American ambient/electronic composer Steve Roach has released “The Current Above: Immersion Seven” on Projekt Records. The album came out on September 4, 2026, Bandcamp Friday, in a limited-edition CD (500 copies, 4-panel digipak), a limited-edition cassette (100 copies), and a name-your-price digital download.

The album consists of a single 76-minute track, “The Current Above” (75:53). It continues the long-form Immersion series of ambient recordings that Roach began in the late 1990s, following on from Immersion Six, released in late 2025 as “The Surface Below” alongside a reissue of “Stillpoint”. Projekt describes the new record as a steady-state, low-volume listening environment built from slowly shifting textures and atmospheres, intended for settings such as sleeping, reading, and meditation.

About Steve Roach

Steve Roach is an American ambient/electronic composer who has worked in the genre since the early 1980s. He records from his longtime Timehouse studio in Baja Arizona. His catalog includes two Grammy nominations, for “Spiral Revelation” (2017) and “Molecules of Motion” (2018), both in the New Age Album category.

Side-Line has tracked Roach’s recent output, including the 2025 announcement of “The Surface Below” and the “Stillpoint” reissue, and the 2026 announcement of the live 2CD “La Rosa – Live in Tucson, 2025”. “The Current Above: Immersion Seven” extends the Immersion series to a seventh volume, continuing an ambient practice Roach has maintained for more than four decades.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Steve Roach‘s “Quiet Music” series, originally recorded between 1983 and 1986 and released on Projekt Records, will be available on vinyl for the first time as a complete 3LP set. The Steve Roach “Quiet Music” 40th Anniversary edition is pressed on three ultra clear 140g LPs in a limited edition of 300 copies, and will be out August 7, 2026 so Audioglobe informs.

The set collects all three original “Quiet Music” albums in one outer sleeve with black paper inner sleeves and a two-sided credits insert. The pressing is 140g ultra clear vinyl, limited strictly to 300 copies.

The full tracklist across the three LPs is as follows.

• “Quiet Music 1”: A1 “The Green Place, Part I” (24:44); B1 “The Green Place, Part II” (24:52).
• “Quiet Music 2”: A1 “See Things” (5:45); A2 “Towards the Blue” (3:20); A3 “Something in Tears” (5:18); A4 “A Few More Moments” (13:05); B1 “Air and Light” (25:51).
• “Quiet Music 3”: A1 “Dreaming and Sleep” (18:16); A2 “Quiet Canon” (7:28); B1 “Sleep and Dreaming” (24:47).

Here’s what Steve Roach says on “Quiet Music” at 40 years: “In looking at the arc of my music, 40 years after creating Quiet Music,” Roach stated in the release materials, “I still feel an unbroken connection to this same inner breath and pulse I was discovering within myself and my creative life at that time. Even with everything that was going on in the early ’80s — musically, culturally, politically — this music came to exist in its own dimension, outside of that time, separate from the day-to-day climate in which I was surrounded. I was yearning to express a timeless and universal soul-tone, a safe haven within the music.”

Composer Harold Budd said this when the release first came out in 1986: “I think Steve Roach’s Quiet Music is his best album. It’s not that it’s simply pretty (which it is), but there’s an odd edge lurking in the background that moves it miles away from ‘New Age’ torpor. This is a lovely album from a composer working at the top of his skills.”

About Steve Roach

Steve Roach is an American composer and performer born in 1955, based in Tucson, Arizona. He began working with synthesizers in the early 1980s and established an international reputation through recordings released on Projekt Records, among other labels.

His 1984 album “Structures from Silence” – reissued on its third vinyl edition by Projekt in April 2025 – is considered a foundational work of ambient music. The “Quiet Music” series originated in commissions for healing-arts programmes and was released on cassette in 1986; the recordings draw on synthesizers, flute, electric piano and natural sounds.

Roach has continued releasing new studio and live work at high frequency; Our most recent coverage concerned the limited 2CD live release “La Rosa — Live in Tucson, 2025” in May 2026. The “Quiet Music” 3LP set, out August 7, 2026, marks the first time the complete series has been issued on vinyl in a single edition.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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American ambient and electronic musician Steve Roach will release “La Rosa – Live in Tucson, 2025” via Projekt on June 5, 2026. The release will be out as a 2CD set in a 6-panel Digipak, limited to 500 copies.

