expressive looping,

live

what we do

Art of the Loop performs complex music with no pre-recorded tracks. Much of what we perform is looped by an extensive array of programming by Ramon. The system, built in Ableton Live, Max for Live, and Clyphx Pro can create layers and effects that a standard looping environment can’t.

The concepts and techniques were born from a series of experiments in 2011.

Looping protocol video can be viewed here. Continue below for immersive audio/video experience!

who we are

Eden Rayz

With a traditional classical background, Eden Rayz grew up composing and playing cello from the age of 4. While she was attracted to the virtuosity of traditional string playing, she was unsatisfied with the diminutive range of techniques you can employ improvisatorially in standard repertoire.

Eden began delving into many other genres by the age of 12, including pop, jazz, rock, and most intimately, heavy metal. She caught the rock bug at 14, playing in the cello section in the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, who recorded a live album and DVD with classic rock band STYX the same year. She won the “Outstanding Performance” award for her work with the orchestra. Soon after, her string arrangements of rock songs were published professionally.

At the age of 17, she began attending Berklee College of Music on partial scholarship and enjoyed a new-found career as a session performer, recording and arranging with artists such as Wyclef Jean and Vinnie Ferra.

Ramon Castillo

Ramon Castillo has developed the Art of the Loop as a flexible and expansive live performance project for the last several years. The project utilizes numerous technologies to move live looping from simple effect-oriented performance to a robust platform for composition, improvisation, and stage performance. These looping protocols allow for users to automate every parameter of a looped composition: loop length, loop volume, effects amounts and parameter levels, tempo (for loops or global), pitch, direction, start and stop times, and outboard gear parameters. This allows for an extremely enhanced degree of musical expression (dynamics, polyrhythm, asymmetry, etc.) Live performances have featured:

Sandeep Das (tabla) Publiquartet (string quartet), percussion (pitched and unpitched), solo piano, solo guitar, guitar and percussion duo, toy piano, solo violin, Javanese gamelan, harp, synthesizer, and saxophone. This looping system utilizes Ableton Live and Max for Live and can integrate into any acoustic performance setting.

Art of the Loop was born from the experiments of Bleep Blop electroacoustic ensemble.

Kevin Dacey

Kevin Dacey is a performer, composer and music educator centralized in Boston, MA. Before relocating, he spent his college days at UMass Lowell under the instruction of Jeff Fischer and Fred Buda obtaining a B.M. in Percussion Performance. Along with his classical and jazz training, he began to explore various avenues of sound experimentation and improvisatory techniques thanks to the lively and adventurous Lowell music scene. He has practiced these studies in groups such as Chill City Icon, Bleep Blop Electroacoustic Ensemble, Ensemble Inedit, Leap of Faith Orchestra, Ghost of Electricity and Warped Forest as well as solo performances and impromptu group sessions. His interest in traditional performance practice has not faded yet though. He can be seen performing with the steel band Plum Island Pans, the Concord Orchestra, local musical productions, and other local orchestras.

When he’s not in the studio or on stage, Kevin spends his time teaching percussion to students at the North Shore Montessori and River Valley Charter School. Around Boston he is employed by the Community Music Center of Boston as a part of their Community Outreach program which strives to provide a quality music education to children in the BPS disctrict. Kevin also provides private percussion instruction at Zach Field Drum Studios to people of all ages.