Reflections in Repose

Reflections in Repose captures the pure essence of Steve Roach's ever-deepening intimate embrace of silence, breath, rich harmonic inventiveness, and shifting liminal states; it's a sound and style completely unique to his electronic/ambient vision. Created over two evenings at the close of 2023, the music was recorded in the same sequenced flow as presented on the two discs’ 116 minutes. The five long-form tracks were performed on a single instrument — the Oberheim OB-X8 — the modern equivalent of the iconic Oberheim OB-8 which Steve used 40 years ago in the making of his classic piece "Structures from Silence.”

Steve reflects, “As I conceived these pieces, the intention and flow was to merge into the space where ‘Structures’ was born. Not as a nostalgic tribute but rather returning to the source where this essence lives within me. It’s the realm where I fully inhabit the emotional suspension and dynamic connection to the transportive power of sound. Expressing it in the moment with clarity and focus.”

“Disc one is a suspended space of deeper reflection. It’s a place of many layers of meaning and interconnectivity, an environment that welcomes your highest intentions. My sanctuary of desire, on one level, is the studio space that I really love to dwell in and be in. It’s the container from which this music emerges; and too, the sanctuary of desire can be wherever you’re at. Simultaneously, it’s also the consciousness of the heart — of the soul — of the imagination — that you weave and draw from for inspiration. It’s a place that contains your own individual passion to connect with something larger than yourself. Something more timeless than daily concerns; providing protection from the outside world in order to find one's own source of renewal.”

Steve continues, “There’s this moment of repose that Joan Halifax calls ‘the fertile darkness.’ From this richness, all things can grow from your trust and surrender. Out of that comes the music on the second disc. The internal becomes action, a visionary aspect of dimensional music. As if building structures and tangible incredible forms, massive beautiful cathedrals with dynamic symmetry and balance, all held together with a stirring power. A sense of strength. It’s the desire to mould something from nothing as we go deeper into life. I find it palatable, a living energy form, a living atmosphere that one can tap into. It’s the sanctuary of your deepest desires, incredibly vital and powerful.”