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| Other Artists — These are some of Steve's favorite albums, each hand-picked and personally recommended. |
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Alio Die, Lorenzo Montanà 2015 Projekt PRO311 (CD) Reviewed by Music TAP, Prog Archives, Textura Crossing styles and boundaries, Holographic Codex is a mixture of atmospheric ambience, IDM sequences and psybient textures; these cult Italian musicians create a blending of ritualistic soundscapes and technogenic landscapes. Alio Die has over 60 releases, some on America's Projekt label and others on his own Hic Sunt Leones label. Montana recorded five collaborations with Pete Namlook on Pete's German FAX label, plus released 10 solo albums with various European imprints. |
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Alio Die 2012 Projekt PRO270 (CD) DECONSECRATED AND PURE is an evocative liturgy from the realm where electronic music meets acoustic drones, found objects, sacral voices and field recordings.
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Alio Die 2007 Projekt PRO208 (CD) ELEUSIAN LULLABY blends the natural, warm and earthy ambient compositions of Alio Die with the elegant, neo-classical voice of Martina, merging notes and silence into an expanded dreamscape. This is lullaby music like an aural caress from darkness into the light. The combination of the vocal melodies with the abstract qualities of the loops and instruments creates a suspended near-dream space, intimate and sensual at the same time.
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Alio Die, Zeit 2003 Hic Sunt Leones HSL024 (CD) Magic has blown its precious spores into the air. A human rite, humble and quiet, has evoked a red hot globe that gently illuminates the path toward the borders of SUNJA, the dream place where all vibrations start. Sometimes the light comes down from the sky, clear like a crystal. Sometimes it climbs slowly from the earth's depths, but it's always comforting. Crossing the thresholds of SUNJA is like landing on an uncontaminated island, its white sea-shores lapped by tepid foamy waters, inebriated with wide floral smells and saltiness in secret inland places and in caves dug from time, on top of the plateau from where it's possible to see beyond... SUNJA is creative strength enclosed in two long tracks of incredible intensity, rich in levels of knowledge, pure enchantment and beauty. The deep sound has an extraordinary symbolic and evocative power with a supreme purification owing to millenial percolations across the rocks. Music shines, beholds, resounds at the bottom of ourselves, lives and spreads out. We realize, in listening, that a light warmth closes in upon us, everything loses its own original sense, the gates open... the road is beaten. (Artist's description)
hand-numbered, packaged with collages and hand-made prints |
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Alio Die, Saffron Wood 2003 Hic Sunt Leones HSL 026 (CD) With its special hand-made package, containing seeds, leaves and other organic material, no two copies are alike. The title "The Sleep of Seeds" is also the opening track of this macroscopic journey into a world which spontaneously engages us when we travel through it... a link between life and earth, a passageway between time and change... an organinc sonic itinerary in which an hourglass often makes no sense, with only the sound of articulated and fragmentary notes... 50 minutes to wander between a seed and a grain of soil, into an infinite space while listening to a far away earth-longing sound. Recorded in Savona Italy August 2002 with various flutes, tubes, accordion, found objects, rattles, shells, bells and drones. Loops, effects, editing and mastering on ProTools at Temple Studio Milano, Spring 2003.
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Alio Die 2003 Hic Sunt Leones HSL025 (CD) Taking basic improvisations from sounds produced only by a Khen (a mouth-organ from Thailand / Laos) and processed by different filters, pans and effects, Stefano Musso looks for a vibrational enviroment that is like a special point of view, where time changes its meaning and sometimes becomes absolutely relative, finding a place for contemplation, like being in the clouds and breathing with the sound of the spheres. Observe the circular harmony of seasons in its never-ending flow. It speaks like old poetry that is familiar to the soul. (Artist's description)
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Alio Die 2001 Hic Sunt Leones HSL 019 (CD) – Italian import, artist-direct The third part of an ambient trilogy, a creative path of the music of Alio Die presented with artwork and text by painter Janusz Gilewicz. Natural and acoustic sounds and noises, electronically treated and reworked, are integrated in a meditative and spiritual context that often - in the feeling - become close to a prayer. This music is rich with hidden sounds, with layers of elements to discover at each listening. Alio Die's artful music creates a melting of technology and mysticism, like a new ritual with echoes of a medieval time, deep and grounded in introspection.
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Alio Die, Amelia Cuni 2001 Projekt (CD) "Apsaras is breathtakingly beautiful, combining soothing electronic textures, drones, and organic sound samples from Italian soundpainter Alio Die (Stefano Musso) with the amazing North Indian dhrupad singing of Amelia Cuni." – Ink19.com. This one is currently Steve's favorite CD.
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Alio Die 1999 Hic Sunt Leones HSL 016 (CD) – Italian import, artist-direct This is a deeper look into the microscopic views that Also Die creates with a sense of ceremony and ancient sacredness. As with PASSWORD FOR ENTHEOGENIC EXPERIENCE and LEAVES NET, the foundation is drawn from acoustic and environmental sounds deconstructed and processed into a landscape of organic forms and visceral textures.
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Alio Die 1998 Hic Sunt Leones HSL 015 (CD) – Italian import, artist-direct This 1998 continuous longform piece is a standout solo work from Italy's sound artist Alio Die. His artistry and understanding of organinc inner-space music is alive on this understated and gently intense flowing soundscape. Created to support his own psychoactive journeys, it creates a warm and shadowy nest to curl up within. This is among Steve's favorite Alio Die solo releases.
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Alpha Wave Movement 2012 Periphery OTP1112 (CD) Periphery is very pleased to present the new Alpha Wave Movement album EOLIAN REFLECTIONS, a stunning slice of contemporary ambient music that draws from the wellspring of Steve Roach, early Robert Rich, Brian Eno, et al, but with its own characteristic flavor and aesthetic. A longtime yet under-recognized figure on the electronic scene, Gregory Kyryluk continues his long-standing tradition of knocking genre straw men down, taking traditional musical forms and spinning his own adjunct sound designs outward, whether it's his unique take on ambient dub-techno as Within Reason, or the myriad timeswept sensations of AWM.
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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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A Produce 1997 Trance Port TPT-CD-107 (CD) Many of you know highly-regarded veteran ambient artist A Produce passed away in 2011. We are offering three standout releases that represent some of his fine work. We received these in limited amounts directly from his family, and they're being offered while supply lasts.
Special edition in jewel case with three bonus tracks. |
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A Produce 1996 Trance Port TPT-CD-106 (CD) Many of you know highly-regarded veteran ambient artist A Produce passed away in 2011. We are offering three standout releases that represent some of his fine work. We received these in limited amounts directly from his family, and they're being offered while supply lasts.
Presented in a hand-printed limited-edition tri-fold portfolio. |
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A Produce 1995 Trance Port TPT-105 (CD) Many of you know highly-regarded veteran ambient artist A Produce passed away in 2011. We are offering three standout releases that represent some of his fine work. We received these in limited amounts directly from his family, and they're being offered while supply lasts.
Presented in a hand-printed limited-edition tri-fold portfolio. |
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Arcana 2005 Projekt PRO171 (CD) Re-visit a specially featured re-release from Projekt: Wicked Middle-Eastern trance percussion and loop structures with wordless voice callings all rising up like writhing serpents from the ether of a lost time, intertwined with deep textures into haunting results. Any fans of Peter Gabriel's Passion soundtrack and Steve's tribal trance releases will appreciate this release.
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Arundas 2005 (CD) This CD is one of those rare releases that is so unique and evocative that it can only be (unfairly) compared to what has come before, to help give a feel for what's in store. Dead can Dance and other 4AD releases, Soul Whirling Somewhere, ECM, non-specific world and Eastern percussion and etheric voices are only part of this ambitious project. Passionately performed 12-string guitar and sitar are also woven into the mystical fabric. Surprisingly no synths or samplers were used, yet you still hear a wash of atmosphere throughout. Steve Roach was invited to do the final mastering, but did not add any processing or additional sounds. This is the kind of music you might hear wafting from deep within a misty overgrown forest as the light wanes into twilight.
