2003 Space And Time.txt
I was quite amazed to find this album new for $4.85; I thought it was a mistake so I grabbed it up without a moment's hesitation, and I was not disappointed in the least. It's not just a sampler: it is a true medley of pure ambience, and I recognize tracks from 'Dreamtime Return' (1988, probably Roach's best work), 'Empetus' (1984), 'Structures From Silence' (1984, which was the prelude to 'Dreamtime Return') and also 'Dust to Dust' (1998), which he collaborated with Roger King.
My first Roach album was, in fact, 'Dreamtime Return' and it first it was too good to be true. I bought it based on a 'CD Review' magazine of the day in 1988, when the double album cost me $32.48 with tax. The angelic sprayings of shimmering reverbance with water, rocks and the awesome echoes in the Australian canyons were unlike anything ever recorded, before or since. No other album captures the essence of the life and times of the Aborigines with the pleasantly haunting sounds of the bull roarer and the didgeridoo like 'Dreamtime Return.' It's absolutely indispensable. Roach's other excellent works are 'Quiet Music' (1987), 'Solitaire: On Ritual Ground' (1990), 'Origins' (1992), 'Artifacts' (1993) and now his latest work, the 'Immersion' series, revisits some of his best work without repeating itself. Mr. Roach is also responsible for helping other ambient artists recognize their true talent, such as Robert Rich and Kevin Braheny.
"Space and Time" starts out with deep sonic waveforms on "Oracle", scaling and haunting that prepare the listener for the next track, "Future Tribe," an upbeat, pounding rhythmic escalade of tom-toms and other percussion, which paves the way for other tracks from "Dreamtime Return" such as "After the Dream," which is a refreshing, sprite-like wash of echoing reverberance from deep Austrailian caves. There is so much quality to sample here, that it cannot all be absorbed in one session. Steve Roach was composing his own music a decade before Arkenstone and Serrie came on to the scene, although I like much of John Serrie's work. Roach and Serrie, however, are not in the same category so they should not be compared. Roach does not do 'New Age' music like Arkenstone and Serrie, Roach does 'Ambient/Electronic' or you can go so far as to say 'Soundscape.' Roach is the Mozart of his time in ambience and soundscapes, and in this life it will never be surpassed. 'Space and Time' is the inimitable collection of pure ambience that is a must-have, because it has such a perfect blend of Roach's work over the years.
Track Listings
1. Oracle
2. Future Tribe
3. A Circular Ceremony
4. After The Dream
5. The Calling
6. Shift The Dimension
7. Gone West
8. Ghost Train
9. Early Man
10. Hope
11. Moon And Star
12. Almost Touching
13. The Graceful Sky
14. Structures From Silence
15. Something In Tears
16. Early Dawn
17. Fever Glimpse
18. Offering In Waves
19. Vortex Ring
20. Nameless
http://www.amazon.com/Space-And-Time-Steve-Roach/dp/B0000CBLA2
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