Frippertronics-era Robert Fripp: Let's Discuss

I could quite fancy one of those new A-H boxen actually, there's this bit in my EMS AKS manual about putting the synthesiser in the feedback loop of the delay, and reprocessing the echoes as they come round. I've never had a long enough echo to get any kind of worthwhile effect, plus now I have modular gear!!

I just flinch like a loon when I hear discussion of Fripp & Eno's physical innovations, when they were actually nil (though what they accomplished with the delay set up was inspirational, there were many equally amazing records already in wide release) -- dubbing his setup 'Frippertronics' was a brilliant bit of PR that's obscured the discussion on the genre of loop based music. Which is an issue precisely because it's such a big field, a huge outgrowth of electronic, feedback-driven music making in general -- it's all loops. Ways for single performers to make huge amounts of noise.

past arguments with Fripp fanatics are haunting me, but everyone besides me is being quite reasonable here, so apologies. Let The Power Fall is an outstanding record. The bootlegs are great too, Scary Monsters caliber solos atop the walls...

Also, on the inner sleeve of my God Save the Queen copy on vinyl, he says outright something to the effect of "In fairness, others have used this delay system before me." I'll get the real quote later...

"The end of the Drive to 1981 was timed to coincide with an event of astrological significance, an alignment of the planets to take place on September 11, 1981, at which time, Fripp evidently believed, mankind was in for an awakening of apocalyptic import."

How do you mean?

Clearly there's been a demand for Frippertronics and it's our intention to make some of these available as the site grows and develops. More Soundscapes will be uploaded onto the site in the near future and the KC 2003 shows are also currently under consideration.

Just spoken to Steve Martin of The Agency in NYC. Soundscape performances are about to be confirmed for the end of February in Athens, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis, St. Louis & a few others.

rad little bit of frippertronics: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/matte-kudasai-solo/id129950531?i=109855476
the Matte Kudasai Solo isolated.

Found an original copy of the Pleasures In Pieces bootleg a while back, which Tamm raves about in his book. Rightly so, it's a gem.

that's this thing right? http://www.dgmlive.com/archive.htm?&show=1172
i need to keep up with the DGM Live thing, had no idea they had put out that 1975 eno/fripp show officially.

I thought Pleasure In Pieces was at the Kitchen in SoHo.

oh maybe? i haven't heard it.

Neither have I. Would love to tho. Seems kind of odd DGM hasn't released it.

yeah it's the Kitchen, Feb 1978

And DGM hasn't released it, right?

correct

also you said you downloaded it upthread :)

So I did! I think I may have lost it in The Great Crash of 2011.

i need this bootleg and yet i cannot find it. these are dark days.

think "no pussyfooting" played at 33 is the greatest album of all time

so ... what up w/ the album art?

happy 66th bday robert fripp!

woo. coincidentally was just listening to this for the first time: http://www.guitars101.com/forums/f90/robert-fripp-1979-08-11-toronto-canada-aud-mp3320-a-121738.html

His and Toyah's appearance on All Star Mr. and Mrs. from a week or two ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64VGyoIyBgc

did a whole sacred songs/peter gabriel 2/exposure listening marathon last week and it ruled

His and Toyah's appearance on All Star Mr. and Mrs. from a week or two ago:



Frippertronics emulator - VST plugin

http://synth.me/music-gear/elottronix-xl-free-frippertronics-emulator-vst

bweep-aweepabweep

So, you can get mp3s of Fripp's entire 1979 and 1981 Frippertronics tours at DGM Live for $60 and $45 respectively. Kind of cool.

Looks like those are the FLAC prices — mp3s are even cheaper, $46 and $35. Tempting...

Ooh yes, that is tempting.

I've been listening to some of Fripp's Soundscapes the last few days – his digital Frippertronics that he deployed solo in the 90s as well as with Sylvian, The Orb and on various other electronica collabs during the decade. At the time I found much of that work a bit bloodless – his original Revox/"Fripple board" setup was so wonderful but more than that, unusual-sounding, the newer setup couldn't help but suffer by comparison. But the further I get from those records, the more I think he was doing some really interesting work during that era – and it made total sense why he was in such demand. Some favorites:

Bringing Down the Light (with David Sylvian)
The Cathedral of Tears
FFWD/Orbert – the Orb collaboration and the 51-minute bootleg tape, recorded and mixed by Kris Weston before Paterson added his prototypical dub echoes, humor and sound effects. Consists mostly of Frippertronics/Soundcapes and keyboard pads.
Terminus (with the Orb)
Can of Bliss (FFWD)

Still haven't pulled the trigger on the 79/81 Frippertronics tours. But did grab that World Financial Centre show from November, 2000 -- and here is a great Soundscapes performance of Fripp's from a few years back on the radio -- not dissimilar to The Equatorial Stars, with a nice interview as well where he describes the evolution of Frippertronics to Soundscapes:

http://www.wnyc.org/story/105064-robert-fripps-soundscapes-live-2010/

Soundscapes signal path:

http://cdn.mos.musicradar.com/images/features/rig-tour/robert-fripp/signal-path-650-80.jpg

FIVE Eventide Harmonizers.

