Re: why do we loop?

[mark sottilaro <zerocrossing2001@yahoo.com>]

Ah Morpheus, you ask an interesting question.  I
counter your question with this: Why do we perform? 
Are we looping only for some validation from others? 
If we are not percieved my others do we cease to
exist?

This topic is near and dear to my heart, as I often
struggle with it.  I've found a few things in my day.

I'm not a professional.  That means the number of
times I play out per any given increment of time is
pretty low.  Because I never quite get used to it
there's always a level of stress (non performance
related) that I hate.  From the break down to the set
up to the "ooops, there's not enough
light/monitor/something else/ on the stage..." if
there is a stage.  Add that to performance related
stress (Am I going to fuck up?  Is my gear going to
fuck up?) and you have a night of general malease at
the very best.  Sure, a few moments of zen when you're
groov'n and the audience is digg'n are nice, but man
there's a price to get that.

In my studio I AM GOD.  I control the audio, video,
light, temp.  I can stop what I'm doing if I choose to
and reconfigure my system at my leisure.  I can invite
a friend to jam with, or not.  My system remains the
way it was when I last used it.  Because of this I can
get really intimate with it and get a lot out of it.

To counter some of the live issues I've tried to play
with a stripped down easy to set up and configure
system.  Problem is it's not what I'm used to and that
leads to issues.  Bringing everything makes it nice
and familar... but makes set up an hour long affair
with many points where mistakes can happen.  Nothing
like a gear failure to make a performance a nightmare.

Then there's this: Perhaps the audience is the
destroyer of art.  When I'm home with only myself as
audience I can really be free to create something that
I'm digging at the time.  If it's a horrific noise
fest I don't have to worry about emptying the club
because people came to drink and pick up girls.  I
don't have to answer questions like, "how much of that
is prerecorded?" (answer: none)

So I'll say  (for now) that I feel the most real loops
are the loops that exist alone in the woods.  Even
turning on your recorder will change how you play
something... knowing an audience is in the future.  I
do find this a bit more agreeable to my way of
thinking and playing.  That and I do not need
affirmation of my art to benifit from it.  I loop for
me.

Mark

--- Dennis Montgomery <morpheus@speakeasy.net> wrote:

> it...in other words, why do we loop?  I guess this
> question applies to 
> any type of artistic or creative activity that
> doesn't have public 
> performance as it's primary purpose.  It's like if a
> loop is running in 
> the forest and no one is there to hear it does it
> really make any sound? 
> 
> Dennis
> 
> 


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