The 120-minute set is a live document of Roach’s December 6, 2025 performance at La Rosa in Tucson, Arizona. “La Rosa – Live in Tucson, 2025” was performed, created and mixed from the stage with no later overdubs or edits.

The Steve Roach ‘La Rosa – Live in Tucson, 2025’ tracklist

The album has 9 tracks spread over the 2 CDs.

CD1
01. “Spirals of Yearning”
02. “Born of Darkness”
03. “Desert Solitude”

CD2
01. “Prometheus Returns / The Continent”
02. “Songlines / Otherworld”
03. “Magnificent Gallery / Circular Ceremony”
04. “Bliss Currents”
05. “This Moment of Today”
06. “Structures From Silence”

About Steve Roach

Steve Roach is an American ambient and electronic musician born in La Mesa, California, in 1955. He began creating electronic music in the late 1970s, after earlier activity in motocross, and released his first solo album, “Now”, in 1982. His early work developed around synthesizers, extended sound forms and live performance methods.

Roach released “Structures from Silence” in 1984. A cassette run of the album reached Stephen Hill, who played it on the Hearts of Space radio programme on KCRW. In 1986, Roach released the “Quiet Music” series. In 1988, he released the double album “Dreamtime Return”. His work also moved into tribal-ambient forms, including didgeridoo use after travels in Australia and experimentations with Prehispanic musical elements through Jorge Reyes.

Roach moved to the Sonoran Desert near Tucson in the early 1990s. In 1995, he signed with Projekt Records, which later became his primary label. His releases includes “The Magnificent Void”, “Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces”, “Spiral Revelation”, “Molecules of Motion”, “Bloom Ascension”, “Rest of Life”, and multiple live recordings. Roach so far released over 150 albums.

“La Rosa – Live in Tucson, 2025” is his latest release with a two-hour performance recorded in Tucson.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Timeroom Editions will release the new deep-ambient long-form album “The Surface Below” (Immersion Six) by Steve Roach on January 9, 2026. The CD arrives as a 4-panel digipak, limited to 300 copies. In parallel, Roach’s 2×CD “Stillpoint” returns in a new digipak edition.

“The Surface Below – Immersion Six” is a single 72-minute immersion designed for continuous, low- or high-level playback. Created with hardware synths and outboard effects, it was mixed on an analog console at Roach’s Timehouse studio in Baja Arizona.

Roach’s Immersion series began in 2006 and includes multi-disc entries through “Immersion Five: Circadian Rhythms” (2011).

The reissue of “Stillpoint” comes as a 2×CD digipak with new artwork as said earlier. Initially issued digitally on December 21, 2019; this edition updates the packaging and restores the two long-form pieces for continuous playback.

About Steve Roach

Steve Roach (born 1955, La Mesa, California) is an American ambient and electronic composer active since the early 1980s. His early cassette and LP releases include “Now” (1982) and “Structures from Silence” (1984). He moved to the Sonoran Desert near Tucson in the early 1990s, shaping the spacious, beatless soundworlds that define much of his catalog.

Roach established the Timeroom studio in Tucson and created the Timeroom Editions label in 1998 to self-release albums alongside his long association with Projekt Records. Across the 2000s he expanded into extended, time-suspending works such as “Immersion: One” (2006) through “Immersion: Five” (2011). Recent activity includes live and archival titles and 2024–2025 reissues and new albums via his official site and Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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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.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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American ambient pioneer Steve Roach will release the third vinyl pressing of his landmark album “Structures from Silence” via Projekt Records. The new edition, marking the album’s 40th anniversary, will be available on a special galaxy swirl: sea blue & ultra clear 140-gram LP through Projekt’s Bandcamp and European webstore.

Originally released in 1984, “Structures from Silence” was reissued by Projekt in February 2024. The first pressing of 500 copies sold out within three weeks, followed by a second pressing of 1000 copies that is now nearly sold out. The third pressing, also limited to 1000 copies, includes a four-page insert featuring historical notes and exclusive photographs.

