Re:Y2K3 and thoughts on "community"

["max valentino" <ekstasis1@hotmail.com>]

Fellow Loopsters;

So now it has been a week since the Y2K3 Festival was held in Santa Cruz 
(tell me, someone, is Santa Cruz still the looping capital of the world?), 
yet I have read only but a few posts on the matter……wassup?
I was one of the performers, and so my take on the whole shebang might be 
a 
bit skewed but I am interested to hear what anyone else who attended 
thought.

I must say how impressed I was on the quality of the performances.  It 
seems 
that since the Loopstock Festival of a couple of years ago the general 
level 
of performance quality has made (a few) quantum leaps.  This most recent 
event, it seems that everyone played very well; the level of creativity 
and 
skills were very,very high. There were, of course, several performances 
which were exemplary, such as the sets by Bill Walker, Gareth Whittock, 
Ted 
Killian, and Amy X Neuberg.

Prior to this event there was quite a debate here on the list as to the 
necessity of “Looping Festivals”, the title/genre/style of  “Live Looping” 
and whether or not we are just being a tad pretentious in discussing 
looping 
as an “art form”, or in discussing this list as a “community”.  There are 
certainly members of this list who hold these thoughts as noble truths and 
others who perhaps take some exception to them.

I am not sure that looping constitutes a true "form", yet it is a 
technique, 
both of composition and performance, which transcends stylistic barriers.  
As such, it deeply affects the "style" which it is imposed on, often times 
elevating, or at very least, transforming and altering the genre-specific 
and stylistic definitions. In other words, it allows us to disavow or 
disallow a currently accepted paradigm.  Does this give birth to new "art 
forms", or does it merely evolve existing forms? And does any of that 
really 
matter? It does something...it changes how we hear music.

If we can accept the fact that looping is a "new" technique of both 
composition and performance, and there -fore rather unique, we can surmise 
that this technique(s) when applied to current musical techniques of both 
performance and composition, or style and genre, changes and alters the 
predetermined outcome of those.  Loops applied to dance tracks forever 
changed the way dance music was produced.  Loops applied to rock music 
have 
again altered the somewhat tangent-ized evolution of that genre.

Looping "festivals" do not merely support music of loops..whatever that 
means (perhaps neo-ambient-post-fripp-noodlings?)....but give a platform 
for 
all styles and genres (and sub-styles and sub-genres) of music to embrace, 
and use, the techniques of looping, and thusly evolve beyond their 
current, 
and sometimes static, state of being.  This was the point behind my 
"smooth 
jazz" piece (which is a composed piece, and thus involves very little 
improvisation): to show how looping can be applied to all sorts of music.

(cut to ad banner:  "Looping....it's not just for weirdos anymore")

Is the term “Looping Festival” pretentious? Perhaps, yet it does give the 
press, in all of its’ guises, some morsel to bite on.  Rick Walker hit on 
something quite true in as if you hype your act, show, event as something 
larger than life it becomes something of interest to the media. 
Barker-ism?  
Madison Ave. exploitation?  You betcha, but in the music biz that is a 
tried 
and true method of manipulating and teasing the media (and thusly 
attracting 
a least a small percentage of “new” audience).

And...Y2K3 ceratinly demonstrated the very far reaching possibilities of 
looping.  The varied and most creative talents displayed possibilities for 
inducing loops into nearly every sub-set of music style and fashion.

  A great deal of wind has blown across LD about how we (all us loopists) 
would really like more companies to develop more, and deeper, hardware, 
and 
software, for looping applications.  The only way big companies are going 
to 
that is if they see a public interest in this, from which profits can be 
made.

As with all artistic "movements" , it begins with a small groundswell, 
usually made by the artists themselves (the cubists, Dadaists...heck even 
jazz musicians..who give aid and support to each other, and thus a forum 
from which the public can view/hear their works).  The general public is 
fairly fickle and usually led around by their proverbial noses, but once 
something is placed in front of them enough times, they are willing to 
taste 
it.

There is where these events are important to the looping 
community.....increases public awareness of this technology and these 
artistic techniques, which ARE changing the way music is made.  Eons of 
our 
musical history are not marked by centuries, but rather by important 
changes 
made by musicians and composers in how they craft and use sound, rhythm, 
melody and harmony.  Using loops, and in some of the very creative ways 
demonstrated at Y2K3, surely points to a new perception in all those 
elements.
The more this is brought to the public's nose (eye or ears) the more aware 
we all become (This includes other musicians), and  more possible the  
profits seem which can be generated by some company with designs of the 
much 
ballyhooed "Super Looper".

I am bringing these thoughts to your attention partly in support of Rick’s 
efforts and partly to support and encourage others to do the same....’cos 
it 
is important.  As I said, I am not sure it really constitutes and art 
form, 
or even and artistic movement (yet), but looping is changing how music is 
both composed and performed; which in and of itself is an event of 
historic 
proportions. Yet, being as it is quite technologically dependent, that 
"movement", of we are all part....even those who completely eschew the 
concept of "live-looping" and really want nothing to do with it, yet 
continue to explore uncharted sonic terrain via looping........could be 
easily squashed due to a lack of fiscal profitability.

Let’s face it, kids, we can bellyache and rant all we want about lack of 
features, desired features of hardware, techniques and tricks, signal 
paths 
and setups..or how hard it is to get a gig doing loops (personally I don’t 
have this problem and gig out at least 10 times a month….doing 
looping!…and 
make pretty good $ doing it, too), or how the public is not aware of music 
made in this manner, yet, it is imperative that we all support each other. 
It is through out mutual support, admiration, and inspiration that we, 
looping artists, grow with our skills and craft.  Kim has given us a great 
gift in this list, and without trying he has really given birth to this 
whole notion of “community”.  He has alolowed us to share openly, our 
ideas, 
concepts and questions…….and even our most petty bickering….without fear 
or 
shame (a tip of the ol’ hat to you, Mr. Flint).

One notion I was struck with at Y2K3, as I slept on Bill W’s floor and 
shared (tainted) food with a whole gaggle of other loopers, or conversed, 
re-kindled friendships and made new ones, was that this IS a community.  A 
diverse, creative, colorful, sometimes competitive, sometimes arguing  
(yet 
always caring)…community. No matter how divergent our musics are, we share 
a 
common bond, and through that we continue to help and support each 
other…and 
view the artistic growth of each member of this community.  I think all 
the 
performers at Y2K3 shared this feeling…….what about the rest of you?

And…finally…….a big round of applause to Rick Walker, who spent countless 
hours organizing this event (and a bunch of previous ones too!) His 
energy, 
dedication, fortitude, conviction and creativity are an enormous source of 
inspiration to me.

Max

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