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Looper's Delight
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> > > > Kevin wrote: > >> Look at Jamie Lidell's looping performance: > >> http://www.jamielidell.com/video/rfh.html > Interesting clip, though I thought it would have been stronger at about half the length... I always find it fascinating to watch the different hybrid approaches that loopers use when performing live - Looping is "just" a tool, not a musical genre, but most of the interesting stuff that you can do with looping is pretty incompatible with traditional song (and, indeed, musical) forms, IMO. For those of us weaned on minimalism and/or free-form improv, there's a fairly natural fit. As far as other forms go, it seems to me that you usually have to twist or limit the form in fairly substantial ways to "work in" looping, if that's what you want to do (those with more experience at it probably have more valid opinions) - audiences (and, indeed, listeners in general) don't always love genre-bending. In my experience, people value showmanship (already discussed in this thread at length) and authenticity/integrity (and at least intermediate-level instrumental competence, but that's just the entry requirement). It's not clear exactly what "integrity" means in this context, but I can illustrate by saying that it's more satisfying to me to hear someone go hog-wild with looper-induced ecstasy than to hear someone try to make up for the lack of a bass player in a song by looping a full chorus of bass synth before really jumping into the tune (playing over the bass). The first scenario demonstrates deep involvement with and commitment to the instrument, the second seems to be an economics-based (or convenience-based) compromise. When I'm listening to music with a looper, I want to hear music that *requires* a looper. (maybe I'm a hypocrite, since I don't feel the same way about, say, guitar or piano or even a guitar effects box, or maybe loopers are just in a different category) Does art happen on stage or in the studio? Clearly, in both places, but they have different goals, at least for me. When I'm in the studio, I try to produce a recording that I will enjoy listening to over repeated listenings spanning many years. When I play in public, I'm playing improvisations that will necessarily be less focussed and "perfect" than edited work, but will have all those joys of spontaneous expression that most of us here know well. Also, in public, if I'm really on, I'm "playing the room" rather than playing my instrument - the audience *is* my instrument - and they'll need to go clean their brains with a good solvent afterwards, just as I do my strings :-) Warren Sirota Come hear *The Sandbox* at The Monkey in NYC, April 23rd, 8PM - details at www.warrensirota.com/sandbox Most recent recording: Play Date - http://cdbaby.com/cd/sandbox