I love this stuff. Also: I'm a bit drunk.

WTC show from November 2000 is incredibly good. Now that digital synthesis is getting a second look, you'd be crazy to sleep on these Soundscapes recordings. Some are among the best things Fripp ever did, I shit you not.

Full admission: I'm a bit drunk again.

So, you can get mp3s of Fripp's entire 1979 and 1981 Frippertronics tours at DGM Live for $60 and $45 respectively. Kind of cool.

Can you link directly to this? I'm not seeing it. Finding the DGM site a little confusing to navigate.

I can't find it either. I think the site has been rejigged since May and is still something of a work in progress. Suspect it's not available at the moment.

Yes, noticed the new redesign the other day. Every link is broken.

I said this elsewhere but Fripp's 2006 Churchscapes tour of English cathedrals is mind blowingly good. $20 for something like 6 shows on DGM when it's back online.

Robert Fripp's 1978 Frippertronics show at The Kitchen, NYC now available to download...https://t.co/asXGhFOtpC pic.twitter.com/MuOCdWcj9K

— KING CRIMSON (@DGMHQ) December 23, 2019

Not sure about the date but I believe this is the Pleasure in Pieces boot described upthread at the correct speed, running order, etc. Sounds like a similar approach to how they restored the famously bootlegged Fripp & Eno Paris shows from the mid-70s:

05FEB 1978

By the time Robert Fripp arrived at The Kitchen, one of New York’s leading avant-garde arts spaces, King Crimson had been declared dead and buried for nearly three and a half years. Having used the resulting space to spend time in search of personal equilibrium through a spiritual retreat, this public unveiling of Frippertronics presented Fripp as the living embodiment of the ‘small, independent, mobile and intelligent unit.’

Such was the demand to see the dapper-suited Englishman performing in New York, a second show was added on the night with long queues braving the freezing cold weather. The importance of the performance wasn’t lost on bootleggers and for several years a double LP of the first house show had been in circulation.

However, as Frippertronics expert as Al Okada observes this bootleg LP had been released at the wrong speed and with tracks appearing out of sequence. Listening to the work of DGM’s Alex ‘Stormy’ Mundy in restoring both the first and second houses, Okada says, “This new transfer, direct from the master tapes, enhanced with solos from bootlegged cassette recordings, has vastly improved on that sound quality. This is by far and away the ‘definitive version.’”

Al continues, “I am particularly struck by the opening section of 1st House-Loop I, which is very reminiscent of a fanfare. This was highly appropriate for the opening piece of the world premiere of Frippertronics. Loop II opening is also extremely memorable to my ears. There’s some great soloing on top of Loop IV with the end of that piece sounding like cars whizzing past on a highway.”

Okada comments that this show is important for another reason - the lack of any “beeping” type sounds that would be a hallmark of future performances. “Those sounds are created by a signal bypass switch, added to the pedalboard. It’s likely that at the time of this show, Fripp had not discovered this technique. All notes played here are either played directly or are swept in via volume pedal. This is a subtle yet distinct difference, distinguishing itself from all subsequent Frippertronics performances. 2nd House-Loop III at around 10 minutes in, Fripp creates some riveting sounds that can be best described as a fleet of dive-bombing wartime aircraft. These are just a few of the many highlights for me.”

yes....will absolutely pay for this download.

Dang gotta get that

yes....will absolutely pay for this download.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te0qfJUidHQ

one thing that quarantine has made very clear is that robert fripp fucks...a lot

"Ladies of the Road" already provided a hint.

ew

Great thread revive.

Oh! Oh!

firestarter!

(look it up yourself, it's NSFW)

Man oh man, I love Sundays...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWMY7TVzgcE

Fucking hell...

https://www.dgmlive.com/news/robert-fripp-exposures-32-discs-boxed-set-robert-fripp-studio-live-1977-1983

The long-awaited 32-disc boxed set of Robert Fripp in the studio and in concert 1977 - 1983 will be released on 27th May 2022. The set will feature many previously unreleased tracks, outtakes and rarities as well as numbers tracks becoming on CD for the first time.

Holy shit, I'm exhausted just trying to read the tracklisting.

I haven't gotten any of the monster-size KC boxes, but I'll probably be getting this.

