Loren Nerell
Encyclopedia
Loren Nerell is a composer and performer of ambient
American music and Bali
nese gamelan
.
As a composer, Loren has written music for film, theater, dance, and interactive multi-media. He has performed with the Kronos Quartet
, has recorded six albums of original work, has appeared on several compilations such as Dali: The Endless Enigma, Soundscape Gallery 3, and Weightless, Effortless, and has made guest appearances on recordings such as Steve Roach's Artifacts, Paul Haslinger
's World Without Rules, Djam Karet
's Collaborator, and L. Subramaniam
's Global Fusion. He spent several months in Java
and Bali studying native styles of gamelan music, some of which he has performed in the greater Los Angeles area with other gamelan enthusiasts.
Loren Nerell was born in Long Beach, California
. His early interest in electronic music
began when he heard the Tangerine Dream
album Rubycon
. With it, he crossed over into a world of music that previously did not exist for him. He studied analog synthesis at Long Beach Community College
eventually moving to San Diego State University
where he was exposed to tape manipulation and tape composition techniques. He also began performing and studying Balinese gamelan music, and the microtonal composition of Harry Partch
. From San Diego, Loren moved to California State University Dominguez Hills where he delved into computer synthesis, utilizing their Synclavier
system.
After mastering the techniques he learned in school, he developed his own studio, stocking it with an array of vintage sound modules as well as the latest technology. He has worked in the music industry as a sound designer including a position at Oberheim Electronics, a synthesizer manufacturer, and as a recording engineer.
Loren received a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology and Geography from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master of Arts degree in ethnomusicology
from UCLA. His thesis is on the ceremonial gamelan music of Bali called lelambatan.
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 :...
American music and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
nese 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....
.
As a composer, Loren has written music for film, theater, dance, and interactive multi-media. He has performed with the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, has recorded six albums of original work, has appeared on several compilations such as Dali: The Endless Enigma, Soundscape Gallery 3, and Weightless, Effortless, and has made guest appearances on recordings such as Steve Roach's Artifacts, Paul Haslinger
Paul Haslinger
Paul Haslinger is an Austrian-born composer and musician currently based in Los Angeles, California.- Life and career :...
's World Without Rules, Djam Karet
Djam Karet
Djam Karet is an instrumental progressive rock band based in Topanga, California. The band was founded in 1984 by guitarists Gayle Ellett and Mike Henderson, bassist Henry J. Osborne, and drummer Chuck Oken, Jr....
's Collaborator, and L. Subramaniam
L. Subramaniam
Dr. Lakshminarayana Subramaniam is an acclaimed Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music, and renowned for his virtuoso playing techniques and compositions in orchestral fusion.-Early years:Subramaniam was born to V...
's Global Fusion. He spent several months in Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Bali studying native styles of gamelan music, some of which he has performed in the greater Los Angeles area with other gamelan enthusiasts.
Loren Nerell was born in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
. His early interest in electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
began when he heard the Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
album Rubycon
Rubycon (album)
Rubycon is an album released in 1975 by German electronic music group Tangerine Dream. It is widely regarded as one of their best albums. Rubycon further develops the Berlin School sequencer-based sound they ushered in with the title track from Phaedra.Although not quite matching the sales figures...
. With it, he crossed over into a world of music that previously did not exist for him. He studied analog synthesis at Long Beach Community College
Long Beach City College
Long Beach City College, established in 1927, is a community college located in Long Beach, California. It is divided into two campuses. The Liberal Arts Campus, known as LAC, is located in the residential community of the Lakewood Village section of Long Beach, on Carson Street west of Clark Avenue...
eventually moving to San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
where he was exposed to tape manipulation and tape composition techniques. He also began performing and studying Balinese gamelan music, and the microtonal composition of Harry Partch
Harry Partch
Harry Partch was an American composer and instrument creator. He was one of the first twentieth-century composers to work extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for custom-made instruments that he built himself, tuned in 11-limit just intonation.-Early...
. From San Diego, Loren moved to California State University Dominguez Hills where he delved into computer synthesis, utilizing their Synclavier
Synclavier
The Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
system.
After mastering the techniques he learned in school, he developed his own studio, stocking it with an array of vintage sound modules as well as the latest technology. He has worked in the music industry as a sound designer including a position at Oberheim Electronics, a synthesizer manufacturer, and as a recording engineer.
Loren received a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology and Geography from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master of Arts degree in ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
from UCLA. His thesis is on the ceremonial gamelan music of Bali called lelambatan.
External links
Loren Nerell discography at DiscogsDiscogs
Discogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...