Swambient Series
(TM writes:)
Brian Eno, the pioneer of ambient music, famously stated that "Ambient music must be as ignorable as it is interesting." This definition itself is, ironically, just as ignorable as it is interesting. While Eno’s ambient works may have embodied this ideal, much of today's ambient music often lacks the very quality that would make it interesting upon attentive listening, in my view.
In response, I’ve coined the term Swambient after TI's suggestion that we pursue a notion different from Ambient. While acknowledging Eno’s premise, Swambient aims to restore the depth and engagement that ambient music can offer—not by simply returning to Eno’s approach, but by evolving it. The term blends sway and ambient, reflecting its intention to remain immersive yet musically compelling.
If one were to personify conventional ambient music, it might resemble a person without eyes—always the same, no matter the place or moment, passively present yet never engaging with its surroundings. This aesthetic may have resonated in the 1960s and 70s, but in the 2020s, such passivity feels omnipresent.
One of the questions that Swambient poses is the diversity of our environments. Is the ambience of a tea room nestled in the corner of a thousand-year-old temple in Kyoto truly the same as that of a Parisian apartment living room, with a balcony overlooking the city? Yet, in existing ambient music, such stark contrasts are almost nonexistent (even though I've loved it for a long time).
Ambient music, as it is commonly understood, remains unchanged for hours on end. Yet even if it appears static on the surface, this is fundamentally at odds with how we, as human beings, experience our surroundings. The implicit premise of ambient music is that the environment is a constant, an assumption that neither Buddhist philosophy nor contemporary physics would readily endorse.
There is so much more to explore—active engagement, diversity, musical depth, and a reconsideration of how music interacts with its environment, not only through FMT’s work, but hopefully one day, through the Swambient interpretations of other artists as well.
This series is also an acoustic experiment, which we're going to explore in the production notes of each work.
I came up with this concept when we were to release "Let Me Hear About You In Ambience," on which TI recalls:
(TI writes:)
It all started with public concerns regarding TM's use of the word ‘Ambient’ as a tentative title for a track he was composing.
The music he was creating was different from the concept of ‘Ambient’ as it is generally understood by music fans.
Brian Eno originally proposed the concept of ‘Ambient,’ which refers to a new functional role and value of music. It does not denote a specific song format or style, as ‘Ambient’ is often perceived by the average music fan. For this reason, I personally had no objections to TM using ‘Ambient’ as a title for his tracks.
However, the use of the word ‘Ambient’ could be misleading, as track titles influence public perception. Therefore, I suggested coming up with an alternative word or definition for ‘Ambient.’
I left the term ‘Swambient’ and its definition up to TM. Additionally, these songs do not serve a single function but instead exhibit a variety of expressions depending on the listener's environment, mental state, and approach to music. Unlike the minimalist components of conventional Ambient Music, these tracks exhibit a multilayered, diverse, and flexible nature.
(TM writes:)
We hope to challenge the conventional perception of ambient music and redefine its possibilities through these works, as follows. (Newly released tracks will be added upon release.)
TRACKS
・Migraine Remedy
(Most Effective with Earplugs; NOT Authorised by Any Authority)
While I was composing this work, my migraine was cured. I'm not sure at all what symptoms beside me this could be effective for or what bi-products that might cause -- anyway, this is not treatment for anyone else, I'd say. I've added the subtitle in order not to violate the medical laws. I'm just joking.
Suggested situation: Time just for yourself when you feel like you can't get rid of fatigue.
・Let Me Hear About You In Ambience (Long Mix)
(TM's writing quoted from the production notes:)
... I often feel drawn to creating chill-out or relaxation music—whatever you call it—with a modern complexity that transcends its typically sparse and simple musical structure. In our earlier release, "Le Rêve Restauré (Dream Restored)," I touched on the Purism of the fine art world as a theme. However, I often find that chill-out music, which arguably originates from such ideas, no longer resonates with the spirit of the times—at least in my view.
Suggested situation: When you hope that atmosphere or feeling of innocence fulfills the time and space you are in.
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