The Ambient Expanse

by Matt BorghiThe 1999 follow-up to Mirage's critically-acclaimed The Ambient Eclipse, The Ambient Expanse is another various artists compilation featuring Patrick O'Hearn, Vir Unis, Stephen Bacchus, Vidna Obmana, and Steve Roach. Steve Roach envisioned The Ambient Expanse concept as "a pure, atmospheric music expressive of deep exploration and high optimism." Roach then invited a group of artists who felt an affinity with the project and its aim to create a unified flow of expansive and uplifting pieces. The music is divided into five movements -- one for each artist. The spirit of the project was brought to life by Roach's signature production style and masterful mixing techniques in his Tucson-based studio, The Timeroom. This is a very relaxing and contemplative recording that pulls the listener into some excellent, slowly drifting ambience. As is often the case, Roach has taken the artist's original tracks and created a very glossy, very organic series of ambient works. This is a wonderful recording and is representative of each of the artists that appear on the compilation.