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As Lonely As Dave Bowman 2015 Projekt PRO318 (CD) A 73-minute electronic space music album from Projekt's Sam Rosenthal. Unlike Sam's work in Black Tape For A Blue Girl, Dave Bowman is full-on electronic music: droning space, wordless drift with long suspended passages. Covering Bowman's journey to the Monolith near Jupiter, the album touches the edges of isolation and glacial solitude, with a discernible warm human core. MONOLITH's epic expanses, asteroid flybys, serene ambient moments, vast open textures, and warmer hues of sparse remoteness are barren, yet without leaving the listener abandoned. Think of it as drone insulation rather than drone isolation.
Limited edition of 300 in 4-panel DVD-sized Digipak |
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As Lonely as Dave Bowman (Sam Rosenthal) 2007 Projekt PRO195 (CD) POD is a fascinating new pure deep-dark-ambient release from darkwave maven Sam Rosenthal, founder and owner of Projekt and black tape for a blue girl. The isolation of deep space and the plight of film "2001" character Dave Bowman provides part of the sonic psychodrama of this mercurial mood piece. The sound is muted, consistent and distant as it seems to call out like some kind of haunting searchlight in the deep pockets of space. Perfect for late night excursions in the remote corners of cyberspace and beyond. (Note: This is the non-limited edition in a standard-size Digipak.)
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Between Interval 2007 Spotted Peccary Music SPM1601 (CD) SECRET OBSERVATORY is the exploration of depth, discovery, and subtlety. Four long-form mixes of timeless dimensionless atmospheres traverse the abyss of space, seeking -- and finding -- glimpses of other, distant worlds. Through a powerful imaginary "telescope" comprised of delicate harmonics, sublime electronic tonalities, and deep space atmospherics, trance-electronic composer Between Interval searches the skies, discovering beauty and darkness throughout, and revealing with real purpose the co-existence of the past, present, and the future. This is fine deep space music and a standout release in this new artist's catalog.
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black tape for a blue girl (with Steve Roach) 2004 Projekt PRO158 (CD)
2, 5, 7, 12 Steve Roach pre-mix processing |
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Chandeen (with Steve Roach) 1995 Hyperium 391 0146 (CD)
8. with Steve Roach |
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Jim Cole 2003 Spectral Spiral Music 5 (CD) This is the latest inspiring release from overtone / harmonic voice artist Jim Cole. He is indeed finding the way beyond from his previous release GODSPACE, which was a gem of sacred space-music. Created entirely from his vocal overtoning and harmonic techniques, with the support of live looping and spacious reverb. His evolution as a living, breathing instrument is beautifully presented here as it is something to behold in the current day of tech-based music and endless options for sound creation. THE WAY BEYOND offers the path to a pool of reflective waters drawn from a pure source.
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Jim Cole 2002 Spectral Spiral Music (CD) This outstanding release was created only from vocal overtoning-harmonic singing, and it's truly a deep and beautiful space that comes recommended by Steve. We will only carry it for a limited time. Jim was featured on THE SERPENT'S LAIR. |
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Rick Cox 2005 Cold Blue Music CB0020 (CD) Extending deeper into the sound of Rick's MARIA FALLING AWAY, FADE is beautiful, casually evolving music for guitar, piano, bass and electronics. The release extends Cox's continuum of lush, elusively shaped music. Features the composer's idiosyncratic guitar playing and textures and performances by noted composer Thomas Newman and bassist/producer Peter Freeman. "Rick is a hidden master of the crepuscular and the diaphanous." -- Ry Cooder
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Rick Cox 2002 Cold Blue Music CB0006 (CD) Six elegant, dark, sensuous soundscapes in which emotions seem to bubble just below cool surfaces. Much of this harmonically rich and texturally subtle music features composer/performer Cox's innovative and idiosyncratic electric guitar playing techniques (which include the use of preparations and unusual objects setting the strings in motion). Other performers joining him on this CD are celebrated composer/trumpeter Jon Hassell, popular film composer Thomas Newman (piano), and composer/performer/instrument designer Chas Smith (pedal steel guitar). Critics reviewing Cox's earlier recordings noted his music's "graceful lyric lines" and "wistful harmonic suspensions." Those of you who enjoyed Steve's STREAMS & CURRENTS will especially enjoy this release of a similar feel.
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Darshan Ambient 2008 Lotuspike (CD) This is a special release that really hits the sweet spot: chill-based in nature with a crafted elegant and understated sound woven from blissful beats and gentle-emotional melodic forms.
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Dream Jungle 2008 Third Ear (CD) Outstanding exotic-composite trance ambient groove music. Dream Jungle is the brain transmission of Bay Area electronic-music artist Dwight Loop. Chilled body beats and fourth-world undercurrents weave with sensual siren-like voices, trance chants and vocal incantations from the Bay Area's Taressa Bell. This release oozes with the translucent atmosphere of a dusty crimson sunset at Burning Man, coming on in well-proportioned waves as the tribes of modern man spin and twirl into a coil of perfect trance.
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Duff Egan 2016 Black Dingo Records (CD) Duff Egan is an emerging Seattle-based ambient deep zone artist who has produced an impressive stream of Bandcamp releases over the past few years. THE FUTURE OF MAN represents his first CD release. This double-CD of ultra-deep steady-state dronescapes hovers low to the ground like shifting fog over a wet forest floor, while converging with the undercurrent churn of a distant city. A must have for hardcore Drone connoisseurs.
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Michael Jon Fink 2004 Cold Blue Music CB0017 (CD) – CD single in Digipak Music that combines equal measures of beauty and grit. A moody, elusively shaped textural music that is compelling in its power and grace from its very first violin note to its final shimmer of decaying cymbals. For an ensemble of violins and cellos, percussion and electronic/sampled sounds.
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Jim Fox 2005 Cold Blue Music CB0021 (CD) "Jim Fox's DESCANSOS, PAST inhabits the same haunted soundscape as his 2004 release, THE CITY THE WIND SWEPT AWAY -- the unconventional scoring (pizzicato bass and nine bowed cellos) produces a sort of lush bleakness that evokes the windswept open spaces of the American West. Perhaps Descansos evokes the strange roadside memorials that gave Fox his title, but to these Eastern ears, it is reminiscent of the brooding lyricism of England's Gavin Bryars. This is a music that seems to linger even after the recording itself has ended." -- John Schaefer, WNYC, New Sounds
"Fox achieves an impressive balance between delicate and troubled." -- All-Music Guide
"Fox usually works with quiet, beautifully ominous... slow-creeping tonalities... emotions from quiet grief to indefinable hope." -- Misfit City (UK)
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Jim Fox 2004 Cold Blue Music CB0015 (CD) – CD single in Digipak A haunting music for trombones, strings and piano. A fragile music of rarefied and quietly rumbling harmonies that, like drifting clouds, seem to float in and out of "view." A music that is both motionless and moving forward with a strange sense of inevitability.
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Serena Gabriel (with Steve Roach) 2020 Soundquest Music SQ1 (CD) Produced by Steve Roach INANNA'S DREAM is a multi-instrumental ambient sonic odyssey of pure emotion and enchantment. Through the six electroacoustic offerings, feelings of yearning, vulnerability and epiphany are infused into a heart and soul stirring expression that accesses the collective well of human experience. The alchemical blend of archaic and contemporary musical techniques and instruments, including the voice, activate a powerful opening into sacred space.
