Isolationism is term coined by British musician Kevin Martin, used to describe a darker breed of ambient music that came to prominence in the mid-1990s. It had been described as "ambient's sinister, antisocial cousin".
The term "Isolationalism", as a music genre, first appeared in print in a September 1993 issue of The Wire magazine, describing a form of fractured, subdued music that "pushed away" listeners. The author of the article was British musician Kevin Martin, then known for his projects GOD and Techno Animal. John Everall, owner of the Sentrax label (home to ambient artist like Lull and Paul Schütze), places the origins of "Isolationist" music in early industrial groups, Krautrock, ambient music (particularly Brian Eno's 'On Land') and experimental composers such John Cageand Karlheinz Stockhausen. But the term Isolationasim has been superseded by the less intriguing and more generic term Dark Ambient.