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Steve Roach
Worlds Edge
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.date Dec-20-2003
.style Ambient
.label Fortuna Records
.cat.no. 18057-2
.source CDDA
.type Album
.quality VBRkbps 44,1hz Joint-Stereo
.size 184,2 MB
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Steve Roach has become so prolific of late, that one can almost get lost
in the whirlwind of new releases of his. It's refreshing to take a step
back and re-examine one of his earlier gems, the 2-CD set 'World's Edge'
from 1992. Given the top-notch production quality of his latest
releases, one might expect his earlier works to pale somewhat by
comparison, but if anything I respect this more upon hearing it again
now. The cavernous echoing drones blend perfectly with tribal
influences, setting the standard for his future works. I love the way
this release is laid out musically. On disc one, the listener is able to
sample from a variety of sounds, with ten tracks ranging from three to
ten minutes. The title tracks opens with formless pools of very smooth
ambient sounds. The echoes resound even deeper as a simple tribal beat
enters the scene. The beat anchors the rest of the piece, which swirls
and evolves around it in a variety of soft atmospheres.
'The Call' features rapid, light drumming, very primitive sounding. The
percussion is sensational, and is the centre-piece here. 'Steel and
Bone' literally sounds like these two materials being rubbed and clacked
together. Although the shortest track on the CD, it is one of my
favorites. Disc one alternates very rhythmic and very ambient pieces,
such as the quite fluid 'When Souls Roam,' one of a handful of tracks
completely devoid of discernible rhythm. The mood ranges from quietly
reflective to relatively intense, such as the restrained primitive
passion found in 'Beat of Desire'.
After getting to snack on several tasty morsels, disc two allows us to
feast on a single track, 'To The Threshold of Silence.' It is a perfect
piece of sonic exploration, from the opening deep gong-like drones to
the long, slow fade out. In between, the music floats flawlessly from
one theme to another, changing ever so delicately as it progresses. The
entire track is a sound collage of light and dark, of shimmering bright
highs and deep booming lows, all deftly placed and executed. The subtle
details are superb. A listener I know says he has memorised every note,
he is so enthralled with it, and it is easy to see why. Whether
listening passively or with great attention to every detail, a rewarding
listening experience is virtually assured.
This is such a good overview of Steve Roach's musical moods and styles,
it would be an excellent place to start for the uninitiated, and I can't
imagine a seasoned Roach fan not having this in their collection.
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Cd1
01 World's Edge 09:49
02 The Call 03:33
03 Steel and Bone 02:41
04 Undershadow 08:30
05 When Souls Roam 06:54
06 Beat of Desire 07:38
07 Glimpse 03:08
08 Thunderground 10:31
09 Falling, Flying, Dreaming 06:18
10 Drift 07:39
Cd2
01 To the Threshold of Silence 58:24
. .
125:05 min
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▀▄ ██████████
▀▄ digaphobia ██████████ peace to music lovers everywhere
▀. public ██████████
▀. sound ██████████ 1real - amok - bcc - cmg - cmc - cms - diss
: █████▀████ drum - fuffens - hit2k - just - kw - nuhs - om
: ███████▀██ rac - radial - sb - sfe - soup - sour - tr - ube
. ██▄███████ _______________
▀██▀█ ▀██
▀▀ ▀ █▀██ go to the show
▀█ ▀ ██ buy the t-shirt
██ ▀ ▀█ ▄ order the vinyl
▀ ▄ ▀ ▀ _______________
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