In 2008, Steve Roach saw the release of another typically ambitious multi-disc effort, Arc of Passion, which he described in the liner notes as representative of both a three-month period of composition and performance as well as a depiction of a state of mind looking back on his life and work. Given Roach's high-speed work and release ethic, as well as the state of consistency that marks the majority of his albums, singling out Arc of Passion for particular attention might seem a touch quixotic, but it's a fine effort that demonstrates his ability to create singularly peaceful, contemplative electronic compositions that gently engulf the listener. The title track, an hourlong piece split amid the two discs (itself an intriguing aesthetic decision, given that they could have fit together as one song on a sole disc), starts off calmly but transforms into one of the most propulsive pieces that Roach has ever released, a series of synth loops ranging from the soft to the bass-heavy, providing an understated but clear punch that fades away in the final minutes to provide a soft conclusion. It's an interesting adaptation of the aesthetics of mid-'70s Ash Ra Tempel (minus the guitar) to Roach's approach that works very nicely. The tracks on either side are equally enjoyable -- "Moment of Grace" begins the album with a feeling of just that, albeit stretched out to almost 20 minutes, a simultaneously dark and serene layering of tones that is pure outer-reaches-of-inner-space float. "Views Beyond" provides a more solemn conclusion, moody low howls of noise appropriately arcing through a more isolated, chilled arrangement of calm tones that makes for a full contrast with the calmer start of the whole set. -Ned Raggett

Parlare della carriera quasi trentennale dello statunitense Steve Roach è impresa ardua, che richiederebbe uno sforzo non indifferente solo per menzionare tutti i lavori fatti fino al corrente 2008. Non è nemmeno il caso di concentrarsi sulla corposa biografia, già da molti altri utilizzata. Parliamo invece del nuovo lavoro del 2008 dal titolo "Arc Of Passion", pubblicato da quella Projekt che in passato ha prodotto diversi altri lavori di Roach. Realizzato live ad Analogue Haven, Pomona, in California il 07 luglio 2007 davanti ad una ristrettissima platea di 80 persone, il lavoro è composto da due dischi per oltre 100 minuti della 'solita' sintesi di elettronica, ambient e percussioni tribali, classico biglietto da visita del compositore. Canzoni lunghe, meditative e siderali; il percorso compositivo di Roach viene spesso associato ad aggettivi come cosmico, trascendentale o psicologico. Una matrice sonora ambient alla portata di tutti, per nulla opprimente o apocalittica, corpose basi elettroniche ben dosate, morbide, che avvolgono e trascinano. Rispetto alla minimal ambient, Roach ha sempre cercato di dare respiro alle sue composizioni allargando le matrici sonore anziché comprimerle, avvicinandosi a generi commerciali quali la world music e la new age, attraverso un suono di largo respiro che si avvicina concettualmente alla trascendenza e alla spiritualità, concetti che musicalmente risultano ultimamente abusati e ultravisitati; la ricerca di Roach sembra donare all'ascoltatore una strada sonora in cui sprofondare lentamente, un mondo inconscio e psichico di luce e quiete, una epifania di sensazioni prettamente cosmiche e inafferrabili. "Arc Of Passion rappresenta traiettorie di emozioni e passioni che hanno marcato la mia vita e che hanno influenzato la mia musica", commenta l'artista a riguardo di questo doppio CD: due tracce nel primo disco, altrettante nel secondo. Nel primo disco apre "Moment Of Grace", un buon pezzo che miscela i generi accennati sopra, ai quali Roach riesce comunque a dare una impronta sufficientemente personale nonostante i quasi 20 minuti di durata, probabilmente eccessivi. Il suono e la produzione sono molto buoni: non potrebbe essere altrimenti per un navigato ed esperto manipolatore di suoni come l'artista statunitense. Il brano "Arc Of Passion" si distribuisce sia nel primo disco che nel secondo dischetto: nel primo di essi la durata è impegnativa (oltre trenta minuti), e nonostante la pienezza del suono si ripetono fraseggi che finiscono per perdersi per strada. Ed è questo il limite maggiore di Roach: alternare ottimi pezzi a tracce assolutamente ordinarie, che probabilmente devono rispondere ad un genere più richiesto che voluto dall'autore. L'ascolto, in particolare in cuffia, è sempre stimolante, ma l'evocazione e la spiritualità a volte si perdono in persistenze tribali tipicamente new age. "Arc Of Passion (Continued)" è la prima traccia del secondo disco, che fa da ponte con l'ultima del primo. Marcatamente tribale, cresce lentamente con dosati inserimenti tastieristici, perpetuando la stessa base per oltre 28 minuti: troppo simile alla traccia presente nel primo disco. "Views Beyond" vira dall'apertura del pezzo precedente per farsi più cupa e sperimentale, creando buoni vortici sonori ed interessanti distorsioni, e questo è il territorio musicale che personalmente preferisco, più chiuso e più personale. Roach arricchisce il pezzo con dilatazioni quasi gregoriane che rendono il brano molto interessante. Le numerose porzioni più accessibili (diciamo quasi commerciali...) di questi 100 e passa minuti inevitabilmente annoiano e denotano una certa qual regressione dell'artista, che sembra incapace di rinnovarsi o anche semplicemente di ripetere i grandi lavori del passato. Intendiamoci, questo "Arc Of Passion" è sopra la media, ma da un'artista come Roach è lecito aspettarsi sempre qualche cosa di più. Troppi dischi in poco tempo (a volte anche quattro in un anno) non depongono a favore del compositore. Forse ogni tanto una pausa di riflessione gioverebbe. Rating: 6 - Piercarlo Tiranti.

