Projekt: darkwave - Roach, Steve: Structures From Silence (2001 Remastered Ed.)

Sept 2008: Eckhart Tolle, spirtual teacher and author of the best-selling books "The Power of Now" and "The New Earth" has just released a new CD titled Eckhart Tolle's Music to Quiet The Mind. Drawn from Eckhart's favorite pieces, Steve was honored to have an excerpt from "Structures From Silence" included. We plan on offering this title for sale soon.

In October 2002, New Age Voice Magazine compiled their list:
The 25 Most Influential Ambient Albums Of All Time
Here are the top-5:

No. 1 Brian Eno ~ Ambient 1: Music for Airports (Editions EG)
No. 2 Steve Roach ~ Dreamtime Return (Fortuna/Projekt in 2003)
No. 3 Wendy Carlos ~ Sonic Seasonings (East Side Digital)
No. 4 Steve Roach ~ Structures from Silence (Projekt)
No. 5 Michael Stearns ~ Planetary Unfolding (Continuum Montage)
No. 6 Brian Eno ~ Ambient 4: On Land (Editions EG)

2001 Remastered Edition
Remastered, with beautiful new cover artwork by Steve Roach | While the term "classic" is used freely these days, Structures from Silence has earned the "classic" status in the years following its release in 1984. The breathing suspended embrace of atmospheres and serene melodies on this breakthrough release introduced a new sound for its time, generating an abundance of feedback via cards and letters from listeners long before the dawn of email. Structures from Silence is a living example of the true healing quality that music can hold. Now Projekt gives you the chance to rediscover this timeless music...

"Structures from Silence is like riding the perfect wave in slow motion . . .
as if sculpting liquid, Roach carefully shapes his sounds into a stately crescendo for an eternal dawn."
- ECHOES radio show producer John Diliberto

"For several months before actually committing the title track Structures from Silence to tape, I would live with the music throughout my daily activities. Often I would sleep and wake with the music playing (since it is stored in the computer memory, it can play indefinitely). This gave me the opportunity to fine tune the piece to a very sublime level. At the time I did not listen to any other music. I also spent much time in silence, a beautiful place. Feeling the music move through that space was vital in its development . . . For me the essence of this music is what is felt when it ends, a returning to the silence." - Steve Roach, 1984

A review from All Music Guide:

5 stars out of 5. Heralded by many as one of the finest Ambient works of all time Steve Roach's Structures from Silence is right up there with Brian Eno's Music for Airports and deservedly so. Originally released 1984, Structures from Silence was deemed a classic almost immediately, but the contrast grew greater as Roach's output did, and the sheer beauty and clarity of this recording became more clear with time; then Structures from Silence became a bit of a legend after it went out of print. Projekt has done Ambient and music enthusiasts in general a great service by putting this excellent and classic recording back into print. With this re-release at last Roach's early work can be listened to, enjoyed and made available to the buying public at large. Structures 2001 has also been remastered for better sound quality, thus creating an even more evocative atmospheric experience. This is an exciting recording from a wonderful era in electronic Ambient / Spacemusic. The 1980s saw the advent of so much electronic and synthesized music, but finally one of the finest recordings of the decade has become available again for a new generation and a new time.

A review from Alternative Press:

Nov 2001 | Reissue of ambient classic that set the standard for everything that followed.
| 9 out of 10 | Back when ambient and deep-space music were called New Age, and amid so many now-forgotten releases from anyone with a synthesizer and an index finger, there appeared an instant classic by a rising star. Steve Roach had just begun to make a name for himself with a series of sequencer-oriented albums when he released Structures From Silence in 1984. Over three deceptively simple tracks, "Reflections in Suspension," "Quiet Friend" and the still unequaled title piece, Roach forged innovative sounds. Over the years, many listeners have praised the album's therapeutic and meditative qualitites, but Structures From Silence remains foremost a work of the heart, with tracks like "Quiet Friend" forever evoking an aura of melancholic solitude. Whatever Brian Eno may have set in motion with his landmark Ambient series, Roach took a step further by creating something with a resounding sense of humanity and emotion. - Mark Burbey

