I’m suprised no one mentioned Capsula. He only made 1 CD, but its MINDBLOWING!

I was just about to mention Capsula-Synthesis of Reality, great album.  Infected Mushroom is nothing like Shpongle, more along the lines of Hallucinogen.

If you want to try something really old:

KLF - Chill Out (Wax Trax Records, 1989)

the album is still being sold and reproduced if needed.

Entheogenic make beautiful music,
i hold them up as good as shpongle

Entheogenic are very good but I find that so many artists have evolved into a Shponlge sound. 

But then again that shows how much Shpongle have influenced others and created a whole new category of down beat sounds and sound scapes.

hey ppl just listen these albums:

Greg hunter from UK its so good, very nice tripy downbeat
Slackbaba_-_And_The_Beat_Goes_OM-2006- , nice acid momentos, more like than psydonwtempo stuff
Phuture_Primitive-Sub_Conscious-CD-2004 , very nice too

and also ozric tentacles has tracks similar to shpongle, the atmospheres and harmony
i like too much this kind of music , up to the hyperspace of the universe

pragmatix!

I found a spanish album in a different genre but with a style that sounds somehow like a mixture bethween Shpongle and Simon’s former project Celtic Cross:

Hevia - Tierra De Nadie

It is a celtic project that uses Ambient sounds and latin sounds and in some parts similar beats like Shpongle.

It may be a good idea to look at what probably inspired Simon Posford and Raja Ram to do shpongle in the first place.

You would have to ask them yourselves but I would say most likely infuences are Gong (Radio Gnome Trilogy), Ozric Tentacles, The Orb (Orb’s adventures beyond the ultraworld), Pink Floyd (Ummagumma, Dark Side of the Moon, Atom Heart Mother)

These are just some of the possible infuences but I’m sure Simon & Raja could confirm this or name the real infuences…

Check out Capsula ; album is Synthesis of Reality ; the guy’s real name is Yosi Shamay who is from Isreali.  I don’t want to compare the two but some would nod their head if I said an Isreali shponglite.  Sticks to mostly dub but its pretty tight.  One of the few records I’ve listened to in a while that competes with Twisted extensive realms of psychedellica.

All of the Infinite Excursions albums from TIP, The Mystery of the Yeti albums, Mystical Experiences by The Infinity Project, The ambient cd from the Return to the Source Chakra Journies, Ethnogenic, Shulman… there is alot of brilliant stuff out there.  While not exactly being “like Shpongle”... those do have a similar feel…. that feel being mindbending soundscapes with freedom of tempo and form.

Also, there was a trend years back to have a downtempo track at the end of each Goa album…. some of those downtempo tracks are brilliant.

Banco De Gaia.

I was surprised to find out that Toby Marks aka Banco De Gaia made Shpongle-like music in the early 90’s already.

His latest album Farewell Ferengistan is the most Shpongle-related music i’ve heard, apart from Phutureprimitve.

(PS. Hi everybody.)

Heh, I’ve been answering the burning “what music sounds like Shpongle?” question for years now.  The short of it is that nothing sounds QUITE like that magical duo, but there are plenty of acts that amalgamate psychedelia, booming beats, live instrumentation and crystalline ambience.  Here are some musicians that have not been mentioned yet.  Most of these aren’t quite as upfront as Entheogenic, Shulman, etc. 

*Jairamji - Kindred Spirits (or pretty much any release on Dakini Records, but this one is the best)
*Matt Hillier aka Ishq, Ishvara, Elve ... his stuff as Ishq tends to be deeper, tribal and minimal.  Ishvara is brighter and more psychedelic, and Elve’s LP is a pure dose of mycelium-inspired ambience.
*Matt Coldrick - you may recognize the name from Celtic Cross.  He’s made a solo and a collaboration with Matt Hillier.
*Vidna Obmana - Dante’s Inferno Trilogy (Vidna is better known as one of the prominent purveyors of headfucking ambient, but the Dante’s Inferno trilogy is a wicked journey through tribal beats, mindbending synth work and palpable textures)
*Steve Roach - this guy needs no introduction, but due to the fact that many record stores stick him in the “New Age” section he gets undeservedly shunned.  Steve fuses instruments and electronics like a master.  For proper shamanic soundscapes, check out his collaborations with Byron Metcalf, Jorge Reyes, or Robert Rich.
*Robert Rich - yet another prominent ambient musician who has crafted some of the most intricate and psychedelic works I’ve ever heard.  His latest album “Electric Ladder” should appeal to mainstream Shpongle fans with its use of bright synths, percussion and melody.  For the psychedelic pioneers on the fringe, check out his 7-hour epic piece “Somnium.”  I heard it in a “deep trance” and was changed forever.
*Amon Tobin - this may surprise many as an inclusion, but I consider Amon to be one of few producers whose genius and musicianship is on par with our beloved Simon.  What Simon did to psytrance and downtempo, Amon did for jungle and big beat.  Amon injects his pieces with all manners of instrumentation, does mind-boggling programming and production, and lays down the slickest drum breaks you’ll ever hear.  His best work, in my opinion, is the 2.5 hour gamerip version of the Splinter Cell:Chaos Theory soundtrack.  A jazzy soundtrack for the apocalypse.
*Vir Unis - this prolific musician makes wonderful psychedelic-tinged ambient, occasionally littered with tribal drumming.  Check out the Perimeter albums with James Johnson for his most Shpongle-esque tunes.

Although it sounds dated, Asura’s two albums sound strikingly similar to Banco de Gaia, which I saw was mentioned earlier.

No, my recommendations are not psyambient, but I think many who have felt the touch of Shpongle on their synapses will find that these artists can invoke the same effect.  Don’t be afraid to explore the fringe!

~Steve

I was going to mention Phuturprimitive, but Sebochas beat me to it.
The 2 Yeti albums are great as well, with Ram’s awsome flute playing.
Zero One has some nice space downtempo albums that are not quite like Shpongle but have a similar vibe.  Infected Mushroom for the more uptempo, definitely.

Also similar is The Infinity Project. ..another edit…seems like most of the stuff I thought of has been mentioned already.   I’m please to read moodysteve’s inclusions as well.

You may like Hoopy Frood.

I was given a copied CD by a friend about a year ago, when I had first fallen in love with shpongle. It had no track names/artist names, but was probably a complilation from one of LSD, Interchill, or another such record label. Listening thru it, the album reminded me of Elucidations, and one track in particular, sounded almost EXACTLY like Shpongle. So much so that instead of “track 1”, I named it “Shponglesque”.
I was playing it on my portable speakers at glade last year, and the person I was chatting to said it was definatly Shulman, (altho I still have my doubts.) Does anyone know what tune this may be? Sorry I cant be more specific, but for those of you who see similarity between Shulman and Shpongle - just think of the most “Shponglesque” track of Shulmans, and that should be it!
Thanks for ur help.

Oh - and while I’m at it, my “similar to shpongle list” would be:
Banco de gaia
Kuba
Shulman (hobviously)
Tripswitch
Anything prev done by raja/posford - infinity project/yeti/etc.
Entheogenic
Celtic Cross
bluetech, etc

ps - has anyone heard Zero Cult? I was at the last Synergy event on Friday, and one of their tunes was being played, and it was sooo beautiful and chilled I just had to find out who it was. Is their album any good? cheers people. :D