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Looper's Delight
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In an attempt to answer Rick’s call, and to give some “list” of ideas for a better portrayal of the loopist’s craft in a live setting (and somehow avoid resurrecting the debate over the “live looping” moniker), I would like to, in some way, make an attempt to define and qualify (in the broadest of sense) just what we do in that forum. And so, the first question to ask is “is it important to have Looping Festivals?”. And, if so, what purpose do they serve? My own answer to this is an emphatic “yes”. The necessity of the events can be illustrated simply by the mutual support, inspiration, and, yes, sense of community they conjure. By this I do not mean a self-congratulatory, ego-fulfillment exhibition, but rather an opportunity to support, share and learn from other musicians working with loops; all being divergent in style, setup, hardware and/or software and instruments etc., yet still offering inspiration, ideas and support of each other. I believe I have mentioned here before that all artistic movements (and here I would like to NOT address looping as a sort of pretentious “movement”, yet still offer the “craft” of looping has had a substantial impact on the “craft” of music production, regardless of style or genre, and with this as a given fact, we as loopists (loopsters?) ARE actually in the spearhead of a movement, or evolution, of sorts in how music is composed, performed , produced and recorded) have swelled from a similar “self-supporting” system of the artists themselves. Oftentimes, the small community of like-minded, or similarly inclined, artists ARE the only ones giving support, credence and exposure to a “style”, form or school of expression. Yet, looping (both live and otherwise) is somewhat unique as its’ “school of expression” is so diverse in style and form. This is/can be both beneficial and a hindrance to the further popularizing of looping techniques and music. “Looping” itself does not describe the music, but rather is a general term for a technique used in developing a great number of different musics..and as such CAN be a rather hard sell for an audience (tho I must say, Rick has done a remarkable job of “exposing” us and what we do to the public and the press). So, what is the purpose of having a “Looping Festival”? To give a public forum to artists who may, due to the nature of their work, find it difficult to get a gig? Yes, this would be partially correct. Looping lends itself to experimentation, and thusly experimental music. These events DO give a chance for some artists to perform works which they might not have an opportunity to perform anywhere else. Yet all looping is not “experimental” (or even “electronic”) music. Do these events raise the public awareness of a “new” (and we all know that does not mean brand spankin’ new…) musical technique of composition, improvisation and performance of which they are aurally aware of yet not popularly conscious of? Again, this would also be true. But there is the rub. Although the public has been made aware, both consciously and sub-consciously, and certainly well primed from acceptance of these techniques and technologies, they really don’t care. As a composer and performer, I am keenly aware that MOST of my audience really does not care that piece I wrote may have been constructed of five note cadences, reharmonized in 4 measure patterns with a rhythm structure derived from the intervallic relationships of those cadences..not do they care of the clever, implied tension achieved by use of the Lydian mode..or about my signal chain or MIDI tapped delay times. They only care that sonically, texturally and musically it appeals to them or not, and that as a performance it was presented in a way which was both challenging (though not too challenging) and entertaining. Yes, entertaining. NO, it does not have to be like a rock concert, rave or any other similar event. But I think we do need to look at what is “entertaining” to audiences. Probably the biggest thing is acknowledging that the audience is there. This is the shoe-gazing syndrome, which seems to permeate these events. And though it is a daunting and difficult job to control the level of technology some of us employ in a live rig, the challenge remains to inject some levity, humor, interaction or even dialogue with audience. The act of looping is quite technologically focused. And technology can be both mesmerizing and scary to an audience. It is important to make our “sets” less like clinics and more like performances. I think it the duty and responsibility of the performer to add a human face, so to speak, to the technology involved, and I think Rick gave some nice examples of that in his post. Looping is not the “ultimate one-man-band”. Often times we tend to fill things up simply ‘cos we can, in some sort of weird way of becoming that ultimate one-man-band. I think it important to play to your strengths. In the role of a solo performer, that means BEING a solo performer…granted one with loops, but just because you CAN use midi drum loops, and countless textural loped atmospheres, does not mean you SHOULD. Work with the limitations of being a solo performer, and make the music matter more than the machines. And on that note…learning to be more concise in your musical phrasing, in this case with looping, can add heaps to what the audience perceives as entertaining. Far too often we take far too long to get to the musical Point. One thing I have always admired about Andre LaFosse (and learned from him!) is that even with his deepest, most complex EDP techniques, he gets right to the point musically. He does not just let a loop run because it is running. The loops bend to his will. One thing audiences really do grab onto is the internal dialogue in music. At most LoopFests, the roster is filled with solo performers. I would love to see more interaction ‘tween performers…even groups, duos, trios etc. where the music is NOT just loops, but where the one or two folks doing loops are integral to the piece. One thing I have been working on lately is a trio where I do loops and bass with a live percussionist and vocalist. It has been a rewarding challenge to make what I do with loops fit with other musicians in song-forms. How about some of us “soloists” get together, as Jon W, Bill W and I did at Loopstock…or even start working with someone who is not looping… Many of the “sets” at loopfests are based around improvisations. I am a big fan of improvs..and am one of these culprits at the shows! Yet, to maintain diversity (and, BTW, this was something I really noticed at Y2K3) a balance of improv and composed sets is necessary………..but how about balancing improvs with composed pieces within your individual sets? Finally….the nature of looping festivals necessitates there be no soundchecks. As we all know, the more gear you bring the more can go wrong and the more a check IS necessary. Nothing can lose an audience than a tech check on stage, or those ten endless minutes of setting levels, plugging and re-plugging, and checking boxes and LEDs the audience cannot see. Try limiting yourself gear-wise; use only what is necessary, and try to “pre-wire” as much of your rig as possible. Practice with it..get to know it so any troubleshooting on stage is minimal. I have recently taken to doing gigs with only a DL4, which forces me to make my performances much more musically oriented; the loops being part of the music and the music being part of the loops. I think what we have dubbed “Looping Festivals” are important events. Yet, I think sometimes we mis-read the title. They are not so much festivals of Looping, but rather festivals of music made using live audio loops. There is an important difference. Max _________________________________________________________________ Tired of slow downloads and busy signals? Get a high-speed Internet connection! Comparison-shop your local high-speed providers here. https://broadband.msn.com