The subtitle of the recording says it all in essence, capturing a live performance moment in his lengthy career when Steve Roach was using elements familiar from such recordings as Early Man that could well be called "tribal ambient" in lieu of any other term. In that there was a strange parallel to those musical explorations in techno with similar names if not always intent, arguably Roach had stumbled across a particular synchronicity, but Journey of One follows no other logic but his own, as icy tones arc in slow rhythm followed by bubbling, dark percussion shot through with heavy echoes and unexpected additional noises and cascades of unintelligible voices help shape much of the recording. Sometimes a solitary distorted wail swoops through, something that could have been more out of Nurse with Wound than anything else. Roach's didgeridoo performances perhaps by default capture the unsettled yet captivating mood, a recontextualization where his rhythmic bursts on the instrument accentuate the slow, steady flow as much as contribute to it. -Ned Raggett

From Sam at Projekt we received a nice package with some new releases on his label, and it is sufficient to say these are not ‘just’ any releases. I mean, that’s not how we know Projekt, right?
The first release that fell out of the envelope is by Steve Roach. It is titled “Journey Of One” with a subtitle “The Tribal Ambient Era, Live 1996″. It is a registration from a solo concert Steve did on November 8th, 1996, in Sacramento. Of course it was not a 30-minute in-and-out press play kinda performance, but a solid 90+ minutes happening, showcasing all styles and stuff of which Steve is capable. Maybe not all, but those I knew from him did find their way into this set.
Despite his huge (!) catalog of 90+ releases – either splits or solos – I only have one earlier release in my private collection. Reading the promo sheet that came with the release, the mid-90′s were very characteristic for Steve’s sound and style, and it is no surprise to me that the one other release I have is a 1995 collaboration he did with Vidna Obmana. So what can you expect if you’ve never heard his work before? First of all, the discs are split into parts, but the music plays as one long track on each. The main style under which this should be categorized is a mixture between ethnic, ethereal, ritual, drone and ambient. The composition has quite a strong improvisational feeling to it, because if you think at some point it could use a bit more rhythm, the ritual aspect steps in, if you think it’s time for some rest, he steps back and lets the background drones do their work. In other words, the entire release is very balanced, which is also applicable for that earlier release I wrote about.
If you are interested in the aforementioned styles, and are still missing a bit of ethnic, ethereal and ritual music in your collection, this is a great release to get. -Bauke van der Wal

Style:
Live tribal ambience. Journey of One is well named as ambient legend Steve Roach presents a two disc walkabout that showcases the evolution of some of his most engrossing music from the mid-nineties period. Disc one fades out of silence into an eerie electrospace where languidly twisting pads are shot through with wirey threads of tone and keening repeating motifs. Two minutes in, a deep, soft beat arises and, with shattering percussive flourishes, propels the music forward. Ethnic chants echo in the distance, the beat shifts and Steve's rich didgeridoo thickens the texture. Utilizing analog and digital synths, clay water pots percussion, lustrous chimes, butterfly cocoons and seed pod shakers and ocarinas, Roach unfolds a story that looks Janus-like into the remote past and the future. Disc two opens with a cavernous, murmuring drone that is later joined by a hypnotic synthetic beat with tribal undertones. Subsequent tracks reintroduce the unique groan of the didgeridoo deeply integrated into ambient soundscape. Rattles and sonorous hand drums against twilight expanses, lazy, dreamy or energetic and vital, interchange with electronic twinkle and coruscation. Track five sees a synth pattern reminiscent of early Berlin school burble beneath a wash of smooth sonic atmosphere: beautiful, soporific and highly immersive. The set concludes with a stratospheric zone of pure silk: drifting, wandering, weightless and free.
Artwork:
Artwork for Journey of One is made by the artist himself with photographs by Katie Holm and graphic work by Projekt's Sam Rosenthal: a gnarled and pitted earth-amber hued surface where images of the performance appear within murky hand shadows. The rear cover lists simply the two discs against their running times. The three panels of this matte digipack open out to reveal an inside spread where aboriginal dot patterns trail across a second brown texture ground. The leftmost panel holds three photographs of the concert and a discussion of the music along with brief credits.
Overall:
Journey Of One is a double live album from the Steve Roach archives having the subtitle: "the tribal ambient era Live 1996". The music was recorded during "a vital period of innovation for Steve" wherein his own solo material and collaborations with Jorge Reyes, Suspended Memories, Vidna Obmana and Robert Rich among others extended the boundaries and explored more deeply fusions of ancient and modern sound sources made possible by developing technology. Released on the Projekt label, Journey Of One presents a solo concert captured at Sacramento, California. Each disc contains a little less than an hour of music divided into tracks that flow seamlessly from one into an other: seven pieces on disc one, seven on disc two. "These releases are sign posts at points along the way, the journey of one man rapt in sound." Almost too clear, too well crafted to be a live album: no audience sound; yet with all the power and engrossing individuality of a great, unique performance.