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Kyle Gann 2005 Cold Blue Music CB0019 (CD) LONG NIGHT is exquisitely drifting, ever-unfolding music for three pianos that sometimes play independently and at other times in synchronization with one another. For this recording, all three piano parts were recorded by Sarah Cahill. Gann calls this "the most successful piece from my early, Brian-Eno-influenced, ambient period, a variable-length piece for three nonsynchronized pianos at different tempos."
Kyle Gann is a force of nature. Composer, performer, author, critic, scholar, educator... Like the weather, he seems to be everywhere at once; a commanding presence in the landscape of American music. First and foremost, Gann is a composer. Like the man himself, his music is passionate, fiercely intelligent and one of a kind. Gann's music embraces a broad range of influences but sounds like no other." -- John Luther Adams, NewMusicBox (American Music Center)
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Jeff Greinke 2011 Projekt ARC010b (CD) The seeds for this project were sown in early 1995, when Naut Humon (of Sombient Records) invited me to contribute music to a compilation (the first part of a trilogy) entitled Throne of Drones. After accepting this offer, I found myself thinking of musical terrain I had all but abandoned some years earlier. I subsequently composed music for the compilation, as well as for the second part of the trilogy, that strongly reminded me of my earlier work. Out of this renewed interest in exploring such musical landscapes came the notion of making, 10 years later, a sequel to my first album, Cities in Fog. |
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Jeff Greinke 2003 First World Music (CD) Greinke's follow-up to his highly acclaimed 2002 release WIDE VIEW is a more upbeat ride over and through richly textured terrain. There's an unobtrusive yet deep rhythmic feel to this work that lends an utterly appealing liquid quality to his overall signature sound. This music is warm, spacious, multilayered, and highly enjoyable.
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Jeff Greinke 2002 Hypnos (CD) Exquisite, subtle, timeless, intimate, organic, and melancholic. A listening experience that is relaxing, yet remains engaging on many levels. After focusing for several years on his group projects, Land and Hana, Greinke returns in 2002 with his first solo and truly ambient record in years. A listening experience that is relaxing, yet remains engaging on many levels. "The way he incorporates synth pads, resonant strings, chimes, and piano into such finely honed compositions is truly a marvel to hear." (Outburn)
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Jeff Greinke 1999 Hypnos (CD) Lustrous, shimmering, beautiful. Although slightly ominous, these compositions maintain an underlying quality of peace throughout. These rich luminous soundscapes conjure a wonderful strange world.
remastered from the 1992 Silent Records release |
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Jeff Greinke 1998 Hypnos (CD) Greinke's follow-up to his ground-breaking first album CITIES IN FOG. "Skates the edge of incomprehensibility... has some of the spaciousness of new age, but it's dark instead of pretty. Maybe we could call it dark age music." (Keyboard)
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Jeff Greinke 1997 Projekt (CD) Dark ambient pioneer Greinke's first album from 1985 is finally issued on disc with a bonus CD in the same sonic terrain. Moody soundscapes from a true original.
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Jeff Greinke 1996 Projekt (CD) Jeff Greinke's unique process of sound-layering creates electronic music that is rich in texture, depth, mood, and subtle detail.
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Jeff Greinke 1994 Linden Music (CD) "This music has a sense of mystery and danger that is absolutely compelling" (Ear). A 1989 release that incorporates a wide variety of ethnic sounding percussive timbres into Greinke's otherwise droning strange-world landscapes. There are only a few copies left of this soon to be out-of-print Linden Music release.
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Jeff Greinke 1994 Linden Music (CD) With his third release on Linden Music, Greinke energizes his filmic compositions with a plethora of exotic rhythms and sonic meteorological phenomena. This music gets under your skin.
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Jeff Greinke 1993 Linden Music (CD) On this album, Greinke's travels through Southeast Asia become ever more apparent. Distant ringing tones sounding like a gamelan orchestra slowed way down blend with strange animal and insect noises, dark drones, and other unidentifiable sounds.
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The Case For Square Waves While Searching For Happy Accidents Steve Roach, Miles Richmond, Peter Grenader 2020 (CD) With POV2, Peter Grenader, Steve Roach, and Miles Richmond have ushered a new departure from their first release, returning to their Westcoast minimalist roots while testing a wide pallet of sonic possibilities -- from ethereal timbral pastures to biting, hard hitting fury.
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Groupthink 2012 Periphery OTP5012 (CD) Launched in 2011 by i/e and e/i magazine founder, music historian, writer, and sound artist Darren Bergstein, the mandate informing the electronic music label Periphery is that it has no definitive mandate. Housed in burnished silver circular tins, all Periphery issues are limited-edition artworks marrying the ephemeral with the tactile in equal measure, featuring artists who mine the deep seams nestled between electronic music's eclectic styles.
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Jon Jenkins, David Helpling 2010 Spotted Peccary Music SPM9073 (CD) Since the release of their first collaboration, Treasure, David Helpling and Jon Jenkins have spent the past two years in the depths of deep exile carefully crafting a new recording, and are now ready to resurface with THE CROSSING. With this latest collaboration, Helpling and Jenkins embark on a fresh sonic expedition: a cinematic, powerful and deeply melodic triumph that lifts their music to new heights.
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Jon Jenkins, David Helpling 2007 Spotted Peccary Music SPM9071 (CD) This is a beautiful new release from the synth and ambient guitar duo of Helpling and Jenkins; six years after it's inception, it finally comes to light and it's worth the wait. They strike a fine balance between evocative ambient moodscapes and graceful, alluring melodies in the vein of Patrick O'Hearn and Eric Wøllo. Where they stand out is in creating majestic, broad landscapes suggesting dusk and dawn all at once. A current favorite here.
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Henderson / Oken 2011 Firepool Records FR003 (CD) File under Progressive Ambient. We are bringing in some new titles from old friends that are more in the progressive ambient, rock and experimental vein. Always aiming to keep it interesting and unpredictable, these are centered in this mode of stimulation.
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Michael Hoenig 1978 Celestial Harmonies KUCKUCK CD 079 (CD) An historic look back at a pinnacle release for the 70's German Electronic Music scene that still holds the magic. Michael Hoenig worked briefly with Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze, but this monumental solo recording released in 1978 is one of the true electronic classics to emerge from the so-called Berlin School of that time. This release presents a twist on the sequencer-dominated sound of that time. Short, melodic analog sequencer patterns are woven into a polyrythmic array that shift and phase constantly creating a meditative study of tonal and rhythmic motion. Warm harmonic analog synth and guitar textures and melodies support the movement of the pieces creating a pastoral undertone. Hoeing's influences of Philip Glass, Terry Riley and especially Steve Reich are part of what takes the era's standard approach to sequencer-based music into a place that is still unmatched in its minimal elegance. As vital-sounding today as it was upon its release, this one is among Steve's top all-time favorite "roots" CD's. The 21-minute title track is simply epic.
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Hollan Holmes 2010 (CD) Produced by Steve Roach Hollan Holmes has created some stunning visual art for Steve, including IMMERSION: ONE, PLACES BEYOND: THE LOST PIECES 4, and the graphic design elements for the IMMERSION STATION app. A DISTANT LIGHT is his debut release as an artist in sound, and a fine debut it is. His artistic touch seen in the visual realms translates directly to his sonic visions. Light-filled spaces and shimmering harmonic zones unfold in their own time and space. And space is the place for this release; file under Classic Space-Music, a'la Music From the Hearts of Space. Sonic enhancements and mastering by Steve Roach.
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David Hykes & The Harmonic Choir 1992 Celestial Harmonies (CD) This is a long-time favorite CD of Steve, who listens to this when its time to get away from music, using it as a bridge to silence. A remarkable recording that nourishes with every listen.
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David Hykes & The Harmonic Choir Celestial Harmonies 13010 (CD) In CURRENT CIRCULATION, David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir expand beyond the scope of the traditional tantric Tibetan Buddhist chant, in which the singer holds one steady note and one unmoving harmonic. They also expand beyond the traditional Mongolian Hoomi singing, in which the singer projects soaring harmonic melodies from the overtone series of the steady fundamental.
