LOS ANGELES – Doors open to another realm at 8 pm on Friday, August 30th, when worldwide fans will gather to experience a 2-hour journey with Steve Roach in an Ambient Church concert at First United Methodist Church of Pasadena (est. 1887). Throughout Roach’s performance, the space will come alive with immersive architecturally-mapped projections created by Eric Epstein. The evening encapsulates the expansive 40-year career of Roach, a Tucson based artist. Ambient Church is a nomadic experiential event series dedicated to working with artists to bring new ecologies to architecturally unique spaces through transcendent audio and visual performance. Event info and tickets are available online at: https://ambient.church/work/steve-roach-in-los-angeles
August 30th also marks Projekt Records’ release of Roach’s latest album, Bloom Ascension; physical formats (vinyl LP, audio cassette, CD) will be available at the performance, for which early-bird tickets advised. Visit Projekt Records (http://www.projekt.com/store/steveroachlive2019/) or Bandcamp to listen and buy: https://steveroach.bandcamp.com/album/bloom-ascension
Steve is a leading American pioneer in the evolution of ambient/electronic music, helping shape the genre into what it is today. GRAMMY® nominated in 2018 and 2019 consecutively, his career spans four decades and nearly 200 releases. His massive catalog of landmark recordings includes Structures from Silence, Dreamtime Return and Mystic Chords & Sacred Spaces (part 1-4). Drawing from a vast, unique and deeply personal authenticity, his albums are fueled by the momentum of a lifetime dedicated to the soundcurrent. Roach is an artist operating at the pinnacle of his artform, driven by a passion and unbroken focus enhancing the emotive, soul-stirring depth of his music.
This newest album, Bloom Ascension, is a resplendent expression of elegant futurism, and became available for streaming on Bandcamp starting on August 17; the physical album drops August 30th in conjunction with the Ambient Church concert.
Bloom Ascension Tracks:
1. The Beauty Relentless 12:12
2. Motivating Factor 06:43
3. Synesthete 06:18
4. Bloom Ascension 16:11
Steve notes, “Bloom Ascension grew from the inspiration to envision an album that’s the same musical experience across all formats (LP, CD, download, streaming, and cassette.) In order to maximize the fidelity of the LP’s dynamic deep bass and crisp detailed high end, I settled upon a 44-minute canvas. This set up a time structure that empowered and focused the creative process.”
A unique petal on this bloom is the track “Synesthete” which relates to the idea of synesthesia: a sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, such as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color. Steve recently discussed this concept with polysynesthete writer Maureen Seaberg at Psychology Today, sharing, “This new release embraces the fusion of being both a synthesist (one who creates with a synthesizer) and synesthete. This is clearly about the correlation of the sound-color-taste-texture and three-dimensional sound activation and immersion experience I strive for in my work. This is more than just my own relationship with this trait throughout my life, for years listeners have reported their own experience of synesthesia in my work. This release will celebrate this aspect of our perception.”
“I am currently in the deep end of prepping my set for the Pasadena concert — my live return to Los Angeles. The energy is building as the memories of coming back to where it all started — Los Angeles in the ‘80s — adds to the excitement. For this performance, the wide dynamic range of my work will be experienced, including portions of 1988’s Dreamtime Return. The church’s large concert hall environment significantly adds to the anticipation of performing in Los Angeles; that’s combined with knowing friends-of-the-music from as far away as France are coming in for the set. It all adds up to a special moment in time.”
“I’m also looking forward to meeting old and new friends at a fun afternoon gathering at my favorite gotta-have-it-now synth shop, Noisebug in Pomona.”
The Noisebug event is set for the day after the concert, August 31 from 1 to 5pm. Noisebug is located at 252a South Main Street, Pomona CA 91766. For more info: email@noisebug.net
Ambient Church Event Info:
August 30th, 2019
7pm Doors; 8pm Show
First United Methodist Church of Pasadena
498 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena CA 91101
Links: