MusicArtLifeSg (Beta changes in progress): A choice of DaVinci Code or C.C.C.D Code? Deciphering C.C.C.D. Looping interview with Randolf Arriola

Thursday, October 27, 2011

A choice of DaVinci Code or C.C.C.D Code? Deciphering C.C.C.D. Looping interview with Randolf Arriola

If u have to make a choice between
DaVinci Code or C.C.C.D
code, which one will it be?

U probably don't want to crack
your brain in solving DaVinci Code?
Then it's an obvious choice to select
C.C.C.D Code!

But heck...what exactly is C.C.C.D code?
C.C.C.D is the brain title of the debut solo music
album by Singaporean guitarist/singer-songwriter/composer
Mr Randolf Arriola (one of the most respected and
acclaimed live looping musicians in the world)!

This amazing musician has been invited to
perform in Y2K International Live Looping Festival
in USA since 2007.

Channel News Asia Singapore features an interesting
TV news cover report "The Big Picture" on
Randolf Arriola's live looping on
his iPhone Guitar.

His debut solo album, "C.C.C.D"
will be released soon. Expect to catch
his "C.C.C.D" album launch concert
in the Esplanade Recital Studio on 28 October 2011.

Intersted to know more about him?
Well I had the good fortune to interview Mr Randolf Arriola.
Enjoy the interview and glimpse into his world of live looping!

Deciphering C.C.C.D. Looping interview with Randolf Arriola
1.How did u discover and start your journey into the world of live looping music?

I was always fascinated with sound.
From young I’ve always loved music,
that was a given but it was later in my teens
that I discovered that I loved sounds
and especially sounds made by and
with the guitar whether pure or distorted or processed.

I discovered early on the joys and wonders of
patching every available gadget
between the guitar and the amplifier
and the constant playful experiments with turning knobs this way
and oh the world of otherworldly sounds I heard just got me hooked!

I later learned that The Beatles were already experimenting with loops
and sound effects as evident in the 1966 track Tomorrow Never Knows
and then it was Pink Floyd followed by The Police and
then U2’s Unforgettable Fire album in 1984 and then King Crimson
and eventually Brian Eno. I realized that music and sound recreated
a whole world of colours in mood, emotions and ideas.

2.Which live looping artists would u recommend to music lovers who are new to the world of live looping music?
(u are obviously one of the artists we should listen to!)

Terry Riley
Steve Reich
Karlheinz Stockhausen
The Beatles
Pink Floyd
King Crimson
Brian Eno
Robert Fripp
Jaco Pastorius
Pat Metheny

The technology of Live Looping came about shortly
after the invention of tape recording devices in the last century.
But the concept of musical loop goes way back to
call and answer chants and songs in Africa.

The song The Lion Sleeps Tonight is a musical loop,
so is Pachabel's Canon in D. Most of Pop, Rock and Dance
and even in Jazz are based on if not incorporate the use of
musical loop arrangements.

For me it was Brian Eno and Robert Fripp back in 1973
who were the true pioneers of fine tuning the use of reel to
reel tape recorders as a live looping device that introduced
new creative possibilities in spontaneous
improvisation/compositional/performance.

3.Do u use pre-recorded looping music in your set and encourage the use of it in live looping environments?

For Live Looping i do not use any prerecorded music.
I also do not use any quantizing (time correction) midi sequencing,
or auto tune. It may appear ridiculously and unnecessarily difficult
but for me it's much more liberating in a creative sense.

4.What were the challenges u faced in the CCCD album production?

The biggest challenge i constantly face with
any of my own personal creative work is really about
the struggle with option anxiety and coming to terms with necessary
but painful subtractive editing.

CCCD is originally 1 hour 45 mins long which is
impossible to fit in a CD format. It took awhile
before i decided on what's now the 67 min 1 track
CD version. Other than that except for
subtle improvements to the overall levels
and final eq balance no other edits,
no cut and paste corrections were
made to the one take stereo track recording.

5.You mentioned in playing your music with some visual video art loops by your visual medium collaborator Manuel Trucco (San Fancisco, USA) in the upcoming C.C.C.D. album concert. What made u decide upon on a live visual sound performance conception as compared to just playing your songs live with your guitar and looping equipments?

Maybe it's just the twisted way that i preceive things
but i've always sensed an overlapping of the senses.
For example I see shades and colours in sounds and music
and i hear sounds and music in visual images.
So it's only natural for me to express myself through
the combination of light and sound mediums to
communicate and evoke a multi sensory experience.

6.Since the whole CCCD album was recorded live without no overdubs, no cuts and pastings, no corrections except for overall levels and final EQ balance and mastering, what surprises would we be expecting in the songs of your album during your concert?

Improvisation and reinterpretation is where my heart
resides in creative expression. The range of
variations in what i do is very much subject to the external
factors.

7.Who do u like to thank for making the album possible?

NA (Too long a list la!)

8.How did u derive and name your album title as C.C.C.D?

I title my works with quirky codes
that usually has to do with what i'm thinking
or feeling or whatever.

They're like little diary entries to me
and each piece that i listen to today
even from way back still trigger vivid
memories of time and place and the
varying circumstances i was in when i recorded it.

9.What is your album C.C.C.D about?

CCCD is a one take unedited live recording
in the home studio which originally ran 1 hr 45 mins.
Because of the limitations of the cd format
I chose to release the 67 min version from
the complete take.

Basically the album is a personal and
artistic statement and my offering of
something truly unique for everyone
to enjoy and live with.

The creative decision arrived with
full consideration on my part that with
all my acquired knowledge, experience,
skills and know how with music, gear
and technology and the temptation
to create an album of sample resolution,
cut and paste edit and autotune virtual perfection.

I decided to truly reveal myself captured
in the process of creating...one that’s truly me.
I’ve many of such recordings in my own archives
but this particular take had something going,
a flow if you will but most important
of all the entire piece had a a
certain enigmatic power to transport,
and evoke deeper emotional responses.

I’m making the album available in
different formats including free downloads
of excerpts or the full album in mp3 resolutions
or the purchase of the cd itself.

Further down the road are plans to
release the album in 5.1 mix with
accompanying HD Video Art loops
perhaps in 2012 if the world doesn’t end that is.

On the coming concert and album launch on 28th Oct
I will perform the re creation of CCCD for the audience.

10.U recently took part online in 1st Boss Loop Station World Championship 2011. Its amazing that your viewership for “With Or Without You (U2 cover song)” have reached over 60,900 views (and still counting on…) as of dated 24 Oct 2011! What was your whole personal experience to be involved in this contest?

Since end of Aug 2010 the video clips on my youtube channel
(http://www.youtube.com/user/randolfarriola) have been watched
by over 105,000 viewers from around the world of which
my live looping reinterpratation of With or Without You by U2
has proven to be most popular followed by my original "Take It All Away".

Interestingly i learned from my youtube account details that the top
10 nations viewing my clips are USA, Singapore , UK, Germany,
Italy, Brazil, Japan, France, Netherlands and Australia.

I was more interested in the opportunity to
reach out to a wider audience around the world
through the event. It isn't my concern in
finding out whoever are the better ones
among in the contest.

End of Deciphering C.C.C.D. Looping interview with Randolf Arriola

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy C.C.C.D (Full Album Preview) by Randolf Arriola

CCCD (Full Album Preview) by Randolf Arriola

Attend his live C.C.C.D album
concert launch in Esplanade
on 28 Oct 11!

Who knows u might end up
deciphering C.C.C.D. and
developing your own new codes
after the whole live
C.C.C.D. music experience!?