Robert Rich (musician)
Encyclopedia
Robert Rich is an ambient music
ian and composer
based in California
, United States
. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he is widely regarded as a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient, New Age
, and even IDM
music.
. However, at age 11 or 12, he began growing succulent plants as a hobby. He would leave a radio tuned to classical music for his plants. This experience influenced his interest in avant-garde
and minimal
composition.
In the 5th grade, he began studying viola
and voice. He never completed his formal training, though, since he never became comfortable with reading musical notation. He began looking for ways to generate sounds similar to those he heard in his mind. He started improvising on his parent's piano to hear the sound of the sustained strings droning in tonal combinations, à la Charlemagne Palestine
. He began building his own synthesizer in 1976, when he was 13 years old. In the years that followed, he adopted several musical influences ranging from John Cage
and Terry Riley
to Cluster
and Klaus Schulze
.
In 1979, he began working with a musician named Rick Davies [], creating experimental music inspired by a wide range of avant-garde and art rock
influences. This was the beginning of a long-term working relationship between these two artists.
In 1980, he bought a lap steel guitar
from a pawn shop. With it, he began experimenting with alternate tunings and developed a fluid and almost vocal tone that he continues to use. Around that time he had also learned to overcome the limitations of his synthesizer rig with spring reverb
, tape delays
and custom made feedback
systems that he created himself.
. During his tenure there, Rich became well-known in the San Francisco Bay area for giving live night-time performances for somnolent or sleeping audiences. These were experiments to influence REM cycle sleep with auditory stimulus. They were usually nine hours long and lasted from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.. During these performances, he would generate abstract drones and atmospheres while the audience dozed in sleeping bags that they brought themselves. In the morning he would end the concert with piano solos. He would then serve tea to the audience.
During this time he released four albums on cassette: Sunyata (1982), Trances
(1983), Drones
(1983), and his first live album titled Live (1984). The first of these was recorded when he was 19. The music on these albums reflects similar drone music
atmospheres to those of his sleep concert series.
Rich applied to study at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. He scheduled a meeting with John Chowning
, the founder of the class and inventor of FM synthesis. When Chowning saw Rich’s first three albums Rich was approved for the class. This was a unique privilege for an undergraduate with incomplete formal music training.
In 1983, he and Rick Davies together with a bassist named Andrew McGowan formed a group called Urdu
. It performed several live concerts in the San Francisco Bay area. The group dissolved after a live radio broadcast in 1984. Some of the group's recorded material was released as a self-titled album in 1985.
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.
, electric, and acoustic instrumentation, and the exploration of complex just tunings. His music continues to tend toward the organic and much of it is based on a concept in synthesis he refers to as glurp. His interest in using unique sounds has inspired him to create a large collection of original field recordings and homemade instruments. One of these instruments is a range of flutes made from PVC
pipe.
His interest in unique sounds has also given him work as a sound designer for synthesizer presets and for E-mu Systems
’ Proteus 3 and Morpheus sound module
s. He has also designed sounds for films including Pitch Black and Behind Enemy Lines, a series of sampling discs called Things that Go Bump in the Night, and a library of Acid Loops
called Liquid Planet. He has also helped develop the MIDI microtuning specification, which is the standard used to create justly tuned compositions in MIDI.
His collaborators over the years have included Steve Roach, Brian “Lustmord
” Williams, Lisa Moskow, Alio Die, and Ian Boddy
.
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. The shards penetrated his right wrist, severing an artery, seven tendon
s, and the ulnar nerve
. 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.
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
ian and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
based in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. With a discography spanning over 30 years, he is widely regarded as a figure whose sound has greatly influenced today's ambient, New Age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
, and even IDM
Intelligent dance music
Intelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...
music.
Early life
At an early age he thought he disliked musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. However, at age 11 or 12, he began growing succulent plants as a hobby. He would leave a radio tuned to classical music for his plants. This experience influenced his interest in avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
and minimal
Minimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
composition.
In the 5th grade, he began studying viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
and voice. He never completed his formal training, though, since he never became comfortable with reading musical notation. He began looking for ways to generate sounds similar to those he heard in his mind. He started improvising on his parent's piano to hear the sound of the sustained strings droning in tonal combinations, à la Charlemagne Palestine
Charlemagne Palestine
Charlemagne Palestine is an American minimalist composer, performer, and visual artist...
