SFM ARCHIVE
SFM ARCHIVE
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RELEASED MAY 2004 ZERO OHMS SFM CDs ARE OUT OF PRINT.
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Release number 7 on SFM for ZERO OHMS NEW RELEASE 5/04 "Zero Ohms's previous album, True Degrees of Freedom, occupied the number five spot on my top ten ambient/space music releases for 2003. Like clockwork, Richard Roberts, the man behind ZO, releases his 2004 effort, Spatial Glacial Nebulous. This record is something of a technological departure for Roberts, whose previous albums contained a wide variety of instrumentation, mostly electronics and a wide variety of wind instruments. Here the tracks are created solely on the wind synth (basically a synth that is played like, and most often resembles, a flute or recorder--don't think The Hooters, though, this is much cooler) that features heavily on all past Zero Ohms discs. The effect is simple, elegant, and extremely beautiful. |
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This is the 6th release on SFM from ZERO OHMS NEW RELEASE 11/03 "...when I heard this album, this is by far and away his best. It is, in my opinion, also his most experimental. |
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RELEASED NOVEMBER 2003
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RELEASED MARCH 2003
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In Memory of the Columbia Space Shuttle and Crew. Zero Ohms teams up with ambient musical artist, Brannan Lane for a follow-up to their number one release "Soundfall to the Infinite" from exactly one year ago with "Immense Distance". The recording is dedicated in memory of the Columbia Space Shuttle astronauts and shows a shuttle photograph from NASA on the front cover. Brannan Lane - Synthesizers, bean pods, bamboo shaker, djembe, water sounds, bamboo wind charmer, Navajo rattler, rain stick, recycler, processes and treatments. Gordon Rhyne - electric tambura. |
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LISTEN from "Immense" mp3 audio sample
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Collaborators - Zero Ohms and Gordon Rhyne team up for an amazing sonic mix that works great as a sleeping aid. This is pure "Sleep Music". NEW RELEASE 1/03 Gordon Rhyne has appeared on several of Zero Ohms projects over the years, but this is the most pronounced of them all. Gordon's voice and Richard's flute, interlaced with bells from Brannan Lane, weave magic sounds to create what many people are saying is a "put you to sleep" recording. Gordon Rhyne - Overtone Voice. Zero Ohms - Flute, Bass Flute, Wind- Synth, Bass Bamboo Flute, Native American Flute, Nepali Sheesham Flute, Thai Pii Joom Reed-Flute, Indian Bansuri, and treatments. Brannan Lane - bells. |
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NEW RELEASE JANUARY 2003
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LISTEN from "Ecstasis" mp3 audio sample
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New Collaboration Team - Zero Ohms teams up with ambient musical artist, Brannan Lane for new CD. NEW RELEASE 3/02 As the result of being asked to perform for the Space for Music Festival 2002, Zero Ohms and Brannan Lane started exchanging music back and forth creating a new sound collection which is now available as "Soundfall To The Infinite" on the SFM label. We think it is the strongest collection of work from either artist and hope they continue putting out music like this, together. special note: cover art is by space music artist Robert Carty. Zero Ohms - Flute, Bass Flute, Wind- Synth, Bass Bamboo Flute, Native American Flute, Nepali Sheesham Flute, Thai Pii Joom Reed-Flute, Indian Bansuri, and treatments. Brannan Lane - Synthesizers, bean pods, bamboo shaker, djembe, water sounds, bamboo wind charmer, Navajo rattler, rain stick, processes and treatments. Gordon Rhyne - Overtone Voice. |
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LISTEN from "Soundfall To The Infinite" mp3 audio sample
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| CLICK for new Interview with Ambientrance.org's David J Opdyke! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ZERO OHMS Sweven Space for Music Records (2001) Sometimes, an album contains one or two cuts that are so good that I recommend an album based on them alone. I feel that way about the last two songs on the latest release from Zero Ohms, Sweven. While the rest of the recording has plenty of other good stuff to recommend it, those last two pieces are so killer that you could be happy just playing them on endless repeat. The first of those two songs is "The Poetics of Space." How good is it? I've played it twice in a row on my radio show (something I have never done before!). Ultra-lush synth choruses, underlying washes of pure space bliss, and one of the most amazingly poignant dialogue samples (it comes in mid-song - you'll know it when you hear it) make this a 21st century spacemusic classic - and I mean that literally. This stands toe-to-toe with anything that Serrie or Roach ever did. It's that damn good. It sends chills down my spine every time I hear that dialogue sample over the layers of keyboards. The last cut on the album, "Crossing the