Frippertronics-era Robert Fripp: Let's Discuss

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiJH8TenrrQ

one more -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81NBo1L2TLY

jfc

Not sure if I've read anywhere about nauseating tweeness being a side-effect of self-isolation?

oh cmon these are completely endearing.

Er, OK?

they are saved by humor imo

listening to that Kitchen recording from Feb 1978, so freakin good

i dunno I don't begrudge anyone their manner of trying to bring some brightness into the current situation, particularly someone who has the reputation of being as self-serious as Fripp.

Some italian guy took huge offence to these and Fripp reposted all his rants on FB last week.

Fripp reposted all his rants on FB last week.

I'd say the dancing is for everyone else's enjoyment but the reposting was for his.

they are saved by humor imo

What humour? I suspect tolerance for this sort of middle class English whimsicality is a bit lower this side of the pond.

!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM9svvfhLxc

<3 what a joy, thanks for posting!

Amazing :D

Hostage video vibes there

Possibly in standard tuning, too, so yeah, clearly being held prisoner.

It's definitely not in standard! Look at his fingers during the bassline in the verse and pick out the notes he's playing: the 6th string is tuned to a low C and the 5th is tuned down to G. Lol at the fingerings he uses to play the power chords.

I believe that's Fripp's New Standard Tuning.

"How can I make 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' hard to play?"

Yeah, actually, it did seem a bit weird looking to me. His New Standard is ... cello tuning?

C-G-D-A-E-G from the bottom.

It's the tuning that was taught in the Guitar Craft seminars. In his book, Eric Tamm describes how the students had to perform a new piece in public in this tuning. Tamm's composition was gentle, melodic and had a recurring C major chord, which made Fripp make retching sounds from the audience.

Will admit that using that tuning as a baseline standard seems kind of insane to me. Lol though that Fripp would object to someone writing a recurring C major chord in a tuning that spells out a C major pentatonic scale (with octave displacements natch).

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

...

Lol at the stretches to play that in Guitar Craft tuning.

They did "Anarchy in the UK" in December as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEiNW4HmFPE

I love the idea that after decades of alternate tunings designed to make playing certain things easier, Fripp has devised and perfected the one alternate tuning designed to make everything harder.

Content warnings on the comments for that first video

lol I knew better than to look until your comment, so I looked, and some of those responses are as funny as they are predictable.

They, uh, don't seem to mind the response:

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

can't wait for the studies and papers on lockdown syndrome ;)

I like to imagine Anita Dobson coming down to breakfast, hurling that newspaper headline in the face of Brian May with a disgusted "fucking Toyah!"

Brian thinks back to the last slightly tipsy garden barbeque at the Fripp-Wilcoxes, and sighs with a thought of what could have been, then gets up and slowly potters off to catalogue his plectrums again....

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

"Ladies of the Road" already provided a hint.