. He began building his own synthesizer in 1976, when he was 13 years old. In the years that followed, he adopted several musical influences ranging from John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
and Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
to Cluster
Cluster (band)
Cluster is a German experimental musical group who influenced the development of contemporary popular electronic and ambient music. They have recorded albums in a wide variety of styles ranging from experimental music to progressive rock, all of which had an avant-garde edge. Cluster has been...
and Klaus Schulze
Klaus Schulze
Klaus Schulze is a German electronic music composer and musician. He also used the alias Richard Wahnfried. He was briefly a member of the electronic bands Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel before launching a solo career consisting of more than 60 albums released across five decades.-1970s:In...
.
In 1979, he began working with a musician named Rick Davies [], creating experimental music inspired by a wide range of avant-garde and art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
influences. This was the beginning of a long-term working relationship between these two artists.
In 1980, he bought a lap steel guitar
Lap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
from a pawn shop. With it, he began experimenting with alternate tunings and developed a fluid and almost vocal tone that he continues to use. Around that time he had also learned to overcome the limitations of his synthesizer rig with spring reverb
Reverberation
Reverberation is the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. A reverberation, or reverb, is created when a sound is produced in an enclosed space causing a large number of echoes to build up and then slowly decay as the sound is absorbed by the walls and air...
, tape delays
Delay (audio effect)
Delay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.-Early delay...
and custom made feedback
Audio feedback
Audio feedback is a special kind of positive feedback which occurs when a sound loop exists between an audio input and an audio output...
systems that he created himself.
1980s: sleep concerts and early career
Also around this time, he attended Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. During his tenure there, Rich became well-known in the San Francisco Bay area for giving live night-time performances for somnolent or sleeping audiences. These were experiments to influence REM cycle sleep with auditory stimulus. They were usually nine hours long and lasted from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.. During these performances, he would generate abstract drones and atmospheres while the audience dozed in sleeping bags that they brought themselves. In the morning he would end the concert with piano solos. He would then serve tea to the audience.
During this time he released four albums on cassette: Sunyata (1982), Trances
Trances
Trances is the second album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. Like his first album Sunyata, this album consists of slow, textural drone music....
(1983), Drones
Drones (album)
Drones is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. Like most of Rich’s early work, this album consists of slow, textural drone music. The first track features ocean waves recorded at Encinada, Mexico. In 1994 this album was rereleased with Rich’s previous album Trances in a two-disc...
(1983), and his first live album titled Live (1984). The first of these was recorded when he was 19. The music on these albums reflects similar drone music
Drone music
Drone music is a minimalist musical style that emphasizes the use of sustained or repeated sounds, notes, or tone-clusters – called drones. It is typically characterized by lengthy audio programs with relatively slight harmonic variations throughout each piece compared to other musics...
atmospheres to those of his sleep concert series.
Rich applied to study at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. He scheduled a meeting with John Chowning
John Chowning
John M. Chowning is an American composer, musician, inventor, and professor best known for his work at Stanford University and his invention of FM synthesis while there.-Contribution:...
, the founder of the class and inventor of FM synthesis. When Chowning saw Rich’s first three albums Rich was approved for the class. This was a unique privilege for an undergraduate with incomplete formal music training.
In 1983, he and Rick Davies together with a bassist named Andrew McGowan formed a group called Urdu
Urdu (band)
Urdu was an experimental pop music group that formed in California, USA in 1983. It was a trio consisting of ambient musician and multi-instrumentalist Robert Rich, guitarist Rick Davies and bassist Andrew McGowan. This group marked the culmination of a five-year period of experimental...
. It performed several live concerts in the San Francisco Bay area. The group dissolved after a live radio broadcast in 1984. Some of the group's recorded material was released as a self-titled album in 1985.
In 1987, he released an album titled Numena
Numena
Numena is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. This is the most active solo album Rich had released by this time. It features the use of a variety of acoustic percussion instruments and just intonation for the first time in Rich’s career.The longest and most complicated track...
. 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
Just intonation
In music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequencies of notes are related by ratios of small whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval. The two notes in any just interval are members of the same harmonic series...
. It was also his first album to be released on CD originally.
1990s–2000s
In the years that followed he developed a complex range of sounds founded upon the seamless integration of electronicElectronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, electric, and acoustic instrumentation, and the exploration of complex just tunings. His music continues to tend toward the organic and much of it is based on a concept in synthesis he refers to as glurp. His interest in using unique sounds has inspired him to create a large collection of original field recordings and homemade instruments. One of these instruments is a range of flutes made from PVC
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...
pipe.