Laya Center" is yet another text-book spacemusic cut. Less "ethereal" than the previous song, it's more spacy at times. Again, synth choruses play a large part, along with other patient washes of keyboards and floating chords and notes; there are also some under-the-surface spacier elements as well. Where "The Poetics of Space" has a more optimistic feel to it, this cut is more emotionally ambiguous (yet not at all dark). Taken together, these two pieces are as fine a sampling of spacemusic as you'll find anywhere. Other songs worth mentioning include the darker "The Mysticism of Sound" (which opens with yet another totally cool dialogue sample). Drones, electronic rumblings, subtle synth choruses, and gently undulating tones paint a mysterious and vaguely disturbing soundscape on this well-done song. More experimental is the next song, "Eternal Nows," but it's never dissonant so the somewhat non-melodic elements go down quite easily. Computer-glitschy noises come and go over an underlying series of electronic noises, tones, and drones. A true drone-like experience awaits on the next song, "Express Neither Feature Nor Intent." The instrumentation on this cut is quite varied compared to most of the other songs here (Thai pii joom, Phillipino whistle, Indian brass murli, bamboo subtone flute, Andean siku, gong). On most other cuts, instrumentation consists solely of wind-synth. Only on this song and the next cut ("Sonic Wind") do more exotic musical instruments come into play. I came to enjoy the mixture of flutes and whatever the rest of the instruments are with state of the art electronics. Granted, some of what is here is challenging listening - but none of it is particularly dissonant or pointlessly avant garde, although "Sonic Wind" has its quasi-experimental moments. But ambient fans would, I think, really get into songs like "Nikwasi and the Immortal" with its lower register drones and a vaguely eerie lead synth line. The song is over nine minutes long and it follows an interesting path as it delves into assorted ambient soundworlds on its way to its conclusion. Another piece worth mentioning is entitled "Eckacitta" which features dramatic synth choruses (yet with no new age music overkill). It's Michael Stearns Baraka-like without being a copycat or the least bit derivational. All in all, this new album from Zero Ohms is a very solid slice of ambient music with more than a few forays into deep space as well. The disc is more varied than it may appear from my review, but the continuity factor is still quite high (thankfully). Some cuts have a darker texture while others are quite affirming and positive in feel. All of the music is well-done, and even the less musical songs hold the interest of someone like me who usually disdains of really abstract recorded work. However, even if everything but the last two cuts was crap, I'd still give this a thumbs up - those last two songs are that good! Recommended for ambient and spacemusic fans. Wind and Wire |
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LISTEN from "Sweven" mp3 audio sample
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| REVIEWS
"Sweven" is a cross-cultural spiritual space fantasy from the deep exotic soundworlds of Zero Ohms, nee Richard J. Roberts. Richard uses his multi-instrumental virtuosity to tap into some deep esoteric messages from ethnic, scientific and sci-fi philosophies. The resultant sound is floating and expansive minimalism. Richard’s wind-synth is absolutely eerie and downright "Bach-ian." (That is, it brings to mind the scary images that are evoked by "Toccata and Fugue, the ultimate haunted house piece.) His ethnic instrumentation takes listeners to the realms of roads less traveled and inexplicable emotions. Richard put tremendous effort into sequencing these tracks. The influences flow from the diverse inspirations flawlessly. Comparisons between a Cherokee mound, a NASA test vehicle, the laws of physics and sci-fi fantasies are about as close to 180 degrees apart as it gets. They are also about as centered and integrated as emotions allow. This album, available from Space for Music Records, is a typical Zero Ohms project. Succinctly, it is awesome! |
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| ZERO OHMS AND BRANNAN LANE Soundfall to the Infinite SpaceForMusic.com Records (2002) I was totally blown away by the collaboration between Zero Ohms (Richard Roberts) and Brannan Lane, Soundfall to the Infinite. This is an amazing synthesis of ambient electronics, ethnic percussion (shaker, djembe, rattle, rainstick), flutes, and processing. Lane handles the percussion, synths, processing and treatments, while Roberts/Zero Ohms plays seven kinds of flutes (!), his trademark wind-controlled synthesizer, and also handles some treatments. The album is comprised of three two-part movements. The first is called "Beyond the Dream Garden" with part one being "Beyond" and part two titled (you guessed it) "The Dream Garden." (This pattern holds true for each of the remaining two movements as well). "Beyond the Dream Garden" is fantastic. Melodic yet somewhat droning synths float underneath echoed percussion (a la Rich or Roach) but since the tonality is major key (which was