The 40th anniversary edition features a remaster by Howard Givens at Spotted Peccary Studios NW in Portland, Oregon, based on a 24/96K transfer from the original analog tapes by Richard L. Hess. The album’s iconic cover art was created by Richard Bailey, with a graphic redesign by Sam Rosenthal.

Projekt describes “Structures from Silence” as offering a “breathing, suspended embrace of atmospheres and serene melodies” and calls it a “living example of the true healing quality that music can hold.” Steve Roach commented that the album “remains a still point in suspended time” when reflecting on his career.

About Steve Roach

Steve Roach is an ambient and electronic music composer and performer from the United States, active since the early 1980s. He began his career in California, recording his breakthrough album “Structures from Silence” at the Timeroom in Culver City between 1983 and 1984.

Roach’s early works, such as “Now” (1982) and “Empetus” (1986), helped define American ambient music. Over four decades, he has released numerous albums across a variety of ambient, tribal, and electronic styles.

“Structures from Silence” remains one of his most celebrated works, often cited as a foundational release in the ambient genre. In 2024, Projekt Records, based in Philadelphia, reissued the album to mark its 40th anniversary. The label, founded by Sam Rosenthal, specializes in darkwave, ambient, and ethereal music. Roach continues to record and perform, maintaining his reputation as one of the genre’s most influential figures.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out via Timeroom Editions on January 17th is the Steve Roach live album “Crossing the Bridge (Live at Boulder Theater, 2024)”. The release comes in a limited edition of 500 copies, like all Timeroom releases.

Steve says: “These 60 minutes of live electronic/ambient music were inspired by cosmic metal band Blood Incantation’s invitation to cross the bridge of genre limitations and unleash our sonic passions together on the same stage for the premiere of their new album; it was an opportunity to present my music to a new audience. The set was built from elements of my 2024 US tour performed in large cathedrals and churches, compressing it into a hyperblending of constant shapeshifting; from mystical deep ambience, to multilayered sequencer-woven trance, to tribal and acoustic-infused dreamtime realms.”

Steve adds: “The moment I walked out on stage, I could feel the energy unleashing on all levels. An emotional sense of crossing into a hyper present state of focus – the place I love so much about the live experience. As the set unfolded, the response of the audience became fuel for the moment. It’s all here on this live recording like no other in my catalog as we cross the bridge together!”

The album holds 7 tracks:

1. We are here (Live at Boulder Theater, 2024)
2. Spirals and Portals (Live at Boulder Theater, 2024)
3. The Fire beyond (Live at Boulder Theater, 2024)
4. Prometheus reborn (Live at Boulder Theater, 2024)
5. Songline Passage (Live at Boulder Theater, 2024)
6. Realm of the Inbetween (Live at Boulder Theater, 2024)
7. The Magnificent beyond (Live at Boulder Theater, 2024)

The download version is already available on Bandcamp.

About Steve Roach

Steve Roach is a renowned American ambient musician and composer whose career spans over four decades. He is celebrated for his pioneering contributions to ambient, electronic, and space music. Drawing inspiration from nature, meditation, and deep inner exploration, Roach creates expansive soundscapes.

Born in February 1955 in La Mesa, California, Steve Roach initially pursued a career in motocross racing before transitioning to music in his early 20s. His fascination with electronic music was sparked by the works of artists like Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, as well as the natural desert landscapes of the American Southwest, which profoundly influenced his creative vision.

Steve Roach’s music blends synthesizers, sequencers, field recordings, and acoustic elements to craft intricate, immersive sound worlds. His style ranges from serene, textural ambient compositions to rhythmic, tribal-influenced pieces. He is known for developing long-form, evolving tracks that often span over an hour, providing a meditative and transformative listening experience.

Steve Roach’s prolific output includes over 150 albums.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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For the first time available digitally is the 1992 album “Plains and Skies”, the second album from Germany’s Solitaire.

Solitaire is the solo creation of Elmar Schulte. On the album you can expect eight electronic/tribal-flavoured trackswhich should please fans of the work by Steve Roach. Steve actually joined Elmar on one track, “Quiet Earth”. And the follow-up Solitaire release, “Ritual Ground”, would be a full collaboration between Schulte & Roach.

