A tough day in the EM world today. Seems Bob Moog's health
is really bad, and he has but days to live.
And....#1 MOTM advocate & close friend Robert Rich is having
"last chance" hand surgery ∗right now∗. If this doesn't work, then
his finger movement will be 'stuck' at ~0.5" or so. Also, please read the bit
about the web
ads he has up. His medical insurance is minimal (understatement)
and his CD sales are <$10,000/yr (depressing in it's
own sense).
If you want to help, the best thing is to order CD's off his website
www.robertrich.com. He mentions 'Below Zero' and this and his CD
'Stalker' pretty much defined 'dark ambient', they really are creepy.
I have the only existing advance copy of the new 'mostly MOTM' CD
and it's REALLY GOOD. If you have "Outpost" (and if not, GET IT),
this is the "Summer" version (Outpost is most definitely Winter!). The
MOTM-730 VC Pulse Divider plays a central part, as well as the '650
MIDI-CV prototype (the CD is mostly microtuning scales) and has THE
best MOTM-440 bass patch ever (if you have a subwoofer, crank it up).
Today is a high-stress day :(
But I'm finishing up the MOTM-995 .com -to - MOTM power board this
morning and pcb layout calms me down.
Paul S.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
> Robert Rich Newsletter August 18, 2005
>
> ∗ Third Hand Surgery
> ∗ Echo of Small Things Collectors' Box
> ∗ Ian Boddy & Robert Rich: Lithosphere
> ∗ New Interviews Posted
> ∗ Below Zero Reprinted
>
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> It's been a busy summer. This newsletter comes at a time between CD
> releases, a sort of progress report on the various streams of Robert
> Rich's activity, upcoming releases and more.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ∗ Third Hand Surgery
>
> Robert goes under the knife again today, Thursday August 18. We're
> hoping that this will be the last surgery he'll need on his wrist.
> After the surgery he'll try to keep his hand moving for the next few
> months so the tendons don't get stuck again. We're still planning a
> tour in Spring 2006, so we remain optimistic.
>
> Some friends have expressed concern about medical expenses, and they
> have suggested various money-making schemes to help out. Here's a
> suggestion that costs nothing: Robert started a new food website
> called Flavor Notes (http://www.flavornotes.com) that uses Google ads
> to cover costs. Google pays a few cents every time someone clicks on
> an advertisement. So if everyone reading this clicks on a few ads in
> Flavor Notes, the combined trickle might add up.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ∗ Echo of Small Things Collectors' Box
>
> We have shipped about a third of the limited edition Echo of Small
> Things art boxes. If these interest you, now would be a good time to
> order one, since they won't get reprinted. The custom boxes contain
> ten high quality matte fibre offset prints of David Agasi's photos, a
> signed and numbered sheet with artists' comments, and signed CD of
> music by Robert Rich. The CD is also available separately. You can learn
> more about the project at http://www.robertrich.com/rrechosmallthings.html.
> Reviews have been very positive.
>
> "Phosphorescent instances sparkle throughout this music, like
> glimpses of a more tranquil dimension where everything radiates
> optimistic effervescence." -- www.soniccuriosity.com
>
> "Echo of Small Things surely ranks near the top (maybe even at the
> top?) of this artist's already considerable discography. Rich was
> obviously inspired to great heights by Agasi's photos." --
> www.windandwire.com
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ∗ Ian Boddy & Robert Rich: Lithosphere
>
> Ian Boddy flew out to Northern California from England for a week in
> early April, to assemble with Robert the basic tracks for their next
> album, Lithosphere. Robert recently finished mixing and mastering the
> CD, which is scheduled for release in Autumn on Ian's DiN label in
> the U.K.; Lithosphere will also be available from Robert's website.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ∗ New Interviews Posted
>
> Two recent interviews have been added to Robert's website: one with
> Ambient Visions deals mostly with the early days; the other with a
> Russian web-zine features more unusual questions, with a philosophical
> twist.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ∗ Below Zero Reprinted
>
> Among Robert Rich's releases, Below Zero remains one of the most
> obscure and abstract. It's also one of Robert's personal favorites.
> Previously released on Soleilmoon/Side Effects, this year Below Zero
> reverted back to Robert's ownership. We recently reprinted the CD and
> added it to the Soundscape Productions catalog. Below Zero and other
> Soundscape releases are available for wholesale orders directly
> through Robert. We thank Charles Powne at Soleilmoon for having been
> such a great partner for many years.
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> You can order signed copies of all Robert Rich titles and
> more at http://www.robertrich.com