Steve Roach (musician)

Steve Roach
Steve Roach
	Steve Roach in Tucson, Arizona
Background information
Born	February 16, 1955 (age 66); La Mesa, California, United States
Genres	Ambient, electronic
Occupation(s)	Composer, musician
Instruments	Synthesizers, didgeridoo
Website	steveroach.com

Steve Roach (born February 16, 1955)^[2] is an American composer and performer of ambient and electronic music, whose recordings are informed by his impressions of environment, perception, flow and space. His work has been influential in the trance and new-age genres.^[1]

Roach has received two Grammy Award nominations for New Age Album of the Year: His 2017 album Spiral Revelation for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.,^[3] and 2018's Molecules Of Motion for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.^[4] Roach's work has also been listed on "1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die."^[5]

Overview[]

Roach during a soundcheck at SoundQuest in October 2010, Tucson, Arizona.

Steve Roach performing at SoundQuest 2010.

Originally a Motocross racer, at the age of 20 Roach taught himself to play the synthesizer^[1] after being inspired by such influential synthesizer artists and groups as Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and Vangelis. His debut album Now appeared in 1982, followed by Structures from Silence in 1984. In 1986 he released his acclaimed Quiet Music series. In 1988, he released what has been described by critics as his masterpiece, the double-album Dreamtime Return.^[1]

As Roach's approach to ambient music has matured, his compositions have typically^[6] been beatless. His rhythmic and trance-based groove and tribal-ambient releases, however, are nearly as numerous^[6] as his more atmospheric releases. Some recordings are strictly synthesizer-based, whereas others include ambient guitar experiments.

Other pieces, however, cross over with more ethnic and folk influences. Roach learned to play the digeridoo during his extended trips to Australia in the 1980s, and he became an early proponent^[7] of its use in ambient music. His work with Mexican musician Jorge Reyes introduced Roach to Prehispanic musical elements, which he has also included in his music. These fusions established Roach as one of the founders^[6] of the tribal-ambient sound.

Roach is married to author and equine teacher Linda Kohanov^[8] (who provided vocals on some of his albums). They live in Tucson, Arizona.^[9]

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

Now (1982)
Traveler (1983 Domino)
Structures from Silence (1984 Fortuna) – remastered 2001
Quiet Music 1 (1986 Fortuna) -cassette
Empetus (1986 Fortuna) -cassette, CD, vinyl - 2 discs, (re-released on Projekt 2008) - CD, Digital (re-released on Projekt 2017)^[10]
Quiet Music 2 (1986 Fortuna) -cassette
Quiet Music 3 (1986 Fortuna) -cassette
Dreamtime Return (1988 Fortuna) – 2 discs, (remastered 2005 Projekt)
World's Edge (1992 Fortuna) – 2 discs
Origins (1993 Fortuna)
The Dream Circle (1994 Soundquest LTD1) -CD (Limited 2000 copies)
Artifacts (1994 Fortuna)
The Dreamer Descends (1995 Amplexus)
The Magnificent Void (1996 Hearts of Space)
On This Planet (1997 Hearts of Space)
Slow Heat (1998 Timeroom Editions 1)
Light Fantastic (1999 Hearts of Space)
The Dream Circle (1999 Timeroom Editions) Re-release of 1994 CD
Atmospheric Conditions (1999 Timeroom Editions)
Early Man (2000 Manifold) - (1 disc Limited Slate Slab PKG)
Midnight Moon (2000 Projekt)
Early Man (2001 Projekt) - 2 discs
Core (2001 Timeroom Editions)
Streams & Currents (2001)
Darkest Before Dawn (2002)
Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces (2003 Projekt) – 4 discs
Life Sequence (2003)
Fever Dreams (2004)
Holding the Space: Fever Dreams II (2004 Timeroom Editions)
Possible Planet (2005)
New Life Dreaming (2005)
Immersion: One (2006 Projekt)
Proof Positive (2006)
Kairos: The Meeting of Time and Destiny (2006) – CD + DVD
Immersion: Two (2006 Projekt)
Immersion: Three (2007) – 3 discs
Fever Dreams III (2007) – 2 discs
Arc of Passion (2007) - 2 discs^[11]
A Deeper Silence (2008)
Dynamic Stillness (2009) – 2 discs
Immersion: Four (2009 Timeroom Editions)
Afterlight (2009)
Destination Beyond (2009)
Sigh of Ages (2010)
Immersion Five – Circadian Rhythms (2011)
Groove Immersion (2012)
Back to Life (2012)
Soul Tones (2012)
Future Flows (2013)
Spiral Meditations (2013)
The Delicate Forever (2014)
The Delicate Beyond (2014)
Bloodmoon Rising Night 2 (2014)
Invisible (2015)
Bloodmoon Rising Night 3 (2015)
Skeleton Keys (2015 Projekt)
Etheric Imprints (2015 Projekt)
Vortex Immersion Zone (2015 Timeroom Editions)
Skeleton – Spiral Passage (2015 Timeroom Digital)
Emotions Revealed (2015 Projekt)
This Place to Be (2016 Timeroom Editions 38)
Shadow of Time (2016)
Painting in the Dark (2016 Timeroom Editions 40)
Fade to Gray (2016 Timeroom Editions 41)
Spiral Revelation (2017)
The Passing (2017 Timeroom Editions 39)
Nostalgia for the Future (2017 Timeroom Editions 42)
Long Thoughts (2017)
Eclipse Mix (2017 Timeroom Editions 43)
Molecules of Motion (2018)
Return to the Dreamtime (2018 Timeroom Editions 44)
Electron Birth (2018 Timeroom Edition 45)
Mercurius (2018)
Atmosphere for Dreaming (2018 Timeroom Editions 46)
Bloom Ascension (2019)
Trance Archeology (2019)
Stillpoint (2020 Timeroom Editions 47)
A Soul Ascends (2020)
Tomorrow (2020 Soundquest Music)
Into the Majestic (2021 Timeroom Editions 49)