A pioneer who has remained at the forefront of much of what this particular genre of music has offered in the past three decades, Steve Roach is one of the primary influences for most of the Ambient music you have listened to. If you were to engage in a conversation about how Star Wars owed much of its success to the Alien series, you would be regarded as an idiot. In much the same fashion, those that listen to the albums of Steve Roach and reference similar, contemporary artists show little regard for his distinctive, original style and the sphere of influence that radiates outward from his discography.

Arc Of Passion, Roach's latest release, demonstrates the immediacy of a specific moment in time translated into music that reaches beyond language or percussive rhythm. He was driving from San Francisco to Southern California and listening to recent performances he had given in Philadelphia, Arizona and on the radio when he came to the realization that three pieces in particular seemed to share a kind of sonic relationship which intrigued him. Just a few days later, on 07-07-07, he recorded these songs live in front of eighty people and the material has now been released as the double-disc Arc Of Passion on the Projekt label.

Stretching just over 100 minutes in length, this latest improvised work references classic Roach material while retaining a unique edge of its own, seeming fresh while still remaining familiar to his loyal fanbase. Admirers both old and new will find plenty to like about this dramatic arc, which begins with the understated "Moment Of Grace." Riding soothing sine waves that build and then retreat, the listener is lulled into a comforting stratospheric region deftly expressing pure finesse. If you are unfamiliar with this style of elucidation it would be easy to dismiss it as simplistic, endless droning but for the fact that, in the hands of a master such as this, the subtleties enhance the movement and enrich the experience. Roach seems to possess a keen, almost preternatural, sense about when to introduce a higher register, bring things down to a hush or sustain a precious note.

The track morphs into the title number, and without even realizing it the listener is transported into another realm that is at once congruent yet ultimately divergent. This is where rhythm presents itself, not in a traditional sense through the presence of beats, but by using sequencers which echo repetitive strains that keep the music grounded while still possessing an air of ascendancy. The movement is split in half, the first part rounding out disc one, then completed on disc two. Lasting more than an hour, "Arc Of Passion" manages to remain interesting and transcendent, providing pleasures both cerebral as well as emotional and continues to grow in depth with each subsequent listen, embodying the type of heat necessary to mold metal into grand structure and statuesque beauty.

