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Structures from Silence

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Structures from Silence
Studio album by
Steve Roach
ReleasedJuly 15, 1984
Recorded1983–1984
StudioTimeroom, Culver City, California
Genre
Length58:27
LabelFortuna
ProducerSteve Roach
Steve Roach chronology
Traveler
(1983) 		Structures from Silence
(1984) 		Quiet Music 1
(1986)
Alternative cover
Remastered edition, 2001.

Structures from Silence is the third studio album by American ambient musician Steve Roach. It was released on July 15, 1984 by Fortuna.

Background and recording

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The title track, Structures from Silence, took Steve Roach a few months to compose. He would play the song using an Oberheim OB-8 and Oberheim DSX sequencer day and night, adjusting it until it sounded right to him. Finally, he went to a recording studio and recorded the song in a single 30-minute long pass, using his own gear along with a second OB-8 as well as a Lexicon 224 digital reverberator.[4]

Release

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A remastered version of this album, with a different cover, was released in 2001 by Projekt.[5]

A 30-year anniversary edition was released by Projekt in 2014. The album was remastered in 24-bit/96 kHz from the original analog mixes.[5] There is both a single-CD edition, and a 3-CD deluxe edition that includes two bonus discs created in 2013. Both editions use the original cover art.[5] The remastered original album (but not the two bonus discs) was made available as 24-bit/96 kHz digital downloads.[6]

Video release

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In 1987 a VHS video titled Structures from Silence was released. It featured imagery created by Marianne Dolan set to the album's title track. This video was also released on laserdisc under the title Space Dreaming.[5]

Music

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Andy Beta of Pitchfork described the sound on Structures from Silence: "The three extended compositions that comprise Structures arise out of such quiescence; the loops and gentle melodic refrains spire upwards and suggest vistas. With just a few cycling elements and floating chords, 'Reflections in Suspension' and 'Quiet Friend' exude a peaceful calm, while the title track is a half hour of contemplative bliss, full of purring drones and high notes that shimmer and fade. Like a desert mirage, these structures hover forever at the horizon, an oasis from the din surrounding it."[7] Ted Raggett of AllMusic said: "Though Roach's approach changed and explored many new directions, there's a core aesthetic still at work, that of contrasting a variety of loops and repeated motifs with subtle melodic exploration. The interweaving of the two approaches, to the point where it's never quite clear what predominates at what point -- especially on opening track 'Reflections in Suspension' – makes for music both cyclic and open-ended."[8]

The influence of Tangerine Dream and Vangelis is apparent on the album.[8]

Reception and legacy

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Alternative Pressfavorable[10]
Musique Machine[11]
Qfavorable[12]

In late November 2014, Steve Roach was selected as Echoes Radio's #1 Artist[13] and Structures from Silence was voted as the #2 album.[14]

Fact listed Structures from Silence as the tenth best album of the 1980s, calling it a "thoughtful, slow-paced study in synthesizer" and one of the most important ambient albums of all time.[15] They listed the 2014 reissue as the fourth best reissue that year, commenting that "it's a perfect time to return to this classic album – still spellbinding, three decades on."[2] In 2016, Pitchfork listed it as the 33rd best ambient album of all time.[16]

Ted Raggett of Pitchfork gave the album a perfect score, saying: "Widely considered his breakout album where he found his own voice, it even made a list of Top Ten releases published in a magazine dedicated to yoga. Whether a listener uses it for that purpose or not, it does have to be said that Structures from Silence is a lovely effort indeed. Its chief allure remains its transcendence of time -- while one can surmise, based on the sound of the record, its early-'80s vintage, it is not an obviously dated album in and of itself. [...] Structures from Silence is its own notable peak, the first of many astonishing highlights for Roach."[17]

Track listing

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All music is composed by Steve Roach.

No.TitleLength
1."Reflections in Suspension"16:39
2."Quiet Friend"13:15
3."Structures from Silence"28:33

30th anniversary bonus discs

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Disc 2: Suspension and Reflection
No.TitleLength
1."Suspension"28:36
2."Reflection"30:24
Disc 3: Below and Beyond
No.TitleLength
1."Beyond"32:11
2."Below"39:47

Personnel

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Per liner notes.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Borghi, Matt. "Review: Steve Roach — Structures from Silence [Fortuna]". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "The 20 Best Reissues of 2014". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. December 2, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  3. ^ Listed in "A Classic Space Music Countdown to Liftoff: 10 Essential classic space music albums, counting down from 10 to 1" Time Warped in Space by Echoes Radio producer and host, John Diliberto Archived 2007-04-07 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Steve Roach. "Structures from Silence - recording methods".
  5. ^ a b c d Roach, Steve. "Steve Roach: Structures From Silence". Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "Structures From Silence". Spotted Peccary. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  7. ^ Pitchfork (September 26, 2016). "The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Structures From Silence - Steve Roach | Album | AllMusic, retrieved June 8, 2025
  9. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Review: Steve Roach — Structures from Silence". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  10. ^ Burbey, Mark (November 2001). "Review: Steve Roach — Structures from Silence". Alternative Press. Retrieved October 7, 2018 – via Steve Roach.
  11. ^ Batty, Roger (September 18, 2014). "Steve Roach – Structures From Silence–30th Anniversary 3CD Edit Review". musiquemachine.com. Musique Machine. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  12. ^ Black, Johnny (February 1998). "Review: Steve Roach — Structures from Silence". Q. Retrieved October 7, 2018 – via Steve Roach.
  13. ^ "25 Icons of Echoes". Echoes. October 27, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  14. ^ "25 Years of Echoes". Echoes. November 19, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  15. ^ "The 100 Best Albums Of The 1980s". FACT Magazine. June 24, 2013.
  16. ^ Beta, Andy (September 26, 2016). "The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. sec. 33. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  17. ^ Structures From Silence - Steve Roach | Album | AllMusic, retrieved June 8, 2025
  18. ^ Structures from Silence (liner notes). Steve Roach. Projekt. 2014. PROJEKT302.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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