Steve Roach
As It Is

There are artists who, despite having had enormous importance and influence of an epoch-making scope, with dozens of followers and imitators, have somewhat settled into constantly repeating, over time, a consolidated formula that risks becoming conventional. This is the case with the great Steve Roach, a musician who managed to reinvent the ambient genre and the insights of Brian Eno with masterpieces like Structures From Silence and Dreamtime Return. The quality of his work has always been high up to a certain point, but then some fatigue began to show. Hence, the criticisms from part of the specialized press labeling his latest works as repetitive and superfluous. There is some truth to this; however, an infinite class sometimes still emerges, as in this latest As It Is released by Projekt, which, compared to much of his recent production, appears more inspired. Right from the initial “What Falls Away,” we immediately recognize his inimitable touch that has characterized his most evanescent music. The following “Threshold Meditation” immerses us in an atmosphere of underground tension, creating a dark and tribal atmosphere. In “Unreachable,” the settings return to being extremely rarefied and evoke the Cosmic Void thanks to synths and the sound of a spatial piano. It is also the longest track at nearly 18 minutes long. With “Equanimity,” the tribal percussion, a high trademark of Roach, returns, while “Tears Of Time” is decadent and reminiscent of something from the early Vidna Obmana. But the real surprise of As It Is is the epic final track “Emerging” (composed together with his wife Linda Kohanov) that manages to reach a new direction in the sound of the Californian musician by blending the airy textures of synths with the notes of an otherworldly piano once again. Overall, we are facing an excellent album that confirms how Steve Roach, when he wants to, surpasses the competition when it comes to ambient and electronic music. Available on Bandcamp: https://steveroach.bandcamp.com/album/as-it-is.

Web: https://steveroach.bandcamp.com/