5 Ableton Loop Events You Absolutely Can’t Miss
- marshallsoundz
- Nov 4, 2016
- 4 min read
All new music starts with ideas, discussions, education and knowledge.
Where do new ideas about music emerge from?
Well, a good place to start is conversations and exchanges between creators in an open and nurturing space.
That’s why Ableton created Loop: three days of performances, talks, and interactive workshops about creativity, technology and music.
It’s no wonder why: Ableton is among the most forward-thinking music technology innovators out there. They make Ableton Live—one of the best DAW programs in the world.
Loop 2015 included Matthew Herbert, Holly Herndon, Young Guru, James Holden and Electric Indigo. Revisit all of last years Loop events on the Ableton blog.
And this year’s gonna even better! Loop 2016 starts today (Nov. 4th – 6th). We’re trying hard to tame our fear of missing out.
But if you’re going to Loop, or will be tuning in later (highly recommended), here’s 5 Loop events you can’t miss.
Life in the Waves: A Performative Presentation by Synth Pioneer Suzanne Ciani
Sunday Nov.6th: 17:00 – 17:45
We’re huge fans of Suzanne Ciani and her work. We got to meet her in Montreal when she visited recently. We even played a game of pinball with her on the Xenon machine—which she designed all the sounds for in 1979 (we tried hard to keep our cool).
If somebody built a synth wizards hall of fame today, Suzanne Ciani would be front and center. Her partner in crime was her Buchla synthesizer.
From the 1970s and on, she used the instrument to produce groundbreaking experimental music and sound design. Her compositions appear in many places—from Coca-Cola ads to evening news intros.
If somebody built a synth wizards hall of fame today, Suzanne Ciani would be front and center.
Why we’re excited: Ciani will be talking about her 40 years of experience in music and synthesis at Loop this year. She will be giving insights about her career—everything from her experimental music, to her commercial and academic work. Ciani will also be demoing the Buchla live. Incredible.
Tara Rodgers And the History of Synthesized Sound
Saturday Nov.5th: 13:00 – 13:45
Electronic Music Dreams and Designs: Learning from the History of Synthesized Sound – A presentation by Tara Rodgers
Tara Rodgers is one of the most fascinating writers on the topic of gender and electronic music history. Her seminal book Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound (2010) is must for any electronic musician.
Recently Rodgers has been exploring the history of synthesized sound. She artfully digs back into early instrument histories to reveal how sound has shaped cultural histories.
Rodgers artfully digs back into early instrument histories to reveal how sound has shaped cultural histories.
Why we’re excited: For Loop Tara Rodgers will present some of her newest and most exciting research. What we know about sound today has much to do with the early designs and ideas that synth inventors embedded in their instruments—and Rodgers does an amazing job at walking us through the challenging conventional narratives.
A Talk by Dub Techno Trailblazer Moritz Von Oswald
Saturday Nov.5th: 16:30 – 17:45
The Studio as an Instrument: Moritz von Oswald in conversation with Philip Sherburne
Moritz Von Oswald is nothing less than the creator of dub techno. He co-founded the iconic label Basic Channel with Mark Ernestus—founder of the legendary Hardwax record store.
It’s an understatement to call his discography ‘impressive.’
Von Oswald has played under several monikers including Maurizio, Rhythm & Sound and Basic Channel. He was also part of the German Neue Deutsche Welle band Palais Schaumburg. He’s also collaborated with Detroit legends Juan Atkins and Carl Craig.
It’s an understatement to call his discography ‘impressive.’
Why we’re excited: For Loop, Moritz von Oswald will be in conversation with prominent music journalist Philip Sherburne. They will be discussing Von Oswald’s musical trajectory, his influences and his genre-bending approach to both acoustic and electronic instruments.
Coding the Rules: Teaching Machines to Make Music
Sunday Nov.6th: 12:15 – 13:30
Moderated by Dennis DeSantis.
Machines have become a permanent part of music. It’s nothing new.
The conversation isn’t about music OR machines any more—It’s about music AND machines.
As machines learn to take on a bigger creative role, the discussion surrounding their influence on music and its creation is vital.
This year’s Loop brings together artist, musician and programmer Luisa Pereira, intelligent music systems expert Mason Bretan and audio director for the video game ‘No Man’s Sky’ Paul Weir, to discuss the emerging creative abilities of machines.
The conversation isn’t about music OR machines any more—It’s about music AND machines.
Why we’re excited: The machine is only useful when it’s understood. The topic of this panel, and the diverse viewpoints and backgrounds of the participants, pushes the topic of ‘creative machines’ forwards in a way that opens up music to a whole new area of composition—something we’re very fond of here at LANDR.
Don’t Be a Music Snob: Listening Carefully and Learning from pop, Mainstream and commercial
Sunday Nov.6th: 17:30 – 18:45
All music matters. If you’re serious about creating music your tastes should have no borders.
It’s pretty easy to dismiss mainstream top 40 music as meaningless. But if you do you’re “missing out on a body of inspiring, engaging, and technically stunning music.”
Loop brings together Matthewdavid, No I.D., Sasha Parera and Sound Oracle to discuss why “cheese” might actually be gold.
Why we’re excited: Active listening is a valuable skill no matter what you’re listening to. There’s no such thing as good or bad music and no genre should be left behind, especially one as varied and diverse as Pop. Hearing how 4 accomplished artists access the mainstream for inspiration builds things up where it’s often too easy to tear them down.
The perfect Loop
Loop 2016 is one of the premier music summits in the world.
And the exchange that occurs each year has evolved music creation in ways that nothing else can.
So stay tuned for all the Loop 2016 events—live and archived.
Comments