Customer Reviews

Early Man

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Steve Roach is a master of ambient music constructions - a review of his catalogue will attest to the consistent quality of his work. EARLY MAN (here presented in a double-disc, extended format) is a great example of Roach at his most creative. Many artists and composers have ventured into this genre, with varying results - successful forays include many works by Brian Eno (considered by many to be the `father' of the form), Cluster, Holger Czukay, and modern practitioners such as Alio Die, Templegarden, and vidnaObmana. Roach stands easily with the most successful of his contemporaries and predecessors - his work is intelligent, forceful and gentle at the same time. The tracks here are multi-layered without being too `thick' - they invite and encourage the listener to different levels of absorption. This disc can be made the subject of rapt attention, or utilized as a background for other activities - relaxation, reading, writing, or even sleep - all to equally positive effect.

Roach's sound constructions on these discs are extremely effective in evoking the earth itself - the history it has seen, ages past, watching as Man evolves, learning to cope with the world around him. One review likened the music here as the song of the rock itself - and that's a very apt description. This is the sort of `electronic' music that I can really enjoy - it's not jarring, it won't peel the paint off the walls (and yes, there's a place for that sort of composition as well), neither is it a saccharine-sweet roll of wallpaper compelling the listener to descend into mindless head-rocking (you definitely won't feel like you're riding on a 2 ½ hour elevator journey here). It's both thought provoking and meditative - it holds within it the possibilities of opening doors within the mind that have been closed for a long time.

There's a lot of music here. The first disc contains EARLY MAN in its originally-released form, nearly 75 minutes worth of music. The second disc is entitled EARLY MAN DECOMPOSED - and is comprised of material from the original sessions that has been re-constructed by Roach in his studio. This second disc, over 70 minutes of material, does not come across as merely a set of `remixes' - it stands very well on its own. The price of the 2-disc set makes this quite a bargain. Roach has a lot of quality work available (as a matter of fact, I have yet to hear anything by him that I don't like) - this is a nice place for the uninitiated to begin, and it's a nice addition to the collection of someone who's already a fan.

First of all, anyone with a system better than a boombox will be amazed at the great quality of this recording. It really comes alive. Ambient? You will know what this term means after hearing this CD. I am auditioning some hi fi components, and this is my reference recording for ambient music. Buy it, it will take you away and put you away.......

It should come as no surprise that Steve Roach stated in a recent interview that "On Land", a 1982 recording by Brian Eno, would be one of the discs he would take with him to a desert island. It should therefore come as no surprise that he would eventually pay homage to that landmark album by creating a similiar series of environments rooted in the "sounds of the Earth." True, Roach's own "Australia: Sound of the Earth", a 1990 collaboration with Sarah Hopkins and David Hudson, may have already embraced that notion, but it was rooted more in the traditional musical forms and structures of Australia's aborigines rather than a full-blown sonic portrait of terrestrial environments.

Roach's music has almost always had a geological sense to it anyway. His highly mutated synthesizer chords and acoustic percussion loops have tended to bring to mind the movement of tectonic plates as well as expressing the infinite depths of interstellar space which have been so widely hailed throughout his two decade-long career.

Eno's opus "On Land" was perhaps the first (if not at least one of the first) recordings by a relatively popular electronic artist to document an impression of a terrestrial environment. But whereas Eno was interested in presenting an aural equivalent to Fellini's celebrated film "Amarcord" as well as childhood memories of the marshy areas near his former home in East Anglia, England, Roach was more concerned with evoking the deep prehistoric past of humanity's childhood. Simultaneously spooky and evocative, "Early Man" also employs the brilliant "mandala-groove" rhythms of Vir Unis, best realized on tracks like "Walking Upright" and "Hunting & Gathering." The second disc, "Early Man Decomposed", presents the same music as heard on the first disc (which was originally released as a limited edition item with an attractive slate case) but approached from a somewhat different angle, even though many of the same themes recur. With this re-release by Projekt, the mystery of "Early Man" can now be heard by all who are interested.

