Support
Looper's Delight
|
Support |
|
|
Matthias; Thanks for your very touching and wonderful comments. I am truly honored and somewhat humbled. At the risk of this becoming a “mutual appreciation forum”, let me say that I am also a huge fan of Mr. Grob. His masterful and seamless loopage continues to push and inspire me. Yet, it should be noted that this is of some current relevance, more than his seamless and astonishing looping, more than his barefooted pedal technique, it is his sheer musicality which floors me. The dynamics, the nuance, the conceptual motifs, harmonic complexity, and the sublime passion with which he plays, all within the context of a “looping artist”, makes his music so outstanding. When I began looping I played quite differently than I do now. I almost purposefully played outside and weird: processing both my bass and loops with as many pedals and rack units as I could squeeze onto the stage. It seemed to me, at that time, one thing my JamMan was more than appropriate for was a full frontal assault of sonic mayhem. Yet, it seemed to me, I was missing part of the musical equation. Melody, harmony and rhythm, while perhaps being fed into the box, were mutating into simple cacophony. Sometimes it was really good cacophony, and sometimes it was merely caca. I began to move more to a melodic style, and I found audiences related more to what I did. I got more gigs. Regardless of loops or not (or whether they could even fathom the technology employed) they were appreciating the music. And that, at least in my mind, is what is all about: music. A number of threads lately have been both gear oriented, as well as posing the question of how to “take looping to the masses”, as if that will garner some mass public acceptance for what we do. But acceptance of looping as a performance “style”, compositional mode, or ”art form” (or for that matter looping devices as instruments), is really not dependent upon the gear. It is dependent on the music. We applaud dt’s appearance on a new Bowie disc, and it is deserved, but is it really because he is using guitar loops on a high-profile release or is it because he is simply a brilliant and unique musician? Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a great thing, and as a looper I can relate to his use of tools “similar” (at least in design) to my own. But it is his unique vision, creativity, and musicality, which makes it “happen”. While the technophile in me may have some voyeuristic curiosity in the number of Eventides Mr. Fripp has tucked into his rack, the beauty, majesty, and musical vision of his work make that point null when I hear his playing. Creativity is the key. What Rick Walker does with translucent green day-glo plastic and a DL4 is nothing short of incredible. Tom Heasley with another DL4 and a TUBA! When I witness Andre LaFosse’s virtuosity with the EDP, it is not so much the button pushing and blinking LEDs, which fascinate me; it is what might be going on in his mind (or what is not going on in there) that brings forth such wonderful expression. The general public may never “get” looping, and that may not be such a bad thing. Will the proliferation of looping devices bring forth a flood of great “new” music? I think not. Just as the plethora of electric guitars has only guaranteed a bounty of mediocre music, mass acceptance of looping tools might only bring more cookie-cutter, loop-derived drivel. And while I have heard a great number of creative and fascinating things done with programs like Acid and Live!, I have heard just as much dreck (things I sometimes refer to as “the UPN soundtrack-syndrome). I think most of us on this list are musicians. Musicians who loop. The many of you I have heard, and shared the stage with, at the various LoopFests have had wonderfully diverse and creative things to say. My suggestion to gain greater public acceptance of looping: keep on being wonderfully diverse and creative. Be musical. Keep being supportive of each other. I for one would be interested in seeing more interaction by loopers. Most of us seem to work solo (the one man band thing, which again is not a bad thing), but it is, regardless of loops or not, the interaction between musicians which brings forth some of the “magic” which is not only one of the “higher” actions of music, but also one of those things which audiences find so entertaining. Yours in loopage, Max _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com