Re: why we founded this list (So how and when can we get there?)

[Mark Sottilaro <zerocrossing@gmail.com>]

On Sun, Jul 19, 2009 at 11:14 AM, Ty Gott<Tygerman_GB@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Next, I'm going to break down live loopers on a continuum. One one side 
>is a
> looper that performs a complete impersonation of a top 40 band on the 
>other
> is an improvisational ambient sound looper. Lets use two dimensions to
> define the continuum.

I think this is where we get into dangerous territory.  I don't think
2 dimensions is nearly enough.  Handier to make a grok-able model, but
I think it forms too incomplete a picture. Even when I'm totally in
ambient mode I'm aware of meter and key, even if I'm ignoring both or
either.  Often I flip flop between ambient loops and add rhythmic
elements or modulate my ambiance in a rhythmic way.   No matter how
you slice it, if you have a loop start and stop point that happens
more than once, there is a fixed period of time and even that can be
"meter."

Then if you're talking "top 40" you can look at a guy like Brian Kenny
Fresno and see his clearly pop-song lay out of his tunes... and
calling him "top 40" or even "commercial" is impossible. (though he
does share some attributes with a guy like Beck)

The truth is, you could probably make any form of music we know today
using a basic EDP style of looper. So style surely does not define
"loopers" even though there's a degree the technology may facilitate
some structures more than others. I'm not even sure about this, but
there sure are a lot of noodely ambient prog rockers on this list (me
included).

Then you have the kids who really play their loopers like Per Boysen
and Andre LaFosse as opposed to someone like me who actually has a
pretty simple looper set up and focuses on loop input and posts loop
manipulation via effects.

And don't forget the people who "dj" their pre-recorded loops. I've
seen really interesting things done with this type of audio collage
though I get the feeling that there's a lot of disdain for it on this
list. I think a lot of people got driven away from LD for that reason.
Maybe there needs to be some deviation between the two groups, but I
don't feel that way.

M