Journey of One is a two CD set which provides a very accurate impression of the dreamtime electronic music synthesist Steve Roach was making in the 1990s. This was the period when Roach traveled throughout the globe, collaborating with various international artists, including Robert Rich, Jorge Reyes, Suso Saiz, Vidna Obmana, Michael Stearns and Ron Sunsinger.

At the time, Roach’s music incorporated the impressions of the vast landscapes of Australia and southern Arizona and other exotic parts of the world. On Journey of One, Steve Roach combines his signature ambient music with Australian aboriginal tribal sounds through the use of the didjeridu (also known as yidaki and didjeridoo) which he learned how to play from Australian masters. Other acoustic instruments include clay water pots, butterfly cocoons, seed pod shakers, Australian clapsticks, and ocarinas.

This two CD live set also mixes slow tempo morphing electronic music with the sounds of nature. Steve Roach usually carried a portable recorder to capture interesting sounds. I remember seeing Steve in Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain) early in the morning, recording the surf. On Journey of One he skillfully weaves in the natural sounds of birds and insects into his electronic music.

Journey of One parts 1 and 2 were recorded in an intimate setting in Sacramento, California in 1996. Steve Roach decided to release it exactly as it was performed, without studio edits.

“All of my music is audiobiographical in many ways,” says Roach. “It comes from life, from higher arcing desires and dreams joined by the events and moments found in the day-to-day experience of being alive. Through it all, Journey of One is a living record of my time on the creative path that started many years ago. These releases are sign posts at points along the way, the journey of one man rapt in sound.”

Journey of One is a mesmerizing journey of ambient tribal music by one of the great electronic music explorers of our time. -Angel Romero

Journey Of One double CD, with official street date at November 8th, 2011 by Projekt, is absolutely essential live recording documenting Steve Roach's rich tribal-ambient era during the 90's when milestone works like Artifacts or Origins were created and numerous legendary co-works were born, with Robert Rich (Strata, Soma), with Jorge Reyes and Suso Saiz, under Suspended Memories project name ("Forgotten Gods", "Earth Island"), with Vidna Obmana (Well Of Souls) as well as with Michael Stearns and Ron Sunsinger (Kiva). Plenty of groundbreaking recordings, so I couldn't wait to explore this archived recording from November 8th, 1996, in Sacramento, California.

Packaged in beautiful 6-panel digipak with magically-looking ancient cover image that immediately raised my eyebrows. The double set, featuring 14 untitled tracks, reveals the odyssey with bullroar that invites us to fully experience this spectacular live show. Textured desert soundscapes are soon joined by gently gradual tribal percussions and distant vocalizations. I immediately close my eyes and transport myself into the venue to be a part of these magically timeless realms. I am there with the audience and with the Master, the journey continues... Vast ethnographic ambience at its most evocative level!!! And soon Steve raises his didgeridoo to join these ancient sculptings, other exotic ethnic instruments are here to bridge the reality with primordials. Later on some femme voices and whispers are added to color this spiraling ride with larger dose of cavernous sounds explored. Crispy bells and slowly arising heavy thundering beats are ready to steal the show... A true avalanche of rich and organic sonic mysteries to capture purely ecstatic live experience, one of its kind magic!!! Some voice mastery and slowly fading away intimate panoramas gracefully close the first set. The only intermission occurs when moving to the second disc, but the journey continues again to sink deeper into Steve's distinctive mythological stories, intensely absorbing and powerful journey heading to the forefront of electroacoustic adventures!!! Steve's highly imaginative soundscapes are enriched with more massive trancy-tribal rhythms and create a truly mesmerizing effect.

