New Age
Ambient · 1980 · also known as New Age Music, Musique Nouvel Age
New age is the wellness music of the 1980s: soft synth pads, harps, ocean recordings and a sonic promise of healing. Commercially it was enormous and critically it was mocked, yet it also produced genuine contemplative masterpieces, from Iasos to Laraaji, that the ambient revival of the 2010s rehabilitated through compilations such as those on Light in the Attic. The line between new age and ambient is really a matter of intention rather than sound: new age wants to soothe and resolve, while ambient is happy to simply exist in the room. Both share soft synths and long reverbs, but new age always points somewhere gentle and warm.
15 reference tracks
- Kitaro: Silk Road (1980)
- Vangelis: Chariots Of Fire (1981)
- Enya: Orinoco Flow (1988)
- Enigma: Sadeness Part I (1990)
- Deep Forest: Sweet Lullaby (1992)
- Green-House: Sansevieria (2020)
- Laraaji: This Too Shall Pass (2020)
- Vangelis: In The Magic Of Cosmos (2021)
- Angel X: I Will Never Let You Go (2021)
- Mariusz Duda: Embracing The Unknown (2023)
- Enya: Only Time
- Enigma: Return to Innocence
- Enya: Caribbean Blue
- Enigma: Modern Crusaders
- Enya: Wild Child
At a glance
- First appeared: around 1980
- Machines: Roland D-50, Korg M1, Harpe
- The sound: Synthés doux (D-50, M1), Harpes et flûtes, Enregistrements de nature, Réverbérations lisses
- Labels: Leaving Records, Windham Hill, Private Music, Light in the Attic, Narada
- Key artists: Iasos, Laraaji, Enya, Deuter, Suzanne Ciani (charnière)
Producing New Age
New age usually sits at 60 to 90 BPM, or drifts fully rubato with no grid, close to a resting pulse, which suits relaxation, with eighth-note arpeggios rocking gently in 4/4 or a soft 6/8. Unlike ambient there is a clear pulse and an advancing melody, but everything is rounded off, no swing, a slight lag of the chords behind the beat, and rallentandos at phrase ends. When there is a drum part it stays muted, a soft drum machine, kick on 1 and 3, gated reverb-drowned snare, or world percussion like shaker and tabla. The bass, when present, is soft and sustained, barely audible as a line, with the harmony doing the work through bright major chords and a tonic pedal that resolves. Period presets, pan flutes, choir voices, harp and nature recordings complete a crystal-clear sound.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is New Age?
New age is the wellness music of the 1980s: soft synth pads, harps, ocean recordings and a sonic promise of healing. Commercially it was enormous and critically it was mocked, yet it also produced genuine contemplative masterpieces, from Iasos to Laraaji, that the ambient revival of the 2010s…
Who are the key New Age artists?
Iasos, Laraaji, Enya, Deuter, Suzanne Ciani (charnière).
