Born in 1936 in a Mojave Desert town, Budd has become one of the leading exponents of minimalist ambient music.
Music by Harold Budd covers a variety of feelings, moods and compositional styles. A good introduction would be the beauty of the collaborations with Brian Eno such as 'The Pearl' or 'The Plateaux of Mirror'. As a solo recording 'The Serpent (In Quicksilver) / Abandoned Cities' manages to portray a haunting and sparse representation of desert landscapes he was raised in and this endures as one of my favourite CD's. The version I have is of the 2 recordings combined onto one CD and has elements of piano compositions as well as intense atmospheric pieces originally utilised at an art gallery installation.Have a look at some of my tips for finding music here. |
Coming to music relatively late in life he has cited his early memories of haunted lonely places in outback America. He calls himself 'a composer who occasionally plays the piano'. His use of piano often involves manipulation of the sound through muffling or resonances to create a new relationship of sounds and timbre.
Budd has collaborated with a number of other high profile composers and artists.