What is Loren's Relationship To
Djam Karet?
"My connection with Djam Karet starts with an introduction to Chuck Oken by Steve Roach at a concert Steve gave at Cal. Poly Pomona in 1984. Chuck at the time (as he does currently) ran a record store out in Claremont called Rhino Records. Steve was familiar with Chuck because of his strong support of electronic and progressive musics. Chuck also had a regular weekly radio show called "Music From Another Time and Place" which played similar music. At the time Chuck was in a band called Vox Populi which was kind of a new wave group, not really my cup of tea at the time. Chuck had told me about this band he had been in during his college years called Happy Cancer, a local prog band that was either behind or ahead of its time, depending on your point of view. He played me a tape they had done several years earlier -the one that they had released. I thought it was quite good and told him so, and expressed an interest in hearing such things if he ever pursued that avenue of music again. I should also mention that Chuck was also experimenting with electronic music, he had bought a couple of synths and a tape machine, doing sound experiments in a very Heldon-esc vain but without the guitars.
Some time in late 1984 or early 1985 Chuck invited me to come see his new band which was playing at a college party in Claremont. It was one of there first shows and it was one hour of total improve rock with no breaks, it was great! They were already a very tight sounding group, which surprised me. Later I found out that Chuck, Henry and Mike had all been in Happy Cancer together, so they already had years of experience playing together. I'm not sure if they were called Djam Karet yet, if not, then very soon after this gig they were. I took along with me my friend Rychard Cooper who was engineering my first album. He was quite impressed with them too, so impressed that he wanted to record them. So, sometime in 1985 we recorded the first DK album (I forget the date, but its on the tape). The whole recording was done in two days. The first day was mostly spent just setting them up and getting a good sound out of them, I think we recorded only one thing that day. The second day was where the majority of the recording took place. Later they mixed the album at Richard Burmer's studio. There are a couple of out-takes from that session that have never seen the light of day.
Some time after this I started jamming with them. This lead to a Djam Karet performance around April/ May 1985, with me on keyboards. It was a three hour outdoor affair. The stage was in the shape of a geodesic dome, some guy had a laser light show that he kept blinding me and everyone else with. It was quite an event and is so far the only time that I have ever played with DK, although I was going to play with them at Progfest 93, but we all know what happened to that!
In February of 1987 Rychard and I recorded DKs next album "The Ritual Continues." Again, a two day recording, with the first day being a live concert. Day two was also recorded live, but with no audience. Andy Frankel, who was a former member of Happy Cancer was in town and joind in on a couple of live improves. At this point, most of there material was no longer improved, just a few sections her and there.
Since then they built there own studio, and haven't had a need for someone to engineer them, doing it themselves for the most part. I have on occasion given them advice when asked, but my main function over the last eight years has been as sound engineer for their live concerts (yes I'm the guy you can blame for blasting you senseless at one of there shows) and when playing live on various radio shows.
Aside from that, most of the members of DK where
kind enough to help me out by making guest appearances on my second album "Book
of Alchemy." Then Gale asked me to contribute to the "Collaborator "
project. The rest, we'll just have to wait and see." LN 8/14/96
To appreciate Loren's relationship to Djam Karet, visit the Djam Karet list of musical selections.
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