Hi there!
Today, we’re releasing the official video for Everywhere/Anywhere: 38 Loops for Loop38. This piece is unique in Loop’s repertoire for a number of reasons… not least of which is that it’s one of the only pieces written specifically for us by our friend and collaborator Tim Holt! Personally I find one of the most rewarding aspects of playing contemporary music is when I get the chance to be involved in more than just the performance, and work on a personal level with composers before the piece is finished. This piece is very personal to us-- not only is it based on musical loops inspired by our name, but it’s very grounded in the composer’s time living in Houston.
You may have guessed from the title, but this piece is actually composed of 38 individual “loops”. What are “loops”, you may ask? Well in this case, they’re kind of like tiny movements-- to the side you can see the music for one that I was involved in! (They’re like tiny works of art all on their own.)
Washateria - a “Loop” for Harp and Double Bass.
Each of the 38 loops is repeated a number of times, and overlaps with the ones preceding and following it. In a live context this would allow for each performance to be different; each loop would interact with the other loops in a slightly different way each time. It’s interesting because while there are melodies that keep the piece moving forward, a lot of the beauty comes from these more vertical interactions where the sounds in each loop are stacked on top of each other.
Of course, this video wasn’t created live, and a lot of work behind the scenes went into creating the final product you see. Once our live performance was cancelled due to the pandemic, the composer offered to adapt it for a virtual premiere which involved much more than just composing. All of the performers recorded their individual parts, and then Tim took on the monumental task of stitching everything together, mastering the audio, creating the visuals, and coordinating all of the disparate parts into one stunning performance.
-Caitlin Mehrtens