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Hi...just read your (lengthy) bio post on Looper's Delight. Sounds very interesting from a number of fronts. I am a bassist/looper, and I use sound treatments of the bass as my principle texture (in a very eno-esque sort of way). As of late I have been concerning myself with the acoustic bass, and treatments thereof, but had previously "dabbled" into the techno/dance/DnB styles using processed bass/bass loops and multiple drum loops. Your experience, creative and computer, sounds fascinating. I am writing you because I live in Tehachapi (in the mountains SE of Bakersfield) and come to SLO often (in fact will be there this weekend), and as an electronica/looping performer composer am always on the prowl for venues to play....and for possible collaborators. I have performed at several of the Northern California Festivals of Emerging Electronica, and the recent Solo Bass Looping Festival. I am very interested in what you are doing over there as far as the electronica/dance culture goes. Sounds as tho you might be creating a meld of the intellectual and viscereal.... I would like to open communications with you concerning A) possible collaborations between your computer-based electronica and my own bass-derived sonic manipulations. As a composer (several film scores/commercials) I am always eager for true collaborations...it seems to bring out my best. B) the possibility of performing in SLO soon and re-indulging my interest in loop-based dance music. C) My colleague Rick Walker (Loop.pooL) ...a freq. contributor to Looper's Delight and promoter of many NorCal Looping events, as well as a world class percussionist and outstanding electronica artist and producer...a planning a small (california) LoopFest Tour and would like to put SLO in that itinerary. Perhaps you can help us out there. Previous Looping Festivals have been quite succesful (and fun). Please e-mail me if you are open to any of these ideas. Thanks for your time and consideration...Max Valentino >From: Catharsis <catharsis@egregious.net> >Reply-To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com >To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com >Subject: Introduction (long) >Date: Fri, 02 Mar 2001 00:11:24 -0800 > > >There were so many people in their early to mid-'20s at the gig who were >COMPLETELY into the show, and I can't imagine that many of them had a >serious history of "out" >listening (though I could be wrong, certainly). >Any thoughts on this? > >This turned out longer than I thought it would. I will probably rewrite >this for a bio on my web page! Sorry if this is off topic; I am just >trying >to find some context in an irrational world. You guys got the first >draft.. >;) > >Well, I just joined the list a week ago in time to catch the "out" thread >which surprised me! I usually don't post quickly, but this list is on >target to where I want to be going and how could I not with the "out" >thread. I will give a detailed description of my background (only because >I >think I might find context on this list; I am an alien to my peers). I >explain my situation as being one of a new generation that grew up with a >computer since day one. IE My family purchased a Tandy Model I in 1980 and >since then I had access to computers. > >I am 22 and have been a guitarist for 16 years. I mainly had a collection >of instrumental artists (Satriani, Johnson, Vai, etc.) until I started >seriously programming in C in '92 and got online around the same time >(spent $400 of summer money on a used 14.4 USR Robotics HST; 2-3 years >before v.32bis became cheap and affordable). By '94 I came in contact with >electronic oriented genres and actually my first "out" purchase was the >Swans -- Greed.. This was a shock for sure at 16 coming from a fundamental >family/world view; I'm a fine and "well adjusted" now; sort of! ;) Joy >Division, Coil, Death In June, Dead Can Dance. 