The album is rounded out by the curious "Views Beyond," and this is where the arc makes a surprising curve entirely unexpected considering the direction of the first two parts. Roach's familiar didgeridoo is employed to maximum effect here, aiding in outlining a dark, cavernous space that lies in stark contrast to the warming moments of the album's previous 80 minutes. The song elicits a strikingly uneasy feeling like a harmony that suddenly hits a dissonant chord. The ultimate resolution doesn't leave one feeling cold, but it still comes as somewhat of a shock after such a long and embracing expanse of lush music. It is up to the individual listener to interpret just what Roach was attempting to achieve through this particular "arc," but the journey is a fascinating one and the passion evident in the execution is highly commendable. Whether you are a longtime fan of Steve Roach's enormous back catalogue or a relative newcomer to the Ambient genre your music collection would no doubt benefit from this album's inclusion. Roach is as relevant a composer and performer now as he has been for almost thirty years. I would entreat you to follow along on his current Arc Of Passion.

On Arc of Passion Steve Roach goes forward by casting back through his three decades of music making. As if focusing through a camera lens, he compresses the depth of field of his career across two CDs. This isn't a collection, but a reflection as Roach touches upon his older styles with a modern hand. On "Moment of Grace," he references his classic album Structures from Silence, in a long excursion of slowly sweeping synthesizer layers that weave in and out of each other in translucent drifts. But like all of the three extended tracks on Arc of Passion, it begins in his past and moves into the present, in this case, darker soundpools like those heard on his 2006 series, Immersion. Roach built his reputation on this brand of soothing "quiet music," but also on percolating, rhythmically driven sequencer pieces. That side appears on the hour long title track. As a work of clockwork mechanics, it's like being inside a pinball machine as rhythmic, interlocked sequences ping and stutter in elliptical orbits around each other. Arc of Passion concludes with "Views Beyond" by referencing the darker, non-rhythmic side of his techno tribal days with groaning didgeridoo merging into equally groaning synthesizers, tinged with electronic halos. In an era of quick hits and flash downloads, Steve Roach is still composing music on a grand and epic scale. -- John Diliberto

Steve continues to amaze with the quantity and quality of his musical output. Arc of Passion is over 100 minutes of all-new music, and it is excellent in every way, from the pristine sound quality to the beautiful ice-blue layout put together by Projekt label head Sam Rosenthal, to the dreamy music contained within. Created live in the moment in Pomona, California on 07-07-07, it exemplifies the heights Steve has reached with his craft. The music, particularly on the soothing opener “Moment of Grace,” flows effortlessly along. It sounds familiar and yet fresh, radiating extremely pleasant warmth even as it resonates deeply. The music segues right into the title track, which interestingly enough is split in two, about a half hour each at the end of disc one and the start of disc two. It has been compared to Stormwarning, and while the relatively brisk sequencing bears some resemblance, this seems calmer to me. Ethereal pads float in the same sonic space as the energetic sounds, neither one relegated to the background. In lesser hands the melding of such disparate styles might not have worked, but with Steve the result is highly effective. A long slow downward spiral of energy leads into the final track, “Views Beyond,” which seems to echo into forever, much like The Magnificent Void although the timbre is different. The didgeridoo seems processed somehow for a cool other worldly effect that combines future and past, modern and primitive, in the inimitable Steve Roach style. Arc of Passion sets the bar very high for future 2008 ambient releases. -Phil Derby

Passion is one of those loaded words. For instance, though it dealt with a fictional account of the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, Martin Scorcese’s film Passion (which Peter Gabriel created a mesmerizing soundtrack for) had as much to do with the sensual meaning of the word as the biblical. With this collection, ambient musician Steve Roach is pretty much doing the same thing. The inspiration for the opening piece, “Moment of Grace,” came from a recent visit to San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. But you won’t find any cliché musical references typically associated with churches, like pipe organs or boys’ choirs. Instead, Roach operates firmly in the realm of abstract ambient compositions that are highly improvisational and hard to describe as “musical” since there’s nothing in the way of melody or compositional structure. Instead, wave upon wave of enormous, sonorous synth washes and drones flow ethereally over the listener, imparting a calm and soothing after-effect. The title track (weighing in at a whopping 60 minutes) is broken into two parts that straddle the two disks. Roach begins “Arc of Passion” where “Moment of Grace” leaves off, though he eventually works his way deeply into realms of electronica reminiscent of Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. Part Two embraces the sort of programmed and sequenced synth and percussion explorations many Expose readers enjoyed so much on Roach’s recent Storm Surge release and this might be worth the price of admission alone. “Views Beyond” concludes this set where it began, in the realm of ambient soundscapes that evoke deep, cavernous spaces and primal emotions that explore realms of the subconscious. As with much of his work, on this collection Roach opens doors to places where the listener can connect with their inner self on many levels, whether it be spiritual, transcendent, or intensely focused. All you have to do is take the journey. – Paul Hightower