This is my favorite Steve Roach album after, "Mystic chords" and "Magniifient void." I go to Roach's music when I want to chill, nap, or be lulled into a meditative state or daydream. This album gives you 2.5 hours of Eno-like "On Land" audioscapes; drone like, subtly changing trancey pieces, etc. There is minimal beat on a few pieces and none on most. This is top notch Roach.

Once again, Steve Roach transports us to an environment different from our own, but recognizable and even familiar through our collective primeval memory. He blends and weaves his textures to create wonderful ambient worlds in which the listener can become totally immersed. As with many of his other releases, the journey is simultaneously stimulating, peaceful and engrossing. The pictures and moods conjured while listening to EARLY MAN evoke in me a strong desire to explore and understand this aural landscape.

The landscape shifts subtly as the listener explores this primitive world. From hunting along the banks of a river meandering through a savannah landscape, to exploring the caves and caverns in which shelter is found, to traversing volcanic mountain peaks in search of new lands - the journey is remarkable. The sense of awe and wonder is perceptable and embedded within are textures of this lush, varied and sometimes dangerous world. Somehow, Roach was able to not only capture the ambiance of the primitive world, but to convey the almost mystic wonder and majesty felt by the inhabitants as they struggled to co-exist and survive in this harsh, beautiful world.

I personally consider this CD to be the best of Roach's many works, and one of his three masterpieces; The other two being DREAMTIME RETURN and WORLD'S EDGE. That being said, I would be remiss if I did not mention three other extraordinary works that could just as easily be classified as masterpieces: MYSTIC CHORDS AND SACRED SPACES, THE MAGNIFICENT VOID and MIDNIGHT MOON. If you are a fan of tribal, ambient or "space" music, any or all of these works will delight you to no end.

I have at least 50 recordings by steve roach. This is one of my favorites. Cavern of Sirens & Kiva are a couple of recordings that are just as good. Early Man should be required listening in anthropology classes everywhere. One hears distant musical sounds mixed with pleasing/unnerving "non-musical" sounds. The sound of scraping rocks is one of the highlights on this recording. The gradual swelling of "music" and "noise" really does sound like the awakening of humankind.

I first heard Steve Roach on Pandora and resolved to hear more. The "Early Man" CD is consistently excellent as is all of his work. If you are a fan of ambient music I highly recommend this collection.

The music in this two-part new age album consist of a series of strong ambient music rich in tones and sound effects that seamlessly blend into one another. This effectively creates a steady stream of deep, rythmic music that lasts for approximately 60 minutes per disk. The music has an excellent trance-like quality that makes it great for creating a dark or primeval atmosphere. Multiple layers of synthesizer sounds and sound effects give the music a very rich, layered feel.

I would strongly recommend this music for those who like "space music" or ambient music. This is also great music to listen to while driving at night or driving through the American Southwest.

This new release from Steve Roach stimulates the imagination much like all of his previous albums. As the album opens, you get the distinct feeling as though your far underground, in a cavern perhaps. There is definately a primordial feeling throughout the album, and it is easy to conjure images of a primitive people, slowly but surely progressing from simple tool users towards a more sophisticated civilization. There was one aspect to the album that I truly did not like however, the sole reason why I granted the album 3 stars instead of 4 or 5; Throughout the composition, there is a sporadic but annoying clanking sound, much like the sound of a heavy steel bar being dragged against a cement floor. At first, I thought this sound added to the flow of the album, the sound of a primitive people hard at work! But as the album progressed, and the clanking could still be heard, I thought it began to hinder the ambient quality of the music. Anyway, I look forward to Roach's upcoming release "Core".

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I found Early Man challenging to listen to. The last time I nearly turned it off several times when the energy got too dissonant, too heavy, too uncomfortable, but each time it eventually shifted into beautiful deep stuff.


I love Steve Roach, but this may be one of my *least* favorite things he's done.