What an extraordinary experience!! To my ears, Andre
is pioneering a new genre of playing. I’m not an expert on the
topic but after lurking here for many years, I feel comfortable suggesting (not
that I’d be the first) that Andre’s approach is dramatically
different than other looping I’ve heard. After tuning into the http://www.venetowest.com broadcast
referenced here a few weeks ago, I listened to a number of tracks available at
his web site (www.altruistmusic.com)
and was impressed enough to get tickets to his Friday show at the Monkey. I
invited a few unsuspecting friends (one that may have been a touch to vocal
during the show – sorry). The live experience surpassed my
expectations. Andre’s performance was funky, coherent and
stunning. Heads were bopping on most every tune! One tune had
a Indian groove (Raga?) to it, another took from the Police’s Material
World, another relied heavily on the reverse feature to great effect. My
only disappointment was that he didn’t slow down and give a bit of a
primer on what he was doing. Of course, after the show he was readily
available for questions and chat with gearheads and novices alike.
The other star of the show was The Monkey itself. What
an intimate space! The 5.1 surround sound was put to good use with the
FIVE echoplexi that Andre utilized. At different times each speaker had a separate
loop feeding it and the aural separation had me spinning my head around.
I look forward to keeping up with happenings down at the
Monkey.
All around it was a great experience.