Recorded and mixed from October 1991 to February 1992 at the Solitaire-Studio you can check it out below. The German ambient / electronic musician, passed away in late 2022.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Distributed via the Projekt label and out in late March is the Chuck van Zyl 3CD set “Live On Star’s End 2021-2022”. Chuck van Zyl is an ambient DJ, producer and electronic musician based in Philadelphia, PA.

Across the three discs Chuck van Zyl brings the live to air concerts of 7 February 2021 and 7 August 2022, plus his 26 March 2021 performance for SoundQuest Fest 2021. The release comes in a limited edition of 300 copies, packaged in a six panel wallet.

Chuck van Zyl is the current host for Star’s End, a weekly, five-hour-long new-age music radio show broadcast by 88.5 WXPN, the University of Pennsylvania’s radio station, in Philadelphia. It is the second longest-running show of its type in the world, after Hearts of Space.

In recent years Chuck van Zyl has organized a number of live concert performances in Philadelphia by various ambient artists, under the Star’s End banner. Known as “The Gatherings” series, performers have included Steve Roach, Robert Rich, Radio Massacre International, Jeff Greinke, Erik Wøllo and van Zyl’s own group, The Ministry of Inside Things along with numerous others. Several independent CD recordings of performances recorded at these concerts have subsequently been released by van Zyl under his Synkronos label.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on May 6th is the re-release of the Steve Roach & Jeffrey Fayman album “Trance Spirits” which was originally released in 2002. This remastered version is again released via Projekt Records.

On the 7 tracks we find Steve Roach’s synthetic sound mixed with hybrid percussion, and textural guitar-based atmospheres overlays. Added is percussion from drummers Jeffrey Fayman and Momodou Kah which was recorded live in the studio. Roach and Fayman then shaped those initial recordings with Roach sculpting an overlay of electronics. On three tracks we find guitar tonalities from King Crimson’s Robert Fripp.

Below is the 2002 version.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out by November 26th on Soundquest Music, Steve Roach’s own label, in a limited edition of just 500 4-panel digipaks, is Serena Gabriel’s “Seeing Inside” album featuring Steve Roach.

Serena Gabriel has been active for over 20 years and recorded music which can be heard heard in various film soundtracks (her most recent contribution was for the documentary, “Neil Gaiman: Dreaming Dangerously”). Sound-wise she describes her music as being a mix of “meditation, tribal medicine music, electro-acoustic, experimental and electronic”.

This new album is the second time that Serena has been collaborating with ambient composer Steve Roach after “Nectar Meditation”. Steve Roach also produced and played on Serena’s album, “Inanna’s Dream” which was the first release on Roach’s new Soundquest Music label.

The new album holds 6 tracks spanning over 60 minutes.

Check out the previews below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out via Timeroom Editions later next month is a live album by Steve Roach: “Live at SoundQuest Fest 2021”. The CD comes in a 4-panel digipak and is limited to 500 copies. Performed from Steve’s Timeroom studio the set captured much of how Steve works in the studio: a starting map is composed, and from that point the trajectory constantly evolves as the moment calls out.

SoundQuest Fest was first experienced and produced by Steve in 2010 as a live festival in Tucson, Arizona. Picking up from there, the 2021 version united a worldwide gathering of artists and audience members for an online streaming event. The event was a three-day flow of streaming performances from international artists, audio-video wonder worlds, ambient VJ sets, interviews, music videos and deep immersion zones.

Performed live by Steve Roach at SoundQuest Fest March 28th, 2021 in the company of the following instruments: Oberheim Xpander, Nordlead 2x, 3 and 4, Moog One, Eurorack Modular, Emu E4XT, Sequential Pro 3, Doepfer Maq 16, Korg Wavestation Parker Fly guitar, Korg Electribe, Roland TR8S, TTSH Arp 2600 clone with sequencer, large Moog format – SynthDotComMoon modular.

Here’s an idea what to expect:

About Steve Roach

Steve Roach is an American composer and performer of ambient and electronic music. Originally a Motocross racer, at the age of 20 Roach taught himself to play the synthesizer 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 “Quiet Music” series. In 1988, he released the double-album “Dreamtime Return”.

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

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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With “Tim, where are you now?” Projekt Records releases a tribute album to Timothy Leary who was born 100 years ago on October 22nd.

