10 Fascinating Niche Music Genres Which Need To Be Heard

The concept of ambient music has been around for a good while now, with its origin usually accredited to the early 20th century composer Erik Satie, who coined the term 'furniture music,' way back in 1917, to describe musical works designed to blend in, rather than stand out. In reality, a convincing case can be made for earlier roots within the Christian music tradition, where church organists routinely played mellow, unobtrusive sounds as congregations arrived or departed.

In modern times, ambient music brings to mind the pioneering work of Brian Eno, whose Discreet Music (1975) stands as a recognised milestone. But this is a genre which is still evolving and subdividing, as witnessed by the emergence of Lowercase – an extreme sub-category which amplifies the quietest of 'naturally-occurring' sounds to construct drifting soundscapes.

The term was invented by composer Steven Roden, in 2001, to describe his album, Forms Of Paper, which the musician created solely by manipulated recordings of himself handling various types of paper, and which has spawned a small, if growing number of followers.