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Tony, I like it..."singularity"..are you perhaps referring to the singularity of a black hole where most all the laws of physics break-down? I particularly like this piece because it is somewhat dark, very rich with sounds, tones, and ambience. It's the type of song that I would use to get me thinking or feeling about something abstract...can't quite put my finger on it. It's interesting how this email of yours is generating so much discussion. For many years now my primary aspiration in music critique has been to become a radical subjectivist, which can be interpreted as musical nihilism (where there is no right and wrong, good and bad...no affirmation of musical value) or musician relativism (where anything goes). Philosophically, one can imply the other, depending on what sort of mood I'm in. :) Fortunately, and shamefully so, I am not always successful at attaining this goal. It is easy to yield to the self-reflecting ego and superimpose musical judgment on another's piece of music. It's what we humans do so well: pass judgment...I'm doing it now. And some day in the near future, I'll make some snide remark about another musician's ability or the merit of a piece of music, sliding yet again into hypocrasy. It get's better each year...the acceptance part, that is, the witholding of judgement, etc. Back to your piece....it reminds me of some of the work that Michael Stearns did, like "Encounter" - revolves around UFOs, alien life, etc. I like the fact that the piece changes frequently. If this is the way you feel, it is the way you should craft your work. It tells a complicated story...perhaps what it would be like to be inside a singularity (impossible as that is, but a good fantasy theme nonetheless)...or perhaps an even more interesting theme, one that Herman Hesse illustrated in Siddhartha, where everything is just a facet of a larger whole or fabric of being. Good and evil, right and wrong, beauty and ugliness, truth and falsehood...all just facets of the same "ONE". Your piece has a lot of elements to it, but I can feel an underlying theme. It just doesn't jump out and grab you from a rhythmic and melodic standpoint...nothing inherently worng with this...or right for that matter. That being said, I find that the music I listen to isn't always the music that I like to play or perform, or even music that I would necessarily aspire to artistically. I like to listen to some ambient and new age music because it relaxes me and helps me think, though that is not the type of music I aspire to write and perform. And some music that I really admire artistically I don't listen to that often, because it starts to influence me after a while....Terje Rypdal, John Abercrombie, and Bill Frissell have had this effect on me. I loved them so much that they started to unconsciously come out in my music. I don't know what, if any criteria exist to evaluate the artistic merit of a piece of music. I am inclined to visciously reject any criteria, because when you put them through the acid test, they fail and can't withstand counter-example. And what we are left with is an unpleasant residuum: resentment and misunderstanding. If there were such a criteria, I'm inclined to say that they have something to do with sincerity, intent, and emotive expression...though I am unwilling to articulate an attempt at a proposed criteria...many have tried...many have failed miserably or were accused of armchair philosophy. And finally, one of my favorite quotes!!!! Whooo whooo! "Nothing is true, everything is permitted" - William S. Burroughs Cheers, ************************************************************************ ************** Krispen Hartung http://www.krispenhartung.com info@krispenhartung.com View improvisational / real-time looping videos: http://www.myweb.cableone.net/chagstrom2/music/kris-hartung/catalogue.ht m#videos Interactive tour of my gear: http://www.boisemusicians.com/gear.htm -----Original Message----- From: Tony K [mailto:bigtony@softhome.net] Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 8:48 AM To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com Subject: For your listening amusement Hello Loopy people, I've been doing loopy soundscapes for a few months and recording some of it. I'd like some feedback (heh) on my last one. It overloaded in a few places so there's a touch of unintentional distortion. :( ah well. Brutal honesty is appreciated. http://www.thinginajar.com/bigtony/Singularity.mp3 Thanks, Tony