On This Planet, by Steve Roach

On This Planet

by Steve Roach

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1.	Heart of the Tempest 04:26	buy track
2.	Journey of One 03:33	buy track
3.	The Nexus Place 07:04	buy track
4.	Trilobite 03:33	buy track
5.	Void Memory 4 05:36	buy track
6.	Cloud Watching With the Toolmaker 05:41	buy track
7.	The Ecstasy of Travel 04:59	buy track
8.	Remember It Now 10:35	buy track
9.	A Darker Star 13:18	buy track
10.	On This Planet 14:05	buy track

about

On This Planet is a new form of live album from Steve Roach - a studio re-creation of the live experience.

STEVE ROACH spent over a year creating his epic two hour live show, refining the best material to bring the thunder of a Roach performance into your own space. STEVE ROACH 's recent sold-out solo concert before an enthusiastic Tucson audience was a spellbinding evening of contemporary ethno/electronic theater. The visual setting was simple modern hi-chroma lighting and a fog machine on an open stage, but completely effective in creating an atmosphere for intense sonic ritual.

A cluster of electronic and ethnic instruments center stage were mixed into the 3D sound space of a multi-channel surround sound system brilliantly operated by engineer Roger King. Loud enough to be emotionally satisfying but never harsh or tiring, this was concert sound totally unlike the norm and infinitely more involving.

The audience, ranging in age from 15 to 55, were completely attentive to a program that asked for extended immersion in the deepest and most powerful currents of sound. Two hours disappeared in a hypnotic display of virtuosic live performances on the didgeridoo, synthesizers, and an array of tribal percussion instruments, all animating a thunderous recorded backing track of ambient elements created and mixed by Roach on-the-fly for the performance.

Steve Roach's live show confirms what fans of his many recordings have known for years: This is an artist who is traveling his own road, sending back reports that have the power to inspire and engage less daring travelers. I'm not one to throw around words like shamanic but this concert warrants language like that. In scope, intensity, maturity, and depth of focus, Roach delivers the level of live experience serious concertgoers long for but seldom find.

Notes by Steve Roach:
On This Planet was carved from the live experience. Every concert I played over the last year provided a testing ground for the sonic topography I was exploring and refining.

There were moments when the spontaneous inspiration of the setting brought new compositions into form. "A Darker Star" was such a piece, recorded live as it is heard with a few brush strokes added later. Most of the material, however, was perfected in the Timeroom soon after returning from various performances or just before packing up to leave.

Rather than assemble a collection of concert excerpts, my aim was to absorb the on-the-edge atmosphere, take what I considered the peak moments and most profound musical discoveries, steep myself in the feelings and shape them over time.

Since I began presenting my music live nearly 20 years ago, I've been striving to capture the intensity unleashed when the honesty of putting oneself out in front of an audience is pursued. I encourage listeners to travel the terrain I've mapped On This Planet at the volume level of its creation. Feel it in your bones. Turn it up, and enjoy the ride!

credits

released September 16, 1997

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Hearts of Space Records New York, New York

Hearts of Space Records | A Valley Entertainment Label

Launched in 1984, this record label was created as an extension of the weekly syndicated radio show Hearts of Space. Centered around contemplative music, the label features music from the ambient, new age, electronic, world, Celtic, classical, and experimental genres. ... more

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