Steve Roach
The Dream Circle

THE REVIEW

Steve Roach is a genius: he practically reinvented ambient music. The Californian musician began his dazzling career in the '80s with albums like Now and Traveller that revealed his familiarity with the Cosmic Couriers. It is no secret that Roach was thoroughly inspired by a milestone like Timewind by Klaus Schulze. Over time, Steve Roach, like other similar musicians such as Robert Rich and Michael Stearns, gradually refined his language, essentially evolving the ambient theories of Brian Eno. Roach gave a metaphysical dimension to his music starting from the seminal Structures From Silence in 1984. But it is with Dreamtime Return that he achieved the full maturity of his expressive means, although I personally consider The Dream Circle his true masterpiece.

With The Dream Circle, released in 1994 initially in a limited edition of 1000 copies, Roach achieves the formal perfection of his electro-ambient language. Subsequently, he repeated himself with similar operations but never reached these levels. The album consists of a single track of about 73 minutes that lays the veil of sleep over the listener. This is deep and meditative music that takes the listener to a metaphysical dimension, allowing them to explore their deepest Self. The synth sounds are circular and subliminal and slowly penetrate the mind, taking us to visit mythical regions beyond time and space and literally putting us in touch, through the dreamlike power of the dream, with the mythical ancestors spoken of by the Aborigines. This is a true sonic trip that will make you lose touch with reality. Fall asleep to the music of The Dream Circle and let yourself drift into dreams of primordial times populated by ancient Gods. I've personally listened to it with headphones many times, allowing myself to be enveloped by its infinite and circular loops. Available on Bandcamp: https://steveroach.bandcamp.com/album/the-dream-circle-2020-remastered-edition.