Philip Glass - Known for composing several soundtracks for movies/shows, can vary from more ambient, relaxed pieces to very aggressive and repetitive minimalism, "Like he wants to punch you in the face or something." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imbwn6iVryQ - Glassworks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il4VDf-ugPI - Metamorphosis 1 (series of 7 piano pieces based on repetitions of the same sets of notes rearranged differently) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmX_GgozpQs - Einstein on the Beach (more aggressive, mathematical) Johan Johannsson - Icelandic neo-classical composer, incredibly haunting and stripped down pieces. Known for also incorporating unusual instruments/samples (such as his composition IBM 1401, which uses samples from a instructional video for the IBM 1401 printer.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt7pjz3Vr_4 - Fordlandia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBw_wSoVQrY - IBM 1401 Processing Unit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Rfkhg7s_M - The Cause of Labour is the Hope of the World (If you watch nothing else, watch this. It's a piece produced for a movie about the coal miners of Britain in the early 1900s. Powerful would be an understatement.) Max Richter - An even more modern composer, he stands solidly in neo-classical along with Johannsson. Has a tendency to include some elements of electronica in his works, many of his pieces use very fuzzed out samples made to sound like old style radios. Wrote the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed film Waltz With Bashir, and also Shutter Island. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3A0FwAhGWA - Infra 4 (best listened in order) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Kybxu7fiQ - Infra 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rluU6BGpKw - The Nature of Daylight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TRskpDol_4&feature=resul... - Iconography Hopefully some people see this and my linkspam isn't to waste. These really are great composers
I've listened to some Philip Glass and I've liked what I have heard. I'll start there. Thanks Lhowon.