Steve Roach

A titan of ambient music, Steve Roach ranks high among the most prolific and creatively daring electronic composers to emerge in Brian Eno’s wake. Born near San Diego in 1955, Roach came of age as a fan of prog and electronic soundtracks, leading to an obsession with synthesizers. His early statement of purpose—1984’s meditative Structures From Silence—remains his most enduring work, thanks to its indelible melodic motifs, evocative mix of timbres, and patient arrangements. His more sprawling 1988 double album Dreamtime Return found overlap with the “fourth world” music of Jon Hassell, drawing in influences from Indigenous Australian music. With more than 80 studio albums to his name—not including collaborative releases—Roach’s work over the decades has touched on electronic dance music (notably 2002’s Trance Spirits, featuring Robert Fripp), drone, classical minimalism, musique concrète, and more, while regularly returning to his comfort zone of tempo-less keyboard soundscapes.