RE: Please lets all sit together now and define what we do!

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Hi--
Thot I'd start without MG's text--less bytes--so please refer to his
original (in archives if you didn't get the original)--
It's looping all right, but it's also definitely music (of one style or
another, since it's audio, and probably melodic and/or rhythmic), and also
tool-based.  If it's an art form, that's OK, but we'll get more mileage out
it if it's a POPULAR art form 8^)
I'm pretty excited about Gibson finally getting behind promoting
looping--heck, I'll make a recording!--and I think a lot of the things that
are already on LD are appropriate for that--but who decides?  And what does
that do to Kim's project?
Matthias said, "There is some essence which is not limited to music and
sound."  OK, I'll bite--what is it?
If we need to characterize this manner of producing musical entertainment
with delays (which is what I am assuming we all do and call it looping), I
truly can't think of a better example than the recent one by Ted Killian
with regard to juggling and gravity.  This was spot on!
What I am finding is that I enjoy certain artists who loop regardless of
whether they are looping or not, and don't necessarily enjoy loop artists
per se.  Although technical expertise with a loop device is a requirement,
IT'S NOT THE LOOPING I ENJOY, it's the music.
Matthias wonders, why is looping not an art form?  Or can it be called 
that?
Well, it definitely requires skill (lemme tell ya) as well as a certain
grace.  And the music produced with looping devices stands apart from that
which is produced with only live humans (although it can be simulated, why
would you try?) (although, aren't there some Steve Reich and Phillip Glass
pieces that are like this?)
But it still winds up being different styles of music because it so
faithfully reproduces (he he he) the intent of the artist--it's you only
more of the same (dt).  So I would think it's just the musical art form
using a certain set of tools--like norteņo uses the bajo sexto and button
accordion, but you COULD play jazz with that instrumentation (hoo boy)
So we could call this new music "Juggle" . . . ?
Gary
PS  I never really know when I'm kidding, or not . . .
G