Steve Roach (born February 16, 1955)[2] is an American composer and performer ofambient andelectronic music, whose recordings are informed by his impressions of environment,perception, flow andspace. His work has been influential in thetrance andnew-age genres.[1]
Roach during a soundcheck at SoundQuest in October 2010, Tucson, Arizona.Steve Roach performing at SoundQuest 2010.
Roach was born as a single child inLa Mesa, California, less than 10 miles fromSan Diego. He developed a passion forMotocross racing in the early 1970s, experiences from which he incorporated into his composing and performing later on. "You have to be fully awake and present ... All of those things relate right over to what would become my path in music. You're completely in; you're inside of it, your life depends on it. That set the tone."[6] Having grown up near deserts, mountains, and the ocean, these became keyaesthetic influences in Roach's music.[6] Roach was greatly influenced by electronic music as a teenager, particularlyTimewind (1975) byKlaus Schulze and works byTangerine Dream andBrian Eno. He was also influenced byprogressive rock, namelyClose to the Edge (1972) byYes andUmmagumma (1969) byPink Floyd.[7]
Roach taught himself to play the synthesizer when he was 20; among his first instruments were aRoland SH-3A andVox Continental. He went on to purchase aMicromoog,ARP 2600, andARP String Ensemble at once with a "super high interest loan".[1][7] He lived in Hollywood, California for a brief time, during which he worked at the Licorice Pizza record store alongside futureThe Simpsons creatorMatt Groening, and became a part of the electronic music community in the Los Angeles area.[7][6] He moved to a bungalow inCulver City, in which he built arecording studio named the Timeroom and worked odd jobs while creating music.[6][7]
His debut album,Now, was released in 1982. Two years later, he released his best known album,Structures from Silence (1984). He had pressed a run of cassettes of the album, which caught the attention ofStephen Hill who played it on hisHearts of Space radio show onKCRW, which generated further interest in Roach's music.[6] In 1986 he released his acclaimedQuiet Music series. In 1988, he released what has been described by critics as his masterpiece, the double-albumDreamtime Return.[1]
In 1995, Roach signed withProjekt Records, which has since been his primary label.[6]
As Roach's approach toambient music has matured, his compositions have typically[8] beenbeatless. His rhythmic andtrance-based groove andtribal-ambient releases, however, are nearly as numerous[8] as his moreatmospheric releases. Some recordings are strictly synthesizer-based, whereas others include ambient guitar experiments.
Other pieces, however, cross over with moreethnic and folk influences. Roach learned to play thedigeridoo during his extended trips toAustralia in the 1980s, and he became an early proponent[9] of its use in ambient music. His work withMexican musicianJorge Reyes introduced Roach toPrehispanic musical elements, which he has also included in his music. These fusions established Roach as one of the founders[8] of the tribal-ambient sound.
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