Steve Roach (musician)
| Steve Roach | |
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.jpg) Steve Roach in Tucson, Arizona, 2013 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 16, 1955 |
| Origin | La Mesa, California |
| Genres | Ambient |
| Website | steveroach.com |
Steve Roach (born February 16, 1955 in La Mesa, California)[1] is a U.S. composer and performer of ambient, electronic music and tribal-ambient music, whose recordings are also classified in the genres of space, drone, and New Age. Roach is recognized as one of the "leading innovators of contemporary electronic music."[2]
Roach plans on releasing three new collaboration albums for the remainder of 2012,[3] along with the solo album Soul Tones, expected to be released mid-December of 2012. Soul Tones is the first part of a three-CD project. The second album, Future Flows, is expected to be released in the spring, and the third album will follow later in the year. The timed releases are meant to incorporate the music into the seasons.[4]
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Overview [edit]
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Originally a Motocross racer, at the age of 20 Roach taught himself to play the synthesizer[5] after being inspired by such influential synthesizer artists and groups as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and Vangelis. His debut album Now appeared in 1982, followed by Structures from Silence in 1984. In 1988 he released his acclaimed Quiet Music series, along with what has been described by critics as his masterpiece, the double-album Dreamtime Return.[5]
As Roach's approach to ambient music matured, he has typically[6] been beatless, although his rhythmic and trance-based groove and tribal-ambient releases are nearly as numerous[6] as his more atmospheric releases. Some recordings are strictly synthesizer based, whereas some recordings include ambient guitar experiments, and other releases cross over with more ethnic influences.
He was an early proponent[7] of the didgeridoo's use in ambient music and learned to play it during his extended trips to Australia during the 1980s. Later work with Mexican musician Jorge Reyes would introduce a Prehispanic element, and these fusions would further establish Roach as one of the founders[6] of the tribal-ambient sound.
Steve Roach is married to author & equine teacher Linda Kohanov[8] (who provided vocals on some of his albums). They live in Tucson, Arizona.[9]
Discography [edit]
Solo albums [edit]
- Now (1982) – reissued on Now / Traveler in 1992
- Traveler (1983) – reissued on Now / Traveler in 1992
- Structures from Silence (1984 Fortuna) – remastered 2001
- Quiet Music 1 (1986) – cassette, collected in 1988/1999
- Empetus (1986 Fortuna) – remastered 2008 as a 2-CD collection
- Quiet Music 2 (1986) – cassette, collected in 1988/1999
- Quiet Music 3 (1986) – cassette, collected in 1988/1999
- Quiet Music (1988 Fortuna) – completed as the 2-CD Quiet Music: Complete Edition in 1999
- Dreamtime Return (1988 Fortuna) – 2 discs, (remastered 2005 Projekt)
- World's Edge (1992) – 2 discs
- Origins (1993 Fortuna)
- The Dream Circle (1994 Soundquest/Projekt)
- Artifacts (1994 Fortuna)
- The Dreamer Descends (1995) – 3-inch CD
- The Magnificent Void (1996 Fathom/Hearts of Space Records)
- On This Planet (1997)
- Slow Heat (1998 Timeroom Editions)
- Atmospheric Conditions (1999 Timeroom Editions)
- Light Fantastic (1999)
- Early Man (2000) – 2 discs
- Midnight Moon (2000 Projekt)
- Time of the Earth (2001)
- Core (2001 Timeroom Editions)
- Streams & Currents (2001)
- Darkest Before Dawn (2002)
- Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces (2003 Projekt) – 4 discs
- Life Sequence (2003)
- Fever Dreams (2004)
- Holding the Space: Fever Dreams II (2004)
- Places Beyond: The Lost Pieces Vol. 4 (2004) – rarities collection
- Possible Planet (2005)
- New Life Dreaming (2005)
- Immersion : One (2006 Projekt)
- Proof Positive (2006)
- Kairos: The Meeting of Time and Destiny (2006) – CD + DVD
- Immersion : Two (2006 Projekt)
- Fever Dreams III (2007) – 2 discs
- Immersion : Three (2007) – 3 discs
