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Welcome to our online store! Thanks for your direct support, which enables the continued growth of uncompromised music. Steve will autograph his CD's by request, at no extra charge (subject to availability). All items shown are in-stock, and ship directly from Steve's house in the Sonoran desert. We accept major credit cards, PayPal, personal checks, and more; see the Policies & Shipping page for details and shipping rates. |
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| Limited-edition CD out of stock | iTunes | Bandcamp | Terraform Steve Roach, Loren Nerell 2006 Soleilmoon (CD) Reviewed by Electroambient Space, e|i magazine, TokafiTERRAFORM is the first full collaborative album for longtime friends Steve Roach and Loren Nerell. The two composers met in LA in 1981, back in the early days of the electronic music scene. It was a time when like-minded musicians who understood the importance of emerging technology were coming together in local clubs and performance venues to share what they knew and learn from one another. After years of friendship and occasional musical collaboration the two decided to convene in a relaxed setting to see what they could distill from a blending of their collective talents and individual styles to accomplish common aims.
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Limited edition comes in a DVD-sized Digipak with 3 postcards inside. |
| Terraform Steve Roach, Loren Nerell 2006 Projekt PRO233 (CD) Reviewed by Electroambient Space, e|i magazine, TokafiTERRAFORM is the first full collaborative album for longtime friends Steve Roach and Loren Nerell. The two composers met in LA in 1981, back in the early days of the electronic music scene. It was a time when like-minded musicians who understood the importance of emerging technology were coming together in local clubs and performance venues to share what they knew and learn from one another. After years of friendship and occasional musical collaboration the two decided to convene in a relaxed setting to see what they could distill from a blending of their collective talents and individual styles to accomplish common aims.
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Unlimited edition in traditional jewel case. |
| The Gong Prophet Loren Nerell (with Steve Roach) 2021 Soundquest Music SQ2 (CD) Reviewed by Exposé Online, Synth & SequencesWith his long-time dedication and fascination in creating hybrids of traditional Indonesian infused ethno ambient releases, Loren Nerell has created a highpoint in his body of work that spans well over 35 years. The Gong Prophet draws inspiration from the gong, one of the oldest musical instruments in the world with examples being traced back over 4,000 years. The name 'gong' comes from the island of Java, where one of the major centers of gong production is based. Loren's extended visits to Indonesia over the years has deeply informed his music.
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1. | Return to Temple of the Frog | | 12:45 | |
2. | The Gong Prophet | | 12:25 | |
3. | Reyong | | 6:27 | |
4. | Last Gamelan | | 13:25 | |
5. | Dreams of Sarons | | 7:07 | |
6. | Hare Drum | | 11:11 | | |
| The Venerable Dark Cloud 69-minute extended re-release Loren Nerell 2016 Projekt PRO330 (CD) – limited edition of 300An ambient hybrid of traditional Indonesian soundscapes and electronics. Originally released in 2000 on Italy's Amplexus label, Loren Nerell extends THE VENERABLE DARK CLOUD's original 22 minutes to over 69 minutes, culminating in a complete vision capturing a sound that Sequences described as "modern ambient drone music (that) melds with ancient tribal cultures to form something entirely new, sounding ages old".
In 2000, Glen Hammett wrote for The Raging Consciousness Desk, THE VENERABLE DARK CLOUD "is spectacular, creative, and a delight to listen. Enchanting! The sensation the listener comes away with is one of a sacred mysterious quality, and I found myself wanting more when it ended".
Sixteen years later, the wait is over. Capturing an ambient sound informed by Indonesian gamelan music, and the concept of animism, Loren remarks, "What would it be like to be a soul or spirit inside a gong? You would not think in human ways but maybe in gamelan tones. This album is how I imagine it would be to be that gong".
From the liner notes, Loren writes:
This project started back in 1998 when Stefano Gentile asked me to contribute to his Amplexus mini-CD ambient label. The timing was perfect: I had just finished my masters degree in ethnomusicology, it had been a while since I had any time to create music, and I was very eager to get back to creating again.
The first thing that came was the title; well, actually I stole the title. THE VENERABLE DARK CLOUD is the English translation of the name given to the UCLA Javanese gamelan ensemble "Kyai Mendung". I felt this title fit the mood of the music I was writing, plus I also had this concept for what the album was about. Indonesia is predominately Islamic, but underneath there are many layers of other beliefs including Animism, the belief that everything has a soul. This has filtered down into everything including gamelan ensembles; it is thought that the spirit of the ensemble resides in its largest gong. As an outsider, I was fascinated. I wondered, "What would it be like to be a soul or spirit inside a gong?" You would not think in human ways but maybe in gamelan tones. This album is how I imagine it would be to be that gong. "Within The Cloud" is how a gong would think created using only gamelan tones that I processed.
