Loop Guru is a worldbeat

Worldbeat

Worldbeat is a music genre that primarily refers to a blending of Western pop music with traditional/folk or world music influences...

 group consisting of bassist/guitarist Salman Gita (born Sam Dodson) and programmer Jamuud (born David Muddyman). They first met around 1980 and initially played together in The Transmitters

The Transmitters (band)

The Transmitters were a British alternative rock band active during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Mixing elements of punk, jazz and psychedelia, the band were critical favourites throughout their lifetime and played support slots for a wide variety of underground and mainstream bands,...

 and released their debut single as Loop Guru, Shrine, in 1992. The band's music is a melange of Asian and Western music, infusing Western dance beats with the rich textures and sounds of Indonesian gamelan

Gamelan

A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....

 and traditional Indian music. Heavy emphasis is placed on electronic samples of traditional instruments, voices, and miscellaneous sounds.

However, Loop Guru's main exuberant oeuvre consisting of lively rhythms and effusive sounds is occasionally punctuated by more contemplative albums (e.g., The third chamber) that are reminiscent and influenced by ambient music

Ambient music

Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...

 and more similar to musical artists such as Brian Eno

Brian Eno

Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...

 and Jon Hassell

Jon Hassell

Jon Hassell is an American trumpet player and composer. He is known for his influence in the world music scene and his unusual electronic manipulation of the trumpet sound.-Life and career:...

. Past and present guest musicians and collaborators include, among others, Natacha Atlas

Natacha Atlas

Natacha Atlas is a Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western electronic music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "cha'abi moderne" . Her music has been influenced by many styles including Arabic, hip hop, drum 'n' bass and reggae.Atlas began her career as part of...

, Sussan Deyhim

Sussan Deyhim

Sussan Deyhim is an Iranian singer, composer and dancer.Born in Tehran, her career began as a dancer with Iran's Pars National Ballet company...

, Mad Jym, Count Dubulah (also known as Nick Page, Psycho Karaoke and Dub Colossus) and Cat von Trapp.

Loop Guru is a cross-language pun with the French "loup garou" meaning "werewolf".

Albums

• Duniya...The Intrinsic Passion Of Mysterious Joy (1994)
• The Third Chamber (1994)
• Amrita...All These And The Japanese Soup Warriors (1995)
• Catalogue Of Desires Vol 3...The Clear White Variation (1996)
• Moksha...Peel To Reveal/The Peel Sessions (1996)
• Loop Bites Dog (1997)
• The Fountains Of Paradise (1999)
• Loopus Interruptus...Forgotten Treasures & Lost Artifacts (a compilation of singles, 2001)
• Wisdom Of The Idiots...Half A History And A History And A Half (a best of compilation, 2003)
• Bathtime With Loop Guru (2003)
• Elderberry Shiftglass (2006)

Singles

• Shrine / Mrabat (1992)
• Paradigm Shuffle / Hope(1993)
• Sussantics (1993)
• Shrinic Visions ep (1994)
• The Third Chamber (hour-long "single") (1995)
• Through Cinemas (1995)
• Possible Futures: Fourplay (1995)
• Sheikh (1996)
• Skin Heaven (1997)

External links

• Loop Guru Myspace page
• discography, biographies at Artistdirect.com