Arc of passion is another long form ambient exploration from one of the most respected names in ambient circles Steve Roach. Split over 2 disks taking in over a 100 minutes of music dipping into all sides of Roach’s sound from;deep lush ambience, to electronica beat driven ambient, to didgeridooand tribal percussive laced elements all to make an enjoyable if a touched flawed sonic adventure.

It all starts out in fine lush fashion with the track Moment of grace thats built around beautiful harmonic synth patterns that ebb and ripple around you. Gving a feeling akin to a soothing sea slipping in an out of a golden beach, You really sink deep into it’s relaxing sound waters, slowly bobbing off on harmonic bliss. Next up we have the first part of the title track thats rhythmic electronica based ambient track for the most part brought to mind an updated take on Tangerine Dreams rythmic 1970's work , with ambient techno and tribal twists. It all starts off rewarding enough for the first ten minutes or so, Roach nicely moving around the rhythmic textures & sounds to keep ones attention nicely to summon up an effective atmosphere. The problem comes at around mid-way point through the half an hour track, he just seems to simply run out of stream and loops out the same repetitive rhythmic texture over and over again for about ten minutes becoming very tiresome indeed.

By the second part of the title track that opens up disk two he’s found his creative feet once more. The tracks still beat bound but it’s just so much more focused, hypnotic and rich with sonic progression over the heady & slowly shift rhythmic matter. He moves a wonderful emotional touched synth patterns over the beat, having almost an smouldering cinematic string quality about them. Lastly we have Views beyond which returns to beat-less synth territory to create a rather mystical sounding end track that hums and shudders with didgeridoo textures. The track has quite a haunted and sombre vibe to it giving the feeling of moving through dusk embraced desert mountain scapes.

On the whole another rewarding and for the most past consistent ambient journey from Mr Roach primed for drifting off into ones imagination with its rich, lush & emotional charged sound textures. -Roger Batty

Existential tone vendor, synth music’s reigning chaostician—such characterizations give meaning to the brand, yet the hasty tossing about of too many labels only dilutes the caliber of Steve Roach’s luminescent constructions. For sheer breadth of imagination and profundity of sound design, his formidable back catalog is beyond reproach in its consistent quality, a feat made that much more remarkable by the fact that Roach has deftly traversed the banks of minimalism and maximalism so effectively. With an abundance of raw materials, he has created works staggeringly beautiful in their austerity (Structures from Silence, Quiet Music), darkly strange and wondrous (The Magnificent Void), and often ferociously ritualized by cultures exotically topographic (Dreamtime Return, Mystic Chords and Sacred Spaces, Early Man). He illustrates many of his breathtaking mesas with either a sharply chosen economy of means or a vivid riot of primary colors; regardless, much like the maxim of Pauline Oliveros, his music is optimized for deep listening. Though Arc of Passion formally ushers in the new year, it is in fact the ideal copy to summarize an intense period of activity that saw Roach releasing a fistful of music (the two-disc Fever Dreams III and the third part of his ongoing Immersion series, a three-disc magnum opus), and blitzing the psyches of those fortunate souls witnessing his 2007 flurry of live performances. Culled from one of those in-person events—in front of 80 gathered at southern California’s prime boutique for electronic gear, Analogue Haven—Arc of Passion is another two-disc powerhouse, a music that travels across a suite of endless, windswept vistas, electrically-interwoven crescendos and mortal isolationism. There is a tense emotional undercurrent that pervades the triad of pieces here, soldered into a symphony of drones by the titular recording’s galvanic force. “Moment of Grace” is an expansive preface of sorts, as Roach filters and sweeps his faders along a blinding horizon of white light, the tones swelling in pitch as if arising out of the breaths of deepest ocean. He coaxes the ear along gradually until the undulating sequencers of the album’s namesake prickle the air and assume shape, coiling about like writhing serpents. It is here that Roach lets loose the entirety of his arsenal’s effects, allowing glistening curlicues to impact the surface, ripple out, and re-enter the whirling atmosphere as they cycle once again. Germanic influences notwithstanding, Roach has so mastered how to weave a sequencer fabric, how to alternate and mix any number of disparate sounds and then reintegrate them back into the matrix that the hoary template has in fact become the contemporary norm. It’s startling stuff, and when he picks up the pace on disc two, the shifts in time, though subtle, course through variant, episodic micro-events whose calibrated sprites truly unveil themselves during subsequent exposures. By the time “Views Beyond” is revealed, a 21-minute sojourn into spooky twilight zones and Lovecraftian foreboding (which should proffer new directions for exploration), it’s a satisfying, if ominous, conclusion—such is the agony and the ecstasy Roach cultivates when he raids his Arc. -Darren Bergstein