Immersing didgeridoo magic returns again and leads to another deeply evocative drones and voices alternating with gentle tribal beats or more frenetic rhythm parts. Crystalline cybergrooves join the stage too, on 5th piece, wonderfully midtempo-driven ambient music that most likely later led to phenomenal and evolutive works like Core or Blood Machine (with Vir Unis). Next composition is another absolutely entertaining and dramatic piece of music that could be easily described as soundtrack to "Crocodile Dundee" film series, an amazing sonic travelogue taking the listener across the time into aboriginal Australia, the homeland of wooden trumpet. Immensely atmospheric epilogue magnificently closes this highly spiritual and emotional live movement and adventure, a document that proves unlimited power and virtuosity of Steve Roach, a true sonic traveler!!! Steve Roach was born to enrich this world with his pioneering sonic visions and he succeeds in his mission with every of his works!!! Even on Journey Of One, I was journeying too, thank you, Steve, for taking me with you to Sacramento!!! I only wish I could turn up the volume of my home audio system much higher for maximum effect, but our neighbors wouldn't be very happy probably... -Richard Gürtler (Nov 20, 2011, Bratislava, Slovakia)

This release from 2011 offers 98 minutes of tribal ambience recorded live in Sacramento on 11.8.96.
Disc 1: It begins with vaporous tonalities creeping out of the shadows. Auxiliary tones emerge to accompany the background drone (although technically none of them are "drones," being instead more cultivated electronic pitches elongated into undulant textures). soon followed by soft percussives pittering out a tribal rhythm. There's the rattling of shakers, the resonance of shamanistic chants, and the tones achieve a piercing quality on the up-breath. The rhythms seem to be a basic loop, but there are deviations in the pattern. Enter the didgeridoo, casting out somber drones (these we can call "drones," for there is no better description of the alien breathy pitch of the Australian aborigines' wind instrument) and evoking a gathering of elders beneath a cloudless nocturnal sky. At this point, some of the winsome electronics actually do seem to approximate the vastness of the desert heavens. Different tribal drums slide into play, heralding the beginning of a journey that will penetrate the barriers between the realm of things known and the mysterious vista that lurks inside one's head. A collage of indistinct voices commune with the spirits that guard the boundary, and eventually passage is granted and the listener crosses over. This new realm is resplendent with bells, whose chiming guides the traveler toward a zone of sonic clarity. The textures, the tempos, the sighing electronics--all adopt a crispness, as if the listener has emerged from a muffled area into a pocket of well-lit precision. The spectral voices on this side of the vale are more communicative, their chatter and laughter conveying a general welcoming of travelers. Meanwhile, the percussives are still going, gentle and pensive, and the electronics are sighing a complexity of ethereal waves. As the CD draws to a close, a celestial tinge rises, infecting everything with a regal posture as they all commence a slow fade out. And just before the end, a remote drum signals the transition to the next disc.
Disc 2: This begins with a reasonably lively electronic sequence that rises from a murky pool of churning tonalities. The notes are remarkably crisp (especially so after the brooding quality exhibited by most of the sounds on the first disc), even bouncy as they cavort with jubilation. A dense didgeridoo fog swallows everything, clearing the stage for an airy textural passage. Tribal percussives eventually appear in tandem with ghostly shakers. This sober mood is gradually banished by the introduction of snappier percussion. These agile rhythms carry the music into a realm of promise. Answers lie here, hidden by ignorance, but revealed as the listener drifts through this spry territory. Some of these mysteries are quirky, as evidenced by their weird electronic chirping. But waves of glittering tones bring with them the optimism needed to unlock all secrets. The electronics convey a sense of awe concerning these revelations. A peppy rhythm appears, expressing satisfied celebration. The electronics grow denser, shriller, more authoritative. The traveler is approaching a big insight, and the music marks this achievement by ascending with mounting grandeur. The peppy bongos get even peppier. The electronics escalate to a piercing pitch. After such a thrilling passage, one needs to rest, so the energized ensemble passes and is replaced by a haunting stretch of winsome tonalities basking multiple tempos. Yet, despite the languid character of this section, the tuneage possesses a nourishing flair. The emergence of a triumphant didgeridoo testifies to the listener's revitalization. The return to normal space is conducted with elegant smoothness. Hosts of vaporous tones muster to usher you along. A sense of calm is instilled as the atmospheric electronics waft like gentle breezes.
All in all, an outstanding concert. Roach touches on every aspect of his tribal style and even injects a few sprightly passages, displaying his creative range and fusing everything together in a wonderful fashion. -Matt Howarth

