Ocean of Sound (Paperback)

Ambient sound and radical listening in the age of communication

David Toop

The classic account of ambient music, with a new foreword by Michel Faber

David Toop's extraordinary work of sonic history travels from the rainforests of Amazonas to the megalopolis of Tokyo via the work of artists as diverse as Brian Eno, Sun Ra, Erik Satie, Kate Bush, Kraftwerk and Brian Wilson.

Beginning in 1889 at the Paris exposition when Debussy first heard Javanese music performed, Ocean of Sound channels the competing instincts of 20th century music into an exhilarating, path-breaking account of ambient sound.

'A meditation on the development of modern music, there's no single term that is adequate to describe what Toop has accomplished here ... mixing interviews, criticism, history, and memory, Toop moves seamlessly between sounds, styles, genres, and eras' Pitchfork's '60 Favourite Music Books'

Publication date: 02/08/2018

£10.99

ISBN: 9781788160308

Imprint: Serpent's Tail

Subject: Non-Fiction, Popular Culture & Music, Serpent's Tail Classics

Foreword by: Michel Faber

Ocean of Sound (Ebook)

Ambient sound and radical listening in the age of communication

David Toop

Buy from

The classic account of ambient music, with a new foreword by Michel Faber

David Toop's extraordinary work of sonic history travels from the rainforests of Amazonas to the megalopolis of Tokyo via the work of artists as diverse as Brian Eno, Sun Ra, Erik Satie, Kate Bush, Kraftwerk and Brian Wilson.

Beginning in 1889 at the Paris exposition when Debussy first heard Javanese music performed, Ocean of Sound channels the competing instincts of 20th century music into an exhilarating, path-breaking account of ambient sound.

'A meditation on the development of modern music, there's no single term that is adequate to describe what Toop has accomplished here ... mixing interviews, criticism, history, and memory, Toop moves seamlessly between sounds, styles, genres, and eras' Pitchfork's '60 Favourite Music Books'

Publication date: 02/08/2018

£8.99

ISBN: 9781788161046

Imprint: Serpent's Tail

Subject: Non-Fiction, Popular Culture & Music, Serpent's Tail Classics

Foreword by: Michel Faber

David Toop

David Toop

David Toop is a highly regarded author, music critic and musician. Since 1995 he has released three solo albums, curated five compilation albums (including the soundtrack to Ocean of Sound), and the sound and music exhibition at the Hayward Gallery – 'Sonic Boom'. His music journalism appears in The Wire, Book Forum, The Times and The Face.