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Looper's Delight
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A handful of quick comments and queries which arise in mine own head from this thread... -- It's ironic, to me, that so many "musicians" lament the apparent reluctance (much less the ability) of DJs to play with them, when there are in fact so many musicians who instantly disparage the very notion of playing with a DJ themselves. -- How many decades ago was it that John Cage wrote the piece for multiple turntables? -- The analytical arguments about the point at which a turntable is or is not an instrument reminds me of a barbed comment in a set of Andres Segovia liner notes which criticised "Those who dare to call themselves guitarists, while remaining umbilically attached to a current of electricity in order to enable their so-called music making." -- You've gotta love a debate regarding the status of a DJ as a "non-musician," on account of their not playing a "real instrument," on a mailing list dedicated to making music via electronic signal processing. -- And most of all, I have to wonder... ...exactly what gets accomplished by trying to objectively determine whether or not a DJ is or isn't a musician? Or whether or not a turntable is or is not a "true" musical instrument? To me, the more relevant consideration is: what does the end result SOUNDS LIKE? Is there anything being SAID? I've seen Nels Cline play mind-boggling stuff using such "non-instruments" as a delay pedal, a screwdriver, and a kitchen utensil. I saw Miroslav Tadic play a duo show a few weeks ago at the Knitting Factory with a DJ, and it was tremendously musical and inspiring. I saw DJ Disc do a show with Praxis (Bill Laswell, Buckethead, and Brain in the lineup) where he scratched for the entire length of the set; not once did he actually just spin the record, or give any indication as to what record he was playing. At a later show on the same tour, he set fire to his turntable with lighter fluid. Kind of reminds me of another guy a few decades back who used to light his guitar on fire... who also got criticized because he was playing different-sounding music that some people couldn't hear, on a thing some people didn't recognize as a valid instrument. Personally, I DON'T CARE if anyone in particular does or does not objectively decide that a DJ is or is not a musician, or a turntable is or is not an instrument. Regardless of whatever anyone decides for themselves (or anyone else), it still sounds like whatever it sounds like. And if I dig the sound that comes out, I'm still gonna listen and enjoy. This concludes my deep thought for the month... Andre LaFosse | Disruption Theory | http://www.altruistmusic.com ================================================================ "A spectacular collision of manifold musical thoughts and patterns... To call Disruption Theory a futuristic album would be an understatement." (20th Century Guitar Magazine, February 2001) "For electric guitar enthusiasts everywhere, this one's essential." (Alternative Press Magazine, September 2000) "Fucking amazing CD." (Derek Sivers, president, CD Baby) "His six-stringer is pumped up with energy, creating a firestorm of pyrotechnics and burning sounds, but with a sensitivity to weirdness and experimentation. Disruption Theory reveals the difference it makes when a player knows what he is doing. Here is one that deserves the title 'unique'." (Expose Magazine, October 2000) "Fripp and Zappa, step aside." (MOJO Magazine, May 2000) =========================================================