This is Danica Swanson’s music collection on Bandcamp.

Danica Swanson

  1. Portland, Oregon
  2. Ambient
  1. collection 583
  2. wishlist 199
  3. followers 212
  4. following 180
  1. Material Interstices
    by HEXA
    The Exquisite Crushing Of Atlas The Exquisite Crushing Of Atlas
    Do you yearn - as I do - for deep-earth seismic rumbles, rough-hewn howling echoes, and densely packed scraping slabs of darker-than-vantablack drone ambient? If so, Material Interstices is pure bliss. Uneasy listening writ large! Prepare for a harrowing slow-mo odyssey unearthing ever-deeper layers of the shadow self. Each track blends seamlessly into the next. Calibrate your subwoofer properly, kill the lights, and let this delicious release sink into your bone marrow.
  2. Eliwagar
    by Skadi
    Terra Innocentia Terra Innocentia
    When I bought the original version of this incredible album on CD in 2006 (in which the tracks all blend together, with no pauses between them), it completely blew me away and became my all-time favourite album in the genre. I'm thrilled to see a redux version on Bandcamp, where it can finally find the appreciation it deserves! It's evocative, reverent, rapturous. It's my soundtrack for Skadi's shrine room, accompaniment for ritual dance, and beloved companion. My highest recommendation!
  3. Umbilicus Maris
    by Gydja
    Beyond the Earth's Edge Beyond the Earth's Edge
    Abby Helasdottir delivers dreamlike, mesmerising dark atmospheres of sonic ebb and flow where acquatic themes abound. Dense soundscapes billow forth, offering a paean to the elemental spirits and mysterious creatures of the deep earth and waters. My favourite Gydja album! Listen, and immerse yourself.
  4. the nacrasti
    by r | a | a | n
    The Ativvi Culmination The Ativvi Culmination
    This lush, masterful audio travelogue through bleak desert landscapes is listed as "required listening" in many best-of-dark-ambient lists, and for good reason. Subdued but densely and alluringly layered, Stig Berg's work is in peak form here. Standout tracks include "Passage Nacrastan," "Lilin," and "Arrival of the Sek."

