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Looper's Delight
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youhou ! I finally managed to upload the little video of Jon Wagner and me at Loopstock 2002 to http://youtube.com/matigrob The VHS did not run quite at the same speed as the DAT recording, but I adjusted and mixed the two and compressed the line recording since the camera also compressed the mic recording... the 10min limit did not help much... if you want to hear the whole piece, but edited: http://matthias.grob.org/pMusic/CDsE.htm - called "the main part" I claim its **the first video of a synced livelooping act**. Please correct me if I am wrong! when searching for loopstock files, I found this mail I wrote in the air plane on the way to CA. I re-post it here because it the emotions about this meeting. Its not just that we all met for the first time physically (lots of: "oh, you are that one, what a pleasure!", I only had met Kim before!), but it was not even quite clear why we made all that effort... but we felt great! Matthias wrote in Feb 28, 2002: I am flying over the wast snowy US, full of expectations for new experiences. I have only been twice to US for a longer time: A raft trip down the Mississippi and hippy car travel to SF in '81 (where I had my first grass flash at Height street!) A month at Gibson lab in '93 to update the LOOP delay to the Echoplex (thats when I met Kim). This time will be much different again, since I have the guitar with me. ... and I let the thoughts come: There have been congresses about any kind of subject, where information is exchanged through speech and text. There have been religious meetings to celebrate rituals of all kinds. There have been concerts, festivals, where fans of some style appreciated it together. There have been workshops, where practical knowledge has been taught in more or less free forms. But have you heard of a meeting of users of a new technology or style? Did the saxophone players meet in the 40ies to show the wide application of it to each other? Or the synthesizer players in the 60/70ies? Or have you heard that musicians of some style met in a bigger number in a organized way to exchange their music and tricks? What is it that looping has to call for such meetings? Its not just now that it started. I don't know about the history, please complete here. I had that vision from the very start and in 1992, on the first flyer about the LOOP delay, I suggested the foundation of: "LOOPGROOP, Forum for Loopology and repetitive happenings". In '95, I started the first project to exchange tapes, which was not a success (since I was too far away and I am not a talent in organizing such things) but the tapes sent in ended up on the first Loopers- Delight CD. Only Kim and the internet made the exchange possible, and if you read back the first postings to LD, you don't see "nice that there is a place now where I can ask how to connect my equipment" but: ....... Then more CDs, the CT project, Loop festivals kept naturally happening, initiated by many different people. So its not like a religion that starts due to the inspiration of a guru, but due to the "thing" that makes us invest time and efforts into a community. Its as if we did believe in something that grows. Sure, the Rastas believe in Reggae, but first of all they believe in Jah, so its not the music that makes them meet. Country music has some background with cows and hats and trucks that I don't understand much about, but is definitely a lifestyle. Similar observations can be made about all musical styles, but not about looping, so far, or could you? Even newer styles like techno, that also started as an anarchistic movement have a distinct beat and sound (and drug ;-), which is not the case at all for the loopers community. So I am wondering more and more what the "thing" in looping is. Do you believe in loops? Sounds silly. Do you believe in the Echoplex? Sounds even more silly. Do you believe in Reilly, Fripp, Glass,,, Some may do so, but since those idols sound very different, its not what makes the meetings happen. Are there leaders to the group? There are always people that have thought and experienced more than others, so we listen better to what Richard Z, DT, Kim,,, says, but if anyone of those would ask you to do a certain thing, you would laugh out loud, so they have no power, the whole movement is anarchistic! Maybe its about improvising. Looping definitely gives a new dimension to it. Then again, some of the best works are not improvised... Gary Hall got me from the air port and said more or less: "Its an approach to composition based on interaction between the musician and the processing." We may have discussed it enough. There is no need for a conclusion, we just do what we feel is right and enjoy and learn and grow... I just wanted to say that I am extremely exited about being here in CA ! :-) See you soon! Matthias -- ---> http://Matthias.Grob.org