Steve Roach (musician)

Steve Roach
Background information
Born February 16, 1955 (1955-02-16) (age 57)
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 and tribal-ambient music, whose recordings are also classified in the genres of space, drone, New Age, and electronic music. Roach is recognized as one of the "leading innovators of contemporary electronic music."[2]

Contents

Overview

Originally a motorbike racer, at the age of 20 Roach taught himself to play the synthesizer[3] 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.[3]

As Roach's approach to ambient music matured, he has typically[4] been beatless, although his rhythmic and trance-based groove and tribal-ambient releases are nearly as numerous[4] 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[5] 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[4] of the tribal-ambient sound.

Steve Roach is married to Linda Kohanov (who provided vocals on some of his albums). They live in Tucson, Arizona.

Steve Roach performing at SoundQuest Fest in October 2010.

Discography

Solo albums

Collaboration albums

  • Moebius (1979) – as a member of the group Moebius
  • Western Spaces (1987) – with Kevin Braheny
  • The Leaving Time (1988) – with Michael Shrieve
  • Desert Solitaire (1989) – with Michael Stearns and Kevin Braheny
  • Strata (1990) – with Robert Rich
  • Australia: Sound of the Earth (1990) – with David Hudson and Sarah Hopkins
  • Forgotten Gods (1992) – with Jorge Reyes & Suso Saiz as Suspended Memories
  • Soma (1992) – with Robert Rich
  • Ritual Ground (1993) – with Elmar Schulte
  • Earth Island (1994) – with Jorge Reyes & Suso Saiz as Suspended Memories
  • Kiva (1995) – 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) – 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

Live albums

  • Stormwarning (1989)
  • Live Archive (2000) – with Vidna Obmana (reissued in 2009 as the 2-disc Spirit Dome – Live Archive)
  • All Is Now (2002) – 2 discs
  • Spirit Dome (2004) – with Vidna Obmana (reissued in 2009 as the 2-disc Spirit Dome – Live Archive)
  • Storm Surge: Steve Roach Live at NEARfest (2006)
  • Arc of Passion (2008) – 2 discs
  • Landmass (2008)
  • Live at Grace Cathedral (2010)
  • Live at SoundQuest Fest (2011) – with Byron Metcalf, Brian Parnharn, and Dashmesh Khalsa[7]
  • Journey of One (2011)

Compilation albums

References

  1. ^ Family Tree Legends
  2. ^ Steve Roach Biography, Celestial Harmonies, accessed Jan. 24, 2009.
  3. ^ a b All Music Guide entry by Jason Ankeny.
  4. ^ a b c "Stretch out and enjoy the soundscape" by Gemma Tarlach, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 21, 2000.
  5. ^ "Instrument owner lauds soothing effects," The Advocate (Baton Rouge) June 7, 1998.
  6. ^ a b "Steve Roach: Back to Life". steveroach.com. http://steveroach.com/Music/discography.php?item=468. Retrieved December 5, 2011. 
  7. ^ http://steveroach.com/store/store.php?item=456

External links

Steve Roach
Studio albums
Now (1982) · Traveler (1983) · Structures from Silence (1984) · Quiet Music 1 (1986) · Empetus (1986) · Quiet Music 2 (1986) · Quiet Music 3 (1986) · Quiet Music (1988) · Dreamtime Return (1988) · World's Edge (1992) · Now / Traveler (1992) · Origins (1993) · Artifacts (1994) · The Magnificent Void (1996) · On This Planet (1997) · Slow Heat (1998) · Quiet Music: Complete Edition (1999) · Early Man (2000) · Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces (2003) · Life Sequence (2003) · Fever Dreams (2004) · Immersion : Three (2007) · A Deeper Silence (2008) · Dynamic Stillness (2009) · Destination Beyond (2009) · Afterlight (2009) · Immersion : Four (2009)
Live albums
Spirit Dome (2004) · Landmass (2008)
Compilations
Collaboration albums
Western Spaces (1987) with Kevin Braheny · Desert Solitaire (1989) with Kevin Braheny and Michael Stearns · Strata (1990) with Robert Rich · Australia: Sound of the Earth (1990) with David Hudson and Sarah Hopkins · Soma (1992) with Robert Rich · Kiva (1995) with Michael Stearns and Ron Sunsinger · Halcyon Days (1996) with Stephen Kent and Kenneth Newby · Body Electric (1999) with Vir Unis · Vine ~ Bark & Spore (2000) with Jorge Reyes · The Serpent's Lair (2000) with Byron Metcalf