RE: Loopstock in the news!!!

["Om_Audio" <Om-Studios@Om-Studios.com>]

Oh the wonders of OCR! 
What a great aknowlegement! Hans should frame it!
Cliff 

FINAL MIX- by Larry the O

Oh Say, Hove You Scene?


 Whether through luck, adventurousness, if or a good network of friends,
many of us are fortunate enough to find ourselves, at some point in our
lives, in contact with a "cool scene." The cool scenes that interest me
show abundant creativity, knowledge (maybe even wisdom/, cooperation,
and inspiration. Such scenes focus a collective energy on an idea that
may range from the specific and explicit to the vague and unknowable. In
a cool scene, one is awash in a palpable, life changing electricity that
opens doors of perception and stokes the fires of imagination. It's a
most amazing experience that stays with you your entire life.
A cool scene may start with a single person, but it takes a number of
people to reach critical mass. What is less evident is the great
importance of the number. When a couple of dozen people are involved,
they tell and involve others, and things begin to coalesce. This is
often the real peak of the scene while it is still small. But word
spreads, and the scene grows into a movement. Once it expands beyond a
few hundred people, things change. As the scale increases, the idea's
purity becomes diluted as a simple result of more points of view in the
mix.
A slow decline starts from this juncture, though the scene may remain
good and worthwhile for quite some time. Eventually, however, if it
continues to expand, it will start to stagger under its own weight and,
at some point, will simply collapse, dissipate, or shrink radically.
The life of a scene is as brief and finite as our own lives, and its
decline or death is just as inevitable. If that death can't be avoided,
neither should it be feared, though the passing may be mourned. As long
as there are humans with hearts and minds, cool scenes will arise.
Getting the most out of a burgeoning scene comes from recognizing as
early as possible that there's magic happening and appreciating and
enjoying it as fully as you can. That realization came to mind recently
when I dipped my toe into a small underground community of musicians who
call themselves loopers. Loopers make music built around the idea of
feeding source material (typically instruments they play) into long,
repeating delay lines and then adding to, modifying, and/or playing on
top of the looping sound.
I've just returned from Loopstock, a one day concert and minifestival
where barely three
dozen people converged on a small dance studio warehouse in San Luis
Obispo, California,
from points as far flung as Oregon, Boston, and Brazil. They came to
perform, to listen,
and to discuss a variety of takes on looping from a three piece synth
band to DSP Demon
Richard Zvonar mangling snippets of recorded music to a solo tuba player
all
working with long delay loops. Probably over half the attendees were
performing.
It was evident to all that something special was happening at this
seminal gathering. The event was free and
the performers unpaid. In other words, the attendees were there purely
out of interest. This created a wholly noncompetitive atmosphere in
which people were delighted to show and tell all their looping ideas and
techniques. The understanding audience showed tolerance for the
difficulties of a technology dependent medium. Most of all, everyone was
appreciated for what they contributed: not just the performers, who
surely received hearty applause, but even a few attendees who were
hailed as heroes for
1 having created some of the loopers'favoritetoys. Each attendee left
invigorated and inspired. Will Loop
stock grow or happen at all next year? I certainly hope so. The looping
scene should have a long time to grow before it becomes co opted,
corrupted, or otherwise brought low. But no matter whether or when that
happens, that day in San Luis Obispo will remain a Golden Moment in the
lives of those who were lucky enough to catch the quick left atthe
Mitsubishi dealership and discover the little warehouse tucked back from
the street. If you find yourself in the middle of a community brimming
with life magic, don't be afraid, don't try to hold onto it too hard,
and don't try to figure out what it is.
Just savor the moment and cherish the memory.

Electronic Musician May 2002



-----Original Message-----
From: ArsOcarina@aol.com [mailto:ArsOcarina@aol.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2002 3:58 PM
To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
Subject: Loopstock in the news!!!

Hi all,

You folks may want to take a little look at "Larry the O's"
monthly editorial piece at the back of the May 2002 issue 
of EM this month. He gave "Loopstock" a nice little write 
up as part of an article on "Cool Music Scenes." It's not 
a review or anything but it's a very positive mention.
Check it out.

Best,

Ted Killian