The album’s 13 tracks contain 4 spoken word trips with text excerpted and cut-up from Tim’s first LSD and DMT experiences chronicled in his 1968 book “High Priest”. The album features the music of: Sam Rosenthal, Steve Roach, Erik Wøllo, Mark Seelig, Forrest Fang, Byron Metcalf, Henrik Meierkord, Brian Parnham, theAdelaidean, Ryan Lum & Anji Bee (Love Spirals), Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls), Martin Bowes (Attrition), Jarguna, Nathan Youngblood and Mike VanPortfeet (Lycia).

The tracks:

Timothy… Who?

Most readers probably don’t have a clue who Timothy Leary was. So here’s a small round-up of his career.

Timothy Leary was an American psychologist and writer known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. As a clinical psychologist at Harvard University, Leary worked on the Harvard Psilocybin Project from 1960–62 (LSD and psilocybin were still legal in the United States at the time), resulting in the Concord Prison Experiment and the Marsh Chapel Experiment.

Leary believed that LSD showed potential for therapeutic use in psychiatry. He used LSD himself and developed a philosophy of mind expansion and personal truth through LSD.

The scientific legitimacy and ethics of his research were questioned by other Harvard faculties because he took psychedelics along with research subjects and pressured students to join in. As a result Leary and his colleague, Richard Alpert (who later became known as Ram Dass), were fired from Harvard University in May 1963.

After leaving Harvard, he continued to publicly promote the use of psychedelic drugs and became a well-known figure of the counterculture of the 1960s. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was arrested often enough to see the inside of 36 prisons worldwide. Nevertheless he was embraced by people from the music scene and worked with several artists including German Krautrock act Ash Ra Tempel, and so on.

Leary continued to take drugs frequently in private, but stayed away from proselytizing psychedelics. Instead, he preached about space colonization and extension of the human lifespan. He died in May 1996.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Steve Roach, one of the leading American pioneers in the evolution of ambient/electronic music, is back with an all new album. “Bloom Ascension” will be released by the end of August. This is Steve’s first release conceptualized for LP since “Desert Solitaire” (1989).

The new album will hold 4 tracks:

• The Beauty Relentless [12:12]
• Motivating Factor [06:43]
• Synesthete [06:18]
• Bloom Ascension [16:11]

Originally a Motocross racer, at the age of 20 Roach taught himself to play the synthesizer 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”. The rest is history, which each ambient music fan should know by heart.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Ambient, experimental, soundscape.

Background/Info: Zoharum takes us back in time. Both albums were originally released in 2000 on Hypnos. Dirk Serries has remastered both works while the artwork also is totally different from the original works.

Content: Vidna Obmana always has been a very unique experience in sound. Definitely devoted to an experimental-/ambient music universe, both albums totally fit to the original creation of the Belgian composer. Electronics and guitar playing both have been manipulated creating a sonic mist accentuated by some extra sounds and instruments. The flute is an essential instrument on both albums.

Sometimes evasive, mysterious, and even dark, the work of Vidna Obmana leads the listener into confusion. Some long-duration pieces feel a bit like an endless walk throughout unknown territories. Notice by the way some famous guests such as Steve Roach, Joris De Backer (Principle Of Silence) and Jim Cole contributed to some parts of the work.

+ + + : I think it was a good idea to re-release both albums together. The global approach and sound atmosphere supporting both releases are fully complementary. I like the great 8-panel digipak of the work. Sound-wise Vidna Obmana always has been mysterious, intriguing and rather unique in its genre. The overtone flute parts accentuates the mystery hanging over this work. I enjoy the baleful aspect of the work, which has been marvelously illustrated at “The First Coil” and “Jewel Of The Underground”.

– – – : Some tracks are really long and a bit monotonous after a while. Just pay attention for “The Fragmented Dome” and “Flame” and you’ll maybe get the same impression.

Conclusion: If there’s one word that comes into mind after the listening of both albums it would be definitely: ‘abyssal’! You get the impression of diving into a deep sonic ocean made of endless corridors and unsolvable mysteries.

Best songs: “Jewel Of The Underground”, “The First Coil” + “Revelation”, “A Platform Of Sorrow”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/dirk.serries

Label: www.zoharum.com / www.facebook.com/zoharum

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-ambient, experimental, cinematographic.

