Re: roots (and dj's)

[improv@peak.org (Dave Trenkel)]

>Aha! This is a lead. Any Musique Concrete experts hanging about? I thought
>there may have been people who experimented with records as a musical tool
>before tape loops, but wasn't sure. Does anybody know more details about
>that? I'd love to know who these people were and who inspired them.
>
Well, I'm no expert, but look into Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaefer as a
start. Henry was doing some amazing things with tape in the 60's, and I
believe some of Schaefer's early work was with wire recorders, imagine
splicing that!

>This brings up another branch in the looping family tree that hasn't been
>touched on at all yet: dj's. Over the past twenty years or so the craft of
>spinning records has been elevated into a musical art of its own. I've
>heard some really stunning and creative music coming from guys with a
>couple of turntables and a box of records. For the longest time I was just
>completely baffled as to how they did this. I finally had the opportunity
>to watch up close, and I was even more impressed, if still baffled. I
>definitely did not come away thinking "Gee, I could do that."
>
I saw DJ Spooky, out of NYC, perform her in Oregon last weekend, a totally
amazing show, honestly on the level of seeing Hendrix or Sun Ra. An
absolutly virtuosic performance of real-time music-concrete. His slogan is
"Gimme twoe records and I'll build you a universe", and he's not bragging.

>Anyway, the dj-musician is really employing loops, using a different
>technical approach than those of us using delays, real-time loopers,
>samplers, and our computers. I'm sure some dj's employ these tools as 
>well,
>I don't know. I know Roland and Akai both make looping products aimed at
>dj's, generally called phrase samplers. As you might guess, I'm fascinated
>by this topic. I'd really like to know how dj's approach their music and 
>do
>their thing. And what the history is and where the influences came from. I
>think some really interesting cross-pollination could happen as well.
>
Spooky seemed to be using some kinds of delay processors, and maybe a
phrase sampler built into his dj coffin, along with 2 turntables and a CD
player. As far as influences, the liner notes to his excellent "Songs of a
Dead Dreamer" CD mention Mcluhan, Deleuze and Guatari, and Foucault. Not
exactly you're usual suspects...

Actually, after the DJ Spooky performance, I'm looking for dj's to
collaborate with. Anybody know anyone in the NW?