Search - Robert Rich :: Sunyata

Into nothingness

Hans Stoeve | Cremorne, NSW Australia | 01/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Robert Rich-Sunyata(Hypnos)Buddhist term implying emptinessI think that for a musician like Robert Rich, it's maybe a good thing to look back at the past. Just to be able to say that this is where he came from, and that the path that he explored was indeed the right one. Not ever having heard Sunyata prior to its current reissue on Hypnos, I'm struck by the thought that for a piece of drift or sleep music which was written twenty years ago, this still holds up remarkably well. One piece of course turned up on the Extreme release Trances and Drones back in 1992, but with Sunyata come the other two tracks. You get to hear a very young nineteen year old Robert Rich performing on analog synthesizers no doubt buzzing with ideas re where he wanted to take his audience. The ideas are all here, long deep drones lulling the listener into an intense sleep (I'll vouch for that many times over), improvised pieces of great depth and darkness, dark minimalist musical structures which seem to keep evolving and reinventing themselves for what seems like an eternity. Having said that, some people have said that for them nothing is happening at any time, but the point I raise time and time again is how do we listen or better still how do we not listen, especially for someone who is not into exploring this type of music. That glurpy aqueous sound which he is now well known for is, as usual, evident on the longest track Oat Spirits, which gets downright dark at times. I've listened to this a lot since it arrived, and I have to say that this is not a 'pretty' Robert Rich release by any means, compared to some of the Hearts Of Space recordings. In fact for me it contains some of his darkest moments to date, yet at the same time it's an exceptional piece of work . There is something about it that keeps me wanting to hear it again and again, a dark organic substance of sorts which feeds the soul. Than again, that has always been what it is about Rich's work which appeals to this listener, the ability to not only go beyond certain states, but also to give back some sort of musical 'elixir'. At a time when so much of what we hear on the radio is so utterly vacuous ( and ironically downright successful) this comes as a welcome change for those like me who want much more out of what we are listening to. I often say life is too short to listen to uninteresting music. Robert Rich has certainly developed his own unique sounds into a more subtle and graceful palette with the passing of years and the availability of new technologies, but as I said earlier on, this stands up remarkably well. And as usual the production on this is first rate. I'm looking forward to the seven hour release I keep hearing about. Now THAT should test my audience."