Taylor Deupree’s Loop of Loops

I love record albums, certainly, but in 2024, as for many years now, there’s nothing for me quite like fragments posted by musicians online as they work toward a finished work. The word “work” appears twice in that previous sentence, eventually as a synonym for a fixed document, but first as the effort it took to get there. You can hear that sort of effort in an untitled track that Taylor Deupree just posted in his newsletter, which is titled The Imperfect. The recording is just under three minutes of looping drones. Per the brief description, there are two loops: “loop a / Arp2600, pitch pipe, wooden abacus → strymon volante → meris mercury x / loop b / kaleidoloop.” If the words aren’t familiar, a quick search online will reveal the instruments being described. What matters is the result, a kind of lush, syrupy stasis, the sonic equivalent of a nearly blank mind that is stuck on something ponderous, but not uncomfortable with the mental obstacle. It’s a beautiful little treat. The audio is only in Deupree’s newsletter, so you’ll need to click through to listen.