Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana release archival live collection ‘The Live Story’
Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana release archival live collection 'The Live Story'
Ambient pioneers Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana (the moniker of Belgian artist Dirk Serries) have released “The Live Story”, a curated collection of four archival concerts that document the core of their long artistic collaboration. The album is available now via Bandcamp as a name your price release for a limited time.
The duo first met in person during Roach’s early 1990s European tour. That meeting marked the beginning of a deep creative alliance, later solidified through recording sessions at Roach’s Timeroom Studio in Tucson, Arizona, starting in 1994.
Together they released six joint albums on Projekt Records, as well as frequent appearances on each other’s solo works. However, their live performances – across Europe and the United States – formed the true heart of their musical partnership.
Even after the Vidna Obmana project was retired and Serries shifted to other sonic territories, both artists remained close and continued exchanging ideas. “The Live Story” captures this creative chemistry through four concerts that blend pre-composed elements with spontaneous improvisation.
The live recordings on this release were recorded on:
- November 9th, 2020 at The Old Church (Portland, USA)
- July 26th, 1997 at the Verucchio Festival, Arena Mura Del Fossato (Veruchio, Italy)
- July 26th, 1997 at Shank Hall (Milwaukee, USA)
- November 1st, 1996 at Theater 3-in-1 (Huizen, The Netherlands)
About Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana
Roach, based in Tucson, Arizona, is a Grammy-nominated composer known for his pioneering work in ambient and tribal-electronic music. His career spans over four decades with more than 150 releases.
Dirk Serries launched Vidna Obmana in Belgium in the early 1980s, establishing a distinctive sound rooted in ambient and industrial minimalism. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, he collaborated with a wide range of artists before retiring the project in 2007 to pursue other experimental and improvised music ventures under his own name.
The duo began collaborating in the mid-1990s, creating a unique blend of atmospheric, tribal, and electronic soundscapes. Their partnership started after meeting in Germany during Roach’s European tour in the early 1990s, sparking an instant musical connection. Together, they produced six studio albums, including “the critically acclaimed “Well of Souls” (1995), “Cavern of Sirens” (1997), and “Ascension of Shadows” (1999), along with live recordings like “Live Archive” and now “The Live Story” (2025).
They performed live in the US and Europe, with concerts in places like Portland, Italy, and the Netherlands.
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