80's/ early 90's EBM; >Future >Sound of London; IDM; all sorts of dance music whether it was trance or >goa. I really had an industrial kick for a while; Skinny Puppy, 242, etc. >later on all imported electro industrial. Electro industrial has really >gone downhill in the last couple of years (IE most of it is like bad >trance >with a singer! Ack!). Funny thing is that although I was a closet guitar >player; I never could afford a lot of equipment and had no means/knowledge >to do any quality multitrack recording, so I was held up in that aspect. >Lost many songs years ago! Mostly I created one continuos jamming >experience. I guess I could explain. > >Oh, yeah moved from the San Francisco area to San Luis Obispo to attend >Cal >Poly for computer science in '96 (what a joke! Being that I was self >taught >for 4 years prior I hammered my first year here and completed my senior >project the summer after my freshman year; >http://www.egregious.net/~catharsis/spasm/; the rest has been formality >and >it is dragging on too long! IE I can barely stand any of the classes! I >hate Cal Poly due to the lack of interdisciplinary opportunities; the fun >stuff really occurs when you combine say computers and music!). > >I ran a monthly industrial club night from April '98 to April '99. Around >mid 1998 I picked up turntables and put down the guitar (no resources to >record!). No one DJ/mixed in this area at the time although there was a >small rave scene that lasted for nine months in 1996/97 (one of the DJs; >Morgan; is getting big in the SF area now; though he is all cheese and >certainly not the "pioneer" that he claims to be). Amazingly SLOs record >stores have remained untouched and not rummaged through like SF in the >late >80's early 90's. I was absolutely shocked one day when I went up to the >loft in one of the stores and where I uncovered approximately 300-400 >pristine copies (and double copies) of now obscure 80's EBM. Not only >that.. stuff like Klaus Schulze, Jean Michel Jarr (all his records in >pristine condition), I still need to go rummage around some more and see >if >I can find anything crazy like Stockhausen, etc. I was never into Nine >Inch >Nails, but for example the Pretty Hate Machine 12" and the single Sin were >just sitting there factory sealed for $7 and $5 respectively (I would like >to see what Ebay would fetch for those two!). > >At this time the monthly club I was running was coming to a halt as my >group of friends (the _other_ 3 or 4 old school goth/industrial folks in >the area graduated and moved back to SF or LA). I met another >programmer/student early in '99 that was into electronic music (the rave >side of things). He was from Sacramento. We met at the college radio >station and trained in the same quarter. So, I started DJing a lot of >trance, tried out drum and bass, a little goa, tried to mix industrial >(and >gave up on it at the time), picked up on London acid techno (couldn't >really get a grasp on DJing it). I always had a little techno (the real >genre) on CD (mainly prototype 909/Jammin' Unit. I never got into mixing >techno as I did not understand it. Sure I could mix trance like no other >(song to song; clean mixes; a little overlap and melodic counterpoint), >but >techno was so repetitive and confusing. We scored an electronic mix show >over the summer and that continued for a year until the station cancelled >it because they are blind conformist indie rockers (90% of Cal Poly is >frat/sorority material; 72% of the county voted for Bush; need I say >more?). We actually pulled off a rave with lasers and a 5000 watt sound >system at Cal Poly fall of '99. That went marginally well; we lost $500 on >it. A couple new faces showed up in SLO that liked electronic music so we >formed a little group around the radio show. Also during the fall of '99 a >record store in SLO liquidated their vinyl stock and I stumbled on the >techno section... 200 techno records from '94 to '98; for $2 each; I >talked >them down to $1.50 and could afford 50 of them wished I could buy them >all.. Man... Some cool stuff.. Still did not know how to DJ it. > >I took some time off of college to work and between the both of us we were >able to buy a Cerwin Vega Intense sound system. We both already owned >tables and I had a good DJ mixer (Pioneer DJM 500); he has a DJM 600 now; >has a small sampler which is fun for looping (yeah I'm on topic now!) ;) I >bought a Mackie 1642 and Mackie SRM 450 monitors along with splitting the >rest of the system with him. This was my first experience at actually >having some studio equipment. Unfortunately, the SRM 450s are great for >live gigs, but not great for studio work at lower volumes! I also have to >tear out my mixer and destroy my studio weekly and whenever else we use >the >sound system due to needing the 1642 for the live rig. Grrr... This is >frustrating! Once we pay off the system though the collective will buy the >1642 and I will be able to upgrade to an Allen & Heath 14:4:2. > >Anyway, we decided to take a risk (one of the biggest I have taken) and >buy >this sound system without even knowing if we could start a dance music >scene (rave; or whatever you want to call it; I am involved with dance >music because