His interest in unique sounds has also given him work as a sound designer for synthesizer presets and for E-mu Systems
E-mu Systems
E-mu Systems, Inc. is a synthesizer maker and pioneer in samplers and low-cost digital sampling music workstations.-History:Founded in 1971 by Scott Wedge and Dave Rossum, E-mu began making modular synthesizers...
’ Proteus 3 and Morpheus sound module
Sound module
A sound module is an electronic musical instrument without a human-playable interface such as a keyboard, for example. Sound modules have to be "played" using an externally connected device...
s. He has also designed sounds for films including Pitch Black and Behind Enemy Lines, a series of sampling discs called Things that Go Bump in the Night, and a library of Acid Loops
Acid Loops
Acid Loops is a technology used with the music making software originally from Sonic Foundry called Acid. Created in 1998, it refers to the repetition, and transposition of sound clips, to form a song. The Acid Pro program is now owned and distributed by Sony, and is on version 7...
called Liquid Planet. He has also helped develop the MIDI microtuning specification, which is the standard used to create justly tuned compositions in MIDI.
His collaborators over the years have included Steve Roach, Brian “Lustmord
Lustmord
Brian Williams is a British electronic musician often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord.- History :Williams started recording as Lustmord in 1980 before joining SPK in 1982...
” Williams, Lisa Moskow, Alio Die, and Ian Boddy
Ian Boddy
Ian Boddy is a British electronic musician and composer. In the early 1980s Boddy began experimenting at an Arts Council funded studio in Newcastle. This period resulted in 3 cassette releases on the Mirage label, which showcased Boddy's work with analogue synthesis and tape manipulation. "Images"...
.
In 1992, he formed a new group called Amoeba
Amoeba (band)
Amoeba is an experimental music group that fuses the pop and ambient music genres. They formed in California, USA in 1992. The core members of the group are ambient musician Robert Rich and guitarist/bassist Rick Davies....
. 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
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
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
Open Window
Open Window is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. This is an album of improvised piano solos. Rich’s piano solos have been a part of his live concerts for over 20 years but this is the first time that a recording has been released in a recorded form.The material on this album...
. 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. The shards penetrated his right wrist, severing an artery, seven tendon
Tendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
s, and the ulnar nerve
Ulnar nerve
In human anatomy, the ulnar nerve is a nerve which runs near the ulna bone. The ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint is in relation with the ulnar nerve. The nerve is the largest unprotected nerve in the human body , so injury is common...
. During the recovery process, he continued to record new material and tour. He also constructed end-blown flutes from PVC pipe
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...
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.
Solo albums
- 1982: Sunyata
- 1983: TrancesTrancesTrances is the second album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. Like his first album Sunyata, this album consists of slow, textural drone music....
(reissued 1994 on Trances/DronesTrances/DronesTrances/Drones is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. It is a two-disc compilation of Rich’s drone music albums Trances and Drones plus other material that was recorded during that time.-Overview:...
) - 1983: DronesDrones (album)Drones is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. Like most of Rich’s early work, this album consists of slow, textural drone music. The first track features ocean waves recorded at Encinada, Mexico. In 1994 this album was rereleased with Rich’s previous album Trances in a two-disc...
(reissued 1994 on Trances/DronesTrances/DronesTrances/Drones is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. It is a two-disc compilation of Rich’s drone music albums Trances and Drones plus other material that was recorded during that time.-Overview:...
) - 1984: Live (live, cassette only)
- 1987: Inner LandscapesInner LandscapesInner Landscapes is a live album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. It was recorded on March 9, 1985 in Berkeley, California...
(live) - 1987: NumenaNumenaNumena is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. This is the most active solo album Rich had released by this time. It features the use of a variety of acoustic percussion instruments and just intonation for the first time in Rich’s career.The longest and most complicated track...
(reissued 1997 on Numena + GeometryNumena + GeometryNumena + Geometry is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. It is a two-disc set containing Rich’s albums Numena and Geometry .-Disc one: Numena:#”The Other Side of Twilight” – 25:04#”Moss Dance” – 5:45...
