[1] It was pioneered by 1990s electronic artists such as Aphex Twin, Carl Craig, The Orb, The Future Sound of London, the Black Dog, Pete Namlook and Biosphere.
"[1] Artists fused the "environmentalist" work of Brian Eno, Jon Hassell, and Wendy Carlos with the rhythms of urban dance styles such as techno and acid house.
[3] Common elements included heavily reverbed string pads and subtle drum programming that moved beyond the simple patterns of 4/4 techno and house, while artists typically de-emphasized sampling.
[3] Artforum noted the genre's similarities with new age: "swaddling the listener in a womblike sound bath, it means retreat from the environment, relief from the stresses of urban existence.
[9] Aphex Twin's 1991 recording "Analogue Bubblebath" would also signal a shift toward meditative, ambient-leaning techno,[3] while his 1992 debut LP Selected Ambient Works 85-92 became "the flagship of the emergent genre" according to SPIN.
[4] The release of Warp's Artificial Intelligence compilation in 1992 helped to establish the genre and featured ambient techno pioneers such Aphex Twin, B12, Autechre, the Black Dog, Richie Hawtin, and the Orb's Alex Paterson.