"In this photo I am playing in a Balinese Angklung gamelan. This picture was taken in Bali in the summer of 94, I was there with a group of people to learn music of Bali and Java, this was one of the styles we learned. Angklung is a four tone ensemble and is used in Bali for various ceremonies. It was the first style of gamelan that I ever played (back in 1981)." LN 8/14/96
A fan interviews Loren:(fan) Loren is currently a graduate student at UCLA (1996) in the ethnomusicology program.
"What are you studying at UCLA?"
(LN) " My main emphasis is on the gamelan music of Bali and Java. I'm currently writing my M.A. thesis on a ceremonial style of music from Bali called lelambatan. It's probably one of the most common forms of music on the island, but one of the least known to the general public oputside of Bali. Lelambatan is the main ceremonial music for the Balinese, it is most commonly heard at temple ceremonies. The compositions are long, usually 20 - 40 minutes in length. One of the most visual and musical aspects of lelambatan is an instrument called the 'trompong,' a long row of small nobbed gongs that a single person plays in a virtuosic way. It's one of the few ways musically that an individual in Bali can show his skill."
(fan) "How will your graduate program help you in your musical future?"
(LN) " To answer your question about how this will help my music I have to say that gamelan music has been a BIG influence on me for a number of years. I was first introduced to gamelan in 1981 while an undergraduate at San Diego State University which lead to my playing in an ensemble while I was enrolled. Ever since then I have been using some of their techniques in my music, such as repeating cycles and hocketing patterns, i.e. interlocking parts that produce something together more than individually. I stopped playing gamelan for a long time but started playing again about five years ago. I wanted a deeper understanding of the music, so it seemed like a natural progression to study ethnomusicology from there."
(fan) "What other musical projects or collaborations are you currently involved with?"
(LN) "I will be making a guest appearance on the next Paul Haslinger solo release CD. The Paul Haslinger album is called "World Without Rules" which is out now on the Hearts of Space sub. label RGB and should be available any day now. The music I did for the CD-ROM magazine called "Launch" is done and can be heard starting with issue #8. This will be an ongoing project with me updating the music every so often."
(LN) After my thesis is finished (Summer 96) I plan to start writing new music for my next album."
(fan) "A statement regarding your musical philosophy..."
(LN) "My music is a synthesis of what I know. It is a combination of different 'forms' that have affected me in some way, filtered through my perceptions of what music is or can be."
(LN) "Lately the direction that I have been heading in is to create a sort of hybrid between traditional gamelan and my more experimental stuff, basically merging gamelan with electronics. My newest recording (Lilin Dewa) is my attempt at that, one of the many attempts I will hopefully be making in the future." LN6/16/95
See also the Oniric Interview.Back to main page