) - 1989: RainforestRainforest (album)Rainforest is an album by the U.S. ambient musician Robert Rich. The inspiration for this album came when Rich traveled through the rainforests of the American Pacific Northwest. Seeing the lush beauty of that environment contrasted by the devastation caused by clear-cut logging filled the artist...
- 1991: GaudíGaudí (Robert Rich)Gaudí is an album by the U.S. ambient musician Robert Rich. It is a tribute to the Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí...
- 1991: Geometry (reissued 1997 on Numena + GeometryNumena + GeometryNumena + Geometry is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. It is a two-disc set containing Rich’s albums Numena and Geometry .-Disc one: Numena:#”The Other Side of Twilight” – 25:04#”Moss Dance” – 5:45...
) - 1994: PropagationPropagation (album)Propagation is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. This album is an expression of Rich’s interest in biology and is a tribute to the proliferation of organic life in all its forms...
- 1994: Night Sky RepliesNight Sky RepliesNight Sky Replies is a limited edition mini album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. It is a continuous 20+ minute piece divided into four movements....
(limited edition 3" CD) - 1996: A Troubled Resting PlaceA Troubled Resting PlaceA Troubled Resting Place is a compilation album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. The first five tracks were originally released on multi-artist compilations. The sixth and final track is Rich’s 1994 mini-CD release Night Sky Replies....
(collects lone tracks) - 1998: Below Zero (collects lone tracks)
- 1998: Seven VeilsSeven VeilsSeven Veils is an album by the U.S. ambient musician Robert Rich. It is inspired by Arab culture and music. This album has a heightened emphasis on rhythms, from guitar and percussion. All pieces except track 3 were composed in just intonation. Guests include David Torn on guitar and Hans...
- 2000: HumidityHumidity (album)Humidity is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. It is a three disc set of live material recorded in 1998.Disc one was recorded on April 2, 1998 at Stanford University’s KZSU radio station as part of their annual Day of Noise event. Disc two was recorded on May 9, 1998 at the...
(live, 3 discs) - 2001: Somnium (audio in DVD-video format)
- 2001: BestiaryBestiary (album)Bestiary is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. This album showcases the musical concept that Rich has long referred to as “glurp”. It evokes a frenetic and surreal landscape inhabited by a wide variety of bizarre organisms....
- 2003: Temple of the InvisibleTemple of the InvisibleTemple of the Invisible is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. This was Rich’s first exclusively acoustic album. For this project, Rich brought together a number of guest performers with a variety of rare ethnic instruments...
- 2003: Calling Down the SkyCalling Down the SkyCalling Down the Sky is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. The material on this album was recorded live in Denver, Colorado on July 26, 2003. It was a small and personal concert, performed to an audience of 26....
- 2004: Open WindowOpen WindowOpen Window is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. This is an album of improvised piano solos. Rich’s piano solos have been a part of his live concerts for over 20 years but this is the first time that a recording has been released in a recorded form.The material on this album...
- 2005: Echo of Small ThingsEcho of Small ThingsEcho of Small Things is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. The inspiration for this album comes from mundane everyday experiences that culture usually overlooks. The slow droning music on this album weaves through recordings of footsteps, casual voices and other ordinary...
- 2006: Electric LadderElectric LadderElectric Ladder is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. This album returns to a more active and sequenced style that Rich explored in Geometry and Gaudí .-Track listing:#”Electric Ladder” – 10:32...
- 2007: Music from Atlas DeiMusic from Atlas DeiMusic from Atlas Dei is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. New and previously released pieces, all new mixes/edits.-Track listing:#”Opening” – 1:01#”Mythos” – 5:47#”Starmaker” – 6:03#”Glint in Her Eyes” – 6:10...
- 2007: IlluminationIllumination (Robert Rich album)Illumination is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. This CD is published as a companion piece to Michael Somoroff’s installation Illumination I originally created for the famed Rothko Chapel, on the occasion of the installation’s move to The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in...
- 2010: Ylang
- 2011: Medicine Box
Collaboration albums
- 1985: UrduUrdu (album)Urdu is the only album released by the experimental pop music group Urdu. Urdu was a trio consisting of Robert Rich, Rick Davies and Andrew McGowan. They worked together under this name from 1983-84...
by UrduUrdu (band)Urdu was an experimental pop music group that formed in California, USA in 1983. It was a trio consisting of ambient musician and multi-instrumentalist Robert Rich, guitarist Rick Davies and bassist Andrew McGowan. This group marked the culmination of a five-year period of experimental... - 1990: Strata (with Steve Roach)
- 1992: Soma (with Steve Roach)
- 1995: Yearning (with Lisa Moskow)
- 1995: StalkerStalker (album)Stalker is a collaborative album by ambient musicians Robert Rich and B.Lustmord . It was inspired by the 1979 film of the same name by Andrei Tarkovsky....