One unique aspect of the Amplexus concept that I found challenging was the short capacity of the little 3-inch CDs they released on; they held about 23 minutes rather than the 74 minutes on a standard CD. It was a challenge, but I found around 22 minutes of music to include. I felt and still feel it is the strongest work I have produced to date.
Fast forward about ten years; the CD is long out of print. Steve Roach suggested that I release the CD again but this time as a full-length version. I went back into my archives and found a couple of tracks that I did not include on the original release due to length. "Liquid Metal Statis" appeared on the Hypnos Compilation CD Weightless, Effortless and has been slightly remixed for this disc. The other was an alternative version of the song "Eclipse," now called "Another Cloud". Completing the vision are tracks "Tenganan Grove" and "Lambat Lane".
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 magnify | Tree of Life Loren Nerell, Mark Seelig 2014 Projekt PRO299 (CD)Loren and Mark's electro-acoustic debut merges the ambient soundworlds of Southeast Asia, North & South America with the spiritual influences of Bali and India. One part droney soundscape, one part tribal deliberation, and one part ethnological exploration,TREE OF LIFE expands into a transformative experience. Loren's deep understanding of Balinese music, coupled with his expertise in sound engineering, effortlessly complements Mark's Bansuri flutes and harmonic overtone vocals and chants. Supported by Sarangi maestro Pankaj Mishra from India, and up-and-coming percussionist Max Link from Germany, the release follows up on ideas sparked during Loren and Mark's first time on stage together at the 2010 SoundQuest Fest in Tucson, Arizona.
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1. | Wacah Chan | MP3 | | |
2. | Cintamani | MP3 | | |
3. | Yggdrasil | MP3 | | |
4. | Kayon | MP3 | | |
5. | Acacia | MP3 | | |
6. | Arbor Vitae | MP3 | | | |
| Slow Dream Loren Nerell 2012 Projekt PRO271 (CD) Produced by Steve Roach Reviewed by Relaxed MachineryLoren Nerell creates a masterful release of deep ambient with SLOW DREAM, field recordings from the world of sleep. On his seventh solo release, Nerell's four lengthy tracks are all-encompassing sonic environments forged mainly from extremely processed location recordings made during his trips to Bali. Rich drones and shimmering highlights skirt over the organic textures, processed and layered into subtle, delicate resonant spaces. Glowing, amorphous drifts of sound create the impression of traveling along the supple contours of subterranean passageways. This SLOW DREAM takes ethereal shape as an exotic but compelling atmosphere that hovers between the waking and sleep state. When experienced at a lower volume and left to repeat play over the course of a few hours, the transportive effect of this soundscape is especially powerful and mind-altering.
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1. | Mentation | MP3 | 28:40 | |
2. | Slow Dream | MP3 | 10:29 | |
3. | A Sense of Presence | MP3 | 19:28 | |
4. | Persistence of Dream Imagery | MP3 | 8:31 | | |
| Intangible Loren Nerell, A Produce 2011 Hypnos HYP3160 (CD)The first collaboration between two artists well-known to listeners of ambient and experimental music in general. While INTANGIBLE has a meditative and tranquil drifting quality, it also incorporates more melodic and rhythmic elements than most ambient music of the present day. Listeners who like their ambience musical will enjoy this as much as those who like their drones deep and mystical.
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1. | Intangible | MP3 | 8:14 | |
2. | Planet Atmo | MP3 | 13:09 | |
3. | String Theory | MP3 | 3:54 | |
4. | Area 51.1 | MP3 | 7:02 | |
5. | Lost in Transformation | MP3 | 9:26 | |
6. | Meadow Dusk | MP3 | 6:11 | |
7. | Pot Covers at Dawn | MP3 | 6:39 | | |
| Taksu Loren Nerell 2003 Soleilmoon (CD) Produced by Steve RoachLoren Nerell's dark and humid soundscape releases date back to his 1996 release LILIN DEWA, as well as the more recent INDONESIAN SOUNDSCAPES. TAKSU takes cues from both of these albums, blending environmental sounds he records during his Indonesian travels, and Balinese instruments together into a glowing, amorphous cloud of spine-tingling sound.