Yeah holy fuck, I think this is kind of a mandatory purchase.

dear god

WmC I will happily trade you 32 CDRs of your choice for rips/files if/when you get this

Don't know if this is "the writing project" as mentioned by RF over the years, but https://dgmlive.com/news/the-guitar-circle-book-by-rf

The long-awaited first book from Robert Fripp - 'The Guitar Circle' - collects much of RF's writing about Guitar Craft, as well as his unique approach to guitar playing, collaborating and personal development.

Presented in a limited edition first print hardcover format (and printed on high-end Italian Fedrigoni paper), the book is due to be published on September 1st 2022 by Panegyric Publishing.

This is the first in a series of books to include The DGM Diaries, Crimson Chronicles and membership of King Crimson (1969-2021) and personal commentary on living in New York during and after the recording of Exposure at a point in the late 1970s when New York was the fulcrum of a wider cultural rebirth.

The book will be available via Burning Shed and other major online bookstores from September 1st. Click here to pre-order.
(For U.S. customers, the book will be available to pre-order via Inner Knot soon.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAmC8VRxC1g

Success. Frippertronics rig set up in the "traditional" way. In other words, no mixer, no extra delay and one cable between playback and record machines. pic.twitter.com/sQ1HyFUiXe

— tarotplane (@tarotplane_) February 9, 2023

Fripp had a heart attack April 26th before/during travel to Italy for a GC event, had surgery 2x there, seems to be doing well, per a Toyah/RF video on her youtube channel.

Wow. I can imagine him going either way, nothing but stress 24/7 or nothing but Zen.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJecZwAxkJl

Ok, long post incoming:

A few weeks ago I finally popped for the Exposures 32-disc set, and it is probably the best box set I've ever encountered. Admittedly, Fripp does the fan service thing extremely well -- like, the Sid Smith biography of Crimson he cooperated with (and refers to as "The Toxic Tome," LOL) is probably the single greatest music biography I've read. It is extremely well researched, interviews all the main players, takes a fair and even critical view of those who make it possible -- while also including sections that go through every album track by track and all their live gigs. It manages to be extremely comprehensive without ever once feeling overwhelming.

This box--which intimidated the shit out of me when I first heard about it and I figured I'd never buy--is exactly the same. Don't get me wrong: it is loaded to the gills with music. Six different mixes of the Exposure album proper, multiple discs of loops he prepared for the record and for a bunch of other records he was on around then(like for My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and the Roches’ first album), as well as all of his other releases from that period — the Frippertronics record, God Save the Queen and the League of Gentlemen record. All the proper releases are mixed in surround by Steven Wilson and Fripp’s manager/engineer — and there are a ton of screamingly heavy outtakes of Fripp with players like John Wetton, Phil Collins and Jerry Marotta.

Oh, and there’s 68(!) hours of Frippertronics concerts on the Blu-ray.

Despite that, it feels really well organized and easy to dive into? Exposure itself has never been an easy listen — but it’s fascinating to see how it come together and the component parts are a great listen in their own right.

A few other thoughts:

The Frippertronics stuff is just amazing. I sort of assumed I would quickly tire of listening to all that beeping and whatnot but it really hits the spot late at night and the surround mixes they did of it are stunningly well done. There’s like a whole series of thoughts I’ve had about what a completely sui generis thing it is in terms of, not just the tape loop system, but as a musical language and form of electronic music (as opposed to guitar music). I’ve heard similar things but never anything else quite like it.

The League of Gentlemen is a lot more fun and less dorky than I remember (esp. shorn of the JG Bennet spoken word snippets) — but also rips really fucking hard, especially on the live stuff included.

This kind of “all-in” overview where everything is done in a really class way feels like the kind of thing that’s only possible when artists own their own music. Fripp fought his ass off to get that right — and all joking aside about “funding his 401(k),” this box demonstrates what’s possible when artists aren’t having to clear everything with corporate entities that just have a completely different perspective on projects like these.

All in all, it just strikes that incredible balance between "Everything you could possibly want" and being presented in such an inviting way that you are actually glad you have it.

RF: The Onion's "Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work" remains one of my fave LOL viddy moments. So very happy for KC to be featured here...

https://scontent-ord5-3.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/539406349_1385325756542200_3767052363354387277_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=hO-0Lc0X58EQ7kNvwH6VkE0&_nc_oc=Adm3PgCLvFxvxulSRIqduBxGl4YKh1nKW7AOGOaBWby4yOuUiwY2GWa73DIsdydJNsY&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-3.xx&_nc_gid=S7CxnyPHCPvY0T_AcATYdg&oh=00_AfYEj8trofpIH6295vJPPNcZCPP4AvEchMhgwZDWxB-m-Q&oe=68C0EC06