Jun 28, 2020

Sundaze 2026

Hello,

Today's artist developed a complex range of sounds founded upon the seamless integration of electronic, electric, and acoustic instrumentation, and the exploration of complex tunings. He's made dozens of albums these past 30 years even if this is my 5th posting on him there's plenty left to come back to him in the future but for now ..... N'Joy

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A California native, Rich began experimenting with electronics in the late '70s before attending Stanford University, where he completed a degree in psychology. While at Stanford, Rich's involvement in the university's prestigious Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics expanded his interest in electronic composition, as well as bringing him in contact with a wide range of nontraditional, non-Western musical ideas. In 1987, he released an album titled Numena. This was the beginning of a new sound for Rich. It was his first album to explore complex rhythmic patterns, a wider range of acoustic instrumentation, and just intonation. It was also his first album to be released on CD originally. Rich's performance of several all-night "sleep concerts" during this period also helped solidify an aesthetic focus on psychoacoustics, perceptible in early recordings such as Geometry and Trances/Drones.

Rich's more mature works such as Rainforest and Propagation have sought to combine that interest with more recognizable electro-acoustical elements (Rich plays a wide range of instruments, from synths and effects racks to hand drums and flute), but the influence of digital sound manipulation has also moved increasingly to the fore. Inspired by the more textural works of artists like SPK and Throbbing Gristle, Rich's interest in the edgier side of electronic composition has also earned him a reputation among fans of gothic, industrial, and dark ambient, made most obvious by his collaboration in 1995 with Brian Williams of Lustmord. .

In 1992, he formed a new group called Amoeba. The group has released three albums featuring ex-Urdu members Rick Davies and Andrew McGowan at different times. In 2001, he released an album titled Somnium, a 7-hour album divided into three tracks on one DVD video. This album was a recreation of the sleep concert environment he created during the 1980s at Stanford. Although not officially recognized, many people believe it to be the longest artist album of all time.

In 2004, he released an album of piano solos titled Open Window. This album documents his improvised piano style that has been part of his live concerts for decades. It was recorded on a 1925 vintage A.B. Chase baby grand piano. On March 11, 2005, Robert suffered a hand injury. He was cleaning a glass jug and accidentally slipped and fell on top of it. During the recovery process, he continued to record new material and tour. He also constructed end-blown flutes from PVC pipe that are more easily played with limited right-hand dexterity.

During his 2006 tour, Rich performed in front of a film created by visual artist Daniel Colvin as a backdrop. After the tour he created a score for the film, which was released on CD and DVD in 2007 under the title Atlas Dei. In 2007 he also released the album Illumination, a companion soundtrack of a multimedia installation by Michael Somoroff, and a collaboration album with touch guitarist Markus Reuter.

One of Rich's other interests is food. He maintains a Web site of recipes and other food related topics called Flavor Notes. He also has a long list of recipes for wild mushrooms.

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"Gaudi", Robert Rich's homage to early 20th century Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, is a stunning work that captures the very essence of the master's aesthetic.  Gaudi's structures are a sublime balance of matter and air, light and shadow, and science and art imbued with the ideal of nature rising up to the attain the sacred.  From the majestic opener, "Sagrada Familia", to the lattice-like finale, "Mosaic", Rich uses the medium of music - itself the vibration of air through space and time - to evoke the architect's timeless organic geometry.  Rich's use of just intonation here perfectly complements this concept and never sounded better.  The highlight here, for me at least, comes midway through with "Harmonic Clouds" - a luminous piece with delicate chimes and slow chord progressions evolving over time with no two chords sounding exactly alike.  Rather than sounding dissonant though or falling apart musically, it floats by effortlessly and it feels like a trek through a massive humid and damp cave in certain tracks to climbing up primordial steps and dense coniferous jungle in others. Easily some of Rich's best and inventive soundscapes.



Robert Rich - Gaudi ( flac 232mb)

01 Sagrada familia 4:24
02 Tracery 4:35
03 Silhouette 4:04
04 The Spiral Steps 9:46
05 Harmonic Clouds 8:49
06 Air 4:42
07 Serpent 6:27
08 Minaret 6:02
09 Mosaic 8:26

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According to the composer, Propagation is nothing less than a sonic metaphor for "the miraculous process of living," the spreading of genetic material across the planet in a brilliant, perpetually evolving dance of chemical, biological, and spiritual ecstasy. In the fertile imagination of Robert Rich, musical ideas and instruments from around the world mingle, mate, and proliferate in the lush, brackish waves of sound that flow from his well-tuned synthesizers and electronic processors. According to the composer, Propagation is nothing less than a sonic metaphor for "the miraculous process of living," the spreading of genetic material across the planet in a brilliant, perpetually evolving dance of chemical, biological, and spiritual ecstasy. Appropriately enough, Rich has managed to combine and recombine his vast musical influences to create a few new sonic species of his own. The third Hearts of Space recording from this talented Bay-area multi-instrumentalist adds a number of guest artists to the sensuous yet rigorous cross-cultural stew he's been perfecting for years. Rich himself excels on synths, samplers, slide guitar, percussion, and bamboo flutes, often adding extra spice through his use of exotic tuning systems that reach back to the ancient roots of harmony.

