Re: Secrets of Fripp

["Michael P. Hughes, Ph.D." <pycraft@elec.gla.ac.uk>]

>>The point was that many of you are clearly influenced by Robert Fripp and
>>admire him. Many others here never even heard of him before, as shocking 
>as
>>that may sound. Some people are in between and have heard him a bit and
>>might want to learn more about what he is doing with looping and why some
>>people think so highly of him in that regard. Since this list is about
>>looping, it would be really great if some of you RF experts could teach 
>the
>>rest of us about his looping techniques, looping conceptions, loop
>>approaches, etc. 

You asked fer it....

I'm going to quote bits from my collection of Fripp interviews, going back
to 1969... well obviously the loop bits don't go that far back, but you get
the idea.  Here are a couple of nuggets; there's also a box in his 1986 GP
interview, but someone else can type that one in!!!

Beat instrumental, June 1979
"'Would you like to pick a note?' asks Fripp.  The gent seated opposite
asks for E.  Fripp begins to pluck Es. In a matter of seconds his first
note has been through the tape system and sets up a swelling, repetitive
rhythm.  Fripp throws in other notes, vaviations, snatches of melody.
Within minutes there's a symphonic swell filling the room." ..... " Towards
the end Fripp leans over to the line of recording tape poised between the
two recorders and gently taps it with his index finger.  The tune distorts
slightly and the distortion part is repeated on tape."  ... "The atmosphere
remains relaxed.  Fripp talks to anyone who wants conversation.  The three
kids from the Cure rush up and pelt him with questions.  Fripp answers,
carefully and patiently." .... "Is Frippatronics necessarily a solo
performance art? 'Because it's often so dense that the range covered is
akin to a small chamber ensemble.  By the time you've had the thirtieth
generation coming in, there's quite a thick layer.  Which doesn't always
provide room for other instruments.  In the field of applied
Frippertronics, it's not something that can exist outside of a recording
studio.  Pure frippertronics can, but applied - on "Here comes the Flood"
where there's twenty-nine separate loops I did at home, edited, spliced,
notated and transferred onto the song in the studio.  That takes a lot of
work and is specifically designed to allow for other instruments.  But it's
not a spontaneous situation.'"

Guitarist (UK) August 1986, interview with Tony Arnold,
Fripp's tech:
"The term Frippertronics is the name Robert gave to a tape loop system he
adopted from Brian Eno.  Essentially it's an echo-delay tape system which
Robert uses both for live work and in recording to slowly build up
miniomalistic chords and notes on tape.  It's basically just a Robis rack.
There's a foot box which controls all the separate units at the moment and
Robert will touch these button on each effects panel, then earthing them
down will actually put them into the computer which, if he hits the button,
will be stored in that order and will be recalled by footswitch one which
he pressed to save te effects.  I'm modifying it all the time and am
working at the moment to give Robert five minutes of Frippertronics without
having to take two Revoxes.  What I'm doing is putting a playback head
after the tape's gone all the way through, so you get an erase head, then a
record head, then it goes all the way around and is five minutes long.  It
crops up for him again and I've got another head that sequences."

Does that help any?  ;)

Michael