Stream of Thought

Steve Roach, Erik Wollo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 13, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Projekt Records
• ASIN: B001J8R8W0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,858 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The combined efforts of ambient masters, Steve Roach and Erik Wollo, have created an extraordinary cerebral flow of ambient music that is at once adrenaline pumping, yet mesmerizing.

This album is 19 separate musical parts over 70 minutes and transitioned by silence, one mood pushing into another. Each part delivers a soundtrack-like urgency that underscores a tension. Whether softly moving or fiercely running, these pieces effectively come together to produce the engaging whole.

The album is called Stream of Thought, an interactive escapist work that provides you the music to your relaxed state. It s not for you to slip on and run in the background as the music is too commanding. It will draw you in and have you within the imaginative strands of your mind immediately by the first notes of the first song. It is best experienced by headphones and with your eyes closed to achieve a unique full effect that this collaboration is intending. And no experience should be the same. Like aural opium, Stream of Thought is potent and will deliver many satisfying dramas. --musictap.net

Product Description

Organic electronic and new ambient sonic boundaries effortlessly dissolve on Stream of Thought.

The mind is a mystery of thoughts and fluidly shifting collected memories. There are many thoughts which form complete stories, while others are mere threads with no beginning or ending. The flow of ideas is energetic, pulsating and often in dramatic contrast. In the same manner, Stream of Thought escorts us with cinematic precision through the mind s uncountable destinations. Organic electronic and new ambient sonic boundaries effortlessly dissolve on Stream of Thought.

With the combined experience of these two veteran electronic composers, this collaboration flows with an agility of emotion and intellect in fluid interplay; minimalist-inspired melodic tapestries, pulsing trance passages, deep drone drifts, and surreal soundscapes morph into cloud-like forms: a constant state of sonic evolution.

The results stand apart from the extended immersive long-form tracks of Steve s recent releases. While Stream of Thought is presented as a continuous flow of 19 interconnected pieces, the metaphor of sitting on a stream s edge under full engagement with the present moment is the appropriate context to experience the fluid ebb and mercurial flow of this living, streaming soundworld.

Roach and Wøllo s similar age, musical inspirations and sonic inclinations - along with a mutual respect for each other s 25+ years of work - inform Stream of Thought. Starting on two continents with two very different atmospheric conditions (the vast desert of Steve s Arizona and the icy solitude of Erik s homebase in Norway) this release began to take form in early 2007, as the composers traded musical ideas back and forth across long distances. The most formative aspect of the collaboration occurred in the summer of 2008 with Erik s visit to Steve s Timeroom studio in Arizona. Their week yielded the final recording, arrangement and editing. The approach to the album s structure was more like that of film editing, where a sense of time and pacing was consciously developed to activate a powerful visual/auditory reaction, a visceral experience.

Stream of Thought explores the nuance of shifts within our perception. Segments of illumination juxtaposed with amorphous interludes and moving, flowing rhythm culminate in an unforgettable, shifting, dynamic experience. Relax and float downstream. Tranquil drifts, passionate rapids, midnight star gazing and blazing sunsets await. This is a vivid soundtrack for the senses designed to take the listener to the outer reaches of the imagination.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Worthwhile Collaboration, April 19, 2009

By 

Mike Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stream of Thought (Audio CD)

Stream of Thought is a work that I thoroughly enjoyed, and still enjoy. I have listened to it several nights in a row and have yet to get tired of it. I am not familiar with Erik Wollo, but can gather that whatever he contributed was good because the entire recording is good. There is some minimalism involved, but it all sounds very modern, and there is a lot of variety on this disc. I have many Steve Roach albums and collaborations and there is not one that I don't like. You really can't go wrong with Steve Roach if you like ambient music. He is a very prolific artist and has produced many excellent works, even some masterpieces. I would say if you like the tribal ambient side of things, get the highly celebrated Dreamtime Return (which is a double album), and if you like the smooth atmospheric drift away side of things get Immersion: Three (which is a triple album). Let's not forget this disc, Stream of Thought, which is very good. Actually, it's one of his best yet. But know that these are not your only choices for ambient excellence. Whatever choice you make, you have found the king of the genre with Steve. It is only a matter of choosing your favorites. Enjoy!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the evolution of a shaman, April 20, 2009

By 

Andrew D. Kennedy "andrew kennedy" (Indiana USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stream of Thought (Audio CD)

I have been an avid listener of steves music over the years and he never stops amazing me with the way his music evolves.
this is another example how steve can do somthing new and differant, yet you can still hear the shaman spirit comming though.
this recording seems to span the past present and future of the shaman all at the same time even more than his past recordings.
this is a good cd for meditating becuause I have never had the problem of falling asleep will listening to it( there is simply to much going on to get bored).
great for rides in the car or campfires. Andrew Kennedy

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Steve's finest collaborations...., May 26, 2010

By 

blackpage (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stream of Thought (Audio CD)

This is my new favorite Steve Roach CD, and that's saying something. It has a little of everything I like about his music, analog sequencing, digital dreaming, and Eric Wallo's contributions are not to be taken lightly. He adds real dimension with his soundscaping, so much so that I'm already eyeballing what I want to get from his catalog. For now, this is a great place to start.

Highly recommended!