New Age music: Encyclopedia II - New Age music - Influences

New Age music - Influences

Influences reach from meditation music to classical music, world music, ethnic music. ambient music and also prog-rock and Krautrock. However, the musical structures can be understood in relation to many other forms of music that are taken much more seriously. Most New Age music falls under the category of the repetitive or the static which can resemble trance music.

There is the Indian influenced minimalism of Terry Riley, Tony Conrad, LaMonte Young which utilized drones beginning in the early 1960s, and also the music of Ghana (West African) derived tonal minimalism of Steve Reich which has shaped New Age music. However, a more apt direct connection is with the less formal and more popularized take of Brian Eno. Also connected to the creation of New Age music is the resurgence of interest in Gregorian Chant during the 1960s.

Group and artists such as Popul Vuh, Tangerine Dream, Ashra, Vangelis, Iaso, Jean-Michel Jarre and Klaus Schulze are considered some of the most important creators of New Age Music.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Influences", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki