ONRIC
No. 5 Interview (in English) December 1992
O. Loren, you've "fallen" in the Rubycon (me too). What does this music represent for you at this moment?
L.N. When I first heard this record in 1975 I was rather young and had not had much experience with electronic music. I think at the time the most radical music I had heard was The Beatles White Album (the one with Revolution No. 9). So for me, the title Rubicon was quite appropriate. Today, I still find it to be a great piece of music, one which I continue to listen to quite often.
O. You're now a professional musician: you studied electronic music, and your musical curriculum vitae is important. Do explain your type of music?
L.N. I find it very difficult explaining music to anyone. It's something that's just not verbalized very well. We have a saying here which sums it up very well. "Writing (or talking) about music is like dancing about architecture." I find it easiest to just play my music for someone. If I'm in a situation where I just can't, then I try and find something that they may be familiar with to point them in the right direction.
O. You're now classified as a "pacific school musician." How do you explain that? And, more important, do you appreciate this situation?
L.N. I don't think any of us here in the "pacific school" really appreciated it until recently. Mainly because most of us never thought of us being one cohesive movement much like the "Berlin school" appeared to be. You have to understand, most of us are spread out between Los Angeles and San Francisco, we're talking about an area of about five hundred miles! I think there are a couple of reasons for the phenomena of the "pacific school." One reason may be the number of synthesizer manufactures there were around here in the early 80's. Sequential Circuits, E-mu, Oberheim, Serge Modular along with the Japanese representatives for Roland, Yamaha, and Kawai were all based in California. Several of us even for these companies, I worked at Oberheim, Braheny worked for Serge, Roach, Rich, and Burmer have all had a working relationship with E-mu at one time or another. Because of this we have had relatively easy access to electronic instruments. They were also cheaper here just because they were so prolific in numbers. Maybe even more important to the "pacific school" development is the New Age movement that took to life in the late 70's early 80's. A lot of these people were looking for new ways of living and electronic music was very new.
O. What was your first "encounter" with Steve Roach? When, where . .? In general, what are your relations with the other "pacific" musicians?
L.N. My first "encounter with Steve was from an album called Music From the 21st Century. It was a compilation record put out in 1981 that featured an edited cut from Tangerine Dream's album Tangram. Richard Burmer also had a track on this record. I first met Steve in person in 1982 at one of his concerts. It was at a place called the Comeback Inn. In the early 80s the Comeback Inn had regular shows of electronic music and a yearly all day festival. This lasted for about four years. Most of the people that played there just out grew it. The place only held about twenty people! I know a lot of the other artist in the area. Most of them I have met through Steve. I would say my closest associations are with Steve, Walter Holland, Robert Rich, Richard Burmer, and Thom Brennan. Thom, Steve and I sort became the unofficial welcoming committee for traveling artists. Whenever some musician would come into Los Angeles for a visit--like Robert Rich or Don Slepian--the three of use would get together and show them around town.
O. With your next album, your discography will count 3 cassettes in 6 years (without the collaborations). Three albums only . . . Is it a will from you? To limit the releases for keeping the quality?
L.N. I would like to put out more recordings but I just don't seem to have the time. It's very easy for every day life to get in the way--to be distracting. If I wanted to I could probably do one release a year. But when you self-publish like I do it takes a lot of time and effort, and recording the music is only just the beginning. Basically all I can do is follow my own timeline let it come out when the time comes. But sometimes other things get in the way.
O. Have you a message to express through your music?
L.N. Probably my message is the whole global village theme, that we--all humanity--are connected together especially through the language of music.
O. If we summarize, Steve Roach is looking for the Human Roots and the atmospheres of the gigantic places, Michael Stearns is looking for the stars, Constance Demby is in search of God (!!?!) . . . And YOU?
L.N. I would say that Steve and I probably are looking for something similar. I am a little more interested in the essence of the human spirit, our primordial state that exists in all of us. But all of the things you mention are important.