Background/Info: London based artist Robert Logan strikes back with a new solo-work, which was produced by Steve Roach. Both artists have previously collaborated together on the albums “Second Nature” and “Biosonic” (both released on Projekt as well).

Content: “Sculptor Galaxy” is an appropriate title for an album, which sounds as a truly ‘sound sculpture’. Robert Logan has used numerous field recordings from all over the globe and merged it together with acoustic instruments and electronic treatments. It’s now pretty minimal- and experimental like and then evasive- and even cinematographic minded.

Down tempo rhythms are sometimes evoking trip-hop influences, but globally speaking it remains an electro-minded sound sculpture, which has been achieved with numerous influences. You now and then can hear some whispering voices.

+ + + : I like the electro-ambient format of this album, which also characterizes the work of Robert Logan. It feels like this ambient input stands for the basis of his work while he next and quite progressively achieves his work with other elements. I like the slow rhythm running through the tracks while the whispering vocals inject a spooky touch. The tracks however sound pretty relaxing and sensitive as well. I like some melancholic passages. The experimental touch is also worthy of examination and I here noticed some subtle noise treatments.

– – – : From a very personal point of view I would have liked to hear a few more ‘vocals’ running through this work. The ghost-like whispers are pretty cool and I miss them on different cuts.

Conclusion: The ambient sonic universe of Robert Logan is one consisting of eclecticism; the ultimate point where experimental treatments are joined by elements of lounge music. I like this symbiosis.

Best songs: “Metazoa”, “Climber”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/robertloganmusic

Label: www.projekt.com / www.facebook.com/ProjektRecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

ProtoU is the solo-project of Sasha Cats. This artist is hailing from Ukraine and has released earlier this year her debut full length “Lost Here” on Cryo Chamber. Sasha thinks that the band name ‘sounds really alienesque’ while it is similar to her favorite ‘Protoss Race’ in “Starcraft” while it also is a digital name for some divices. The dark-ambient creation of this female artist features a fascinating twist between familiar dark-ambient elements and a rather relaxing and imaginary world of reverie.

Q: You seem to be a trained violinist and choir vocalist who grow up with music. What did you learn out of your ‘classical’ study and how did you get in touch with dark-ambient music and related styles?

Sasha: Classical music made me understand the principals of harmony; how sounds should go with each other. Dark-ambient came to me via my best friend and love Dronny Darko. He is my teacher and guide through the darkness.

Q: You last year together with your Dronny Darko released your debut work “Earth Songs”. How did this collaboration happened and what has been your very own input?

Sasha: Well, I gave you a hint in the previous question. Everytime Oleg and I are working together, we have some textures coming out of us. We understand each other very good. I think my personal input concerns the melodic structures and subtle sounds, Oleg made them work together with sound tissues.

Q: “Lost Here” is you real first solo-album, so what does it mean to you to have achieved this solo-work and how would you define this composition?

Sasha: Achieving means that now I can  really show people what I feel and what I want them to experience. Now I know better how to work with concepts. I would define this composition as reflection of calm mind.

Q: What is “Lost Here” all about and what kind of sound did you’d in mind?

Sasha: I am, and always will be wondering about the world of dreams and how twisted in a good way it is. “Lost Here” is dedicated to a dream so every single part of the composition, tracklist, structure and sounds have been planned to be consistent and related to the topic.

Q: Do you have some kind of dark-ambient and/or industrial ‘references’ when it comes to compose music? Tell us a bit more about it?

Sasha: Well, I was listening to dark-ambient for the very first time 4 years ago now. I was listening Dronny Darko, Red Fog, etc. Ambient references are Steve Roach and Asc. But you’ve to know I came from the drum and bass scene so I think it influenced my music as well.

Q: You’re living in Kiev where a lot of political events happened during the past months. In which way have you been affected by this situation as a person and does it still have an influence on your music?

Sasha: There was a scary moment 2 years ago, when revolution started, but it came to a wide-world political mess now. But we’re safe now. We have some territory under fire, but we’re far from it and actually everything is great now. Our country and capital are changing, we have to adapt ourselves to the situation while music can’t be stopped by evil events or people. It was, is and will be forever.

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com