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Looper's Delight
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I think there are not that many women who loop for very concurrent though specific and subtle reasons. the majority of loop work people will see & hear let alone the loop stuff folks actually are aware of is visually represented by men who are almost always overly analytical, gear driven as opposed to being inclusive feeling in texture and overall attractiveness ( be it physical attractiveness, social or frivilous, etc). Plus most loop music just feels like a guy thing with an anti-social or detached-intellectual guy perspective. And when i say anti social i mean in a way that is boring as opposed to invigorating or inspiring more than just others like themselves. Most loop music and musicians are always looking for affirmation amongst themselves and it always perpetuates itself. But how many times can you preach to he converted ? most loiop artists seem to be content preaching to the converted and remain in very familiar and very safe looping contexts: art galleries, coffee shops...not many loopers seem to me be playing to anyone other than their own. and to illustrate what i mean, look at this analogy which is quite obvious and may seem a bit like apples and pineapples to the die hard loop dudes but here goes: lillith fair compared to robert fripp soundscapes...two different crowds (i know) but they both conjure up clear and concise images of what their respective audiences will look like. which audience seems to attract more women ? I have yet to hear loop material other than AKASH ( but i'm in AKASH so that is a very subjective statement - GRIN! ) that is truly from a female perspective but AKASH is a mix of men and women. AKASH goes a little further than having feminine and femininist perspectives by using BDSM and Fetish oriented porn, total nudity, dancers, go-go and images of male sexuality and male agressiveness reversed to fit a very very free thinking but manufactured lifestyle agenda ( shameless plugs - i know )... and unquestionably, the look and the image and the nudity AKASH puts out there goes with the music and attracting an audience. but with AKASH we do a lot of spoken word/improv & we have seen a fairly even mix at our shows where guys and girls all are represented evenly. and we were surprised because we thought that we would turn off a lot of women and men with our blatent sexual content but the response to AKASH live is just the opposite. Most of our audience tends to be unmarried couples and Married couples who are 25-35, lesbians, gays and even those overly analytical types both boy and girl but they are typically mixed evenly in representation. most loopers & this one in particular are trying really to be exclusive from a process and process execution point of view to only include what is necessary to the music. but I think loop musicians unintentionally end up making a lot of loop music that is exclusive to the point that the final product is uninviting and narrow. i would vconstantly get that feedbk from the women a lot in the beginning of AKASH. Also, loop performances are usually executed in contexts/venues that are not where women tend to go and or be interested in having their musical experience. Loop shows are usually held in venues that are off the typical beaten musical path where women I mean the women who will actually go to shows will hang. Add to that the fact that music in general does not matter that much anymore as it did b4 and most music is taken for granted. Hard to say more than what i have why loop music is so male dominanted cause well...remeber this is a very subjective male opinion i have but it is based on observing and playing a lot of loop performances. I have seen women looping and i have seen women at loop shows but always in small numbers. trick is with anything you do whether it is r&b, jungle, drum n bass or trance or even gamelan music...to attract people in more proprotionate #'s both men and women not only do folks have to dig you but u gotta make them wanna be like you. even ol fripp does that...he does it very well. Now who other than those who have been introduced to loop music ( by a guide ), who familiar with the artists who loop & the different styles and variations that are in between loops would appeal to someone, a woman that is unfamiliar with loop oriented material..there are not that many folks IMHO in terms of loop musicians who are good good guides to propel the music forward someplace beyond where it seems to always stand. Not saying i am any better than others but i'm saying that the same faces always tend to play to the same faces in loop performances ( not a bad thing either ) ...just a recipee for the status quo to always remain in the loop heiarchy. Regards, JP