Now/Traveller
In all his endeavors,Steve Roachcreates music that  exists outside conventional boundaries. This composer, producer, synthesist  and multi-instrumentalist is restless in his search for new sounds that  connect with an ancient source of truth in this ever changing  world.Roach has earned his position in the international pantheon of  major new music artists through his ceaseless productivity, constant  innovation, and open-minded collaborations with numerous artists and the  psychological depth of his music. Recognized worldwide as one of the  leading innovators of contemporary electronic music, he has released  numerous albums since 1981, including the double CDDreamtime  Return, which received a perfect 10 out of 10 rating inCD  Reviewmagazine.Roach's music described by critic Dwight Loop, as  "techno tribal music for the global village," blends the visceral sounds he  designs on synthesizers and samplers with the primordial rhythms of ethnic  percussion and other exotic instruments, including the Australiandidgeridoo.His range of musical expression runs the gamut from  the introspective soundscapes ofStructures from SilenceandQuiet Music (Complete Edition)to the explosive sequencer music ofEmpetus.He studied these traditional techniques and made his own  instrument with Aboriginaldidgeridoomaster,David Hudson,  during two extended trips to the continent. Roach also scored music for a  PBS documentary on the rock art of the Dreamtime (the foundation of  Aboriginal mythology) and recorded indigenous artists for the  critically-acclaimed releaseAustralia: Sound of the  Earth.Roach's solo recording,Origins, further blurs the  lines between the ancestral and the futuristic in highly evocative ways.  Through a powerful series of interlocking compositions, the sophistication  of Roach's electronic style artfully merges with his growing proficiency on  percussion, voice,didgeridoo, and other ethnic instruments as he  takes listeners back in time to the roots of musical expression.Originsalso features several special guests, including Mexican  percussionist,Jorge Reyes, and Spanish guitarist,Suso  Saiz.A tireless producer and collaborator, Roach producedWoolunda: Tens Solos for Didgeridoo, the first digital compact disc  recording of solodidgeridoomusic, featuringDavid Hudson.  The summer of 1993 saw another production,Spirit of Fire, featuring  Native American flutist,Perry Silverbird. According toDown  Beat, listening to Roach's music is like following "a reliable musical  muse into a dark, hypnotic realm that wafts of mysticism instead of  marketing" but, then again, Roach has always followed his instincts rather  than any preconceived notions of what would sell. His uncompromising  approach has been rewarded with a steadily growing audience  worldwide.The stark red-rock landscapes of Australia that inspired some  of Roach's finest work have much in common with the American Southwest,  which has also influenced the composer's music. While living in Los  Angeles, the San Diego native released two groundbreaking albums inspired  by the desert regions. The respected United Kingdom music magazine,Q, hailedWestern Spacesas one of the "finest electronic  albums of the decade" with a five-star rating.In 1989,Desert  Solitairepaid homage to the Edward Abbey book by the same title, and  inadvertently became a memorial to the author when Abbey died shortly after  the music was recorded. According toJAZZIZmagazine,Desert  Solitairesuccessfully tapped "into the melancholic, psychological  depths of the desert, `the grandeur of the terrible,' as Abbey put it, with  music that swirls and whispers." In 1990, Roach moved to the Sonoran desert  just outside of Tucson, Arizona, to be closer to this powerful source of  inspiration. There he released another monumental double CD,World's  Edge, which includes the hour-long epicTo the Threshold of  Silence, a subtle, slowly evolving composition that has been widely  appreciated for its "keen understanding of the nuance of sound"  (i/e).As one of the few electronic-based artists performing live  consistently for over 10 years, Roach's engagements have taken him from  concert halls in the United States, Canada, and Europe to lava caves in the  Canary Islands and volcanic craters in Mexico. These exotic settings have  helped him further define his style, a sonic vision that thrives beyond  categories, national boundaries, cultural barriers, and quite often, time  itself.