    Headphones recommended to pick up the subtleties of the really faint sections.
  5. HEL
    by ALLSEITS
    Modgudr Modgudr
    Nina Kernicke, a veritable powerhouse of the German dark drone ambient scene, takes us on an allegorical journey through the netherworlds of the North. Saturated with elemental drones, bone-chilling reverb, and heavy textures, Hel is a tribute to some of the darker and lesser-known figures in Norse mythology. A phenomenal album, and one of my all-time favourites – not to be missed!
  6. Speech From The Shadows
    by Konau
    Sadness Embrace Sadness Embrace
    This finely honed blend of melancholy and disquiet stirs sorrowful reflections and solemn, sepia-tinted memories. You can almost feel the chill in your bones as the stormy opening of “Contemplation” gives way to a churning dissonance, and the diabolical laughter in the eerie, Lustmord-esque “Crawling Darkness” paints a sonic tapestry of seething dread. If you like your dark ambient mournful, contemplative, and slightly chilling, Konau will make your black heart rejoice. Highly recommended.
  7. Asleep And Well Hidden
    by Kammarheit
    The Ruins And The Serene The Ruins And The Serene
    Languid, drifting dronescapes - composed with impressive patience and masterful precision - that are equally capable of provoking deep insights or lulling me gently into a blissful sleep. This album is the quintessential example of "pure" dark ambient; it's a classic for excellent reason. I've learned to appreciate this album more deeply as my tastes have matured. I'm also partial to the "literary" vibe - only a fellow word nerd would use words like "epitome" and "poignant" in track titles!
  8. Consuetudines
    by Hyios
    Aquila Aquila
    Shrouded in mystery – no information is available about the musicians behind this project, aside from the mention of its home in Leipzig, Germany - this album is intense and otherworldly, yet every bit as earthy and terrestrial as if it had been forged in a series of field recordings in labyrinthine underground passageways. Chthonic and primordial dark ritual ambient, with bonus points for originality: I’ve heard nothing else in the genre that I’d say is truly comparable to this. Outstanding!
  9. Orgelhuset
    by Hymnambulae
    Polarsidan Polarsidan
    Lush, contemplative atmospheres, seasoned with just the right touch of melancholy. Do I detect a note of innocence - even playful, childlike whimsy - amidst these plaintive vocals, lingering organ notes, and wistful, hypnotic drones? Rarely do rigor of form and boundless creativity intersect so exquisitely. Let Pär and Åsa's mystical musical sanctuary enfold you, and transport you into liminal spaces on gossamer wings of mythic imagination.
  10. Spring Equinox Tokyo 2006
    by INADE
    Centuries Passed Centuries Passed
    First-rate, bold, and brilliantly executed dark ambient from well-known masters of the form. Enticing waves of thick, luxurious drones are punctuated with a few surprising turns, as we are taken on an occult journey over yawning chasms and through twilit realms steeped in mysticism. "Centuries Passed" is particularly majestic and evocative; I've played it on repeat for hours on end, and somehow I hear something new in it every time. Immersive and inspiring!
  11. Þurseitr - Undir Planétum
    by Illuminated Death Mound Productions
    If, like me, you tend to prefer the chthonic to the celestial in dark ambient, this brilliant piece should satisfy even the deepest of those cravings. Tap into the power of telluric currents and listen for the voices of the spirits of the stones with these dark musical emanations from the Germanic underworlds as your guide. If you listen deeply, you may find that echoes of ancient prophecies lurk in the earthy low bass and resonant drones...
  12. Ice Cold
    by Daina Dieva
    52 enchanting minutes of deep murky drones and lush cavernous echoes. I thought I wasn't much of a fan of guitars in dark ambient, but Daina Dieva has proven me wrong. I'll take more of this anytime.
  13. ... and nothing remains
    by Skadi
    Gone in Silence Gone in Silence
    Amazing work from a criminally underrated project. The whole album is fantastic, but I particularly recommend "Gone in Silence," a masterful juxtaposition of anguish and beauty that still brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it, even after hundreds of listens over many years. Not only is it one of my favourite Skadi tracks - it's one of my favourite tracks in the entire dark ambient genre.
  14. Three Days of Darkness
    by Innfallen
    Epilogue (Scattered Remains) Epilogue (Scattered Remains)
    Nightmarish and haunting, yet without ever wallowing in the grotesque or slipping into dystopian cliché territory, this album treads in ghostly and morbid realms, and leaves in its wake a distinct taste for more.

    “Epilogue (Scattered Remains)” is the most menacing and outstanding track, weaving a tale of dread and destruction in slow motion; I’ve often recommended it for Halloween haunted houses.
  15. VEIL OF SECRECY
    by Veil of Secrecy
    Throne To The Dogs Throne To The Dogs
    A truly marvelous but sadly overlooked 2001 release from the talented Steven Hall. Moody and breathtaking in its sophistication and range, the emotional landscape of this release speaks in many tongues. This is enormously underrated! It should be at least as well known as Blood Box and Yen Pox, yet for reasons I don't understand, it received barely a whisper. Glad it's now on Bandcamp, where it will hopefully attract the appreciation and support it deserves!
  16. Teorema
    by Abandoned Shelter
    IV IV
    Delighted that this long-dormant Bulgarian project has been brought to life again, with a great new album. Long-time fans will remember outstanding tracks like "Chant of Death" and "Suprema" from his 2006-2007 releases. His work has matured beautifully, delivering industrial ambient with lavish attention to detail and just the right level of creepiness to inspire visions of shadowy netherworlds.
  17. Extradimension
    by Sphäre Sechs
  18. Stellardrone - Stardome (Aaron Marshall Remix)
    by Stellardrone
  19. Sargo / Posidonia (CSR317LP)
    by Sleep Research Facility / Llyn Y Cwn
    Doppler Current Profiler Doppler Current Profiler
  20. Beyond These Days
    by Velum Sonus
    And His Soul Has Returned To Rastatt And His Soul Has Returned To Rastatt