Ambient Twitter (Updated 2009.04.14)

As of October 31, 2009, this post has been supplanted by a “Twitter list” at twitter.com/disquiet/ambient.

The micro-blogging service that is twitter.com has a natural affiliation with ambient music. The sensory awareness that it provides of the goings-on of one’s friends and colleagues — not to mention of intriguing people whom one has never met — is a tacit background process, a tertiary manner of connectivity. Not surprisingly, numerous musicians and labels and other entities participate on Twitter, providing a constant stream of chatter that can be parsed for news, recommended listening, even advice. Messages sent via Twitter are a maximum of 140 characters, which keeps messages brief, and the signal-to-noise ratio relatively high.

Here’s an initial list of links (in no particular order) to the Twitter pages of people (and, in some cases, groups or organizations) broadly associated with ambient/electronic music, though I’m sure there are plenty of others out there. If you have any recommendations of Twitterers not mentioned here, please drop ’em in the comments box below, or shoot me a note via the contact page:

@1000digiki, @taylordeupree, @sepulchra, @luvsound, @sideb0ard, @usoproject, @ocp_pt_vu, @bathysphere, @pulsewidth, @my_fun, @pedroleitao, @douglasbenford, @zoecello, @brianlavelle, @stuffedspacedog, @rarefrequency, @vagueterrain, @chris_randall, @cdmblogs, @musicthing, @peterkirn, @thewiremagazine, @lampo

Here’s a second batch, as of February 25. Thanks to everyone who submitted suggestions, and who let me know about their own Twitter presence:

@diatonis, @ambiencellist, @ambienteer, @swayingsmoke, @agentpearson, @psonikadia, @sublamp, @daveseidel, @dherbe, @andrew_levine, @gurdonark, @buddhamachine, @djrupture, @postsilence, @oblique_chirps

Here’s a third batch, as of February 26, including the arts organization Ars Technica and the record label Audiobulb. Thanks, again, for the suggestions:

@rlainhart, @grhmsthrlnd, @markrushtoncom, @ttoner, @dtauvdiodr, @audiobulb, @neoouija, @emworld, @arstechnica, @blocsonic, @phonaut, @timeblind

This is the fourth batch, as of March 7:

@tokafi, @raulfuentes, @cjherbert, @miniair, @deadformats, @archaichorizon, @JCLemay, @willits, @rddy, @zeromoon, @quiet, @bleep43, @ambientmusic, @oblaat, @rolandreinke

A fifth batch, as of March 11:

@dvnt, @justinvaris, @thegreenkingdom, @atomicskunk, @afoisy, @fatcatrecords, @thrilljockey, @theleaflabel, @percussionlab, @kmkrebs, @futuremusicmag, @modularfield, @rekkerd, @dubstep, @emarg0ed

A sixth batch, as of April 14:

@stasisfield, @janietopangea, @thomasraukamp, @noisician, @kmkrebs, @experimedia, @room40speaks, @fognozzle, @teelanovela, @spectraliquid, @atomicskunk, @brianlavelle, @sheisaway, @thesalesdept,@alec_empire, @trent_reznor, @c_bissonnette, @nobuooo, @hugoverweij, @thegrassyknoll

And, as always, I’m at twitter.com/disquiet, which is mostly sound-related (with occasional lapses into food and software). Below are some random recent tweets I made, repurposed here in reverse chronological order:

I’d like to hear a remix based on the piano-and-werewolf-screams moment in Dog Soldiers. Almost as happy as when Three 6 Mafia won. Listening to an Odd Nosdam mix, and remembering that the essential step when making chili is freezing for future use. Belatedly, going to see The International. AO Scott wrote about its “dial-tone score.” That’s a compliment, right? But 1st, Tan Tan Noodles. Brian Eno has talked about how he tests his music on the best and worst speakers. Did he test U2’s album for the 96kbps it’s at on MySpace? Twidroid is not working for me. Anyhow, gym: Miles Davis Remixed. Testing an audio plug-in on my WordPress-powered website, Disquiet.com, and hoping not to break everything in the process. Here goes Gym: The score to The International. In this rain, at this quiet hour, the house is one giant kalimba. Just had that “wish I had something to listen to while I’m listening to this” feeling. Just bought ticket for Throbbing Gristle in San Francisco on April 23.