a pleasant surprise), the feeling is not one of shadow but one of hope and warmth - almost evoking the feeling of a Japanese Zen garden or reflection pool. This movement, like the other two, goes patiently through its motions, evolving ever so slowly yet distinctly. The music throughout Soundfall to the Infinite has a discernible (and intoxicating) organic life force. While the CD has to be labeled ambient, I've heard minimal Japanese meditation music that contained the same vibe as some of this does (along with more than a few recordings by ace flute duo Coyote Oldman). The echo effect on the percussion is absolutely perfect, imparting just enough atmosphere without tarnishing the positive vibration with darkness. "Endless Land of Blue Mist" showcases Roberts' prodigious flute talents. Opening with the sounds of waves crashing on the shore (synthesized or treated), the combination of processed bass flute playing and waves (along with background dripping water it sounds like) is both calming and invigorating. Some of the wave effects have a bit of thunderousness to them, which might come across as jarring at first, but it added to the naturalness of the experience to my ears. As the movement progresses, sea birds call to each other and another flute soars delicately over the lower bass flute notes. There is an unforced naturalness to this music (in fact, throughout the CD). This is a different type of ambient music that somehow combines the (dare I say it) healing and melodic tendencies of new age music with the unstructured minimalism of Eno-school ambient music - quite the feat, I think. I also continue to be reminded of Eastern music as well. The movement winds down and the waves are replaced by gently running water (the stereo separation in this section is excellent, by the way). In the second movement, Richard shifts to playing Native American flute (processed and echoed in a Coyote Oldman fashion) with Brannan contributing on rattles. In addition, various ambient textures and treatments, as well as what again sounds like the bass flute lend an air of spaciousness and drifting to the piece. Echoed percussive effects are also used in the cut. The flute playing on this track may be the most out-front of the whole album, and it's haunting in its forlorn quality. The title movement ("Soundfall to the Infinite") closes the album with a thirty-two minute trip into minimal gentle pure ambient territory. In the first section, amidst mild drones, twinkling chimes (like upper register wind chimes), and serene washes of assorted synthesizers, a six-note refrain is played. Bamboo flute (I think) wafts here and there sparingly, introducing another musical element. The subtly evolving piece is the epitome of ambient music, as the various elements combine to perfume the air with a stillness and tranquillity that is almost indescribable. I dislike repeating myself, but I'm consistently put in the mind of sitting by a rock garden, a reflecting pool, or other Eastern meditation environment. This track is easily my favorite, although I love the entire album so it's more a matter of being highly subjective at this point. The final track takes the CD into deep space, opening with long droning washes of synthesizers, a la Serrie, Bowles, and (especially) Telomere. There are also some treatments and textures that impart a vast openness to the music here. At times, the synths sound a bit like overtone singing (such as practiced by Jim Cole) and at other times, the overall sound is closer to traditional - but highly subdued - synth choral work (Larry Kucharz-like). But these comparisons are only for the sake of such, and are not indicative of any copy-catting in the least. The swelling drones and background washes are the closest thing to a "dark" track on this album, but it's probably only neutral in emotional impact, actually. Different elements are brought to the forefront throughout the piece and sometimes the music gets extremely soft and minimal. Then again, when the quasi-overtone singing becomes pronounced, the music is more "there." Soundfall to the Infinite demonstrates the greatness and magic that can come about through collaborative efforts in the ambient genre. Both of these artists have produced magnificent work on their own, but I was unprepared for how sublime this CD is. While I can imagine that some hardcore ambient enthusiasts may be put off by the presence of overt flute music (even though it is wonderfully performed by Roberts) and other listeners may consider the music too close to the spirit of "new age music" (again, a superfluous distinction to my mind, since most new age music has always contained ambient characteristics), I think Soundfall to the Infinite is a modern-day classic. By using elements such as flute, hand percussion, and Eastern textures, Lane and Roberts have created the best of both worlds: the calm serenity of Zen-influenced music with the overall feel and texture of ambient music. I can't recommend the album highly enough and I hope it earns the recognition it deserves. review by Bill Binkelman |
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CONTACT ZERO OHMS at: zeroohms@surfbest.net
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