With over two dozen albums under his belt, Robert Rich has helped define the genres of ambient and dark-ambient music, yet his work remains hard to categorize. Part of his unique sound comes from using home-made acoustic and electronic instruments, as well as microtonal tunings, computer-based signal processing, chaotic systems, and feedback networks. Rich began building his own analog synthesizers in 1976 when he was 13 years old, and he later studied for a year at Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA).

Rich released his first album, Sunyata, in 1982. Most of his subsequent recordings came out in Europe until 1989, when Rich began a string of critically acclaimed releases for Fathom/Hearts of Space, including Rainforest (1989), Gaudi (1991), Propagation (1994) and Seven Veils (1998). His two collaborations with Steve Roach, Strata (1990), and Soma (1992), both charted for several months on Billboard. Other respected collaborations include Stalker (1995 with B. Lustmord), Fissures (1997 with Alio Die) and Outpost (2002 with Ian Boddy.) Rich's contributions to multi-artist compilations have been collected on his solo albums A Troubled Resting Place (1996) and Below Zero (1998). He also records with his group, Amoeba, exploring atmospheric songcraft on their CDs Watchful (1997) and Pivot (2000). Live albums such as Calling Down the Sky (2004) and 3-CD Humidity (2000) document the unique improvised flow of his recent performances.

Rich has performed in caves, cathedrals, planetaria, art galleries and concert halls throughout Europe and North America. His all-night "Sleep Concerts," first performed in 1982, became legendary in the San Francisco area. In 1996 he revived his all-night concert format, playing Sleep Concerts for live and radio audiences across the U.S. during a three month tour. In 2001 Rich released the 7 hour DVD Somnium, a studio distillation of the Sleep Concert experience, possibly the longest continuous piece of music ever released.

Rich has designed sounds for television and film scores, including the films Pitch Black, Crazy Beautiful, Behind Enemy Lines and others. His musical score graces Yahia Mehamdi's documentary on worker's compensation, Thank You for your Patience. Rich has worked closely with electronic instrument manufacturers, and his sound design fills the preset libraries of Emu's Proteus 3 and Morpheus, Seer Systems' Reality, sampling disks Things that Go Bump in the Night, ACID Loop Library Liquid Planet, and the TimewARP2600 soft-synth by WayOutWare. Rich has written software for composers who work in just intonation, and he helped develop the MIDI microtuning specification, which was accepted as an industry standard. As mastering engineer, he has applied his ear to dozens of albums, and his studio was featured twice in Keyboard Magazine.

Alien Zoology CD1 - Live Archive Vol 4

Alien Zoology CD2 - Live Archive Vol 4

Music from Atlas Dei

Below Zero

Bestiary

Calling Down The Sky

Cowell Theater CD1 - Live Archive Vol 5

Cowell Theater CD2 - Live Archive Vol 5

Due Acque - Live Archive Vol 2

Echo of Small Things

Electric Ladder

Ici et Maintenant CD1 - Live Archive Vol 1

Ici et Maintenant CD2 - Live Archive Vol 1

Illumination

Lumin - Live Archive Vol 6

Mycosphere - Live Archive Vol 7

Nest

Open Window

Shamballa - Live Archive Vol 3

Temple of the Invisible

Trances-Drones CD1

Trances-Drones CD2

Ylang