RE: BrotherSync and promoters with loop bias.

["Krispen Hartung" <info@krispenhartung.com>]

Really good points, and I like where this thread is going.   I agree
that having another musician along for the ride, even if they aren't
looping with you, can help with the interaction. Here in Boise, there is
another local solo artist who sings, plays guitar, and plays percussion.
I invite him to about 50% of my gigs and he usually just plays hand
percussion over my looping.  It is amazing watching a percussionist play
to my loops, because many of them have no time signature, or are in odd
times like 7/4, 7/8, etc.   I also plan on inviting a friend violin
player as well. 

Here's another idea I highly recommend. I've done this twice, and I am
starting again in November at a local venue. My good friend of 30 years
is an artist/painter. At two gigs (April-May), I had him set up and
paint along side me. He cranked out 5 or 6 amazing water colors that
were in reaction to what I was playing. And likewise, I was watching his
work and was mutually impacted.  This idea is nothing new....it was
called a "happening" in the 60's and some folks are starting up again. I
plan on doing this more now. The crowd really gets off on it....it's a
multi-media live art experience, both ways, because almost everything I
do live is spontaneous composition.  Since then, folks are asking when
we were are going to do that again.

Finally, here is something I want to start doing, but just can't afford
the $1600 PC projector.  As some of you know already, I have a new DVD
out which uses my latest looping CD as a soundtrack over videos of live
microscopic organisms, which I shot with my USB enabled microscope.
What I'd like to do is show that video, minus the sound-track, on a
screen behind me. Better yet is if I could bring in my microscope and
some live specimens...that would really interesting.

I like that "shoe gazer mode" comment...funny. I find that I easily zone
out the audience, with my chin resting on the body of my acoustic
guitar, foot hovering over my EDP controller buttons, etc.  I once
started a gig, zoned out for 20 minutes on a single song, and looked up
to find 25 more people hanging out. On the flip side, at the end of a
late night gig on a weeknight, I zoned out, looked up, and the
restaurant was closing!  It's like looping is some sort of mind-altering
opiate or something.  One can easily lose all conception of space and
time.

Kris


-----Original Message-----
From: Matthias Grob [mailto:matthias@grob.org] 
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2004 11:55 AM
To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
Subject: RE: BrotherSync and promoters with loop bias.


precious Bill Walker said:
>PS to Krispen. regarding promoter resistance to looping. I had a
>related conversation with the local producer of a public access TV 
>program called Musicians Weekly that I took part in last fall.. We 
>were speaking at a party I had just performed a loop set at, and 
>rather than play solo like I usually do, I had a good friend and 
>outstanding drummer sit in with me for my set, and basically listen 
>and interact with my loop inventions. He (Ron, the TV guy) was 
>talking about how his experience tapping loopers is ,that we don't 
>make particularly interesting subject matter from a visual 
>standpoint. The extreme case being, in some instances the artist in 
>question took to much time in the building and creation of the loop 
>ideas, and lets face it, watching someone look at their rack is not 
>that interesting.(no matter how cool the gear is LOL) But at the 
>crux of his feedback was that, what was being lost was the 
>interaction between the musicians, the human interplay, that is 
>really vital to draw people in. He went on to say in regards to my 
>set, was that just by having another musician to provide a foil, 
>made a big difference from an audience standpoint. I would tend to 
>agree. There are certainly loop soloists,  that come to mind ,that 
>I've seen,  that can definitely hold your attention for a set. But 
>the often times static nature of looping can have a decidedly 
>lulling effect rather than an exciting one.  I would consider myself 
>a fairly introverted guy,  even though I like to perform, but I have 
>to stay conscious of not lapsing in to shoe gazer mode.  So I work 
>at trying to make my live looping thing more interesting by being 
>more engaging with the audience, and keeping my loop ideas 
>constantly morphing. And I'm also rethinking the whole solo loop 
>thing and leaning towards working more in a duo setting, again.  I 
>realize from an economic standpoint that doing a solo act has its 
>advantage$, but I must say I miss the interaction with a real human.

this is important talk!

I started looping solo as probably anybody starts to practice any
instrument. I still think that for some more meditational uses or to
follow 
visual elements or dancers, its great to be able to creat all sound 
allone since the interaction with other musicians can disctract from 
the focus of such creations. BUT:

I agree with Bill and Ron that for the public its much more 
interesting to follow interaction! Also, the best way learn from 
others is to play together. Its not just the technique we observe but 
rather the feel, its as if one could introduce his "channel" to the 
fellow musican, who can call it himself from then on...

I have loved doing duos since the 80ies (have a listen to my 
recordings with Marcio Miranda, its even possible with only one short 
loop unit!) and up to date, I play rather EDP duos than solo shows, 
mostly with Giba...

At that time I found that syncronizing of several looping units was 
cruxial to maintain the equilibrated interaction between musicians. I
observe its quite boring for a musician to follow the loops of 
another without being able to do his own loops.
Non synced loops can be intersting but sooner or later, especially if 
you want to get closer to public taste and dance movement, Sync 
becomes important.
So I designed BrotherSync in a way that alows any musician to start a 
new timing which then the other musicians can follow or not.
I hoped that this feature safes us from loneliness and uninteresting
shows. I am a bit worried that its not used enough. It takes a little
practice. Please try it before you go on stage and jam away with
partners, 
getting lost in some technical problem!
But its not dificult, made to flow without thinking, just like most 
other EDP features...

How about a BrotherSync workshop before the shows at the Santa Cruz 
festival, Rick?
-- 


          ---> http://Matthias.Grob.org