Various – Ambient 4: Isolationism

I was after a copy of this for a while and then found one in a charity shop - albeit in a locked glass case for £10. I had to get the manager of the shop to uncage it for me. Since when did charity shops stick their second hand CDs into locked glass display cases? Oh well, they are raising money for good causes I suppose.

Anyhow, it's well worth the money, a compilation CD that sounds at least as futuristic as when it was issued.

Kevin Martin is GOD!!!
This comp is proof

Fuck Yeah...

Tim Cain, the mastermind behind the original 1997 Fallout retro-futuristic post apocalyptic role playing game said in an interview that he listened to a lot of ambient music during the game's development. As time went on, he listened to darker and darker ambient. He cited this compilation in particular as an inspiration for the game's famous soundtrack. When it came time to score the game, he provided composer Mark Morgan (4) with a playlist of songs off this compilation that most inspired him. Mark Morgan (4) - Fallout: The Soundtrack is the stuff of legend and regarded as one of the best video game soundtracks for good reason. This compilation, while quite pricey on the used market (thanks, Fallout fans!) is a worthy listen to anyone with even a passing interest in the Fallout series.

This compilation is worth checking out if you are a fan of ambient/noise/experimental music. All of the tracks are exclusive to this release and it's a great gateway to other underground artists including Zoviet France and KK Null. The other Virgin Records Ambient series releases are also great but this one is my favorite due to it's dark & minimal theme. This album sounds best when played at a high volume.

Kevin Martin (Techno Animal/The Bug/Ice) compiles a zeitgeist-busting compilation of musics that actually didn't have a scene or a 'name' until Martin christened it Isolationism ( in retrospect all 'scenes' are the same- artists doing similar things without necessarily being aware of each others existence until a journalist dips his/her pen). Heavier in tone and style that the previous back catalogue-trawling compilations by Simon Hopkins etc, and drawing on mostly exclusive material, this set launched not only a new genre (which quickly became bogged down by gothic occult 'dark ambient' acts replete with dodgy right-wing imagery and references.... hello Cold Spring Records), but also pushed veteran improvisers like AMM and veteran drone industrialists like Zoviet:France onto a stage for a new and younger audience to appreciate.
1994 was the ground zero for nouveau-ambient, and this compilation (along with Virgin's subsequent AMBT series and David Toop's brilliant 'Ocean of Sound' book set the scene for the years to come. Or the children of the zeitgeist, if you will.
Essential .

This was the fourth and last in Virgin Records' zeitgeist-capturing ambient compilation album series. Whereas the previous three double-CD sets were drawn exclusively from Virgin's back catalogue - albeit that Virgin could draw on Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, the Future Sound of London etc - this album was drawn from all over the place and even contained a number of original tracks, some of which are still quite rare ("Aphex Airlines", for example). It's a commendably out-there compilation, with Disco Inferno, Zoviet*France, Total, O'Rang and a number of other acts who had been lumped in with the ambient boom (this was just before the terms "illbient" and "post-rock" had been invented). It's my favourite of the four compilations and makes for excellent Doom background music.