Ancora una macchina del tempo: bivalente perché insieme a Projekt torniamo alla metà degli anni ‘‘90, gli anni in cui sono state registrati questi brani dal vivo.
Bivalente perché con Steve Roach torniamo nel ventre della Grande Madre attraversando ogni possibile riferimento arcaico, sciamanico, sincretico, panteista o animista; insieme al musicista californiano ci immergiamo in un’‘amniotica scomparsa nei meandri cellulari della nostra esistenza, nel mondo del percettibile, della meditazione subliminale, nell’‘istinto umano che affonda inconsciamente nelle braccia di quella Terra che l’‘ha nutrito e cresciuto e che sempre ha per lui, nonostante tutto, un gesto d’‘amore, un paesaggio per ritemprarlo, una Fauna ed una Flora entrambe pronte a d accoglierlo, donando energia, linfa, succo vitale per anima e corpo, anche senza percezione, senza chiedere altro che di esistere in armonia.
Sei pannelli per un cofanetto che nella bellissima cover di patron Sam Rosenthal trasmette la sensazione di entrare in una grotta dove spazio e tempo si fermano, scorrono a ritroso nel tempo senza sosta od, al contrario, in un futuro neo-tribale, decidetelo voi, perché amniotico e space inizia il primo dei due dischetti, una danza ipnotica, sciamanica, aperta alla traccia governata dal didgeridoo; ora il suono è ciclico, la vita stessa lo è, le percussioni sono legnose e minime, solo una voce ma lontana, persa nelle brume di una Natura che si sveglia insieme ad un suono retrodatato nei millenni, lo stesso vale per le nostre cellule che nel DNA ricordano sonorità antiche come la memoria cellulare umana, quando l’‘Uomo aveva timore della Natura e ne subiva l’‘amore, un suono naturale, esteso che nel finale diviene ancora una volta danza, percettivo movimento di un corpo libero da dogmi.
Le tracce non hanno nomi, è un viaggio ad occhi chiusi, senza sapere il nome delle tappe, solo la bellezza dell’‘esserci, cosa da non sottovalutare. Il secondo dischetto inizia perso nel cosmo, volutamente perso tra stelle e galassie; il Cosmo è grembo universale, la trance è ora scandita da percussioni che eleggono Dio migrato tra le sue stelle, nel buio dove non c’‘è verbo, aspettando il Fiat Lux divino.
Ecco allora di nuovo il richiamo del tempo che lentamente riavvicina la tribalità, la condivisione antropologica dell’‘unione, quella mistica, protettiva, panteista ed irrazionale, la musica è il rito da compiere per rimanere legati alla Terra unendosi però al Cosmo, senza porsi preconcetti di fronte a tastiere ritmiche, sostitute nel decorso dell’‘album alle percussioni.
Suoni circolari e radenti supportati da un fondale estetico, un ambient padre di tanti progetti oggi nati e fiorenti, ma in questi anni ‘‘90 era sperimentazione e Steve Roach in quella fase di carriera ha gettato fondamenta insieme ad altri musicisti, partnership geniali con David Hudson, Vidna Obmana, Mark Seelig, per citarne alcuni, o solitario nel ciclo delle “Immersion”, presenti nel catalogo Projekt. Il finale del secondo dischetto è catarsi pura: elettronica e arcaismo percussivo marciano assieme: la trance è il modo voluto per ridimensionare la frenesia e riportare il cuore su battiti logici, ancora il didgeridoo come lungo, legnoso transfer tra il Cielo e le profonde falde della Terra, per finire il tutto con un lungo respiro di synth esteso sul tutto, proteso all’‘infinito.
Due ore di grandissima musica ripartita su due supporti sonori: il digipack voluto da Projekt lo rende scrigno prezioso, una testimonianza dal vivo ad alta resa (ha ancora valore il cd-live peccato che solo pochi eletti credano ancora in questa forma sonora), un documento bello come la percezione, immediato come l’‘istinto, selvaggio come un pensiero ma soprattutto, elegante come un cielo notturno. -Nicola Tenani