- A Deeper Silence (2008)
- Dynamic Stillness (2009) – 2 discs
- Destination Beyond (2009)
- Afterlight (2009)
- Immersion : Four (2009 Timeroom Editions)
- Sigh of Ages (2010)
- Immersion Five – Circadian Rhythms (2011)
- Groove Immersion (2012)
- Back to Life (2012)
- Soul Tones (2012)
- Future Flows (2013)[10]
Collaboration albums [edit]
- Moebius (1979) – as a member of the group Moebius
- Western Spaces (1987 Fortuna) – with Kevin Braheny
- The Leaving Time (1988) – with Michael Shrieve
- Desert Solitaire (1989 Fortuna) – with Michael Stearns and Kevin Braheny
- Strata (1990 Hearts of Space Records) – with Robert Rich
- Australia: Sound of the Earth (1990 Fortuna) – with David Hudson and Sarah Hopkins
- Forgotten Gods (1992) – with Jorge Reyes & Suso Saiz as Suspended Memories
- Soma (1992 Hearts of Space Records) – with Robert Rich
- Ritual Ground (1993) – with Elmar Schulte
- Earth Island (1994) – with Jorge Reyes & Suso Saiz as Suspended Memories
- Kiva (1995 Fathom/Hearts of Space Records) – with Michael Stearns and Ron Sunsinger
- Well of Souls (1995) – 2 discs, with Vidna Obmana
- Halcyon Days (1996) – with Stephen Kent and Kenneth Newby
- Cavern of Sirens (1997) – with Vidna Obmana
- Dust to Dust (1998) – with Roger King
- Ascension of Shadows: Meditations for the Millennium (1999) – 3 discs, with Vidna Obmana (re-released in 2008 as three separate albums)
- Body Electric (1999) – with Vir Unis
- Vine ~ Bark & Spore (2000) – with Jorge Reyes
- Circles & Artifacts (2000) – with Vidna Obmana
- The Serpent's Lair (2000) – 2 discs, with Byron Metcalf
- Prayers to the Protector (2000) – with Thupten Pema Lama
- Blood Machine (2001) – with Vir Unis
- InnerZone (2002) – with Vidna Obmana
- Trance Spirits (2002) – with Jeffrey Fayman, Robert Fripp & Momodou Kah
- Mantram (2004 Projekt) – with Byron Metcalf and Mark Seelig
- Terraform (2006) – with Loren Nerell (reissued in 2009)
- The Shaman's Heart (2006) – with Byron Metcalf
- Somewhere Else (Ascension of Shadows I) (2008) – with Vidna Obmana
- The Memory Pool (Ascension of Shadows II) (2008) – with Vidna Obmana
- Revealing the Secret (Ascension of Shadows III) (2008) – with Vidna Obmana
- Nada Terma (2008) – with Byron Metcalf and Mark Seelig
- Stream of Thought (2009) – with Erik Wøllo
- Dream Tracker (2010) – with Byron Metcalf and Dashmesh Khalsa
- Nightbloom (2010) – with Mark Seelig
- The Desert Inbetween (2011) – with Brian Parnham
- The Road Eternal (2011) – with Erik Wøllo
- Shaman's Heart II: The Healing Journey (2011) – with Byron Metcalf
- Low Volume Music (2012) – with Dirk Serries[3]
- Tales from the Ultra Tribe (2012) – with Byron Metcalf[3]
- The Long Night (2012) – with Kelly David[3]
Live albums [edit]
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Compilation albums [edit]
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Software/App Releases [edit]
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References [edit]
- ^ Family Tree Legends
- ^ Steve Roach Biography, Celestial Harmonies, accessed Jan. 24, 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Steve Roach Update: Deep Currents Rising". steveroach.com. 29 April 2012. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ "Newsletter: Nov. 18, 2012". steveroach.com. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ a b All Music Guide entry by Jason Ankeny.
- ^ a b c "Stretch out and enjoy the soundscape" by Gemma Tarlach, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 21, 2000.
- ^ "Instrument owner lauds soothing effects," The Advocate (Baton Rouge) June 7, 1998.
- ^ Opdyke, David J (29 April 2000). "Steve Roach Interview". spiderbytes.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ "Echoes On-Line: Steve Roach". Echoes. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ "Steve Roach News". steveroach.com. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ http://steveroach.com/store/store.php?item=456
- ^ http://www.steveroach.com/store/store.php?item=448
External links [edit]
- Steve Roach at SteveRoach.com (official website)
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