Date: Wed, 2 Mar 1994 19:05:40 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Press Release for Propagation
Really-From: actai@cs.wm.edu (Alan C. Tai)



                Press Release for Robert Rich: Propagation
                                     
     In the fertile imagination of Robert Rich, musical ideas and
instruments from around the world mingle, mate, and proliferate in the
lush, brackish waves of sound that flow from his well- tuned
synthesizers and electronic processors.  According to the composer,
_Propagation_ is nothing less than a sonic metaphor for "the miraculous
process of living," the spreading of genetic material across the planet
in a brilliant, perpetually evolving dance of chemical, biological, and
spiritual ecstasy.

     Appropriately enough, Rich has managed to combine and recombine his
vast musical influences to create a few new sonic species of his own.
The third Hearts of Space recording from this talented Bay-area
multi-instrumentalist adds a number of guest artists to the sensuous yet
rigorous cross-cultural stew he's been perfecting for years.  Rich
himself excels on synths, samplers, slide guitar, percussion, and bamboo
flutes, often adding extra spice through his use of exotic tuning
systems that reach back to the ancient roots of harmony.

     On the opening track, "Animus," Middle Eastern-style flute melodies
wrap their breathy, sinuous lines around nebulous veils of synthesized
sound and trance-inducing rhythms.  Subsequent selections combine Rich's
evocative sound imagery with Lisa Moskow's inviting improvisations on
the Indian sarod, Forest Fang's oriental-style violin melodies, and
Carter Scholz's mesmerizing solos on Indonesian gamelan instruments.

     The seven resulting pieces illustrate a new level of maturity and
complexity in Rich's style.  At the same time, _Propagation_ embodies a
clarity of vision matched by few artists immersing themselves in the
deep and often murky waters of cross- cultural sound explorations.


ROBERT RICH

     A native Californian and graduate of Stanford University in
psychology, Rich is equally at home working in music, dream research, or
computer programming.  A precocious recording artist, he began building
his own analog synthesizers at age 13, studied for a year at Stanford's
Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, and by early 1992
had released more than a half dozen albums in the U.S. and Europe,
including _Numena_ (1987) and _Geometry_ (1991) for the Swedish
Multimood label.

     His popular 1989 Hearts of Space debut _Rainforest_ received
extensive critical praise as did his second HOS solo recording _Gaudi_
(1992).  Rich's two HOS collaborations with Steve Roach, _Strata_ (1990)
and _Soma_ (1992), received excellent reviews as well.  Both albums
spent several months on the Billboard Top Alternative/New Age Albums
chart.  Rich and Roach also contributed two tracks to the Coriolis
Records 1990 post- Surrealist compilation _Dali: The Endless Enigma_.

     With Roach and as a solo artist, Rich has performed a number of
concert tours and selected dates in Europe, the United States, and
Mexico.  His all-night Sleep Concerts, first performed for a sleeping
audience in a Stanford dormitory, and his all-evening Trance Concerts
have become legendary in the San Francisco Bay area.

     A talented writer and music critic in his own right, Rich has also
contributed many articles on electronic music and alternate tunings to
such publications as _Keyboard_, _Music Technology_, and _Electronic
Musician_.


Propagation by Robert Rich
HS11040-2 CD
HS11040-4 CS

Hearts of Space Discography
Rainforest HS11014
Strata (with Steve Roach) HS11019
Gaudi HS11028
Soma (with Steve Roach) HS11033

--
Alan Tai | actai@cs.wm.edu