The Serpent's Lair

The Serpent’s Lair (2000) is a two disc collaborative album by the American ambient artists Steve Roach and Byron Metcalf, Phd. This project began as a study conducted by Metcalf into the therapeutic effects of tribal rhythms and hypnotic breathing.

The music often originated with rhythms performed by Metcalf into which Roach would infuse other elements until the finished product had completely different rhythmic qualities than the original source material. Steve Roach calls this technique Groove Alchemy.

Track listing

Disc one: “The Serpent’s Lair”

1. ”The Lair” (12:14)
2. ”Rite of Passage” (14:09)
3. ”Shedding the Skin” (5:39)
4. ”Big Medicine” (12:53)
5. ”Future Tribe” (8:30)
6. ”Birthright” (5:59)
7. ”Osmosis”(4:04)
8. ”Egg Chamber Dreaming” (8:53)

Disc two: “Offerings from the Underworld”

1. ”Offering in Waves” (10:55)
2. ”Impending Sense of Calm” (9:03)
3. ”Cave Dwellers” (23:08)
4. ”Primal Passage” (4:47)
5. ”Serpent Clan” (5:02)
6. ”Breathing Heart of the Dragon Mother” (6:50)
7. ”Ochua” (9:26)

Personnel

• Steve Roach (synthesizers, samplers, percussion, didgeridoo, breath, shakers, ocarinas, voice)
• Byron Metcalf (percussion, frame drums, djembe, tom-toms, bass drum, clay pots, shakers, rattles, ashiko, rainstick)
• Vicki Richards (violin)
• Lena Stevens (voice)
• Vidna Obmana (guitar)
• Jeffrey Fayman (djembe)
• Momodu Kah (djembe)
• Jorge Reyes (flutes, ocarinas, whistles, percussion, voice)
• Jim Cole (voices)
• Vir Unis (synthesizers)

See also

• Steve Roach
• Byron Metcalf
• Jorge Reyes
• Vidna Obmana
• Vir Unis
• Ambient music
• Electronic music

References