Cdr), TMB Music, 2003.
- Signals In Moonlight (Cdr), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2003.
- Beneath Clouds (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2004.
- Mist (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2004.
- Mist (CD), Space For Music, 2004.
- Mountains (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2004.
- Satori (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2004.
- Shimmer (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2004.
- Signals In Moonlight (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2004.
- Strange Paradise (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2004.
- Vibrant Water (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2004.
- Satori (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2005.
- Silver (CD), Raingarden SoundWorks, 2005.
- Vista (MP3 CD), Soundclick.com, 2005.
- Vista II (MP3 CD), Soundclick.com, 2005.
- Special CD Sampler E-dition #10 (CD; with other artists), E-dition Magazine, 2005.
- Chasing The Dawn: Ultima Thule Ambient Volume 01 (CD; with Steve Roach, Robert RichRobert Rich (musician)Robert Rich is an ambient musician and composer based in California, United States. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he is widely regarded as a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient, New Age, and even IDM music.-Early life:At an early age he thought he disliked music...
and other artists), Ultima Thule Ambient Media, 2006. - Vista III (MP3 CD), Soundclick.com, 2006.
- Stories from the Forest (MP3 CD), Thom Brennan, 2008.
- Tones (MP3), Thom Brennan, 2009.
- Sound Channels (MP3), Thom Brennan, 2010.