This release from 2007 offers 101 minutes of truly inspired electronic music.

Four compositions (technically three since the title track starts on disk 1 and continues on disk 2) are found on this release:

Celestial tones establish a cloudy foundation that sedates the audience, wiping clean all traces of tension or material concerns from the mind. Gradually, these drones swell with puissance, and alternate layers emerge to season the soundscape with a rising sense of authority. Density evolves from these sparse expressions, achieving a heavenly intensity that becomes peppered with instances of stratospheric brilliance. Chillier resonance enters the mix, forcing the harmonies back to earth...

...where the grandeur adopts a livelier disposition. Keyboard patterns appear, injecting pep with a dreamy lining. Additional threads surface, increasing the flow's depth. Hyperactivity creeps in as these patterns begin to amalgamate into a luscious convergence of passionate substance. These bundled notes surge with such velocity that they adopt a rhythmic presence, propelling the music to even more emphatic levels of cerebral stimulation. The mix becomes a crowded realm of urgency.

The second disk picks up where the prior track left off: amid a swirl of penultimate excitement. This time, the electronic riffs are bolstered by a percussive undercurrent that remains subliminal yet thoroughly infectious. Lofty tones attribute a Germanic flair that serves to start the mix on an angelic elevation. The pace becomes relentless, establishing a sedate frenzy that spurs each synapse into acute activity.

Gradually, this impulsive hyperactivity ebbs, dwindling into a cosmic pause of breathy cybernetic sighs. Abstract electronics soon fill this void, evoking an interstellar medium of portentous character. Growling tones rise into dominance, establishing a harsh epiphany that flows into a glimmering passage designed for insights to flourish. A hint of didgeridoo lends a numinous edge to the tranquil finale.

The majesty of this music is incarnate, from the delicate soundscapes to the compelling intensity inherent in the title track(s). Roach creates tuneage here that blends ambience with passages of impressive vitality. There is no escape from being drawn in; whether the seduction is gentle or vibrant, his compositions bewitch as they revitalize.

Although Steve Roach has been around such a long time in ambient space music, he’s still able to suprise me after all these years. The origins of the double album "Arc of Passion" came forth from a three month period of intensive touring and studio sessions, in which Steve weaved elements of his three definitive styles into a continuous, evolving flow.

Steve Roach describes the outcome as the "deeper end of my tribal ambient sound", and surely draws parallels to previous albums like "Proof Positive" and "Mystic Chords".

Both discs contain 50 minutes of carefully sculptured and shaped, slow morphing textural and sequenced music in which Roach’s ongoing search for even deeper, and further layered soundcurrents becomes apparent.

It’s a grand piece of precision and passion featuring beautiful sequences and great bridges between the different soundworlds, all made by a musician who’s quest for the deep end of sounds never seems to stop. All in all, "Arc of Passion" is a truly solid release that any Roach fan will fully embrace.

