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Re: music -- looped spoken words



alice crash wrote:
> 
> Pete,
> as for the humor in looping,maybe content of the loop will work. we

IMO, some of the greatest use of looping spoken word was done in the
early 80s by an Australian group called Severed Heads... my all-time
fave is a track which loops this guy (sounds like it's from a 50s talk
show or something) saying "Ya like that, y'wanna do it again? (insert
squeaky strange contraption noise) -- Well, if ya it that much I'll do
it _again_! (insert squeaky strange contraption noise)..." over and over
and over again, during which slowly other layered sounds and tones rise
to the surface. The effect is hilarious in the most surreal and
disturbing way, and the main reason is the repetition itself
(unrelenting!).

Anyonw else heard this, or is familiar with Severed Heads' material from
this period...?

Thom

> found a line from a movie, Doom Generation, in which a young man is
> explaining " I feel like a gerbal smothering in Richard Gere's
> butthole". This was looped repeatatively and a lot of noise and drums
> placed behind in. I for one found the segment extremely funny. When
> played live, it was hard to judge the audiences reation.
> A
> 
> >From lists@slip.net Thu Sep 18 16:21:58 1997
> >Received: from lists by ferret with local (Exim 1.62 #4)
> >       id 0xBptM-00041Y-00; Thu, 18 Sep 1997 16:21:48 -0700
> >Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 19:18:44 -0400 (EDT)
> >From: Pete Koniuto <pkoniuto@bu.edu>
> >To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com
> >Subject: Re: music
> >In-Reply-To: <9708188746.AA874623023@mail.amsinc.com>
> >Message-ID: <Pine.A32.3.96.970918183354.141094C-100000@acs5.bu.edu>
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> >Resent-To: alicecrsh@hotmail.com
> >Resent-Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 16:21:48 -0700
> >
> >
> >Ed Chang wrote:
> >
> >>   Anyway, my theory is that 'alien/possibly great' sounds/concepts
> can
> >>   sound bad even to the genius-composer at the time of creation
> because it
> >>   doesn't fit comfortably in his/her familiar sound-world...
> >
> >Exactly, Ed.  It's that uncharted territory thing.  I
> >sometimes hear something i've just worked on, be it a loop
> >or something else (but usually a loop, since other
> >pieces and parts happen more slowly, a little more
> >methodically, or are perhaps more premeditated), and
> >i'll think, no, there isn't enough high end in this
> >to make it sound all nice and balanced.  It sounds dull,
> >lo-fi, swampy.  It isn't until later that i realize,
> >i've never heard something so damn swampy--this is stinky
> >swampy, and it's scaring me, not boring me.  IT'S HAVING
> >IMPACT.
> >
> >Often a good clue early on about what is effective, what
> >has impact musically is when i find myself either
> >laughing or proverbially scared shitless.  Sometimes both.
> >But if i can immediately sense the humor in a piece, or the
> >terror, these are probably reflexes to something that
> >doesn't quite sit easily with that sound-world with which
> >i'm familiar and all to comfortable.
> >
> >Unfortunately, i KNOW i'm much better at the scarey stuff.
> >At least that's a reaction others often have to my
> >material, especially my looping.
> >
> >Can anyone suggest how to invoke more humor in the looping
> >process?  Either the kind of humor that brings with it
> >tears; or the kind that pulls out that Cheshire grin to
> >the listener's lips, like yeah, i get it.
> >
> >Torn can do it.  During the Polytown sessions, he would
> >pull schitt out that had everyone in the control room
> >laughing themselves silly.  And he knew it.  And i think
> >he may have even been aiming for that.  Or maybe he was
> >just trying to crack himself up.
> >
> >Suggestions on how to bring humor (even the nervous kind)
> >into the loop?
> >
> >
> >Pete Koniuto
> >
> >-----------------
> >Music Library
> >Boston University
> >617-353-3705
> >pkoniuto@bu.edu
> >-----------------
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> ______________________________________________________
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-- 
     _   _ _                Thom Heileson
   //)) //^~                            heileson@u.washington.edu
  ((// //       
               http://weber.u.washington.edu/~heileson/index.html