by Jim Brenholts
Before he had a solo CD, John Strate-Hootman (aka Vir Unis) collaborated on three projects with Steve Roach. Roach produced Imaginarium, Strate-Hootman's collaboration with Ma Ja Le. Roach also produced and contributed to Strate-Hootman's piece on The Ambient Expanse, &Undivided Flow.& And these two ambient groove masters collaborated on The Body Electric, one of the top discs of 1999. This wild ride combines Roach's tribal sensitivities with Strate-Hootman's grooves and rhythmic sensibilities. The echoes of desert ambience collide with pulsating groove rhythms. They explode into huge atmospheres. The rhythms move around and through the soundscapes. The two sound worlds become one. This disc is unlike any before it. The only logical comparisons are later releases by Roach and/or Strate-Hootman.