RE: Who's on the forefront of loopmuse?

[Kim Flint <kflint@chromatic.com>]

At 03:50 PM 2/3/98 -0500, John Price wrote:
>Gosh darn it! Im feelin awful chatty today. 
>
>The forefront of Looping today is on what most here would undoubtedly
consider the lowbrow side of all things loop that is if you are prone to
categorizing things. 
>
>IMHO - It's the dance floor dude that is still driving things loopey for
the majority of the world - Musicians and audiences included.


I tend to agree with this, although it's not always so lowbrow as you might
think. A lot of that is a bit of a pose, and often times the people behind
it are very sophisticated musicians. The possibilities for innovation and
creativity are huge, and a lot of talented people have moved in that
direction to take advantage of it. Andre did a nice job of commenting on
that, no need for me to add anything there.

The dance/electronic/hip-hop/etc. scene is definitely where I see all the
innovation in looping as a method, as a process, as a tool, as a type of
music. I see people there constantly pushing to evolve things and do
something different, move it to the next level. The musicians, the 
audience,
the dj's, and the press all seem to support and encourage that, it's
ingrained in the scene in an interesting and healthy way. Loop concepts 
grow
by leaps and bounds there. 

Another spot of innovation would be the solo instrumentalists, integrating
loops into compositions and performances in interesting new ways, expanding
their reach. I think you see that here in the many people looping with
fingerstyle guitar, or cello, or voice. Probably there are innovative 
things
happening in the academic/high-brow world, but I just don't follow that
enough to know. 

Where I don't see much innovation with looping is in the droney guitar loop
scene, the stuff often associated with Fripp. The music may continue to be
vital and interesting, but the use of loops is pretty stagnant and
complacent. Sorry, but I just don't see anyone pushing the looping process
anywhere in that scene. (although it's possible that I just go so bored 
with
it I stopped paying attention.)

For me as a developer of loop devices, it is definitely the dance producers
who are driving things. They are the ones forcing the innovation in tools
and driving us with a constant flow of ideas. Trying to understand, meet,
and anticipate their needs so that a looping device might be an effective
instrument in that world is a very tough challenge! And the possibilities
are so huge and fresh, along with the sheer volume of creativity, that the
challenge is really quite exciting and fun. You really get the feeling that
when a new feature is introduced, someone will jump on it and do something
remarkable. 

With the droney guitar loop crowd, most of the push is to get one box that
does all the things that different boxes available 10-20 years ago did. And
that's certainly reasonable, but it's not exactly breaking new ground. You
give them something new and they barely notice, maybe getting around to it
after a few years. (and in 15 years they will just be demanding that 
feature
in any new device!)

anyway, that's my take.

kim


>Obvious and overexposed Loop Leaders: Beck, Square Pusher, DJ's Spookey &
Shadow (Spelling??) Photek, Puff Daddy ( He aint original and he sure don't
drone. But his loops are in the hands and ears of eager children all across
the world while their $ is secure in his bank account) and The Orb on the
Higher end of low end. 
>
>Frankly, I can't nor would I ever dare say that any artist is better than
the other. Its always like a pissing contest. And I cant stand it when
people turn music appreciation into a sport and forum for their own biases
and need to be acknowledged. Just a premonition of how people will respond
to DK's question.
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:  David Kirkdorffer [SMTP:DKirkdorffer@exapps.com]
>Sent:  Tuesday, February 03, 1998 1:02 PM
>To:    Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com
>Subject:       Who's on the forefront of loopmuse?
>
>I'll try this again, just to see if this gets picked up.
>
>*So, just for giggles, what / who is on the forefront of "looping-based
>music"?*
>I know this is somewhat an impossible question, but, maybe it's worth
>bashing around for a while.
>
>David Kirkdorffer
>
>Attachment Converted: C:\Program Files\Eudora\Attach\RE Who's on the
forefront of l
>
_______________________________________________________
Kim Flint                       408-752-9284
Mpact Systems Engineering       kflint@chromatic.com
Chromatic Research              http://www.chromatic.com