Live albums[]

Stormwarning: Live in Concert (1989 Soundquest)
All is Now: Steve Roach Live 2002 (2002)
Storm Surge: Live at NEARfest (2006)
Landmass (2008 Timeroom Editions)
Live at Grace Cathedral (2010) – 2 discs
Live at SoundQuest Fest (2011)
Journey of One: The Tribal Ambient Era Live 1996 (2011) – 2 discs
Ultra Immersion Concert (2013)
Live Transmission (2013) – 2 discs
Live in Tucson 2000 (2013)
At the Edge of Everything (2013)
Alive in the Vortex (2015 Timeroom Editions 35) – 2 discs
Live in Tucson: Pinnacle Moments (2016 Timeroom Editions 37)
The Sky Opens (2020)
Live at SoundQuest Fest 2021 (2021 Timeroom Editions 50)

Compilations[]

Quiet Music (1988 Fortuna) -compilation 1-3 CD
Now / Traveler (1992 Fortuna) -compilation 1-2 CD
The Lost Pieces (1993 Rubicon) -CD (re-released on Projekt 1995)
Truth & Beauty: The Lost Pieces Volume Two (1999 Timeroom Editions 2)
Dreaming... Now, Then: A Retrospective 1982–1997 (1999 Fortuna) – 2 discs
Quiet Music: Complete Edition (1999 Fortuna) – 2 discs, re-release of 1988 CD
Time of the Earth (2001) – DVD
Pure Flow (2001)
Day Out of Time (2002)
Space and Time: An Introduction to the Soundworlds of Steve Roach (2003 Projekt)
Texture Maps: The Lost Pieces Vol. 3 (2003 Timeroom Editions)
Places Beyond: The Lost Pieces 4 (2004 Timeroom Editions)
Quiet Music: The Original 3–Hour Collection (2011) – 3 discs
Rasa Dance: The Music of Connection (2013)
The Desert Collection: Volume One (2014)
The Skeleton Collection 2005 – 2015 (2015 Timeroom Editions)
Bloodmoon Rising: The Complete 5–Hour Collection (2015 Timeroom Editions 34)

Collaboration albums[]

