Re: looping and the public and categorization

[Matthias Grob <matilists@gmail.com>]

youhou, Zoe!

On 15 Dec 2009, at 21:50, Zoe Keating wrote:

> you're right of course matthias. my work would not be at all the  
> same if i hadn't stumbled onto looping. the tools have directly  
> influenced my "style"!
>
> a coda, and then i really will shut up.....

please don't... :-)
>
> i was just thinking about all this categorization business and  
> realize that a huge part of my career strategy is to never  
> categorize myself. if if makes sense: i very actively avoid  
> categorization!

I hate it, too. sit into a drawer is dangerous because someone might  
close it :-)
then again, if the others put the category on you, it might be worse
and if the record shops don't distribute your record because they  
don't know where to put it...
>
> i avoid appealing specifically to any one group, even if i am  
> certainly connected to it: loopers, cellists, computer nerds,  
> DIYers, steampunks, goths, ravers, indie rockers, public radio fans,  
> tall female freckled redheads with dreadlocks, etc. i prefer to be  
> the only fish in my pond. if another fish moves in i tend to move  
> out and make another pond. so i think my perceived rejection of  
> "looping" is related to this.  (i don't know if that's really a  
> strategy. i've done this my entire life and it might just be my  
> quirky personality)

ok, this answers most of my question!
and I am not going to discuss your personality and such, but maybe we  
can think together about the details of such behavior - which is not  
so special, most artists have this energy, its part of what makes us  
interesting...
so I am asking anyone here who feels similar:

1
as you say, there are categories you put yourself by what you do and  
look.
there is no need to mention that you play cello and like fire power  
hair (I love it!...), because its on any picture of yours.
(you could have chosen half long brown hair and a nylon guitar which  
would have put you much less into a category, but by trying to choose  
a non category you fell into a stronger one :-)
on some pictures its even visible that you use computers, but its hard  
to see that you loop in the computer
hence the idea that you checking email at soundcheck or use a  
prerecorded load of cellos. :-)
(in the past, a specialist could spot a Repeater, but the main public  
only knows 'cello' and 'electronic')

so: to mention that you use LiveLooping puts you more into a category  
than a picture of yours does?
because a word is heavier than a picture?
(this is a main problem of the promotion of the LL idea: its not  
really visible)

2
Since you don't like to feel in a category, you don't like if others  
put you in one?
as a consequence:
If we finally come around to list the LL musicians (which is not easy,  
thats why we did not do it yet, but the youtube.com/livelooping  
playlist end up being such a list already) would you prefer not to be  
on the list?
you really want me to take you out of the *Featured Instrumentalists* ?
damdidamdidam...

since we are a bunch of artist here, we don't need to be logical,
I feel we all love to mention you even if you don't mention us :-)

> lastly....99% of the people who license my music have NO idea that i  
> even perform live. and as i don't employ live looping in my  
> recordings, for those who know me only from a recording, live  
> looping would just be confusing.

oh, thats another interesting point! And this is probably rather  
rare... does any one know of another artist who uses LL on stage but  
multitracking for the recording of the same compositions?

there are so many categories of LiveLooping artist... even not  
considering the musical style, just by the way or intensity of use...

love
Matthias
>
> respect! z
>
>
>
> On Dec 14, 2009, at 5:47 AM, Matthias Grob wrote:
>
>> On 13 Dec 2009, at 19:51, Zoe Keating wrote:
>>> if all the electricity disappeared tomorrow, i could still  
>>> perform, but i'd have to hire 8+ cellists to play the music (which  
>>> is actually how looping started for me, i couldn't find enough  
>>> cellists).
>>
>> oh, sorry, Zoe, I did not know you started with the compositions  
>> and then only needed a tool to execute them.
>> and looping did not bring you new ideas? would your compositions  
>> really be the same if you had no looper but 8+ cellists?
>> If so, I suspect you are rather an exception, or does anyone know  
>> of other composers who use looping tools like this?
>>
>>> it would sound different because its not me, but an ensemble of  
>>> cellists could easily play my music.
>>
>> sure. which sound would you prefer?
>>
>>> no electricity needed. i've already heard 2 groups do it.
>>>
>>> i also know of two high profile cellists who perform music with  
>>> pre-recorded cello tracks and them solo'ing in front. (i.e. no  
>>> live looping)
>>>
>>> most people think that we all do the same thing (including their  
>>> publicists). it irritates me, but tells me that its not the live  
>>> looping that people are hearing.
>>
>> ...which might be a reason for you to use the label LiveLooping  
>> more intensely and for me to finally bring the Livelooping.org site  
>> up to date with all I wrote and joined this year so anyone can  
>> easily look up what its about. And we should make a special chapter  
>> for composers who use the tool to execute what they imagine without  
>> the tool, as opposed to the majority who gather ideas for  
>> compositions by playing with the tool and then possibly execute  
>> them with a group without the tool.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Dec 13, 2009, at 11:54 AM, Matthias Grob wrote:
>>>
>>>> your music would not be done in any other way, would it?
>>>