In his 1995 diary, Brian Eno describes his intentions behind the ambient album 'Music for Airports,' aiming to create music that eases the apprehension around death. Released in 1978, the album introduced a meditative style, moving away from traditional scales and exploring sounds meant to exist in the background. While initially realized at La Guardia Airport, its full impact has now evolved with extensions like a six-hour version by 'Slow Motion TV,' reinforcing its acceptance theme, particularly amidst the chaos of travel delays, showcasing music's role in personal reflection on mortality.
I want to make a kind of music that prepares you for dying—that doesn't get all bright and cheerful... but which makes you say to yourself, 'Actually, it's not that big a deal if I die.'
Music for Airports started the idea of slow, meditative music that abandoned typical major and minor scales, bringing in melodic ambiguity.
The tonal field is the same, but now the notes are no attack, all decay. It's granular as hell, but you could imagine the whole piece unspooling unnoticed in a terminal.
Unlike Music for Films, which featured several tracks Eno had given to filmmakers... Music for Airports took some time for being piped in at a terminal at La Guardia.
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