Roach once again shows that less is more. After repeated listenings the mind opens up, time slows down, and previously-hidden colors come into new light. Slow Heat captures the desert atmosphere, isolation, and calming stillness as only Roach can. The first of Roach's new Timeroom Editions, "Slow Heat" follows in Roach's ever-evolving ambient style that has produced recent memorables "The Magnificent Void" and "The Dream Circle." Sporting a dazzling cover by digital artist Andy McIntyre, the CD consists of one 71-minute atmospheric piece designed to be played in continuous playback mode.
"Slow Heat" resonates with Roach's desert impressions. It does have a very warm feel to it, reminding me of shimmering desert mirages and hot, quiet summer days. As Roach reflects in the booklet, "there are certain times of the day when everything falls silent, as if the birds, cicadas, and even the trees are under the spell of the heat." This feel is effectively reproduced in the atmospheres, an environmental ambience that swelters and recedes, a wide pallet of sounds that varies lazily over the CD's course. Since "Structures From Silence," Roach continues to produce longform work of very high quality, and "Slow Heat" is perhaps his best yet. The sounds echo the vastness of open spaces, the hum of nature, and the placidity of peace and solemnity; the complex polytonal chords give rise to intense human emotions; and the dynamics range from undercurrent to thunderous.
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