On the opening track, "Animus," Middle Eastern-style flute melodies wrap their breathy, sinuous lines around nebulous veils of synthesized sound and trance-inducing rhythms. Subsequent selections combine Rich's evocative sound imagery with LISA MOSKOW's inviting improvisations on the Indian sarod, Forest Fang's oriental-style violin melodies, and Carter Scholz's mesmerizing solos on Indonesian gamelan instruments. The seven resulting pieces illustrate a new level of maturity and complexity in Rich's style. At the same time, Propagation embodies a clarity of vision matched by few artists immersing themselves in the deep and often murky waters of cross-cultural sound explorations. According to the composer, Propagation is nothing less than a sonic metaphor for "the miraculous process of living," the spreading of genetic material across the planet in a brilliant, perpetually evolving dance of chemical, biological, and spiritual ecstasy. In the fertile imagination of Robert Rich, musical ideas and instruments from around the world mingle, mate, and proliferate in the lush, brackish waves of sound that flow from his well-tuned synthesizers and electronic processors. According to the composer, Propagation is nothing less than a sonic metaphor for "the miraculous process of living," the spreading of genetic material across the planet in a brilliant, perpetually evolving dance of chemical, biological, and spiritual ecstasy.

Propagation is easily some of the mans best work as an ambient artist,. a nice, balmy ethnic stew that goes great on a hot afternoon.



Robert Rich - Propagation ( flac 256mb)

01 Animus 9:27
02 Lifeblood 5:30
03 Whispers of Eden 7:34
04 Terraced Fields 4:24
05 Luminous Horizon 9:45
06 Spirit Catcher 9:24
07 Guilin 11:11

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Thematically, Robert Rich's Bestiary seems to consist of some kind of otherworldly, almost animalistic electronic ambience, with titles like "Dante's Anthromorphic Zoo," "Mentis Intentions," and "Sharpening Her Talons." This work is strange contextually, both from the standpoint of Robert Rich's previous work as well as other electronic music; nevertheless, though, this is a strangely evocative and emotive recording. One of the things that's really distinct about this recording is Robert Rich's use of the MOTM modular synthesizer, which brings an almost Kraftwerkian machine-like aesthetic to this work, an aesthetic that Robert Rich's work really hasn't had in the past; in fact, his work has always been quite organic whether he was working in an ethno-tribal idiom or more of an experimental idiom. Robert Rich's Bestiary is certainly a new chapter in his book of artistry. Full of crazy and organic yet otherworldy alien sounds, Bestiary doesn't just create an atmosphere but a biosphere as well. It's a very wierd and unique album, which is great at first but it gets a bit too wierd for its own good near the end, but it's an interesting recording that reveals a more experimental side of Robert Rich's work.



Robert Rich - Bestiary   ( flac 295mb)

01 Mantis Intentions 8:02
02 Nesting on Cliffsides 12:47
03 Dante's Anthropomorphic Zoo 3:07
04 Bestiary 6:19
05 Carapace Hides the Delicacy 3:13
06 Folded Space 5:35
07 Sharpening Her Talons 3:52
08 Premonition of Circular Clouds 10:21

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Outpost is the first effort to come out of the intriguing collaboration between Robert Rich and Ian Boddy. At first learning of this album, one might imagine what could possibly proceed from such a pairing - Rich, the ethno-surrealistic soundscape innovator and sleep concert scholar; meeting Boddy, the 21st century purveyor of intelligent EM by way of progressive synth-music. The result is quite unexpected. Among Outpost's more indentifiable elements are its reverb enshrouded flute, glissando guitar and "prepared" piano. But the sonic arrangements involved in this project and the resulting aural fantasies are the album's most compelling aspect. At the core of Outpost are the unique rhythms and tone patterns Rich created through modular synth manipulations and Boddy's ingenuous modulations, sonic textures and eerie atmospheres. According to Rich, "I think it sounds quite different from either of our solo work, but obviously people will recognize our individual styles and sounds". Boddy adds, "It just turned out the way it did due to the two of us interacting musically".

This album is best experienced at night - the dead of night. Throughout its 59 minutes, Outpost presents ten tracks on a graidient that slopes gradually between contrasts; sliding from desolate and lonely vibrations to rhythmic flutters in high relief and back again into the convoluted murkiness. Outpost allows these two brilliant sound designers to intertwine their talent and craft to create an album of rolling contour, shifting between dark and ominous moods. This album has character and will definately be of interest to those who enjoy contemplating the mysteries of sonic invention and how the artist uses this means to convey a pervading sense of uncertainty.



 Robert Rich and Ian Boddy - Outpost ( flac 286mb)

01 First Outpost 1:31
02 Ice Fields 8:21
03 Methane 3:48
04 Lagrange Point 6:48
05 Link Lost 10:15
06 State of Flux 6:38
07 Tuning In 5:47
08 Tuning Out 6:54
09 Edge of Nowhere 6:25
10 Last Outpost 2:18

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