Much is said about audiences not knowing the difference between someone
hitting play on a computer that has complete tracks stored
Yes Waaaay too much!
My experience is that people really do get, viscerally, when someone is playing something in real time
that they loop and then play other things against (including other loops).
I think this is partially true. ANYONE who has any musical or technical interest will probably spot the difference, but I think there are many many audience members that have NO IDEA what is going on, on stage, and are just lost in the music, enjoying what they hear. We dont go to concerts to merit the performers technical ability, we go there to have a good time.
But after years in the buisines, I think one becomes tainted and a wonderful artist, who cheats a bit, will seem less interesting to us, than the oblivious fan, because WE know what they are doing.
But who is really losing out here?
But I think I can agree that I, like you Rick, am disappointment when I see a cheat on stage.
A couple of artists in recent years, who shall remain nameless, have only played in real time over
loops or samples that were pre-recorded.
Indeed, The my old band Cranes had a backing tape for things that we had created on tapeloops, or spliced together in the studio, or employed an orchestra for. (Or we couldnt play cos the orginal was sequnced Piano, that none of us could managed) Which of the above was a cheat? The last example of course, but then we all better stop using things like argegiators and sequencers... (Unless we use these boxes live??? Is that it? Is that the distinction here?
A recorded drum beat, is a cheat, but looped infront of the audience is not? Do all loops songs have to start with a drum-beat build up section, while we wait for the song to start? Are we RESTRICTED by the LIVE part of Live Looping, now, so we cannot use tools that the rest of the music industry has no problem with?
I'm iffy here...
The energy of their sets was really markedly different
from the ones that didn't take this approach.
Of course, our loop festival audiences are not typical
but many people complained about these performances after the fact. They bothered me, to be honest.
But this is context Rick, They are performers at YK LIVE LOOPING FESTIVAL!!! They damn well better Loop Live! I myself am prone to using ... er... well just beats actually, but at your request, refrained from using PRE MADE beats during my performance last year. I used Arpegiated stuff, I used heavily treated audio from my rather noisy guitar, but chopped into little fragments and triggered like beats.. but no actual beats...no actual pre-recorded loops. For the audience was there a difference?
But that is the WHOLE POINT of your festival Rick, so there its OK, its an experiment!
The fact of the matter is it's infinitely easier to do all of your looping ahead of your performance
and then just fly them in as is musically suitable.
Sure...
To me, it's much more dangerous to have to pull all of one's tech off in front of an audience;
Certainly, but does a musical performance HAVE to be dangerous? Does that make it better?
That's why , despite the fact that no one could tell from merely a recording of a performance whether someone
looped live or just flew in pre-recorded loops or samples, I think there is a huge difference between the two
and this is why I am proud to be a live looping artist.
There is a huge difference yes, and I love Live looping!. It has defined my music for that last 15 years, but we are loopers Rick, I don't think we need to impose our rules for "keepin it real" on all other musical genres! You, yourself are big fan of NIN, and although they do these showy tricks infront of a crowd to show how "live" they are, the fact is, there is shit-loads on tape, any of Pretty Hate Machine NEEDS masses of pre-made stuff, it just wouldn't sound the same!
This is why I specifically make the distinction that the Y2K Festivals are Live Looping Festivals
and why I send out a performance agreement before booking people a spot on the festival.
Out of 11 years of performance only two artists have disregarded the rules about creating live looping
content in front of the audience. We'll have to have a heart to heart talk if those artists ever want to
play the festival again.
I dont know who these preformers were or what they sounded like, but shure, if they were sounding like looping, but had it all premade, at a looping festival, I would agree, but... I dunno.. using premade stuff, cleverly spun in using technology , at the right moments, in synch with the song.. Sounds pretty accomplished to me.. in another way...
If your answer to this is that, these "other artists" (Like NIN for example) are not SAYING that they are Live Loopers, so then its ok.. then.. OK then.. I AM NOT A LIVE LOOPER! I cant be.. I am a musican playing in a repetitive style, and I create it as I play.
I am a Repetitive Improvisor!
Lets not get too anal here?
Mark
