Strata was the first meeting between the two premiere musicians in the field of ambient and electronica and possibly the most successful. Strata was certainly the juxtaposition of the current modus operandi of both musicians - Roach coming off of his breakout classic Dreamtime Return and Rich stretching deep into microtunings and long, sonorous flute on his prior album Rainforest. The combination of these two styles provides for some very fresh sounding collusions from the more active and percussive sides of the duo, as well as blending the more languorous and deeply spacious aspects. Strata is impressive for many reasons. As a base, Rich's exotic, just intonation tuning seems well-suited for the type of mystical, prehistoric imagery that the title entails. And just as the various strata of geologic time bear up a bewildering array of colorful quarry, so do the multi-instrumental timbres of Rich. And strangely enough, Rich's sound often tends to dominate the proceedings, despite Roach's prevalent chordal shadings and hand percussion mantras. Mostly, the album follow in the same lineage as Geometry and Rainforest, as well as later Rich albums like Gaudi or Propagation. However, the presence of Roach makes the sound a bit more cosmic and heady, and the addition of these atmospherics is what lifts this one above the individual comparisons. Of the early 90s albums by both of these musicians, this fares as one of the best.
Robert Rich/Lisa Moskow - "Yearning"
(Hearts of Space/Fathom, 1995, CD)
Rich's various sonic collaborations have taken another detour into new territory on this, his first album-length collaboration with sarod player Lisa Moskow. From the huge soundscapes on his early tapes through the mathematical structures of the Geometry era to the more accessible sounds of Rainforest and Gaudi (and the collaborations with Steve Roach), Rich has already left behind a legacy to contend with. Yearning is another subtle change in style to a more melancholic setting. Gone are the tribal structures of Propagation, Yearning is a very plaintive set of songs with a rich tapestry of synths acting as the backdrop to Moskow's mournful sarod playing. Certainly, this isn't anyone's cure for depression, this music has a very solemn feel to it. As a whole, it works very well, Rich has a knack for creating interesting and provocative atmospheres. Yearning is an interesting side step for Rich and one of the best from this era.
(Originally published in Exposé #7, p. 40, Edited for Gnosis 8/3/01)
Robert Rich - Trances/Drones
(Extreme XLTD 001, 1982/83/1994, CD)
Trances and Drones were Stanford-based composer Robert Rich's second and third cassette releases from 1984. While Rich has long moved on to pastures anew, adding a wider range of instrumentation and joining the Hearts Of Space roster, Extreme had made the wise choice of reissuing these classic works remastered with two bonus tracks, a remastered title track from his rare first cassette Sunyata and a previously unreleased outtake. Trances and Drones were both extremely atmospheric works done primarily on a Prophet 5 and a self-built modular, which evolved from his early sleep concerts, events where Rich would perform all-night electronic soundscapes for adventurous sleepers. Slowly developing, incredibly evocative, and uniquely beautiful, I practically wore out my tapes of these titles before this wonderful duo box came out.
This set certainly isn't indicative of Rich's various later explorations; these tapes are non-percussive and more deeply sonorous than his collaborations with Steve Roach or albums like Geometry or Gaudi. But they do reflect possibly some of the earliest works in the deep drone genre of space music and set the standard exceedingly high. In fact, I would go as far as to say these two albums are two of the finest ever recorded. Both are considered essential for the ambient connoisseur. The track "Seascape" from Drones is possibly one of the most beautiful pieces of music extant. My absolute highest recommendation. [There is also a second reissue of this title from the Relapse label]
(Originally published in Exposé #6, p. 50, Edited for Gnosis 4/23/01)
Robert Rich - "Geometry" (Linden LM 2022, 1990/94, CD) As the title implies, this reissue - originally recorded in 1987-88 and previously only available as a French import CD - crosses the bridges between mathematics and music, applying these relationships to the rhythm, melodics, and the very tonal constructs of the musical foundation itself. By using just intonation, Rich has eschewed the traditional western scales in favor of the more mathematically pure. Then, by applying some of the more organic and explorative mood-scapes that are uniquely Robert Rich, these ideas avoid the tedious and cold experimental treatment that they would have received under anyone else's stewardship; instead, they blossom to life with beauty and warmth. So what does it sound like? The early tracks "Primes Parts 1 & 2" and "Interlocking Circles" are vaguely reminiscent of traditional Javanese Gamelan stylings - cyclical in flow and symmetrically structured, very flowing and natural. With "Geometry of the Skies" the music moves on to a more spacious plane, evolving slowly through ever-changing patterns of tonal color, building, growing and dissolving. This continues until "Geomancy", the sixth of eight tracks, where patterns and rhythmic structure are re-explored with bamboo flutes, kalimba and hand drums, yielding again to a more flowing synth- based piece "Amrita", with the final track "Logos" bringing the album full circle to a point not far from "Primes". Rich has wisely chosen to flow the album from the more structured and higher energy pieces to the more impressionistic low-key explorations, making it an excellent disc to wind down/out to; the music here is challenging as well, but the listener isn't forced to accept it only on that level. In all, this is a welcome reissue, and one that keeps finding it's way back into my CD player with regularity. (Originally published in Exposé #6, p. 50, Edited for Gnosis 7/1/01)