In CURRENT CIRCULATION, the singers create new melodies and chords by simultaneously moving both the harmonic and fundamental notes, sometimes in converging directions, or by holding the high harmonic while varying the fundamental. This kind of harmonic chanting is very demanding for the singers, and can be for the listener as well. The listener may choose to focus on the complicated tunings between harmonics and fundamentals, and the chords between the singers as they move among the notes of the inverted harmonic scale. Or, the listener may choose to let his mind soar through the architectural spaces created by the intangible energies emanating from the Harmonic Choir. The vibrations both define the space and inhabit it, shimmering through the air in a timeless dimension.
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Green Isac 2015 Spotted Peccary Music SPM-1303 (CD) The celebrated Norwegian ethno-electronic sound-sculpting duo Green Isac (Andreas Eriksen and Morten Lund) is back with their first full length release in 10 years. PASSENGERS is minimalist tribal ambient adventure constantly moving through sublime atmospheric spaces, interwoven melodies, hybrid percussion and electronics, and otherworldly soundscapes. These artists are working at a high level of skill on all levels here. A great set for driving and mental travel, it's getting lots of airtime in Steve's car and at the mail-order HQ.
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Jon Jenkins 2005 Spotted Peccary Music SPM0403 (CD) Spotted Peccary artist Jon Jenkins is one of the standout artists on this California based New Age-ambient label. His style leans more towards the melodic-themematic, which always exists within a lush atmospheric space created from an array of synths and processing. This is a stand out release from his body of releases. If you enjoy the classic period Patrick O'Hearn and Eric Wøllo, then this could be a new discovery for you.
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Lapis Ensemble 2008 LP11 (CD) This amazing debut release presents a unique and totally original expression of rarified mystic states. The sense of a sacred ceremony occurring at the site of the Oracle of Delphi or some unknown sacred site in the ancient past or distant future is conjured up at once. The best part of this etheric encounter is how it creates a palpable experience of Sacred Space. On each play of the CD, the spaces seems to appear and recede to places that live beyond the recorded medium. A must-have for deep listeners looking for deep spaces for renewal and reflection. Mastering and sonic enhancement by Steve Roach.
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M.J. Harris, Bill Laswell 1995 Sentrax 2080 (CD) – rare out-of-print UK import This compelling deep zoneworld, first released in the mid-90's, is best described as an alien form that oozes within a stark landscape with lava-like drones and thick textures boiled up from a primoridal tar pit. It recently reappeared at the listening station here in our mail-order office, and after a week of constant play we had a chance to pick up nine copies of this out-of-print British import.
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Robert Logan 2017 Projekt PRO348 (CD) Produced by Steve Roach Reviewed by Exposé After six solo electronic/ambient albums and his 2016 collaborations with Steve Roach (Biosonic and Second Nature, Projekt) Robert Logan's new album blends surprising electronic and acoustic sources, terraforming bright, melodic molten sound with an enraptured experience of the natural world.
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Dwight Loop 2004 Third Ear 100-101 (CD) Sound artist Dwight Loop has been around the new music and electronic music scene for years. After a long run in the New Mexico circuit doing radio, performing in and promoting concerts including the presentation of Steve's first performances in Albuquerque (early 80's) and Santa Fe (early 90's). Eventually Dwight moved to the Bay Area to continue to explore sound in his own way. MYSTERY'S RIVER is astonishingly his first official solo release after many years of electronic music recording and performance. The result is a deep night drift moving downstream far from civilization. On this river one's awareness seems to pass fog-laden villages and strange ephemeral shapes just beyond view and at the edge of hearing. The CD brings an overall calm and a well-connected interweaving of enchanting muted atmospheres. At the same time it's apparent that this bamboo raft you're sitting upon is floating freely towards a heart of darkness... MYSTERY'S RIVER indeed.
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Lustmord (with Steve Roach) 2001 Nextera ERA20082 (CD) The seventh Lustmord release, and the first since 1994's The Place Where The Black Stars Hang, METAVOID presents the logical development of the unmistakable Lustmord sound and pushes further into the cracks between remote psychological/existential sonic states. This sought-after Czech Republic import is now back in print, and here while supplies last.
While musical fads and fashions all too often dictate form and function, Lustmord has no desire to be constrained by categories. His series of releases are defining Dark Ambient signposts. While METAVOID is born of its original industrial and soundtrack roots, and passes through contemporary electronica, it looks forward and beyond the new dark age. The Power of Sound.
3. Bullroarer samples by Steve Roach; 4. co-written by B. Lustmord and Paul Haslinger |
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Ukab Maerd 2012 (CD) Ukab Maerd translates as a hyper-creative progressive ambient audio trip generated by synth and percussion maven Chuck Oken, Jr. and longtime collaborator multi-instrumentalist Gayle Elliot. This might be the music playing while in THE WAITING ROOM for an appointment with agents of destiny in some future edition of the Matrix film series. Moods and unresolved states shift and dissolve in a continuous cloud burst of serene to scintillating mind states. The power of this music comes from the live interaction captured in the studio as foundation tracks. Guest artist Richard Pinhas, founder of the legendary French electronic group Heldon, is featured on three tracks.
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Erik Wøllo, Deborah Martin (with Steve Roach) 2009 Spotted Peccary Music SPM9062 (CD) BETWEEN WORLDS is a dynamic and daring collaboration between widely-respected and well-known artists Deborah Martin and Erik Wøllo. This album delivers from the first track to the last, a profound experience that teleports the listener to a place, or more succinctly, a ceremonial space, honoring and invoking the spirit of the American Indian.
Features Steve Roach on six pieces. |
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Numina 2012 Hypnos HYP3262 (CD) Numina is the recording entity of Denver-based solo synth artist Jesse Sola. He has been creating a steady chain of releases steeped in the textural-deep space side of ambient for quite a while. This release is a standout in his already impressive catalog, and we are happy to offer his music on this release for the first time at steveroach.com
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Numina 2004 Hypnos HYP2445 (CD) Recording under the name Numina, Denver based space-music-ambient artist Jesse Sola has been working steady at crafting his sound-art since the mid 90's. His earlier releases mapped his progression with promise and demonstrated a real talent for original sound design. With SANCTUARY OF DREAMS his penchant for creating serene yet contrasting cloud-like textural landscapes has matured and come into focus on this beautiful release, which is sure to appeal to pure space-music listeners. Featured on the "Music From the Hearts of Space" radio program, where it felt right at home.
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Patrick O'Hearn 2005 Patrick O'Hearn (CD) Patrick has just released a fine new CD, which in some ways is a bit of a departure from his more rhythmic signature sound. The pieces move between subtle and more minimal analog synth studies along with deep textural soundscapes. It has an ambient (in the true sense of the word) and drifting sense of space, atmosphere and mood. While a few dreamy rhythmic pieces are well-placed towards the middle, the ephemeral zones and textural themematic expanses are what especially speak out and keep calling you back into the slow time of O'Hearn's beautiful alluring world.
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Patrick O'Hearn 2003 Patrick O'Hearn (CD) Reviewed by Bert Strolenberg, Echoes As a soundsmith and composer of melodic elegance and grace, Patrick O'Hearn stands tall as a true original. This new release on his own label is a perfect balance of lush textures, melodic understatement and emotional space. The world needs more of this beauty.
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Patrick O'Hearn 2001 Patrick O'Hearn 80462-81003-2 (CD) This Year 2000 release is a high point in Patrick's solo career. It is on this release where his gift at creating pieces for an ensemble comes into focus, with a more acoustic sound -- while still wrapped in warm, lush, melancholic sound fields. He is joined by long-time collaborators Peter Maunu (guitar) and David Torn (guitar) as well as cellist Pat Johnson and Robin Tolleson on drums, cymbals, and shakers. This release has the best elements of the classic O'Hearn sound during his Private Music days, yet something occurs with this ensemble that shades the music with contrast and an even more mahogany-like color and mood. O'Hearn's noble melodic and textural themes have often been emulated but never matched.
