Steve Roach (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steve Roach
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| Background information | |
| Born | February 16, 1955 La Mesa, California, United States |
| Genres | Ambient, electronic |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, musician |
| Instruments | Synthesizers, didgeridoo |
Steve Roach (born February 16, 1955) is an American musician and composer. He creates ambient and electronic music. His music often sounds like different environments, feelings, and outer space. Steve's music has also inspired trance and new-age styles.
Steve has been nominated for two Grammy Awards, which are big awards in music! His albums Spiral Revelation (2017) and Molecules of Motion (2018) were both nominated for New Age Album of the Year. His work is also listed among "1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die."
Contents
Steve Roach's Life Story
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Steve Roach was born in La Mesa, California, close to San Diego. When he was young, in the early 1970s, he loved Motocross racing. He says that the focus needed for racing helped him with his music later on.
Growing up near deserts, mountains, and the ocean also greatly influenced his music. As a teenager, he was inspired by electronic music artists like Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, and Brian Eno. He also liked progressive rock bands such as Yes and Pink Floyd.
Learning Music and Early Career
Steve taught himself to play the synthesizer when he was 20 years old. He bought several synthesizers, like a Roland SH-3A and a Micromoog. For a short time, he lived in Hollywood, California. He worked at a record store there with Matt Groening, who later created The Simpsons.
Steve then moved to a small house in Culver City. He built his own recording studio there, which he called "The Timeroom." He worked different jobs while creating his music.
First Albums and Success
Steve's first album, Now, came out in 1982. Two years later, he released Structures from Silence (1984), which became one of his most famous albums. He made cassette tapes of this album.
A radio host named Stephen Hill played the album on his radio show, Hearts of Space. This helped many more people discover Steve's music. In 1986, he released his popular Quiet Music series. In 1988, he released Dreamtime Return, which many critics call his best work.
In 1995, Steve Roach joined Projekt Records, which has been his main record label ever since.
Steve's Unique Music Style
As Steve Roach's ambient music has grown, many of his songs do not have a clear beat. However, he also creates music with rhythms and trance-based grooves, sometimes called "tribal-ambient." Some of his recordings use only synthesizers, while others include ambient guitar sounds.
Steve also blends his music with sounds from different cultures. He learned to play the digeridoo during his trips to Australia in the 1980s. He was one of the first musicians to use the didgeridoo in ambient music. He also worked with Mexican musician Jorge Reyes. This introduced Steve to Prehispanic (ancient Mexican) musical elements, which he added to his songs. These mixes helped create the "tribal-ambient" sound.
Steve Roach's Personal Life
Steve Roach is married to Linda Kohanov, who is an author and teaches about horses. She has also sung on some of his albums. In the early 1990s, Steve moved to the Sonoran Desert near Tucson, Arizona, where he still lives.
Discography
Steve Roach has released many albums throughout his career. A discography is a complete list of all the music an artist has released. His work includes studio albums, live recordings, and many collaborations with other musicians.
See also
In Spanish: Steve Roach para niños
