British writer and composer David Toop has been highly influential as both a musician and journalist since the 1970s. Although Toop's recorded output has included everything from experimental rock and jazz (including improvised sets) to musique concrète, the bulk of his solo and collaborative works has been in the vein of experimental ambient. Many of his recordings blend alien abstraction with earthly melodicism, incorporating acoustic instruments, spoken word samples, and global influences. Perhaps better known as a journalist and music historiographer, Toop wrote one of the first books about hip-hop -- 1984's Rap Attack -- and has been a longtime contributing editor and columnist for music magazine The Wire. He released the acclaimed environmental ambient full-length Buried Dreams (with Max Eastley) in 1994, and curated several ambitious compilations beginning with 1996's Ocean of Sound. His solo discography includes highlights such as 2003's Black Chamber and 2016's Entities Inertias Faint Beings.