| Structures from Silence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 15, 1984 | |||
| Recorded | 1983–1984 | |||
| Studio | Timeroom | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 58:27 | |||
| Label | Fortuna | |||
| Producer | Steve Roach | |||
| Steve Roach chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Remastered edition, 2001. | ||||
Structures from Silence is the third studio album by American ambient musician Steve Roach. It was released in 1984 on Fortuna.
The title track, Structures from Silence, took Steve Roach a few months to compose. He would play the song using an Oberheim OB-8 and Oberheim DSX sequencer day and night, adjusting it until it sounded right to him. Finally, he went to a recording studio and recorded the song in a single 30-minute long pass, using his own gear along with a second OB-8 as well as a Lexicon 224 digital reverberator. [4]
A remastered version of this album, with a different cover, was released in 2001 by Projekt. [5]
A 30-year anniversary edition was released by Projekt in 2014. The album was remastered in 24-bit/96 kHz from the original analog mixes. [5] There is both a single-CD edition, and a 3-CD deluxe edition that includes two bonus discs created in 2013. Both editions use the original cover art. [5] The remastered original album (but not the two bonus discs) was made available as 24-bit/96 kHz digital downloads. [6]
In 1987 a VHS video titled Structures from Silence was released. It featured imagery created by Marianne Dolan set to the album's title track. This video was also released on laserdisc under the title Space Dreaming. [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [7] |
| Alternative Press | favorable [8] |
| Musique Machine |  [9] |
| Q | favorable [10] |
In late November 2014, Steve Roach was selected as Echoes Radio's #1 Artist [11] and Structures from Silence was voted as the #2 album. [12]
Fact listed Structures from Silence as the tenth best album of the 1980s, calling it a "thoughtful, slow-paced study in synthesizer" and one of the most important ambient albums of all time. [13] They listed the 2014 reissue as the fourth best reissue that year, commenting that "it's a perfect time to return to this classic album – still spellbinding, three decades on." [2] In 2016, Pitchfork listed it as the 33rd best ambient album of all time. [14]
All music is composed by Steve Roach
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reflections in Suspension" | 16:39 |
| 2. | "Quiet Friend" | 13:15 |
| 3. | "Structures from Silence" | 28:33 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Suspension" | 28:36 |
| 2. | "Reflection" | 30:24 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beyond" | 32:11 |
| 2. | "Below" | 39:47 |
Per liner notes. [15]
Steve Roach is an American composer and performer of ambient and electronic music, whose recordings are informed by his impressions of environment, perception, flow and space. His work has been influential in the trance and new-age genres.
Robert Rich is an ambient musician and composer based in California, United States. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he has been called a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient music, New-age music, and even IDM.
Vidna Obmana is a pseudonym used by Belgian composer and ambient musician Dirk Serries. The name Vidna Obmana, a phrase in Serbian, literally translates to "optical illusion" and was chosen by Serries because he felt it accurately described the music. Serries created music under the Vidna Obmana pseudonym from 1984 until 2007, when he officially retired the name. Most of his current work is released under the Fear Falls Burning pseudonym.
Western Spaces is a collaborative album by the American ambient musicians Steve Roach and Kevin Braheny. This album is the first of Steve Roach’s many musical tributes to the Southwestern Desert.
Dreamtime Return (1988) is a double album by the American ambient musician Steve Roach, based on Australian Aboriginal culture and the concept of the Dreamtime. Described as "one of the pivotal works of ambient music" and "groundbreaking," the album has been included on a number of lists of the world's best music, including 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.
In Concert Volume Two is a live album by Christian singer Amy Grant, released in 1981.
Encore: Tangerine Dream Live is the tenth major release and second live album by the German group Tangerine Dream. It is mostly assembled from various recordings from the band's very successful 1977 U.S. tour.
Michael Stearns is an American musician and composer of ambient music. He is also known as a film composer, sound designer and soundtrack producer for large format films, theatrical films, documentaries, commercials, and themed attractions.
Thom Brennan is an American electronic ambient musician, composer and synthesist. Active since the 1980s with his first album Mountains (1987), he belongs to the scene of Californian pioneers of electronic music. His style encloses the principal traits characterizing the evolution from Terry Riley's and Morton Subotnick's minimalism to the form of electronic new-age suite.
Erik Wøllo is a Norwegian composer and musician, guitarist and synthesist. He has a background in various genres in music. As a solo recording artist, he is most known for his electronic and ambient musical soundscapes. Music that can be classified in the genres of space, drone, new age, and electronic music. Through his many albums he has gained recognition for his unique sound and style. Using guitar as the primary instrument in a highly imaginary and emotional music, building a bridge between grand symphonic realms and gentle, minimalistic and serene atmospheres.
The Terminator: Original Soundtrack is a soundtrack album by Brad Fiedel, composed and performed on synthesizer for the 1984 film The Terminator. Fiedel described the film's music as being about "a mechanical man and his heartbeat". Almost all the music in the film was performed live.
World of Echo is the second studio album by American musician Arthur Russell, released in 1986 on Upside Records in the US and in 1987 on Rough Trade Records in the UK. The album is composed primarily of Russell's vocals, cello playing, and percussion, which are prominently treated with effects such as delay and reverb.
Destination Beyond is an album by the American ambient musician Steve Roach, released in 2009. Roach infuses his signature atmospheric fabric of sound with a springy, trance-like groove reminiscent of the rhythm found in Arc of Passion.
Dynamic Stillness is a 2-disc album by the American ambient musician Steve Roach, released in 2009.
Landmass (2008) is an album by the American ambient musician Steve Roach.
A Deeper Silence (2008) is an album by the American ambient musician Steve Roach.
Immersion: Three is a 3-disc album by the American ambient musician Steve Roach, released in 2007. It is the third album in the Immersion series.
The Delicate Forever (2014) is an album by American ambient musician Steve Roach. It contains minimal electronics interplay musical space, breath, silence, and rich textural colors in a subtle dynamic flow. Recorded at Timeroom, manufactured by Disc Makers. Created using primarily analog equipment at The Timeroom, Southern Arizona, during 2013 and 2014.
Terraform is the collaborative album by ambient musicians Steve Roach and Loren Nerell, who became friends in 1982 in Los Angeles. After years, they decided to create an organic, surreal and ambient soundscape environments. Mixed and structured at the Timeroom. Originally released on Soleilmoon Recordings in 2006 as a limited edition DVD-sized Digipak with 3 postcards. It was later released in 2009 on Projekt in a traditional jewel case.
Low Volume Music is the sixth collaborative album by ambient musicians Steve Roach and Dirk Serries. It was their first album after a ten-year hiatus following the release of InnerZone in 2002.
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