Steve Roach (musician)

Steve Roach
Steve Roach in Tucson, Arizona, 2013
Background information
Born (1955-02-16) February 16, 1955
La Mesa, California
Genres Ambient, electronic,[1] new-age
Occupation(s) Composer
Website steveroach.com

Steve Roach (born February 16, 1955)[2] is an American composer and performer of ambient electronic music, whose recordings are also classified in the genres of space, drone, and new-age.

His 2016 album Spiral Revelation received a Grammy Award nomination for New Age Album of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.[3]

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[4] been beatless. His rhythmic and trance-based groove and tribal-ambient releases, however, are nearly as numerous[4] 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[5] 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[4] of the tribal-ambient sound.

Roach is married to author and equine teacher Linda Kohanov[6] (who provided vocals on some of his albums). They live in Tucson, Arizona.[7]

Discography

Solo 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)[8]
  • Quiet Music 2 (1986 Fortuna) -cassette
  • Quiet Music 3 (1986 Fortuna) -cassette
  • Quiet Music (1988 Fortuna) -compilation 1-3 CD
  • Dreamtime Return (1988 Fortuna) – 2 discs, (remastered 2005 Projekt)
  • Stormwarning (1989 Soundquest)
  • The Lost Pieces (1993 Rubicon) -CD (re-released on Projekt 1995)
  • The Dream Circle (1994 Soundquest LTD1) -CD (Limited 2000 copies)
  • 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)
  • Atmospheric Conditions (1999 Timeroom Editions)
  • The Dream Circle (1999 Timeroom Editions) Re-release of 1994
  • Truth & Beauty: The Lost Pieces 2 (1999 Timeroom Editions 2)
  • Midnight Moon (2000 Projekt)
  • Early Man (2000 Manifold) - (1 disc Limited Slate Slab PKG)
  • Early Man (2001 Projekt) – 2 disc
  • Time of the Earth (2001)
  • Core (2001 Timeroom Editions)
  • Streams & Currents (2001)
  • Darkest Before Dawn (2002)
  • Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces (2003 Projekt) – 4 discs
  • Texture Maps: The Lost Pieces 3 (2003 Timeroom Editions)
  • Life Sequence (2003)
  • Fever Dreams (2004)
  • Holding the Space: Fever Dreams II (2004 Timeroom Editions)
  • Places Beyond: The Lost Pieces 4 (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)
  • Fever Dreams III (2007) – 2 discs
  • Immersion : Three (2007) – 3 discs
  • A Deeper Silence (2008)
  • Landmass (2008 Timeroom Editions)
  • Dynamic Stillness (2009) – 2 discs
  • Destination Beyond (2009)
  • Afterlight (2009)
  • Immersion : Four (2009 Timeroom Editions)
  • 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)
  • Bloodmoon Rising (2014)
  • The Delicate Beyond (2014)
  • The Delicate Forever (2014)
  • The Desert Collection - Volume 1 (2014)
  • Invisible (2015)
  • Skeleton Keys (2015 Projekt)
  • The Skeleton Collection 2005 - 2015 (2015 Timeroom Editions)
  • Etheric Imprints (2015 Projekt)
  • Bloodmoon Rising - The Complete 5 hour collection (2015 Timeroom Editions 34)
  • Vortex Immersion Zone (2015 Timeroom Editions)
  • This Place to Be (2016 Timeroom Editions 38)
  • Shadow of Time (2016)
  • Spiral Revelation (2016)
  • Fade to Gray (2016 Timeroom Editions 41)
  • Painting in the Dark (2016 Timeroom Editions 40)
  • 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)
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