Andrew Deutsch - “Loops Over Land” - CD slipcase (DivF05)

Tracklisting:

Loops over Land Parts 1 - 12


Loops Over Land consists of about 50 min. of loops
produced using an analog reel to reel tape deck and an
analog tape delay system (provided by Neil Rolnick). The
loops were constructed using random "scissors clips" of
Mahler's 5th Symphony and thus reflect the pastoral feel of
his original composition. Some of what sound like drum
beats in the loops are actually sloppy splices bathed in
reverb. Production of the loops happened over the course
of 2 days while I was confined to my apartment dodging an
enormous snow storm.

During these days of looping and confinement,  I listened as deeply as possible to the sounds and envisioned large circular loops of light slowly turning over the landscape. The landscapes themselves were of lush green fields and hills dripping in recent rain while the loops shimmered gold each holding their own shape.  Loops Over Land continues what I have been calling since 1987 "image drones",  Image drones are drones that are meant to evoke a very specific image for the listener. Not specific in terms of what I want to communicate, but specific in the action of triggering the imagination of the listener. The image produced by an image drone can be any image, but the drone itself should trigger mental images.  I also consider these recordings to reflect my interest in "romantic structuralism", a term coined by filmmaker Ken Jacobs. It seems illogical to bring the theories of structuralism and romanticism together (this was the seed of the split between Boulez and Stockhausen). However, the power of the "structuralist activity"(see Barthes) lies in the possibility of revealing hidden functions existing structures. The function of tonal materials in the works of Mahler were intended to induce emotive states in the listener. What I have done is isolated "tonal moments" and made manifest their explicit function.

The loops of Loops Over Land are loops of emotion embodied in the traditional form of minimalist composition. Will the loops always evoke the same feeling in every listener? I believe they will come close, at least to the Western ear.

All rights reserved Divine Frequency Records 2005