"First Light" by Harold Budd and Brian Eno

I first discovered Harold Budd through his collaboration with the Cocteau Twins on their The Moon and the Melodies album, and soon hunted down most of his recordings.  I was particularly drawn to “The Ghost Has No Home” and his approach to the piano. It was his sparseness, maybe a lack of technical ability, which allowed the instrument to breath.  After investigating more of his recordings throughout the years, I feel that this is his greatest attribute; he allows each piece of music, sometimes each note, the time and space to be.  

“First Light” is the opening track from the 1980 collaborative album with Brian Eno entitled Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror. It was the second installment of Eno’s “Ambient” series and the second project that the two combined forces. I think “First Light” is a prime example of the wonderful work that Eno and Budd can create. It showcases Budd’s delicate improvisation within the space that Eno produced.
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Harold Budd has been performing and composing music since 1962 and many feel that his work with Brian Eno pioneered “ambient” music. He has been known to scoff at that label and simply considers himself a composer.