Steve Roach - Shadow of Time (Extended) (2016)

Within the 35 year orbit of Roach s relentless dedication to sonic-art as a way of life, Shadow of Time marks a reconnection to the touchstone of Roach s signature sound: deep breathing atmospherics, textural healings and zen-like immersion spaces. The inner stillness and sumptuous shimmering of warm analog synthesizers slow down time and enhance the moment in ways unique to Roach s work.

In the style of classic releases Structures From Silence and Quiet Music, Shadow of Time s spacious expansion blooms outward in subtle dynamic momentum, a reflection of emotion and reverie within its three long tracks. This sonic sanctuary is at once amorphous and engaging. The overall effect is the appearance of soft-edged architectural forms, arising melodies drifting upon illuminated tendrils, lush chords shapeshifting in harmonic interplay as if waves swell and gently touch upon a time-suspended shore.

"The long, beatless title track is an exquisite piece of tonal twilight music. The swelling, breathing synth-harmonies are cast across a wide, uncluttered landscape, and at the center is a sense of utter calm. Like all of Roach s best meditative pieces, the silence between and around the chords is as important as the music itself." - Mike G, Ambient Music Guide

Steve reflects, "Every day holds the phenomenon of contrasting light and dark. From first dawn to the last luminous strains of day casting the transition towards night, the shadow of time is on display for the receptive eye. In our environment this interplay of contrasts and form manifests in magnificent subtlety. This fleeting, intangible partner of illumination is a constant influence in my process, both in its evocation of emotion and activation of the mythic imagination. The music on Shadow of Time is a direct expression of this awareness I am at the service of."

"This album inhabits a place I crave returning to, especially after long runs out into the world for concerts and travel. This release offers repose, a sanctuary away from today s accelerating pace of life. Over the years I consistently shift between dynamic and pure textural non-rhythmic work. In that, it s not so much a return to a specific sound as reconnecting to an elusive part of consciousness that always exists. Rather than nostalgia, it s a living flow which I draw from. At certain points in my artistic orbit, I re-enter the deeper end of this current, coming back to these inner realms and structures, accessing a dimension that feels completely congruent with my being."

"Shadow of Time is a metaphor for several things; one is our years here, however long that might be. My obsession with time is a core meditation that helps birth this music. As the years cast a long shadow into life, the desire to reach deeper towards these places in between remains central in my work, with what lies just beyond the outer edges of the known and unknown. The experience of responding to these moments in the studio is the grand adventure from which my work emerges."