O. What is your opinion concerning the actual electronic music, and particularly the U.S. scene?
L.N. It's hard for me to say viewing it for the inside. I think overall a lot of good music is being made these days, not just in the U.S., but all over the world. As for the U.S. things seem from my point of view have settled down over here. I don't see too many new artists developing. Only time will tell.
O. How do you explain the success of the "Pacific School" ( which is now an equivalent to the mid-seventies "Berlin School") throughout the world?
L.N. I can't really explain this, I was hoping you would tell me! It's kind of ironic, because nobody's aware of it here. I would guess that it's probably a combination of skill, hard work, and just plan good luck.
O. For all the people who don't know your music, how could you define it?
L.N. I would say it's a combination of new technologies and old world ways, combined together to make a new kind of music people have referred to my music as "Ethnotronic" or "Techno-tribal" perhaps these are appropriate.
O. A ritual question for all different musician: What is your position concerning the two words "new age"? Is the important in California?
L.N. I think that the New Age movement was an important step in the development for a lot of composers here in California at one time. In the late 70's/early 80's the people from this movement were very open to new things, so they embraced electronic music as their own. But, about five years ago the music industry decided to call anything it did not already have a name for "New Age." Most of what has become identified as "New Age" now is in reality only instrumental pop or lite jazz anything identified as New Age today in America is considered bad. I for one never thought that the label "New Age" was appropriate for the kind of music that I make, nor any of my friends.
O. What are your main influences (excepted the Dream and the ethnic cultures)?
L.N. I listen to a lot of artists and in some way they have all influenced me. As I type this I am listening to Richard Pinhas, earlier I listened to Cluster, Lou Harrison, and Jorge Reyes. Others artists I listen to frequentlyare Harry Partch, John Hassell, Peter Gabriel, Steve Reich, and Michael Hoenig. Of course my friends like Steve Roach, Robert Rich and Djam Karet also influenced me.
O. What are your ways for the composition, and what is the importance of the electronic machines in your music? Is the music technology (and its development) important?
L.N. Composing for me is a kind of evolutionary process. I usually start with an idea. These ideas tend to develop from some sort of inspirational event, like a beautiful day, a great painting, traveling, or even another composition. Then, at the point of actually recording the composition I try to get as close to the original idea as I can. Usually what happens is the process of recording changes the idea somewhat. This may take me off in a new direction and the process starts all over again until I reach a point of completion. Music technology is important. Right now we have the technology to record albums at home of very high quality. But, at the same time, some of the technology is so complex that it may take years to properly learn it all!
O. Do you think - like others - that the computer/software is necessarily the enemy of the original feeling, of the spontaneity?
L.N. No, it really depends upon the computer/software you are using. If it has an intuitive 'user friendly' interface then their is no reason that it should be.
O. Today, you're an independent with your own label . . . There is a lot of musicians who dream about a big deal with a major . . . Is it also your dream? And, do you really think that it will be a VERY good thing? What is the position of the U.S. businesses concerning E. Musicians and the "Pacific School"?
L.N. Yes, I would be interested in being on a label, provided that it's the right one. Some of the advantages a label has are better distribution and wider visibility. It is also the only thing that they do, so they can concentrate more on getting an album exposure then I ever could. As of now most record labels in the U.S. are not interested in anything remotely connected to "New Age" music and to most of them our music is just too close. The only exceptions that I can think of are Hearts of Space and Celestial Harmonies.
O. What are your projects for the next months, years, centuries? You're back from Indonesia. Nice place? Concerning the Future of Music: are you optimistic for all the non-MTV-Charts marked commercial musics?
L.N. The next project will be my third album. I had hoped to have finish it by January, but it looks like that is not going to happen because I am going to India for December/January. I hope to finish it sometime next year after my return, aside from maybe going to the moon I have no plans for the next century. Yes, Indonesia is very nice. I only wish I could have stayed longer. I did some recording while there and I hope to incorporate it in my next album. I am optimistic about the non MTV music. I think there is more to great music then just music videos and I believe that the future will prove it to be true.
Back to main page