latest instalment in an irregular series occasioned by the large number of friends who've got books out this year
Borderline, this one. Not really a book, yet not quite a magazine either. A collaborative venture between Faber & Faber and Domino Records, Loops is a twice-yearly periodical of music writing, deluxely produced on paper stock nicer than any book I've ever had out, and at 224 pages longer than any music magazine I can think of, even some of those really fat Forced Exposures or Melody Makers from the Seventies with special pull-out sections reviewing new instruments, amps, etc. Borderline, then. But the debut issue of Loops is crawling with mates, starting with co-founder/co-editor Lee Brackstone, who's my editor at Faber, and continuing with several of the contributors: Anwyn Crawford a/k/a Fangirl / Aloof From Inspiration, with a piece entitled "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?" about the construction of and projection towards teengirl taste in rock criticism; Matthew Ingram surveying music technology and the sonic state-of-art; Geeta Dayal, offering an amuse-bouche for her Another Green World book due this autumn on Continuum, here looking at the parallels between Eno-in-the-kitchen and Eno-in-the-studio. Oh yes, and if you can be mates with yourself, then I should mention that I'm in it too: "Sonic Fiction... or, If This is the Future, How Come the Music Sounds So Lame?" is the first of a two-parter about science fiction and music, with this instalment looking at s.f. movie soundtracks.
And I'm hoping more mates will be contributing in the future.
Other highlights from Loops Issue 01 include: Hari Kunzru's "Twice Upon A Time (Listening to New York): Reflections on Moondog", Sam Davies's "Not Bad Meaning Bad... but Bad Meaning Good: Hip Hop and Susan Sontag's 'Notes on Camp'", Amanda Petrusich on blues 78s collectors, and Rob Young's "Hearken to the Witches Rune".
Loops is out July 2nd, 2009.