I can pay for equipment; and it is fun!). We started a >weekly >club called Bad Monkey January 2000 and it was an astounding success as no >one else (collective or otherwise) on the central coast was doing a weekly >electronic event. Unlike the metropolitan area dance music scenes which >turned into over blown for profit ventures around '95 we kept it more to >the foundation of that movement. Bad Monkey is a non-profit community club >where we charge $3 and $5 regardless of the size of the guest DJ (we had >to >break this once with when hosting a really big DJ that would not work with >our budget). We are the only club night in town that will pay local DJs a >decent wage ($50/hour; anywhere else it is $10/hour); out of towners more >of course depending on ability. We still are paying off the sound system >after 70 events, but it should be paid off by May through artistic means >alone; this feels good; though my back is broken from moving it around >weekly! We do not promote drugs and we certainly do not look towards SF or >LA to define our electronic music culture as it is blown out and >commercial. SLO is weird... > >Although things were great for the first 6 months average attendance has >dropped to 150 (peak nights still get to 300, but that is rare as we are >all students; except for me currently; and don't have time to constantly >promote) and that does not give us a lot to work with after we cover >operating/maintenance expenses. The club has been the best thing in my >life >and the hardest since it is thrown together by a rag tag group of young >adults (kids if you must) who come from all sorts of musical backgrounds >(actually, mainly a lack thereof). We don't get along, but are forced to >due to the area. My perspective on how to deal with people has grown >tremendously with this experience. I am also the oldest along with my >partner Greg who is 23 in this areas electronic music scene. > >Musically it has been awesome and very rewarding. I have had the gear and >venue to learn how to perform live (develop the ear). We got in contact >(random email) with a Canadian booking agent/promoter on the third week of >running the club and secured our first big performance from the >international DJ/producer Chris Liberator (London acid techno) on the >sixth >week (just happens he was in LA and needed a Wednesday night gig). We had >300 people "off their tits" as they would say in the UK that night. Not on >drugs, but the music. Liberator decimated all of us >(http://badmonkey.egregious.net/pictures/picture.cgi?pict=2_23_00/2_23_00_14 >). He performed a set that technically blew us away. He did things that I >just was beginning to conceive of yet had no guts or ability to try in >regard to mixing. He was a techno DJ.. I studied the DAT religiously for >the next month; now techno is my preferred genre and style to DJ actually >there is no going back... IE there are no rules; the music is minimal; the >DJ must make it interesting via mixing and abusing the mixer (looping >anyone?). Liberator told all of his friends about the place and we hosted >a >total of 5 UK producers in the first 6 months of last year. > >Another UK producer we hosted was DDR. He performed a live PA with a 909, >303, sampler (S3000), and Mackie 1604 mixing board. It astounded and >fascinated me. He came back up the next month (was in LA for a while) for >another UK performers date (Gizelle; first US appearance) and I was able >to >question him on his live PA. I figured out that he was using the 909 as a >sequencer and for a couple of its drum sounds. When I mentioned this a >smile came over his face and we started to talk tech. Wow.. The UK guys >really helped me get a foothold on electronic production as I can ask them >questions and they will get back to me. They also helped me to gain a more >global view of music and life in general (politics/society). > >So, I basically have taken the whole last year off of college to run the >club night (attending school minimally to not have to file for a leave of >absence; I pulled some strings that is for sure; that is another story >though)! I did some computer contracting last spring that allowed me to >buy >an Akai S6000 around April. I was able to borrow a Novation Supernova >(don't have this guy anymore) and also an Alpha Juno 2 w/ pg300. I had >enough money to not work all summer (took a couple of classes during the >fall; heh heh). I also bought Curtis Roads Computer Music Tutorial along >with a couple of other academic books last April; this was my first >introduction to computer music/producing/recording. I