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Patrick O'Hearn 1996 Paras Recordings PRC1118 (CD) A fine, classic O'Hearn release at a special price. Thematic and majestic road trip music at its best. Like all of Patrick's music his gift for creating uplifting emotional soundtracks for your own movie comes from a natural melodic instinct and a veteran's wish-list of experience from working with legend Frank Zappa, jazz great Charles Lloyd, and Ravi Shankar to name a few. His sound has a consistent and familiar comfort about it and the quality is always high.
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Patrick O'Hearn 1995 Deep Cave Records 1001 (CD) Nominated for a Grammy award in 1995. Billboard Magazine wrote: "Patrick O'Hearn is one of the pioneers of modern instrumental music, and his 1985 solo debut, Ancient Dreams, remains influential. TRUST maintains a fidelity to that sound, brimming with dark, vaguely ethnic rhythms, O'Hearn's rubbery bass work, and the kind of lush, textured electronic timbres that have been his trademarks. O'Hearn sports a languorous sound design and makes a poetic, portentous melodic understatement."
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Oöphoi, Tau Ceti 2003 Nextera (CD) – Czech Republic import Deep mystical soundscapes that hover between waking and sleep. There is a potent ancient atmosphere captured here that lingers like smoke from a sacred temple's altar. Rich and shadowed textures from electronic and natural sources build towards a union with the Tibetan bowls of Klaus Wiese. File under pure drifting sacred space soundscape. Imported from the Czech Republic -- limited supply. Oöphoi: synths, loops, flutes, percussion, shells, stones, crystals; Tau Ceti: synths.
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O Yuki Conjugate 1992 Projekt PRO33 (CD) – 2006 reissue "O Yuki Conjugate create music which inhabits some netherworld between ethnic, ambient, improvised and experimental sounds."– Option Magazine. This is a tribal-ambient classic, and one of the genre's essential releases.
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David Parsons 2010 Celestial Harmonies 13301 (CD) New Zealand-based electronic artist David Parsons continues his etheric and expansive sound journey that remains connected to his recent releases JYOTI and EARTHLIGHT. This release further presents his artful skill at creating mystical soundscapes that always seem to convey the visitation to sacred sites high up in a mist-filled landscape. The feeling of the music being created right in front of you is present, and the inclusion of delicate sequenced patterns provides a sense of ascending even higher into the clouds.
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David Parsons 2009 Celestial Harmonies (CD) David's new release plays like a deeper extract from the 2008 Earthlight release. The live feel is evident and the flow is effortless thoughout the six pieces. Elongated sound textures and delicate use of unique sounds and subtle rhythmic elements intermix in classic Parsons style, transcendent and earthy. While this release is fully electronic, his years of playing Indian music and recording volumes of indigenous projects for Celestial Harmonies has provided his personal music with a special quality that is infused into the overall atmosphere of his masterful soundscape music.
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David Parsons 2008 Celestial Harmonies 13231 (CD) Reviewed by e/i Magazine / Audio Verite "Over his past few releases, New Zealand veteran electronic composer David Parsons has deliberately been refining his electronic composition approach and overall sound sense, drawing from a keen awareness of tone and nuance and a sense of inner and outer spaces in balance. This awareness has developed over many years from both pure electronic music explorations and a deep connection to the music of south Asia. Having traveled extensively through India, Thailand, Indonesia and beyond, recording the indigenous music from these cultures, his many diverse recordings are featured on the Celestial Harmonies label. David's years of experience and the understanding drawn from these acoustic realms has infused EARTHLIGHT in a deep and powerful way."
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David Parsons 2008 Celestial Harmonies 13227 (CD) This new release from New Zealand-based David Parsons feels like a natural and welcomed progression of the deep atmospheric realms of his recent INNER PLACES release. With the focus on texture and purity of analog-based and inspired sounds, David stands in a small circle of electronic composers who continue to use "real" stand alone hardware synths for his sound creation. The rich sound quality and visceral impact is proof positive of why these instruments in the hands of a true sound artist generate transcendent work. Essential, and a current favorite of Steve's. |
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David Parsons 2005 Celestial Harmonies (CD) INNER PLACES is an outstanding new release from New Zealand-based veteran synth and Indian music artist David Parsons. This is one of drifting, mysterious beauty. No rhythmic elements are present on the CD, leaving the focus towards the mystical atmospheres and cloud-like pieces. Highly recommended to those who want to float into a pure mystical drift.
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David Parsons 2004 Celestial Harmonies 14204 (CD) – 2-CD "What a long strange trip it's been." It was the Grateful Dead who sang that line, but it's David Parsons who has actually lived it. In Retrospect: 1980-2003 is a double CD retrospective of David Parsons' recording career, one heavily influenced by other cultures and extensive travel.
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David Parsons 2002 Celestial Harmonies 17076 (CD) Since 1975, David Parsons has made numerous trips to India to absorb the culture, study the music, and record performances by indigenous artists. In addition to producing two albums of Tibetan ritual music, in the Sacred Ceremonies series, the composer and synthesist has translated the essence of his journeys into the lush, yet, profound soundscapes of Himalaya and Yatra, two critically acclaimed albums of original music.
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David Parsons 2002 Celestial Harmonies (CD) These spiritual odysseys of sound are created from a variety of synthesizers and acoustic instruments. They will appeal to anyone who enjoys the long form pieces and deep sound meditations found on WORLD'S EDGE, DREAMTIME RETURN, and EARLY MAN, to name a few. David Parsons has been a label mate with Steve on Fortuna / Celestial Harmonies for many years, and their music could be considered as sharing a kindred spirit in its essence and intention.
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David Parsons 2000 Celestial Harmonies (CD) These spiritual odysseys of sound are created from a variety of synthesizers and acoustic Instruments. They will appeal to anyone who enjoys the long form pieces and deep sound meditations found on WORLD'S EDGE, DREAMTIME RETURN, and EARLY MAN, to name a few. David Parsons has been a label mate with Steve on Fortuna / Celestial Harmonies for many years, and their music could be considered as sharing a kindred spirit in its essence and intention. |
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David Parsons 1999 Celestial Harmonies 13171 (CD) Longtime fans of David Parsons' sampling and synthesizer originals of the 1980's will be pleased with the musician's return to the studio. After a long hiatus as a composer/performer, Parsons' Ngaio Gamelan was unmistakably his magnum opus to date.
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David Parsons 1991 Fortuna 18072 (CD) David Parsons has long been fascinated by India and Tibet, two ancient worlds characterized by potent mythologies, mystical sacred sites, and sublime musical traditions. Over the years, this respected electronic composer has made numerous yatras (journeys, in Sanskrit) to India, experiencing the sites and sounds of this exotic land. Yatra is Parsons' first comprehensive attempt to log the essence of his Far Eastern adventures.
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David Parsons Celestial Harmonies 17059 (CD) This is a musical journey through India and the Himalaya Mountains. Using a variety of synthesizers, David Parsons creates a beautiful and vivid musical picture. We hear and feel the driving wind and sense the mystery of the deserted snowy mountain meadows. In "Rishikesh", an underlying growling depicts the awesome feeling of standing at the base of the majestic Himalaya Mountains and looking up. The full-bodied rumble of "Kailasa" portrays the power of the shrine of Lord Shiva. In "Varuna Deva" rhythms are used like brushes to paint the lively Ganges River. Spiced with recordings of natural sounds, such as thunder and chanting, HIMALAYA is a passionate view of India and her mighty mountain range.