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Steve Roach spatial treatments, mastering |
| Indonesian Soundscapes Loren Nerell 1999 Soleilmoon SOL 82 (CD)Ethno-flavored field recordings. Given his inspired flair for ethnic music and affinity for travel, Loren Nerell is unquestionably the ideal candidate for producing an audio documentation of Indonesian culture. Compiled during a series of visits to Java and Bali between 1992 and 1997, INDONESIAN SOUNDSCAPES is a varied travel guide via intensive location recordings of native ceremonies, natural environments, and other places of interest. The most intriguing pieces tend to be the ceremonial entries such as the predawn sanctity of "Call to Prayer", the aggressive native percussion ensemble in "Galungan Ceremony", and most of all, the primal rage of gamelan monkey chants in "Kecak". Thoroughly effective are the tracks of natural ambience found in the self-explanatory "Frogs", "Morning Insect Sounds", "Evening Sounds", and "Morning Rain". -- Adam Bialek, Outburn Magazine
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1. | Call To Prayer | MP3 | | |
2. | Shadow Play | MP3 | | |
3. | Wind Through Bamboo Forest | MP3 | | |
4. | Galungan Ceremony | MP3 | | |
5. | Bus Depot | MP3 | | |
6. | Frogs | MP3 | | |
7. | Kecak (Monkey Chants) | MP3 | | |
8. | Morning Insect Sounds | MP3 | | |
9. | Maulud Nabi Festival | MP3 | | |
10. | Surabaya Airport | MP3 | | |
11. | Gamelan Maker Showroom | MP3 | | |
12. | House Blessing | MP3 | | |
13. | A Walk Through the Market | MP3 | | |
14. | Evening Sounds | MP3 | | |
15. | Morning Rain | | | | |
| Mini CD out of stock | iTunes | The Venerable Dark Cloud Loren Nerell 1999 Amplexus XUS12 (Mini CD)Loren Nerell is known for his fondness for gamelan music. You get the idea of his blending of music elements when you see that his latest CD was recorded over the last few years in Bali, Java, and... Los Angeles. Modern ambient drone music melds with ancient tribal cultures to form something entirely new, sounding ages old. As usual with Amplexus limited edition 3" singles, the packaging is beautiful, featuring a large 3-fold booklet with photography by the label's Stefano Gentile. Being a single, this is 21 minutes of new music. The journey of musical exploration ends far too soon, but it is very, very good while it lasts. The textures are rich, as drones blend with sparse tribal beats and ancient instruments, such as the crystal clear but other-worldly bell tones in "Eclipse". Just reading the credits for the instrumentation used is fascinating, as I couldn't tell you what most of them are. They are fused into a hypnotic mix of soothing sounds, truly transporting you to another place and time. The music is simultaneously dark and yet spiritually uplifting. "Within the Cloud" is appropriately named, as it is light and delicate, though again with a dark quality that keeps this far from new age realms. This track takes surprisingly smooth musical turns, given at least three distinct movements over its less than four-minute run. The disc is clearly intended to be played at one sitting, as it all runs together as a single piece of music. "Ablution" begins with flutes, rain, thunder, and a rooster crowing. The spatial effect is amazing, as the rainfall seems to be coming from deep within the speakers. Then, just when I'm fully drawn in, it's over. More, please. -- Phil Derby, Sequences
rare limited edition 3-inch CD |
| Lilin Dewa Loren Nerell 1996 Side Effects DFX 26 (CD)Nerell is an American who became spellbound by Bali and Java's gamelan music after a chance encounter with it over 20 years ago. He merges field recordings of said music with his own studio manipulaitons (via synths and samplers), but only skilled ears could tell which is which. Nerell's tools include various Indonesian gongs, rain-stick, dholak and slenthem. LILIN DEWA should strike a resonant chord with Westerners receptive to contemplative musics, even if they don't have a clue about gamelan. The moan-and-groan drone of "Galungan" has ritualistic overtones that induce an uneasy, peaceful feeling, like being isloated in a desert. "Borobudur" is akin to Paul Schütze's cinematic take on Southeastern Asian ambience. Muted chanting and cricketsong add to the song's mesmerizing chill. "Bamboo, Iron, Resin, Bronze" is one of the most gorgeous and euphoric pieces of music since Don Cherry's "Brown Rice" (1975), conjuring the image of a stately glide down an Indoesian river. -- Dave Segal, Alternative Press
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1. | Irama | MP3 | 10:49 | |
2. | Galungan | MP3 | 18:05 | |
3. | Bamboo, Iron, Resin, Bronze | MP3 | 6:15 | |
4. | Hiasan (Ornament) | MP3 | 20:00 | |
5. | Borobudur 4 AM | | 15:51 | | |
| Cassette out of stock | iTunes | Book of Alchemy Loren Nerell (with Steve Roach) 1989 Odyle Productions LAN 002 (Cassette)
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1. | The World Spirit | MP3 | 12:42 | |
2. | The Crucible | MP3 | 14:32 | |
3. | Essences | MP3 | 7:35 | |
4. | Iron Filings | MP3 | 8:05 | |
5. | Cinnabar | MP3 | 4:23 | |
6. | Burned Alum | MP3 | 6:35 | | 2. with Steve Roach |
| Cassette out of stock | iTunes | Point of Arrival Loren Nerell (with Steve Roach) 1986 Loren Nerell LAN 001 (Cassette)
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1. | Eidolon | MP3 | | |
2. | Sound Scape | MP3 | | |
3. | Matrix | MP3 | | |
4. | Growth | MP3 | | |
5. | Waves of Time | MP3 | | | 5. with Steve Roach |
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