The long rhythmic cycles and leisurely development within performances of Indonesian music allowed listeners to vary their concentration; intense focus, even a literal entrancement, could be alternated with peripheral listening, eating, drinking or, ultimately, sleep. The ambient music of Brian Eno has some origins in these ideas, since he was influenced by the music and ideas of the American minimalists. In their turn, they were influenced by the musical events of India, Bali, Java, Morocco and many other parts of the world, events wich might run all night and allow for a less sharply focused style of listening.
[David Toop, Ocean of Sound, págs. 15 e 16]
