Band of the Week: Loop 2.4.3

A few weeks ago I went to see my boyhood idols, Dinosaur Jr. perform in a small club. I positioned myself directly in front of J and his eight amps, and as I made my exit the buzz was furious in my head. Turning on the car more rock blared, and it was just too much to handle. I rummaged through the stack of cds on the passengers seat and pulled out a cd that I had just received called Zodiac Dust and put it in hoping to sooth the buzz. I was instantly transported away from the crushing sonic waves to a tropical oasis in the middle of the vast arms of space.

Loop 2.4.3 is the work of Thomas Kozumplik and Lorne Watson, and employ a gamut of percussion instruments, from marimba and steel drum to tom-toms, bongos and snare drums, temple bowls and wood blocks, opera gongs and electronics. They even invented a couple instruments for this album. The result is a stunning adventure in percussion and sound.

Zodiac Dust will be released on June 16th, but recently Thomas and Lorne were kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): Your latest album, Zodiac Dust, will be released in June. What can you tell us about Zodiac Dust?
Thomas Kozumplik (TK): The first time I tried Zodiac Dust was at a party in Brooklyn. I went home elevated and totally wired and wrote music all night...ha! Actually, we were working on several pieces of music over the last year that started to have some sort of cosmic theme, from earthy Chinese Zodiac imagery to actual zodiacal dust - particle matter in deep space. These cosmic titles kept coming up and seemed to fit. There is some music with an ancient, primal, grounded feeling of drums and tuned gongs and then pieces with electro-acoustic instruments that sound like they are from another planet. There are also moments of reflection that delve into the inner, philosophical/spiritual side of what this imagery might suggest. Essentially all of the music stands on its own, but we liked the idea of taking these pieces and weaving them into a full album narrative that really takes you on a journey. Hopefully people walk away feeling like they've really experienced something.

OA: Your live performance is so impressive. Do you feel that the listener may be missing something when listening to a recording? In what ways do you try to capture the live performance in the recording studio?
TK: The basic tracks for most of the album are just us playing together in the same room. I think the energy and sounds are well translated, the sonic imaging is fantastic (thanks Joel!) but still, you're right, when you're in the room and you experience that vibe and all of the sounds mixing together...it's something you can't beat which is why people should always go out and hear live music. That said, we were able to do things on the record that we don't always get to do live. Our first record was strictly a live performance, one take. On this record, we opened it up a bit. Lorne and I each heard some new sounds that we wanted to add on pieces that we usually play as a duo. So those added layers and particularly the use of violin, cello, and piano, are things that are special about the album and make that a completely different and equally worthwhile experience.

OA: Is there any electronic manipulation on the recording is it only live percussion? What are some of the more interesting percussion instruments/tools that you play?
Lorne Watson (LW): We created two new instruments for this record. Both are electro-acoustic. The eLog created by Micheal Wygmans, was custom built for us, as we struggled to have a log drum that filled our needs. I take the eLog and run it through a Fender Twin. We use not only the clean sound on the Fender for "Existentialist" but also run it through a vocal effects unit, for "Dark Matter". The Rose Echo was designed by Thom. It is an acoustic wood instrument, that runs through a guitar effects unit on "Dark Matter". For "Clouds" we run acoustic drums through an effects unit and the Fender Twin, run loops and create electronic sounds from acoustic instruments. "Epilogue" also uses effects, but this time on the violin tracks.

TK: I was able to have a lot of fun with a violin and some analog effects that were basically 'performed' live in the studio. (I did the effects, Michelle Lee played the violin). All of these pieces are things we re-create live. It's a pretty lo-tech set-up that just gets new and interesting sounds. Again, we were able to experiment with these sounds a lot more in the studio than we usually get to live, so the recording is a unique version of those songs.

OA: This is your second album Music Starts From Silence, what has your experience been like with them?
LW: MSFS is a great label. They are very supportive, and have a great staff. They help us out with everything, from getting our gear together to helping promote our shows and music, at all times.

TK: Thanks Lorne...what he means is that we do a bunch of the work ourselves! (I founded the label), but that we have a couple of wonderful and talented people who really help out. I'm being able to remove myself more from the mix which is great.

OA: Where does the name come from? Is that a specific type of drum loop?
LW: The name refers to a group, (loop) of friends and a room where we all used to create great music. It was when we were involved with The Robert Hohner Percussion Ensemble in Michigan. It was a great time, and we are still close to all the past members. It is a great support group, and filled with great musicians.

OA: What's next for Loop 2.4.3.?
TK: Right now it's just touring to support the record. We may be starting a little performance series at our studio in Bed-Stuy, which would welcome other artists into the space for creative development and small showcase performances. Drop us a line when you're coming to Brooklyn!

Bonus Questions:
OA: If you could sit down to coffee with anyone (alive or dead) who would it be?
TK: Robert Hohner, Confucius, Jesus of Nazareth, and Gustav Mahler
LW: Robert Hohner, My Grandmother Phid, Martin Luther King Jr.

OA: What was the last great book you have read?
TK: Grey is the Colour of Hope by Irina Ratushinskaya
LW: The Biography of Gordie Howe.

01. Prologue: Rebirth
02. Dark Matter
03. Underground
04. The Existentialist
05. Zodiac Dust (mp3)
06. Clouds
07. I Remember
08. The Return of Chickchi
09. Epilogue: Ashes to Ashes

For more information on Loop 2.4.3. please visit their website.