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David Parsons Celestial Harmonies 13181 (CD) In composing SHAMAN, David Parsons "imagined a gathering of mystics, headed by a high shaman, at night in a remote desert valley." This recording is his "impression of a complete ceremony where mantras are chanted and dervishes are whirling in ecstatic trances to the rhythm of the music." It is Parsons' intention to leave the listener to imagine what the track titles mean, as they will surely mean different things to different people. The CD is filled with a rich composite of electronic and acoustic rhythmic and melodic elements. At their center, most pieces are pulsing sequencer-based patterns, very hypnotic and centered in the body but not overstated. If you appreciate the movement on THE SERPENT'S LAIR and CORE by Steve, this release will prove a nice surprise.
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David Parsons Celestial Harmonies 17013 (CD) This CD brings together selections from David Parsons' early recordings, TIBETAN PLATEAU and SOUNDS OF THE MOTHERSHIP. The collection includes eight compositions that evoke the sounds of remote, deep space through the soaring voices of Parsons' synthesizers in combination with classical Indian instruments. Inspired by the ancient Vedic songs of India, Parson's music lies at the well-springs of consciousness, tempered by soothing sounds from the physical world: the soft chirping of crickets, the calls of songbirds, and the restless sounds of the four winds. The music serves as a centering point for the mind amid the swirling vortex of the temporal plane.
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Steve Roach, Radiant Mind 2019 steveroach.com SR04 (CD) Reviewed by Exposé Online, Prog Archives, Sonic Immersion Radiant Mind is an artist working in anonymity with Steve Roach as the producer, interface and on this release, collaborator. Presented in eight parts flowing forth in a continuous stream, HelioSphereembraces the sonic art form of pure space music: wondrous and expansive.
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Radiant Mind 2014 steveroach.com SR03 (CD) Produced by Steve Roach Reviewed by Sonic Immersion STRANDS is the second transmission from the enigmatic electronic artist Radiant Mind. Choosing to work in anonymity with Steve as the producer and interface, this artist draws from space-music forms and textures -- long unfolding drifts and slow suspensions. On this new release of deep-in-the-night travels, STRANDS is purely atmospheric, probing into the darker regions and outer edges of sonic space. All the sounds and textures were created specifically for each piece. Along with mastering the music, Steve added spacial processing enhancements and subtle looping to the final stages.
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Radiant Mind 2012 Periphery OTP7012 (CD) Produced by Steve Roach SENSE is the debut release by US artist Radiant Mind. Steve Roach helped nurture this release into being with production and sonic contributions. Radiant Mind's first offering delivers a warm and inspiring soundworld experience. While this is the first release from Radiant Mind, the artist has been creating electronic music for many years, choosing to create away from the public platform.
Limited edition in round metal tin. |
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Rajna 2001 Projekt (CD) The French trio Rajna have a definite Dead Can Dance vibe. Instrumentalists Fabrice Lefebvre and Gerard Chambellant weave medeival, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern modes with traditional Tibetan, Indian and Middle Eastern instruments.
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Miles Richmond, Peter Grenader (with Steve Roach) 2019 ZSR 5515 (CD) Produced by Steve Roach Reviewed by Exposé Online, Star's End Miles Richmond and Peter Grenader, along with guest artist Steve Roach, have released their debut project POV. This ambient work engages the listening experience through a multi-timbral sonic adventure drawn from gliss guitar inner-weavings and deeply nuanced modular synth worlds. The feeling throughout the flow presents a dynamic yet serene emotional terrain. Elemental touchstones are early Fripp and Eno, American Minimalism and textural ambient.
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 | Sam Rosenthal, Nick Shadow (with Steve Roach) 2019 Projekt PRO358 (CD, Vinyl) Reviewed by Exposé Online Viola-based textural ambient drift from Sam Rosenthal of Black Tape For A Blue Girl. Introspective passages where the organic texture and emotions of the viola play out over an atmosphere of engulfing mournful beauty. Delicate strings float upon shimmering, forever changing expressionistic backgrounds of processed viola, synth, and harmonium -- profoundly sensitive and deeply moving. The modernist ambient compositions balance on the precipice looking back in moments of reflection and rumination while delicately holding the future in our hands.
Presented on CD in 6-panel Digipak or 140-gram black vinyl. |
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Sam Rosenthal 2011 Projekt PRO265 (CD) The Passage is a foray into the realms of pure ambient, in the spirit of Steve's Immersion series, from Black Tape For A Blue Girl founder/songwriter Sam Rosenthal. The two pieces on the hour-long album submerge the listener in a self-sustaining environment of warm electronics and minimal processings of deep, tender swells and an unresolved, yearning string theme. This is music which gently rotates around its own axis in a time-suspended haze.
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Shinjuku Thief Projekt (CD) Shinjuku Thief's 1993 opus, THE WITCH HAMMER, is a classic Gothic Industrial masterpiece paying homage to German expressionist film of the 1920's and supernatural horror from the 1500's. Dark, orchestral timbres set into rich soundscapes, interspersed with outbursts of violence and power.
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The Complete Hildegard von Bingen Vol. 1 Sinfonye 1996 Celestial Harmonies 13127 (CD) Like the HARMONIC MEETINGS recording, this is another release that Steve draws inspiration from as a transition to silence. A rich atmosphere of medieval mysticism is felt at the heart of this music.
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Sleep Research Facility 2008 Cold Spring CSR34CD (CD) Ultra deep ambience, droning, churning, groaning and pulsing soundscapes based on the first 8 minutes of the movie "Alien" which depicts the deep space haulage vessel slowly moving through the void. The disc takes you through a slow trip into the ship via tracks Deck A - E, deeper and deeper into the bowels of the "Nostromo". Colossal dark ambience from the abyss, with beautiful artwork that evokes the sinister atmosphere of the ship. NOSTROMO was first released in 2001, and was reissued in December 2007 with the bonus track "Narcissus". |
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Sleep Research Facility 2007 Cold Spring CSR72CD (CD) Ultra deep, glacial ambient based around Antarctic coordinates. The polar regions are awe-inspiring environments of inhospitable minimalism, and at the same time there's a beautiful serenity to be found in their uncharted bleakness. There's a powerful purity and a timelessness to be found there; snow which has lain un-trampled for millennia and ice which formed eons ago; mountain ranges and deserts and rivers to be found if you look. DEEP FRIEZE is Sleep Research Facility's second album for Cold Spring and here deep, resonant, abyss-like drones shine forth from icy chasms below. SRF's previous release DEAD WEATHER MACHINE was a favorite here at steveroach.com mail-order HQ, and this release is currently a new favorite. Outstanding dark ambient.
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Chas Smith 2009 Cold Blue Music (CD) Iconoclast composer and instrument builder Chas Smith's music has always been a favorite at steveroach.com HQ. His classic NAKADAI has at last made its way from vinyl LP to CD. The textures found inside these rising and falling sheets of sound and harmonically compacted drones are simply chilling, evoking the vast interior of a forbidden desert region or maybe Nevada's Trinity test site in its current day.
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Chas Smith 2003 Cold Blue Music CB0013 (CD) This highly-recommended release suggests the stark and chilling beauty of the desert heat's mirage, high streaming clouds, and abandoned desert towns that pass along mid-day drives down nameless desert roads. This release is a current favorite of Steve's and is in constant rotation around the mail-order office. A beautiful, unique release by a true original. A perfect statement of pure harmonic textures and space all on steel guitar, along with instruments invented and built by Chas Smith.
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Chas Smith 2002 Cold Blue Music CB0007 (CD) Bowed, struck and caressed into a hovering cloud of tone and texture, Smith's world of sound mercilessly lights up the imagination while creating a constant sense of suspending time. Created on his instruments made from various metals, strings, rods and aluminum sheets and plates, this is a fasinating place to visit and feel the effects of.
