Steve Roach

The video on this is pretty static – but it captures a live synth jam by Alessandro Cortini, Peter Grenader, David Wright & Steve Roach at Camp Tape Op, Tucson 2007. Read more…

Steve Roach – Dream Body

This is a fan video for Steve Roach’s Dream Body, from his 4-disc epic album Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces.

via 7SeshPerAnkh7

Mexican musician Jorge Reyes died of a heart attack on Saturday, February 7, 2009, at his recording studio. Jorge Reyes was 57.

Jorge Reyes combined traditional Mexican instrumentation with new technology. He released over twenty recordings and collaborated with Steve Roach and others.

The above video captures Reyes performing for the Day of the Dead. Read more…

Sonic Immersion has an interesting interview with ambient electronic music pioneer Steve Roach. 

In the interview, Roach touches on his renewed interest in analog synthesizers:

I have been using vintage analogue gear all along in some basic ways as I consider the Oberheims the core to my sound and I never let go of these. They have been a part of most every release since the early 80’s. 

The analogue modular rebirth in my studio was a reconnection to the early tools I learned on – the Arp 2600. The current explosion of great quality affordable analogue modular gear was perfectly timed for my desire to put my hands back on this quality of pure sound at a modular level. When hearing and working with it now for the past four years, it has become another healthy obsession and has found a lasting place in my collection of favourite tools of the trade. 

This fits well to my way of working and that is hands on with knobs and sliders connected directly to instruments. With that said I am not an avid or even casual soft synthesizer user. If you never knew the difference it would be a different story, but no matter how I try after 15 minute on a soft synthesizer, I find myself back to the real deals and my ears just crave this sound. 

To my ears, nothing sounds and feels like the real thing when it comes to the pure sound of analogue and select hardware synthesizers. Since I live to create sounds, the sensual aspect of programming sounds on a real synthesizer and the instant feedback and feel to the fingertips is essential and a big part of the enjoyment of sound and music creation on dedicated instruments.

Steve Roach, who’s probably best known for his dark ambient and space music releases, also has done his share of work with a Berlin School (ie 70’s Tangerine Dream/Klaus Schulze) influence.

If you like the style, you’ll want to check out his rerelease of Emputus:

A new 2-CD Collectors Edition of EMPETUS is now available, on sale at a special price of $13.99! Any fan of sequencer-based pieces will not want to miss out on the bonus disc (”The Early Years”) with two amazing never-before-released pieces of long-form sequencer bliss recorded circa 1982: “Harmonia Mundi” was recorded live in the L.A.-based Timeroom with Swiss-born electronic musician Thomas Ronkin. At 45 minutes, this is one of the more possessed and intense analog sequencer trance pieces you’re likely to hear. “Release” is a 24-minute solo statement of emotion and energy.

Roach writes that the rights to Empetus have reverted back to him – so if you check out this release, you’ll not only get an interesting bonus disc, but you’ll know that you’re suppoting a synth pioneer.

You can preview Release, from the bonus disc, below. More previews at Roach’s site.

 

 Release [2:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download