No need to hide it, Steve Roach is a character as important as Klaus Schulze in the universe of ambient and progressive EM. Over the years, the Californian synthesist has threaded some real masterpieces of music as much ambient as tribal and sequenced. Journey of One retraces a little bit these genres during a concert held in Sacramento, on November 8th, 1996. Back then the somber wind maker was at the peak of his inquisition of a strange tribal and ambient musical universe. Alone on stage, the one-man band gave a stunning performance of meditative EM, jumping from an instrument to another and offering a great musical act as much hallucinating as mesmerizing.
An Aeolian turbulence sends dark winds which swirl at the opening of Journey of One. Streaks of an unearthly synth coat this Aeolus din, pushing remote murmurs to whisper at the edge of clanic tam-tams. Steve Roach weaves his rhythmic canvas with powerful ethnic percussions which sound an alert under a sky darkened of ululating streaks and aboriginal spectral lamentations. This spasmodic movement which introduces the intro of "Journey of One (Part One)" becomes more sensual and more bewitching with slower percussions which drum lazily, introducing the hoarse blows of the Didgeridoo. We are about the 7 minutes and already we float in Steve Roach's tribal and paranormal universes. The rhythm goes from lascivious to nervous, but always arched on these superb clanic hands percussions. If the first 14 minutes offer a steady rhythm, "Journey of One (Part One)" embraces a strange atmospheric phase. The Californian synthesist displays a whole glaucous and eerie world there with paranormal whispers and winds which float and wave among corridors fed by somber layers of a morphic synth. Our ears drag into the 4th segment of "Part One", where the rhythm became absent. A supernatural mood reigns over there with winds and breaths of Ocarina floating over seed pod shakers and various carillons. We are deep in the heart of desolation lands, there where only the deaths whisper at night and where winds return their incantations. Tam-tams wake up and thunder a little after the 6th segment, awakening this desert ground for a nice5 minutes before the rhythm disappear in winds, moving some ashes here and there, while iridescent spectres and voices from outer-grave ululate and rage in a point of no return.
"Journey of One (Part Two)" is knitted in the same musical pattern as "Part One". The intro offers a short and more cheerful rhythmic introduction with keyboard riffs which roll in loops beneath deep ethnic percussions. This rhythm becomes blurred a little after the 3rd minute, leaving space to the mesmerizing incantations of the Didgeridoo. And so Steve Roach's clanic and desert universe is outlined. The 3rd segment brings us in a dark and spellbinding ambiance with lascivious clay water pots percussions which bear shaman incantations. Dark and mysterious prayers which are lulled by suave layers of a floating synth, delicious wizard rattles and nice tinkled butterfly cocoons. Segment 4 offers a rhythmic approach of spiritual trance. The rhythm is curt and nervous. Steve Roach drums a heavy rhythm which wriggles beneath precious layers of a synth filled with warm winds. Winds which carry the sounds of carillons towards a more meditative part where glaucous pulsations pulse loudly, reminding the ambient universe of Suspended Memories. The 7th section of "Part Two" is the corner stone of Journey of One. It’s a long segment of more than 15 minutes where percussions draw a heavy and dense rhythm. A hypnotic rhythm that layers of a multi- lined synth wrap of a delicious magical aura. This frenzied rhythm is slowing down little by little, driving us towards a more ghostly passage where spirits of desert roar with synth winds, arising Didgeridoo’s hoarse breaths. The percussions there are superb and the atmosphere is stunning. If we have the chance to listen it with earphones, our pleasure is decupled. Totally awesome! The last part is more ethereal and also more musical. It’s a beautiful ambient passage. A little like the sun coming after the storm, we sat and let ourselves lull by these soft synth layers that will inevitably bring us within another den of the Californian synthman.
It’s obvious that Steve Roach produces CD by the ton. The man is prolific and his works multiply. Except that the man of Californian deserts has the talent and emotions of his ideologies, giving thus his works an enchanting depth as few synthesists, or composers, are able of bringing to our ears. And Journey of One is no different. It’s intense, boiling and mesmerizing. That goes into our ears to disappear in our memories with a plucking in the deep of our eardrums. It’s a wonderful meditative album which amazes in each of its grooves quite as all the works from the Lord of aboriginal lands. -Sylvain Lupari (2011)

-Journey Of One- ist ein sehr schöner Konzertmitschnitt, welches Steve Roach am 11.8.1996 in Sacramento, Kalifornien gegeben hat. Dies war noch die Tribal-Ambient-Ära, von daher hatte die Musik einen recht hohen ethnischen Anteil. Sehr beeindruckend ist für mich bei dieser Musik der Einsatz des Didgeridoos....das hat was magisches an sich. Dieser Live-Mitschnitt ist, meiner Meinung nach, eine der besten CDs von Steve Roach.