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Soriah 2011 Projekt PRO264 (CD) EZTICA, brethren follow up to 2009's ATLAN, draws a heavy, hungry first breath like that of the first man Quetzalcoatl created from maize. Soriah's virtuoso Tuvan throat-singing, Central Asian stringed instruments and hand percussion is perfectly melded with the neo-ancient airs of Ashkelon Sain's exquisite darkwave guitars, celestial electronics, and hypnotizing poly-rhythms. EZTICA has its roots in the ceremonial: ritualism, shamanism, butoh. It is a deeply organic experience, the voice drawing out the primordial spell, touching the earth, reaching for the sky. Captivating percussive sections with driven vocals glide effortlessly across windswept steppes, while otherworldly overtones hang like clouds in a frosted mountain range, all amid deep expanses of slowly shifting, mesmerizing tones. And when the Quetzalcoatl Kundalini of Soriah's lyrical throat singing fires down the spine, everything goes astral.
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Soriah, Ashkelon Sain 2009 Projekt PRO232 (CD) This release will be a must have for fans of late Jorge Reyes, as well as Steve's deep shamanic explorations and overtone spaces from Mark Seelig and Byron Metcalf. Totally unique and a true crossroads of ancient and modern. Highly recommended!
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Antonio Testa 2009 Hic Sunt Leones FAR00014 (CD) – Russian import Italian sound-sculptor Antonio Testa presents a series of sonic environments that are often suggestive of found sound or musical representations of wondrous places. The listener is inclined to envision the musician working in low light somewhere below ground in harmony with his space, each taking equal part: artist and expanse. Softly clanging chimes are scattered against bird song and water movement, a low drone even and measured permeating everything. Meditative evolving strains are rippled by unidentifiable sonorous percussives, almost rhythmic. Reverberating fluids, spills and streams run across smooth synthetic textures. Turbulence gently heaves whilst a soft female voice speaks. We even get to hear Rahien Testa's first cry on the opening eponymous track. The impression is one of timelessness; ancient simplicity against contemporary clarity. The gear list includes stalagmites and field recordings as well as contributions from fellow musicians Alio Die (samples, textures, drones, soundscapes from Thailand), Susana Beatriz Alvear and Maurizio Dall'olio (voice), Daniela Risser (crystal bowls) and others.
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Antonio Testa 2005 Tantric Harmonies (CD) Antonio Testa specializes in organic sound and the creation of musical atmospheres through the use of a vast array of mostly native and shamanic instruments, together with his own creations made from organic and recycled materials. Tribal-Ethno-Ambient is a genre merging musical forms and cultural sensibilities of the world's indigenous cultures sent through the filters of today's sound artists. By using state-of-the-art recording tools and processing technology, common ground is found between animal skin drum, the shaman's rattle and the digital domain. While the outlines of this style can be easily suggested and co-opted through more superficial cut and paste computer methods, RADIOFOREST shows that Testa clearly understands how powerful the authentic ethno-ambient form can be when created with a deep sense of the primal mind. Shifting trance percussion, ocarina, flutes, and synth textures co-mingle with field recordings from Mexico, Africa and Italy. In Antonio's words, the "radio" aspect is the music or the tribal drum transmitting outwards, a calling of the spirits to help the state of our planet. If you appreciate the solo music of Jorge Reyes, Testa and Alio Die, Suspended Memories, TUU, or Steve's ORIGINS and ARTIFACTS, then this is a must-have release.
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Alio Die, Antonio Testa 2002 Green House Music GHM201 (CD) – rare last copies! This is a real favorite around here, sharing the same enchanting atmosphere as HEALING HERB'S SPIRIT. The percussive element is a bit stronger, and while its not specific to one region or style, the processed hand drums shift between somewhere in Africa and South America, then beyond to the new world. The gurgling soundscapes and organic textures give the feeling that you might find moss growing on your speaker ports by the time this CD is over. This and HEALING HERB'S SPIRIT are a must-have if you are drawn to the ethno- shamanic sound blends.
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Alio Die, Antonio Testa 1999 Crowd Control Activities Crowded13 (CD) Alio Die is well known and respected worldwide for his ultra organic-soundscapes that often use extensively-processed natural sounds as the foundation for his hallucinogenic sound gardens. Here with fellow Italian Antonio Testa, the direction moves towards the shamanic as Testa brings his long list of ethnic percussion instruments to the mix. This is an outstanding stream of consciousness trip carried along by gentle rhythms, muted drones and Alio Die soundscapes hovering like a rainforest canopy.
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Mike VanPortfleet 2004 Silber Records 034 (CD) This highly evocative fine dark-ambient release comes from the inner sanctum of Mike VanPortfleet, founder of the acclaimed ethereal band Lycia. The soundscapes on this solo release consistently portray a vast sense of environmental and human loneliness, steeped in a feeling of resolute isolation as if shipwrecked on another planet with no hope of rescue. The thick slow waves of harmonic movement have an almost geological texture, as if the ocean waves of this planet have turned to a dry oozing magma-like substance which one could hold in hand. Occasional slow and distant processional dirge beats emerge outwards to join with thematic strands, further inflicting a potent reminder of a parallel life back home. While the atmosphere is dark, there is comfort in these shadows. -- Review by Steve Roach
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Within Reason 2013 Anodize AD1301 (CD) Within Reason, aka longtime aural mystifier Gregory Kyryluk, forges a bond between 70's Euro space fantasias, the skanking digital substreams of Basic Channel, and contemporary slo-mo rhythmic auteurs such as Bvdub, Vladislav Delay, and Wolfgang Voigt's Gas project. Within Reason's prior Periphery release, SUBTLE SHIFT, found Kyryluk transcending historical genre constraints in the service of fomenting something other than a twist on accepted modes. TRANSIENT BROADCASTS codifies his previous recording's sultry velvet groove and logically progresses forward, auguring a headspace of sumptuous dynamics amidst its rippling digital environs.
Limited collectors' art edition housed in a lustrous, hinged rectangular tin containing two-panel insert. |
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Within Reason 2012 Periphery OTP4012 (CD) Launched in 2011 by i/e and e/i magazine founder, music historian, writer, and sound artist Darren Bergstein, the mandate informing the electronic music label Periphery is that it has no definitive mandate. Housed in burnished silver circular tins, all Periphery issues are limited-edition artworks marrying the ephemeral with the tactile in equal measure, featuring artists who mine the deep seams nestled between electronic music's eclectic styles.
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 | Michael Stearns, Erik Wøllo 2020 Projekt PRO371 (CD) Soulful electronic sound-painting and evocative space music combine on Convergence, the debut collaboration between Norway's Erik Wøllo and America's Michael Stearns. Known for passionate soundtrack work on director Ron Fricke's Chronos, Baraka and Samsara, Stearns collaborates with Wøllo on his first indie-label-released non-film-score since 2001. Together, these guitarists/synthesists weave a haunting and shadowy world filled with longing melodies and alluring glimmering sonic textures.
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Erik Wøllo 2018 Projekt (CD) After nearly four decades and 40 albums of ambient electronics, veteran Norwegian composer Erik Wøllo takes a different approach -- there are no synthesizers! INFINITE MOMENTS is performed entirely on electric guitars processed with the diffused sustain of the EBow and layered note structures of harmonizers. No rhythms, only long, vast and engaging soundscapes. Minimal, extended and infinite in its essence, the album is a meditative inward journey of stillness and reflection -- an emotional mapping of the mind, beautifully weightless and contemplative.
