Ocean of Sound: Ambient sound and radical listening in the age of communication

David Toop's extraordinary work of sonic history embarks on a journey from the rainforests of Amazonas to the sprawling megalopolis of Tokyo, encompassing the diverse creations of artists such as Brian Eno, Sun Ra, Erik Satie, Kate Bush, Kraftwerk, and Brian Wilson along the way.

Beginning in 1889 at the Paris Exposition, where Claude Debussy first encountered the captivating sounds of Javanese gamelan music, Ocean of Sound masterfully channels the often competing instincts and innovations of 20th-century music. The result is an exhilarating, path-breaking account of ambient sound and its evolution.

As Pitchfork notes in its '60 Favourite Music Books', this is '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.' The book offers a fascinating exploration of how various musical currents converged and diverged, creating the rich tapestry of contemporary soundscapes we inhabit today. It delves into the philosophical underpinnings of musical creation, examines the impact of technology on sound, and celebrates the artists who dared to push boundaries, often creating genres long before they had a name. This makes Ocean of Sound an essential read for anyone interested in the deeper currents of musical innovation and its profound influence on culture.