The cold days are here for a while. We're scurrying around indoors like mice in fancy outfits. A program of many loops, hopefully pleasing in nature.
01. Annalisa (1978) Public Image Ltd made a mark when First Issue was released. One of the most striking elements of the band (and there were many) was Keith Levene's ability to melodically render thrashing guitar lines. For this piece I looped Levene's guitar intro. He will be missed.
02. product demo loop (2022) Teenage Engineering is an innovative electronic instrument company based in Sweden. Their latest release is a set of eight Bauhaus inspired wooden figurines, which each have distinct voicings. All eight choir members completely sold out in nine days.
Here is the product demo for Choir. I cut and pasted and looped different sections. There were no credits listed in the product video- if anyone recognizes the piece or the artist- please let me know and I will update this entry. Brilliant stuff.
03. 111722_drone (2022)
A work in progress. One looped guitar and bass line. I then stretched and sampled part of a piece by Throat and Chest to add a scratchy, almost vinyl, texture. Very subtle.
04. Return the Gift (1979)
There are similarities and differences in the guitar techniques of Andy Gill and Keith Levene. This piece samples the first two guitar notes from the start of Return the Gift from the first Gang of Four album- Entertainment!.
05. Gathering Darkness - excerpt (2022) Jonathan Deasy explores guitar tonality and texture in a new long-form piece. Using a variety of effects and processing, Deasy is creating dream-state drones. I discovered his work, quite randomly, in my twitter feed. Deasy posts video vignettes of works-in-progress. I captured the audio from two video-clips and overlapped/looped them.
06. More (2022)
We all want more. Life requires reciprocity. Low has historically always made more from less. Minimal arrangements, artfully done, create the illusion of something much bigger. More is no exception. It's basically a blistering and overdriven guitar riff with tape effects. Blurry starts. Blurry finishes. The voice of Mimi Parker is now a thing of legend. Where will they go next?
07. off the point (2022)
A slow-core drone with few words. The trashy sounding hi-hats are two metal dog bowls. The vocals were recorded on my phone while walking down a country road with my canine companion. The fuzzy guitar melody goes backwards and forwards. Cue the reverse snare.
08. Poptones (1979)
Another Keith Levene tribute loop. Originally released as part of an art project called Metal Box in 1979 and then the vinyl version Second Edition in 1980. Poptones has an instantly recognizable guitar melody- so why not loop the best part?
09. Marion in Chicago (2022)
A piece of flash fiction attached to some minimal piano music. I received a field recording with a story, and this is how I interacted with the material.
10. Glass Hotel (1990)
So far, this episode seems to have been very guitar focused. Glass Hotel by Robyn Hitchcock is one of my favorite pieces of guitar work. Ever. The intro to this song is delicate. It is a very meditative piece. It has grace.
11. Who loves the sun? (1970) Who loves the sun is pure Velvet Underground: Two-minutes of pure, groovy, 1970 folk pop. Perfect for radio. There is a bridge section (WHY?) towards the end that brings you back into the final chorus round. I edited it out- and made a loop that I played on repeat one day, while I was painting some doors in the kitchen. The repetition finally pushed SHR over the edge, and there was a very loud protest. How can you not love this song?
12. song 11 (2015) Good night and good luck. Roll the credits.
