Early Man
by Edwin Somnambulist, StarVox
June 2001
Steve Roach's latest release of beautiful ambient music, EARLY MAN, is a two disc set with some history. The first disc was originally released last year as a very limited collector's edition, presented in a specially handmade slate case. For anyone who wasn't able to get their hands on one of the 1000 copies, Projekt has re-released the CD, along with a second CD which might be called a 'remix album' if it weren't a work of ambient textures. The second CD features reworked material from the original disc along with some new elements, creating the perfect counterpart to EARLY MAN.
Roach is an artist of the highest calibre. Not only is he highly acclaimed for his solo work, but his collaborative experiences are also very impressive and include the likes of Vidna Obmana and Byron Metcalf. Roach's solo release last year, MIDNIGHT MOON, was very well accepted and lauded, and his recent work with Byron Metcalf on the two disc set, THE SERPENT'S LAIR, is another masterpiece of organic ambient dreams.
Anyone who follows my reviews already knows that I like this sort of thing a lot. There's nothing I enjoy more after a long day than to put on some wonderful ambient treasure, recline in a dim room and let the music sink into me and work its relaxing magic on my mind. I've already enjoyed this CD a number of times, and take every available opportunity to experience it another time and draw a little more from it. After a crazy night of DJ'ing clubs, this provides the perfect outlet to calm down and fall asleep.
The highly organic ambient textures on these discs are wonderful. The second disc seems a bit darker to me than the first, but that may be a trick of my mind playing on the titling of the discs. This is wonderful music for radio or for relaxing, or even for any activity or setting that requires some background noise (i.e.: I'd love to sit in a cafe that always has music like this on) and comes with the highest recommendation for anyone that enjoys introspectively exploring ancestral memories.
by Edwin Somnambulist, StarVox
June 2001
Steve Roach's latest release of beautiful ambient music, EARLY MAN, is a two disc set with some history. The first disc was originally released last year as a very limited collector's edition, presented in a specially handmade slate case. For anyone who wasn't able to get their hands on one of the 1000 copies, Projekt has re-released the CD, along with a second CD which might be called a 'remix album' if it weren't a work of ambient textures. The second CD features reworked material from the original disc along with some new elements, creating the perfect counterpart to EARLY MAN.
Roach is an artist of the highest calibre. Not only is he highly acclaimed for his solo work, but his collaborative experiences are also very impressive and include the likes of Vidna Obmana and Byron Metcalf. Roach's solo release last year, MIDNIGHT MOON, was very well accepted and lauded, and his recent work with Byron Metcalf on the two disc set, THE SERPENT'S LAIR, is another masterpiece of organic ambient dreams.
Anyone who follows my reviews already knows that I like this sort of thing a lot. There's nothing I enjoy more after a long day than to put on some wonderful ambient treasure, recline in a dim room and let the music sink into me and work its relaxing magic on my mind. I've already enjoyed this CD a number of times, and take every available opportunity to experience it another time and draw a little more from it. After a crazy night of DJ'ing clubs, this provides the perfect outlet to calm down and fall asleep.
The highly organic ambient textures on these discs are wonderful. The second disc seems a bit darker to me than the first, but that may be a trick of my mind playing on the titling of the discs. This is wonderful music for radio or for relaxing, or even for any activity or setting that requires some background noise (i.e.: I'd love to sit in a cafe that always has music like this on) and comes with the highest recommendation for anyone that enjoys introspectively exploring ancestral memories.
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Steve Roach 2001 Projekt PRO111 (CD) Reviewed by Jim Brenholts, All Music Guide, Alternative Press, AmbiEntrance, CD Services (UK), Incursion, Ink 19, Ink 19, Muze, Outburn, Sonic Curiosity, Star's End, StarVox, The Raging Consciousness Desk, Tower Pulse! Best described as primeval innerspace deep ambient. EARLY MAN brings into form an ancient landscape of bubbling pools and steamy marshlands, verdant arroyos and monolithic rock formations. Cave paintings and ancient memories come to life in a slow soul-dance of evolutionary magic. The accolades from press and listeners alike tell that EARLY MAN belongs to Roach's classic body of work which includes DREAMTIME RETURN, ORIGINS, THE MAGNIFICENT VOID and last year's quietly successful MIDNIGHT MOON.
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Steve Roach 2000 Manifold (CD)
limited edition, packaged between two slabs of real slate |