Moebius (1979) – as a member of the group Moebius
Western Spaces (1987 Fortuna) – with Kevin Braheny
The Leaving Time (1988) – with Michael Shrieve
Desert Solitaire (1989 Fortuna) – with Michael Stearns and Kevin Braheny
Strata (1990 Hearts of Space Records) – with Robert Rich
Australia: Sound of the Earth (1990 Fortuna) – with David Hudson and
Soma (1992 Hearts of Space Records) – with Robert Rich
Ritual Ground (1993) – with Elmar Schulte as Solitaire
Forgotten Gods (1993 Hearts of Space) – with Jorge Reyes & Suso Saiz as Suspended Memories
Earth Island (1994) – with Jorge Reyes & Suso Saiz as Suspended Memories
Kiva (1995 Fathom/Hearts of Space Records) – with Michael Stearns and
Well of Souls (1995) – 2 discs, with Vidna Obmana
Halcyon Days (1996) – with Stephen Kent and Kenneth Newby
Cavern of Sirens (1997) – with Vidna Obmana
Dust to Dust (1998) – with Roger King
Ascension of Shadows: Meditations for the Millennium (1999) – 3 discs, with Vidna Obmana (re-released in 2005 and 2008 as three separate albums)
Body Electric (1999) – with Vir Unis
Vine ~ Bark & Spore (2000) – with Jorge Reyes
Circles & Artifacts (2000) – with Vidna Obmana
Live Archive (2000) – with Vidna Obmana
The Serpent's Lair (2000) – 2 discs, with Byron Metcalf
Prayers to the Protector (2000) – with Thupten Pema Lama
Blood Machine (2001) – with Vir Unis
InnerZone (2002) – with Vidna Obmana
Trance Spirits (2002) – with Jeffrey Fayman, Robert Fripp & Momodou Kah
Wachuma's Wave (2003) - with Byron Metcalf & Mark Seelig
Spirit Dome (2004 Projekt) – with Vidna Obmana
Mantram (2004 Projekt) – with Byron Metcalf and Mark Seelig
The Shaman's Heart (2005) – with Byron Metcalf
Somewhere Else (Ascension of Shadows I) (2005) – with Vidna Obmana
Terraform (2006) – with Loren Nerell (reissued in 2009)
The Memory Pool (Ascension of Shadows II) (2008) – with Vidna Obmana
Revealing the Secret (Ascension of Shadows III) (2008) – with Vidna Obmana
Nada Terma (2008) – with Byron Metcalf and Mark Seelig
Spirit Dome – Live Archive (2009) – 2 discs, with Vidna Obmana
Stream of Thought (2009) – with Erik Wøllo
Dream Tracker (2010) – with Byron Metcalf and Dashmesh Khalsa
Nightbloom (2010) – with Mark Seelig
Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World Original Soundtrack (2010) – with Brian Keane
The Desert Inbetween (2011) – with Brian Parnham
The Road Eternal (2011) – with Erik Wøllo
The Shaman's Heart II: The Healing Journey (2011) – with Byron Metcalf
Low Volume Music (2012) – with Dirk Serries
Tales from the Ultra Tribe (2012) – with Byron Metcalf
Copper: Original Soundtrack (2013) – with Brian Keane
The Long Night (2014) – with Kelly David
The Ancestor Circle (2014) – with Jorge Reyes
Monuments of Ecstasy (2015) – with Byron Metcalf & Rob Thomas
Biosonic (2016) – with Robert Logan
Second Nature (2016) – with Robert Logan
POV (2019) – with Miles Richmond & Peter Grenader also known as POV (band)
Nectar Meditation (2020 Timeroom Editions 48) - with Serena Gabriel

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Jason Ankeny. "Steve Roach | Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
^ "California Births, 1905 - 1995". Familytreelegends.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
^ "Steve Roach's Spiral Revelation nominated in New Age album category at 60th Grammys". Echoes.org. November 28, 2017.
^ Gardner, Jeff (January 31, 2019). "Awarding the Ambiance: Steve Roach". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
^ 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die by Tom Moon Workman Publishing, 2008, page 649.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Stretch out and enjoy the soundscape" by Gemma Tarlach, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 21, 2000.
^ "Instrument owner lauds soothing effects," The Advocate (Baton Rouge) June 7, 1998.
^ Opdyke, David J (29 April 2000). "Steve Roach Interview". spiderbytes.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
^ "Echoes On-Line: Steve Roach". Echoes. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
^ "Steve Roach: Empetus (CD) | Shop Projekt: Darkwave". Projekt.com.
^ "Steve Roach Discography". Steveroach.com. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

External links[]

Official website

[AllMusic-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Jason Ankeny. "Steve Roach | Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-08-05.

[2] "California Births, 1905 - 1995". Familytreelegends.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.

[3] "Steve Roach's Spiral Revelation nominated in New Age album category at 60th Grammys". Echoes.org. November 28, 2017.

[4] Gardner, Jeff (January 31, 2019). "Awarding the Ambiance: Steve Roach". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved 4 May 2019.

[5] 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die by Tom Moon Workman Publishing, 2008, page 649.

[Gemma-6] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Stretch out and enjoy the soundscape" by Gemma Tarlach, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, April 21, 2000.

[7] "Instrument owner lauds soothing effects," The Advocate (Baton Rouge) June 7, 1998.

[spiderbytes-8] Opdyke, David J (29 April 2000). "Steve Roach Interview". spiderbytes.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2012.

[echoesicons-9] "Echoes On-Line: Steve Roach". Echoes. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.

[10] "Steve Roach: Empetus (CD) | Shop Projekt: Darkwave". Projekt.com.

[11] "Steve Roach Discography". Steveroach.com. Retrieved 9 April 2021.

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