Initially surfacing as a limited-edition one-disc release in late 2000, each copy strikingly packaged between two slabs of slate, Early Man became Roach's first major release of 2001 in an expanded two-disc format. The second disc consists of a "decomposed" version of the first, revisiting that material with an ear to more evanescent, mysterious ends, while the full release as a whole deserves note for its artwork, fusing prehistory with technology. As a whole, Early Man is Roach's sonic portrai   [ read more ]

CD $17.08

Cool, majestic, hypnotic, a recording that seems to be designed to place the grandeur of the universe in between your surround speakers. The music conjured up by Roach for this album consists mainly of sweeping tones, broadly painted onto a reverb-drenched canvas, making this a perfect album for internal games involving mental planetariums, stargazing of the soul. The Magnificent Void is immense, chilly and captivating, musical science fiction that leaves behind a shocking emptiness when the last tone   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

The liner notes explain that the ancient Greeks believed that somewhere in the world, the gods calmed the storms of winter for two weeks so the descendants of Alcyon, the once human kingfisher, could lay their eggs on still waters. Halcyon Days, the album, is an interpretation -- a mixture of space music and ethnic instruments -- of this mythical event, and not quite as "quiet" as I would imagine these days to be. At any rate, they are not the quiet you'd find on an angel cloud, but the sultry peacefulne   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

Roach's second album of 1999 is, like the first, a collaboration with Vir Unis, though the material departs Roach's usual field of geographical inspiration for the realm of visible light. The six lengthy tracks coast over waves of ambient bliss with a series of skittery percussion lines that manage to draw on the physics of light refraction quite well. Another featured player, Vidna Obmana, brings his mastery of ambient noise to the mix, though the credits are a bit difficult to cipher ({$Obmana   [ read more ]

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Ron Sunsinger, a Native American tribal artist and musician, joins two space music pioneers on Kiva, an atmospheric re-creation of sacred tribal ceremonies representing the directions of the Four Winds. For the Southwest tribes, a kiva is a circular subterranean structure used for ceremony and ritual; other tribes may use a canopy of trees, the circular space of a Sun Dance, or a cavern. For this recording, Sunsinger obtained, with permission, field recordings of traditional ceremonies. Th   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

It is easy to grasp the concept that Suspended Memories is one of the greatest e-music trios ever. Each member -- Steve Roach, Jorge Reyes, and Suso Saiz -- had a brilliant solo career before forging ahead as a trio. Earth Island, the group's second CD, explores the concept of this planet as an island in the sea called the galaxy. The composition titles make references to the dawn of man and hide isolation and desolation. The music is deep, inspirational, and distant. Roach, Reyes, and    [ read more ]

CD $16.13

The cover of On This Planet offers two of the many faces of Earth. One is a craggy, misty place of eerie cold, the other a wind-worn ancient desertscape. Both extremes are intense and lonely, yet extremely inviting in their inhospitableness. It is like being drawn toward the knife. Challenging "dark ambient" composer Steve Roach asks you to experience his compositions loud. This is no unobtrusive sonic background, but a sound atlas to the nether regions. His creations are wrought with didgeridoo, c   [ read more ]

CD $16.13

There are not many musicians creative, bold, imaginative, and talented enough to release a four-CD set of new material. Steve Roach is all of that and the proverbial glazed doughnut. Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces is close to five hours of deep and dark -- even dank -- ambience from this living legend. Each disc has its own thematic and sonic integrity. Each disc interacts with the other discs as well. Roach has sequenced this set and designed the sound to display complements and contrasts in imager   [ read more ]

CD $21.83

CD $4.73

To say that Steve Roach is prolific is both understatement and to miss the point. Roach makes a ton of records because he can: He has the means and the talent to record cheaply and quickly. The other half is his talent and his ability to "say" something new each time out. For this listener, the answer is an unqualified "yes." Roach is one of the last big theme composers: He finds an area, subject matter, psychological or emotional state reflected in both the inner and outer worlds and goes for an o   [ read more ]

CD $15.18

Astonishingly, Fever Dreams is Steve Roach's 54th album since he commenced recording in 1979 (this does not count compilations). The word "prolific" here is hopelessly inadequate. And while it's true that Roach has a "sound," he doesn't repeat himself; he's always on the edge of some abyss or deep inside it, mapping out new psychic and sonic terrain. Fever Dreams, comprised of four long pieces, is the first part of a projected trilogy. Recorded at Roach's Timeroom Studio in the Arizona des   [ read more ]

CD $15.18

The fourth collaborative outing between multi-instrumentalists and soundscape artists Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana (Dirk Serries) differs significantly from their previous efforts in that its inner expansiveness is more labyrinthine than cavernous. A single track -- separated into eight selections -- recorded in one continuous session without overdubs or sonic edits of any kind, Spirit Dome adds a dark urgency to the catalog of these duos. Cavern of Sirens (1997) and Serpent's Lair (2000)    [ read more ]

CD $15.18