Rich, Robert

Artist: Robert Rich 
P: 1994
Robert Rich manages to bring you back to the womb of humanity. At times his music is almost a religious experience, revealing the true nature of man and his place in our universe. Altogether a wondeful experience.
Robert Rich: Wavestation, Morpheus and Proteus/3, DX711D, EPS16+, Prophet 5, Bamboo and PVC flutes, Ocarinas, Lap Steel Guitar, Fretless Bass, Su Gzheng, Zither, Brass and Clay Dumbecs, Tar, Udu, Talking Drums, Kendang, Wavephone, Windwand and Whirlies, Key Tree, Woodstock Chimes, Rainstick, Shakers.

Additional Musicians:
Forrest Fang - Violin (Track 7)
Lisa Moskow - Sarod (Track 3)
Carter Scholz - Gender & Gambang (Track 7)
Andy Wiskes - Environmental Source Recordings

Artist: Robert Rich 
P: 1989    
On his first widespread release, Rich contemplates the ravaged state of the world's rain forests, and the music herein reflects both the beauty and mystery of those gradually disappearing environments. These aspects of beauty and mystery are represented by pulsating, rhythmic tracks and denser atmospheric works, respectively. The former is epitomized by opening piece "Mbira," a playful dance of xylophone-like percussion and bamboo flute accompanied by a fretless bass gently gliding over them; while the latter is best showcased in the ghostly flute free fall which builds during the eerie, airy "Sanctuary." The composer has such an uncanny ability to conjure vivid musical imagery that can transport listeners into his vision of a rain forest. One can practically feel the dampness of the vegetation, envision the evergreen locale, and connect with the pulse of life within its dense ecosystem. Rainforest was Rich's first breakthrough album, and it remains his most commercially successful.

Artist: Robert Rich 
P: 1998
An accomplished piece of work with a light touch. Rich, who plays a variety of stringed and percussion instruments as well as handling synthesizer and sampling duties, pulls off the difficult trick of making moody, atmospheric compositions musically interesting. Although a certain sameness permeates Seven Veils, there's enough variety to keep you listening; the opening, appropriately-titled "Coils" has a sinuous, underwater feel while the three-part "Book of Ecstasy" features shifting melodic and rhythmic textures. The sustained, floating notes of "Ibn Sina" complement the active, dancing rhythms, and Rich saves the best for last with "Lapis," which features an excellent counterpoint between Rich's flute and guest Hans Christian's cello. Deliberately evocative of Middle Eastern music, Seven Veils has a subtle beauty that Rich wisely allows to emerge on its own, rather than forcing it into the ears of his listeners.

Artist: Robert Rich 
P: 2003   
"Temple of the Invisible" documents a lost ritual from an unknown culture, using only simple acoustic instruments, no synthesizers or electronic-sounding effects. Contributors include Sukhawat Ali Khan (son of the great Indian vocalist Salamat Ali Khan), Paul Hanson (from Bela Fleck & Flecktones, Wayne Shorter, Zenith Patrol), Percy Howard (from Meridiem, Bill Laswell), and noted solo artists Forrest Fang and Tom Heasley.

Artist: Robert Rich 
P:  2018
Surrealist electronic journey through the microbiome. Exploding neurons reassemble to build a metamind. If an anthill could talk, what would it say? What would music sound like if we collaborated with fungi? We are not alone in this fractal universe.

Artist: Robert Rich 
P: 2016
A recurring dream of the earth long after we are gone, a shamanic flight on black-feathered wings to overlook what could have been, lush and thriving in our absence.
Atmospheric / Space / Deep Listening, Organic Ambient / Shamanic / Tribal

Artist: Robert Rich 
P: 2010    
Robert Rich's first solo studio album in almost three years, now available. The title comes from ylang ylang, a flowering tree that grows in South Asia, with a mysterious fragrance that embodies elements of shadow and light, eros and gnosis, earth and sky. Ylang pushes the boundaries of Robert's melodic world-fusion vocabulary, such as on Seven Veils or Propagation. Ylang blends Rich's expressive steel guitar, shimmering organic electronics and yearning flute melodies with influences as diverse as south Indian Karnatic music, pulsing minimalism and pensive jazz; while its deconstructed drums and blurry guitar feedback might feel at home with Sigur Ros or Bark Psychosis. Rich enlists help for this undertaking from a circle of trusted musician friends. The rhythmic scaffolding for the album comes from two very different drummers. Ricky Carter adds his intelligent sparse drumming, fluid with syncopation but complex in meter. These rhythms could be a slow tempo homage to Jaki Leibzeit from Can. Post-processing transforms them into rubbery chuffing abstractions. The other rhythmic foundation comes from the Karnatic mrdungam playing of Sakthivel Muruganandhan, which also wanders into Rich's sonic blender, shifting from time- stretched blurs into organic live duets with bansuri master Sunilkumar Sankarapillai. Lilting in and out of this heady atmosphere of South Indian music and minimalist space jazz, the wordless voice of art-pop virtuoso Emily Bezar adds a feminine intelligence to several pieces, and subtle melodic guitar additions from Haroun Serang augment Rich's soaring lap steel feedback. With acoustic bass from Paul Olguin and string additions from Forrest Fang and Hans Christian, the sonic texture warms to a glowing woody earthiness. Rich's audiophile production and delicate sound design glue the textures together into a seductive and inviting mossy nest. From these disparate elements, Ylang forms a sonic entity unto itself.
Robert Rich - flutes, lap steel , piano, percussion, MOTM modular & synths Ricky Carter - drums
Sakthivel Muruganandhan - mrdungam
Sunilkumar Sankarapillai - bansuri
Haroun Serang - guitar
Emily Bezar - voice
Forrest Fang - violin
Hans Christian - cello
Paul Olguin - upright bass