by Dan Ketchum
Ambient music has a wide breadth and a subtly diverse spectrum, but MasterClass sums it up beautifully: “Ambient music is a form of music that accentuates texture, tone, mood, and atmosphere.” If you’re anything like us, you might find yourself using those same qualities to describe the different kinds of highs you experience — a good high has texture, it has tone, it sets a mood and it certainly has atmosphere, which makes it little wonder that ambient songs are among the absolute best songs to listen to while high. From avant-garde to analog to EDM, the genre’s wide and wild, so use the Mistifi crew’s own recommended mini-playlists to start your voyage (and your high) off right.
The Creative Engine Purrs
We’d say these tracks rev up your creative engine, but we’re talking ambient music here — so let’s make it more of a purr. You’re feeling balanced, you’ve got your triple-strain CBD-blended Phantom in hand, and you’re ready to get into maker mode. Like Wunderdog, Hell’s Fire OG and Jellyfish CBD, few things help you focus more than ambient music, but these high songs do more than help you home in; their textural landscapes do a great job of expanding your mind’s eye while bringing a bit of energy to the table.
- “Ptolemy” by Aphex Twin
- “Bike” by Autechre
- “The Big Ship” by Brian Eno
- “Spacelab” by Kraftwerk
- “You’re Always on Time” by Tangerine Dream
- “Pico” by Labraford
- “Palomino” by Swardy
- “Epilogue” by The Books
Ambient Mindfulness
Cannabis can be a powerful tool for all sorts of meditation, from mindfulness to yoga meditation, and so can these mind-sharpening ambient tracks. As you listen, focus on each breath, feel the presence of your body from your crown to your toes, and let the thoughts of your day drift by like clouds, fleeting and momentarily present but lighter than air. These are the ambient high songs with a spiritual undertone.
- “Space 1” by Nala Sinephro
- “Articulate Silences, Pt. 1” by Stars of the Lid
- “Hosianna Mantra” by Popol Vuh
- “The Sun Swirls Within You” by Arushi Jain
- “Organics” by Michael Stearns
- “Arrakis” by Skee Mask
- “Illusion of Time” by Alessandro Cortini
Drifting Away
According to a 2021 study in the journal Sleep, not to mention reams of anecdotal evidence, cannabis is a well-tolerated remedy that has the potential to improve sleep quality. When the white noise machine just isn’t doing it for you, ambient music might be just the thing to slow your heart rate and lower your eyelids. It’s best paired with a soft sleep mask and the relaxing Max OG, Herijuana and Blueberry Bomb indica strains of Houdini.
- “Peace Piece” by Green-House
- “Winter Chimes” by Joanna Brouk
- “The Nest That Sailed the Sky” by Peter Gabriel
- “Mono No Aware 1.1” by William Basinski
- “Fallin Into Space” by Perila
- “Discreet Music” by Brian Eno
- “Dream” by John Cage
Complete Ambient Ascension
There are high highs, and then there are high highs; there are ambient songs, and then there are am-bi-ent songs. You know which category this is; this is the textural high that feels like an out-of-body experience, the high of many colors, the high that you’ll tell your friends about for years. When you’ve had a few pulls of your Over the Rainbow pen, and maybe you’ve paired it with your favorite edible or an absolutely ascendant view of the landscape, you’re soaring over spiritual mountains. This is your soundtrack.
- “Define Normal” by Not Waving
- “Prada” by Arca
- “Deep Cover” by Sun Araw
- “No Speed Limit” by OSS, The Orb
- “Inner Sense” by Higher Intelligence Agency
- “Starálfur” by Sigur Rós
- “Exodus” by Scorn
- “Hands” by Claire Rousay
According to a study in the journal Anthropology of Consciousness, cannabis changes our auditory perception by encouraging “hyper-focusing on acoustic space and broadened insight.” Amplify that insight and hyperfocus by pairing your ambient high songs with a peaceful environment, a mindful point of focus and the best pair of headphones you can get your hands on. Then let your senses do the rest.
Dan Ketchum is an LA-based freelance lifestyle, fashion, health and food writer with more than a decade of experience. He’s been fortunate enough to collaborate and publish with companies such as FOCL, Vitagenne, Livestrong, Reign Together, Out East Rosé, SFGate, The Seattle Times and more.
Sources
MasterClass — What Is Ambient Music?
AOTY — Pitchfork: Highest Rated Ambient Albums of 2021
Pop Matters — The 11 Best Ambient Albums of 2021
Oxford Academic — Sleep: Treating Insomnia Symptoms With Medicinal Cannabis