(with Brian “LustmordLustmordBrian Williams is a British electronic musician often credited for creating the dark ambient genre with albums recorded under the name Lustmord.- History :Williams started recording as Lustmord in 1980 before joining SPK in 1982...
” Williams) - 1993: Eye CatchingEye CatchingEye Catching is the debut album by the American experimental pop music group Amoeba. It is an EP length CD consisting of five songs....
by AmoebaAmoeba (band)Amoeba is an experimental music group that fuses the pop and ambient music genres. They formed in California, USA in 1992. The core members of the group are ambient musician Robert Rich and guitarist/bassist Rick Davies.... - 1997: WatchfulWatchfulWatchful is an album by the American experimental pop music group Amoeba. This is the first Amoeba album to feature the classic lineup of Robert Rich and Rick Davies. The style of this album consists of subtle and largely acoustic pop compositions with heavy ambient textures.Work on this album...
by AmoebaAmoeba (band)Amoeba is an experimental music group that fuses the pop and ambient music genres. They formed in California, USA in 1992. The core members of the group are ambient musician Robert Rich and guitarist/bassist Rick Davies.... - 1997: FissuresFissures (album)Fissures is a collaborative album by ambient musicians Robert Rich and Alio Die .-Track listing:#”Turning to Stone” – 5:27#”A Canopy of Shivers” – 5:51#”Sirena” – 9:10#”Mycelia” – 8:13...
(with Stefano Musso/Alio Die) - 2000: PivotPivot (album)Pivot is an album by the American experimental pop music group Amoeba. The style of this album is similar to that of Amoeba’s previous album Watchful except with a somewhat more active and direct approach...
by AmoebaAmoeba (band)Amoeba is an experimental music group that fuses the pop and ambient music genres. They formed in California, USA in 1992. The core members of the group are ambient musician Robert Rich and guitarist/bassist Rick Davies.... - 2002: Outpost (with Ian Boddy)
- 2005: LithosphereLithosphere (album)Lithosphere is a collaborative album by electronic musicians Robert Rich and Ian Boddy. Like their previous collaboration Outpost, this album was released as a limited edition of 2000 copies.-Track listing:#”Threshold” – 2:07#”Vent” – 5:20...
(with Ian Boddy) - 2007: Eleven QuestionsEleven QuestionsEleven Questions is international collaboration of Robert Rich and Markus Reuter which was conceived, composed and recorded in person in one intense week at Rich’s Soundscape studio in California...
(with Markus Reuter) - 2008: ReactReact (Robert Rich and Ian Boddy album)React is the third collaborative album by electronic musicians Robert Rich and Ian Boddy. Like their previous collaborations Outpost and Lithosphere, this album was released as a limited edition of 2000 copies.-Track listing:...
(with Ian Boddy) - 2008: Zerkalo (with Faryus)
Sources
- Interview (January 2005), Ambient Visions website.
- Liner notes, Sunyata (1982).
- Essay by Rick Davies from the liner notes, Trances/DronesTrances/DronesTrances/Drones is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. It is a two-disc compilation of Rich’s drone music albums Trances and Drones plus other material that was recorded during that time.-Overview:...
(1983/1994). - Liner notes, Numena + GeometryNumena + GeometryNumena + Geometry is an album by the American ambient musician Robert Rich. It is a two-disc set containing Rich’s albums Numena and Geometry .-Disc one: Numena:#”The Other Side of Twilight” – 25:04#”Moss Dance” – 5:45...
(1987/1991). Fathom 11077-2.
External links
- RobertRich.com – official website
- Valley-Entertainment.com – Hearts of Space Records Artist Page
- RRich.com/Amoeba - Amoeba’s official website
- - Tribute site endorsed by Robert Rich
- FlavorNotes.com - Robert Rich’s Flavor Notes: Food, Wine, Restaurants & Recipes
- AtlasDei.com - Atlas Dei: A DVD by Daniel Colvin and Robert Rich