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Erik Wøllo 2017 Projekt PRO338 (CD) Different Spaces presents Erik's first 2-CD studio release, clocking in at 2 hours and 45 minutes. This release marks nine years since Steve introduced Erik's music to the Projekt label with the Stream of Thought collaboration. Projekt has gone on to support a long list of beautiful releases from Wøllo over this time, all consistent in quality, style and artistry. In this set, the Norwegian artist moves away from the stately themes and measured compositions of past releases and into a new place that feels lively and spontaneous. Shorter pieces and passages move through, as the title suggests, different spaces on this sonic travelogue. Marking 35 years as an artist-in-sound, Erik's influences and inspirations appear more on the sleeve in some of these pieces. Be it Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, Steve Roach's Towards the Dream from DREAMTIME RETURN, and the pulsing sequencer weavings of Tangerine Dream and Euro electronic classics, the echoes of these and more are felt throughout the release. Wøllo's trademark guitar signature sound and graceful melodic touch remain a constant throughout.
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Silent Currents 4 Erik Wøllo 2016 Projekt PRO335 (CD) This electronic/ambient release is Erik Wøllo's 2015 live performance at the late-night Star's End radio show on WXPN in Philadelphia. This is a long-form, introspective 60-minute piece with thirteen sections of enigmatic textural components organically flowing into each other. Eschewing the melody and harmony found in Wøllo's studio work, STAR'S END 2015 is an intricate expression of ambience and this artist's potent skills at creating space and ever-expanding sound-universes. |
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Byron Metcalf, Erik Wøllo 2016 Projekt PRO328 (CD) Electronic musician Erik Wøllo joins tribal-trance percussionist Byron Metcalf for an elegant album weaving melodic, vibrant soundscapes with subtle, grounding rhythms.
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Erik Wøllo 2015 Projekt PRO320 (CD) Echo: a reflection of sound, arriving at the listener some time after the direct sound. Tides: the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of gravitational forces exerted by the Moon, Sun, and rotation of the Earth.
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Erik Wøllo 2015 Projekt PRO314 (CD) As a bridge leading to a new uncharted continent, Erik Wøllo's BLUE RADIANCE transports the listener along innovative, shimmering and sonorous musical pathways. The nineteenth solo album from this renowned Norwegian ambient/electronic artist continues to develop and refine his masterfully crafted soundworld into an intensely detailed fusion of elegant compositions and deep atmospherics.
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Erik Wøllo 2014 Projekt PRO306 (CD) The TUNDRA EP finds Erik Wøllo creating fascinating atmospheric and rhythmic instrumental electronic music. This 30-minute 5-song EP features all new, previously-unreleased tracks that showcase Erik's ability to incorporate new and fresh elements into his music while remaining true to his unique style. A strong emphasis on sequenced rhythmic passages and grooves mixes with spacious deep ambient soundscapes and melodic themes provided by electric guitars and various synthesizers.
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Erik Wøllo 2014 Projekt PRO298 (CD) TIMELINES is the 18th solo album from veteran Norwegian ambient/electronic artist Erik Wøllo. It's a warm, epic and shimmering cycle of memorable electronic music. Noted for his many Echoes Radio albums of the month -- and placement on "Best of the Year" lists at Amazon, Zone Music Reporter, Schallwelle Award (Germany), and others -- TIMELINES continues in that tradition with nine engaging pieces exploring the idea of music and time: how elements of past, present and future affect a listener's perceptions.
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Erik Wøllo 2012 Projekt PRO278 (CD) "Erik Wøllo manages to synthesize influences from Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd to Steve Reich and modern electronica. But as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary instrumental music, he's truly morphed these sounds into a image-evoking modality that is wholly his own." -- John Diliberto, Echoes Radio
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Erik Wøllo 2011 Projekt PRO262 (CD) The 2-CD SILENT CURRENTS showcases a different side of Erik Wøllo's sound. Here he explores fascinating electronic / ambient landscapes with slow-motion structures, surreal soundscapes and floating currents. Drawn from two separate live radio broadcasts, 104 minutes of music traverse a more ambient, atmospheric and textural side than experienced on his other albums. Recorded in the studio of the famous Star's End radio show in Philadelphia, these performances from 2002 and 2007 are each a disc-long continuous piece with several chapters. With more focus on the deep drones than on melody and rhythm, zones drift and morph, organically flowing into each other. Layers of electronics and processed sound combine with light touches of electric guitar melody floating on top. Quiet, sparse and gentle electronic music with ambient passages mix with occasions of sequencer pulses.
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Erik Wøllo 2010 Projekt PRO244 (CD) Since the mid-80s, Wøllo has released a string of mesmerizingly melodic, textural, original albums culminating in Gateway, his 14th solo release. His recent collaboration with Steve Roach, STREAM OF THOUGHT, helped introduce a new audience to his personal signature of introspective atmospherics. Working over two years creating Gateway, Wøllo presents a fine-tuned collection of carefully crafted compositions; electro-symphonies morph through a wide variety of moods, guitar expositions and crescendos. With a minimalist's restrained elegance, Wøllo creates evocative passage through imaginary landscapes by blending dark and light elements. The resulting music is visual, kindling the feeling of nature inspired by the Nordic landscapes of Wøllo's homeland. These epic dimensions are reflected in the beautiful album cover images created by Polish artist Michal Karcz; dramatic, vast, and untouched landscapes symbolize purity and beauty.
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Erik Wøllo 2007 Spotted Peccary Music SPM1205 (CD) Erik Wøllo's elegant forms and effortless melodic style remains a long-time favorite around here. His latest is beautiful and highly recommended. -- "Erik Wøllo creates evocative electronic scores for the cinema of sleep. The imaginative soundtracks on his CD ELEVATIONS conjure up vast panoramas and limitless horizons. The music is spacious and uncluttered, and has a fresh and natural quality to it. Elegant melodies wander through soundscapes of gentle beats and take the listener from states of dreamlike stillness, to frozen brilliance, to warm enchantment. Strikingly similar to his exalted early works Traces and Images of Light, ELEVATIONS opens up spaces and serenely fills them with music. Wøllo's signature use of shining, consonant chord structures, tender melodic phrasing, and masterful sound design are what give ELEVATIONS its adventurous and vibrant character. These 12 deceptively simple compositions are a reading of the spirit as Wøllo infuses this work with his own being. Through his guitar and synthesizers, the summoned music arises, and Wøllo's vaporous ideas chill into form." -- Chuck van Zyl, Star's End
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Erik Wøllo 2003 Spotted Peccary Music (CD) Based in Norway, Erik Wøllo has been composing his own world of music for over 20 years. His sound is rich with emotion and is spun with a gifted melodic hand. Plain and simple, this is beautiful music. While the guitar, both processed and more recognized, is found in much of his music, the synth textures and rhythms are always warm and uplifting. If you enjoy classic Patrick O'Hearn then this could be for you. This release is another beauty crafted with melodic grace and flow.
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Erik Wøllo 2001 Spotted Peccary Music (CD) Based in Norway, Erik Wøllo has been composing his own world of music for over 20 years. His sound is rich with emotion and is spun with a gifted melodic hand. Plain and simple, this is beautiful music. While the guitar, both processed and more recognized, is found in much of his music, the synth textures and rhythms are always warm and uplifting. If you enjoy classic Patrick O'Hearn then this could be for you. Steve adds, "I never go on a road trip without Erik Wøllo's music cued up for the drive. Last year while driving through Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado, WIND JOURNEY seemed composed for every turn of the road and the unfolding views."
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Nathan Youngblood (with Steve Roach) 2007 steveroach.com SR02 (CD) Produced by Steve Roach Reviewed by Morpheus Music, Relaxed Machinery, Signal to Noise, Tokafi ASUNDER is the debut release by Nathan Youngblood. Carved from dense harmonically rich acoustic and electronic material, this set of tone zones move at glacial speed, hovering very close to the Earth's surface for the duration. Emotionally contained in a sphere of isolation, the gentle tension effectively holds your interest subliminally, and continues to permeate into your physical and mental environment.
2, 3. with Steve Roach; production, sonic enhancements, and mastering by Steve Roach |