A review from New Age Voice Magazine:

Oct 2002 | Voted #4 on The 25 Most Influential Ambient Albums Of All Time | One of the pioneers of the American spacemusic scene, initially inspired by German synthesists such as Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream, Roach has explored styles from quiet contemplation to raging sequencer storms, from organic tribal grooves to twitchy electronic rhythms, frequently pointing the way for others to follow. One of his most influential works is the 1984 release Structures from Silence. This recording is a soothing, enveloping soundscape, ideal for quieting the mind and calming the body. The gentle ebb and flow of warm synthesizer textures are based on the rhythm of breathing, and entrains the listeners' own respiration to its serene pace. It's useful: for setting a tone in a room, for aiding in meditation, for easing the transition to sleep, but it's also sensually pleasing.

A review from The Guardian (UK):

There seems to be an increase in alternative/complementary medicines at the moment, writes Stuart Moses. I have just started a yoga course, so imagine my delight when I discovered that this CD comes with glowing reviews from Yoga Journal, which isn't renowned for its musical endorsement. Consisting of three lengthy, electronic soundscapes this music is a perfect accompaniment to meditation, yoga, painting, drawing, walking, breathing or you could even just listen to it. It's the sort of relaxing feeling that you just know is going to sound great while you burn some incense and watch your water feature. Song titles like "Reflections In Suspension" and "Quiet Friend" give you an indication of the sort of vibe on offer here, which reminds me of the more ambient moments of Future Sound Of London. It's the sort of music that you can use to help relax the mind of all the stresses of the day. By listening to the gentle lapping of this synthesised score you can achieve a sense of calm similar to the hypnotic effect of staring at the sea, or the sky. I'm looking forward to listening to Steve Roach's music when I next do either of these activities. Perfect to wind down to in the evening, this CD is also good for gently starting your day. Just don't listen to it if you are in a hurry, because you are likely to forget the reason you were hurrying, though this might not be such a bad thing. - Stuart Moses

A review from Yoga Journal:

In December 2000, Yoga Journal voted Structures from Silence one of the top-10 all time CDs for yoga ---16 years after it was first released -- proving this CD to be one of the ultimate soundtracks for contemplation, relaxation, meditation, and focused creativity.

Mixed Media / Sounds of Silence ... in most yoga classes silence is golden, but these teachers think music can help you hear what you're missing.

In the same breath that they mentioned succumbing to a growing backlash against synthesizer music in favor of acoustic sounds, several teachers cited this purely electronic recording from 1984 as a classic soundtrack for yoga practice. "What I like about Steve Roach's music, particularly this CD," says Todd Norian (of Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, Lenox, MA), "is the spaciousness, the gradual quality of transition from sound to sound. It's really seamless, and doesn't draw attention to itself. Roach has a mysterious way of being invisible yet richly present." Over the past 16 years, Roach has experimented with complicated electro-acoustic mixes, ambitious sampling, and thorny rhythms (as on his recent Light Fantastic). But here he sticks to purely synthesized computer sounds that slowly pulse in and out of the speakers like the most relaxed breathing you have ever heard. A close relative of ambient music, Structures From Silence makes good on its name, achieving more dynamic momentum that such ambient archetypes as Brian Eno's Music for Airports .

Although amorphous to the max, it nonethless creates the illusion of architectural shapes assembling themselves from basic cosmic elements. Elongated melodies stretch out like silver threads; lushly harmonized chords overlap one another like a series of gentle waves spilling onto the shore.

Trying to discern any intrinsic emotional content in the great swells of sound or calculate the mathematical relationships between notes would be like trying to psychoanalyze the sea or count its individual drops of water.

Roach's three meditative compositions -- "Quiet Friend." "Structures from Silence." and "Reflections in Suspension" --- transcend typical musical standards and set their own requirements for deep listening.

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Structures From Silence (2001 Remastered Ed.)

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