On Arc of Passion, Steve Roach re-imagines two earlier CDs, Stormwarning and The Magnificent Void, for the 21st century. Roach's music has the ability to both calm and animate the listener. Arc of Passion visits these two states on its lengthy journey across two discs and 100 minutes. This 2CD set contains four indexed tracks, but three musical movements. Embracing the enormity of the cosmos, Roach begins with "Moment of Grace". An ethereal slow dance of tones, this piece simply and eloquently rises and recedes in long lines of diverging synthesizer pads. Pauses are intuitively gauged to amplify the drama of this section, and as tension builds the work moves into the title track. Layers of synchronized tone patterns emerge out of the dense atmosphere. Cycling in lock step against a trail of echoes, machine-like sequencer runs gain momentum. Variations in timing change the pulse throughout this extended movement and cause the ever-evolving kaliedescopic effect Roach achieves in his sequencer music. Concluding with "Views Beyond", Roach draws down the level of heat. We are left in a cool dark zone to ponder the mysteries of space within and without. In a career-long exploration of pulse and breath, Roach grows more engaging and mesmerizing with each new realization. -Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END

One of the main themes of modern literature in the 20th century was the position of the individual in society. Superficially speaking, many contemporary composers are seemingly concerned with a similar topic, namely the relating of their music with that of others around them. The big difference between the two, though, consists in the way the artist sees his or her external influences. In the case of prose, they were obstacles to be overcome. In music, they have turned into objects of reverence and the musician into a weaver of a carpet-like system of references. Quality today often means how expertly an album borrows from the huge, evergrowing sound pool, and not how much it contributes to it. This is why we need more albums like ARC OF PASSION.

"Byproducts"

The story to this double-CD already reveals a lot about what distinguishes it. ARC OF PASSION is the absolute opposite of a conscious intellectual effort. In fact, in a sense, its pieces are byproducts. Their creation falls into a time of intense, concentrated and deeply rewarding work, including performances at the Philadelphia Gathering concert, radio performances and a twelve-hour long non-stop gig in Arizona. While driving from San Francisco to Southern California, Steve Roach was listening back to three of the tracks from the Philadelphia Gathering and a relationship between them started to reveal itself. A few days later, on July 7th 2007, he recorded the material to ARC OF PASSION in a single day.

Both typical and headstrong

With some artists, the most important albums are also the most typical ones in their discography. With others, it is the headstrong works that stick out. ARC OF PASSION, interestingly enough, is both. This is why the album's title is so fitting in this respect: The arc stretches from the ambient aspect of Steve Roach's oeuvre to his more rhythmic side, from the golden feeling of puckering sequencer lines to digital pads and from enveloping softness to confrontational rawness. The title track then fuses these elements in a one hour long emotional landscape of fibrillating digital dots, hidden subsonic bass echoes, moments of intense, motionless stillness and a heartfelt string motive, which repeatedly errupts into passionate melodic outcries.

All of this is significant for several reasons. For one, it shows that Roach, despite a career of almost thirty years, is still capable of approaching his art from a both playful and spontaneous angle. It also demonstrates that in his world, the choice of equipment and musical forms of expression is in no way equal to the piece itself. The aforementioned title track could, on the merit of its sound and structure, easily be categorised as an outtake of the sessions to last year's PROOF POSITIVE. Yet, Roach bends the limits of his fabric and dances on its outer edge, where the fibres have turned into spindly threads, uncovering secrets where tracks like "Westwind" or "Adreno Stream" had already ended.

Personality instead of Perfection

And finally, the album is a perfect example for the notion that it is not necessarily perfection that brands an album as a classic, but rather personality. It is the way in which "Moment of Grace" gushes open with a dazzling sequence of wounded chords until it has run dry into a tonally fixed wildwater stream of melancholic harmonics and pulsating drones. It is how Roach keeps it alive by continually inflating its surface by his creative breath. It is how the title track uses the smallest of variations in its rhythmic surface to present its underlying theme in continually changing colors, and how that piece streams forth from "Moment of Grace" in a fluent gesture, only to then be interrupted at its most hypnotic moment at around the thirty-minute mark for a change of discs.

The latter is certainly a radical decision, but also one among many which make up the special appeal of ARC OF PASSION. Of course, the real Steve Roach fan will have his deja vus and moments of recognition. But other than the obvious return of the composer's natural character traits, the work exists for its own sake alone, a product of the pure will to create. It may be logical that someone with such a long career as Roach should find it easy to fall back on his own strengths instead of quoting others in a bid for wide acceptance. But the fact that this has become an exception of sorts makes this an important album, not only in terms of Roach's own discography but the experimental music landscape overall. -Tobias Fischer