quickly got up to >speed on some of the latest electronic music once I figured out the >concept >of microsound (www.microsound.org). I'm just pissed that I can't afford a >Mac to have access to Max/MSP (Make the damn port Kit!) and Supercollider. >All of this combined with the Internet (been culture jamming for years) >allowed me to "drop out"... I have been able to contract off an on for >short periods of time and spend the rest of my time working with my studio >and DJing. I am spending a large part of my time with the up front logical >side of building a studio and learning the ropes/tools before digging too >deep into the creative aspect (my process has drastically changed in the >last month let alone the next month!). Recent acquisitions are a Pod Pro, >RNC 1773, Nuendo w/Waves plugins, ADAT board for my sampler, RME >Hammerfall, Emagic Logic. I hope to get a Fernandez Sustainer (guitar), >the new Sherman filter, Aardvark Q10, Mackie 824s in the next month. I am >picking back up the guitar as I now have the means to record myself! > >Recently I have become aware of the very small microtonal community via >the >book Harmonic Experience by WA Mathieu and the alternate tuning list. I >have not formally studied any music theory and I am having a rough time, >but I am approaching it from a unique angle (for me); just intonation. So >much of it is over my head by miles not feet.. :( IE non 12 TET. > >I am currently having a good time reading African Rhythm and African >Sensibility by John Miller Chernoff. > >I also subscribe to Computer Music Journal and I received the latest issue >last week. It came with a sample CD and when I flipped it over I was >amazed >at the content I saw. There were tracks from Coil, Taylor Deupree (ex >Prototype 909), Thomas Brinkmann, Kim Cascone; among many other familiar >commercial microsound artists. The forward from Joel Chadabe is great and >first article from Kim Cascone amazed me as well. > >Kim Cascone, 'The Aesthetics of Failure: 'Post-Digital' Tendencies in >Contemporary Computer Music', Computer Music Journal, 24:4 (2000), pp. >12-18 > >I contacted MIT Press to reprint it, but instead they put it online as a >sample: >http://mitpress.mit.edu/journals/COMJ/sample-article.html > >It closely matches and complements what I will call my aesthetic of >imperfection. techno DJing and live performance is wacky after all.. Of >course none of my ideas are new; just recycled due to isolation. I'm sure >a >lot of the looping community thrives on an aesthetic of imperfection. > >Anyway, this article sums up why I started with electronic music; it is >common knowledge to me, but maybe not to most. I am amazed that the >academic community is recognizing the commercial sector (actually it is >about time)! Who knows maybe the commercial sector will pull ahead of >academic circles for computer music. It has happened in practically every >other computer related industry. One just has to look at CSound and >realize >that it will be quite an arduous task to modernize it with a majority of >that communities consent. > >Oh yeah, I'm going to finish my undergrad in this upcoming year and get on >with it. Actually I just enrolled in one of the only music courses I am >interested in at Poly -- synthesis (there used to be a class called >acoustic communication which covered non 12 tet tunings among other >things, >but it was cancelled because the students could grasp it; duh! I guess). I >probably have already covered the ground that this class will focus on, >but >I'll keep an open mind. I'm just taking it to get as much time as possible >on the fully loaded Kyma system Poly has in order to do some massive sound >design. Heh heh... ;) > >All this has really given me an interesting perspective on life in America >(economics/culture/politics/foreign policy/philosophy). > >My eyes are wide open.... Regardless of what I know I realize how little I >really do truly understand. I bet I could learn some amazing things from >participants of this list. > >So, I am crazy, right? ;) My peer group thinks so... When I open my mouth >their eyes glaze over.. It sucks; really! > >I won't keep yabbering though. This list is about looping; can't wait for >the repeater group buy! > >Glad to meet all of you! > >--Mike (Catharsis) >PS: my web site has some DJ sets up online; I hope to finish some music >soon, but I am taking my time as the exploration is just beginning! > >Egregious >"Spiritual renewal through music for those outside the heard." >http://www.egregious.net/ > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com