Artist Name: Jerico Niezen Title: Sea Blue Genre: Ambient Rock Rating:
Equipment Used
Ibanez guitar, Yamaha keyboard, Korg effects pedal, Digitech JamMan loop pedal, Zoom RhythmTrak drum machine.
Production Notes & Credits
“Sea Blue” is an “Ambient Rock” instrumental recording done in its entirety by Jerico.
Reviewed By Marty Peters
With the aid of a few simple tools Jerico has fashioned a pretty successful track here. While looping has become a huge presence in the live performance scene, with everyone from Ed Sheeran to veterans like Bill Frisell and Keller Williams spreading the word, we have come across relatively few submissions that utilize it.
Not so for “Sea Blue”, however. Building on a drone-style keyboard bed, Jerico creates a mesmerizing melody with the aid of his Ibanez guitar and Digitech JamMan loop pedal. The beat is provided by a Zoom RhythmTrack drum machine ( we assume the RT-234), and wisely Jerico kept it to an appropriately basic pattern. Far too often we have experienced folks getting in way over their heads programming drum parts that no actual drummer would or could play, usually to the detriment of the rest of the track.
We also liked the way that Jerico handled the outro of his track. One of the things we’ve noticed with many burgeoning loopers in live settings is a certain level of clumsiness as their various looped parts coalesce towards a firm ending. Fortunately it’s all smooth sailing here, in large measure because the drums are faded out well before the track comes to a close.
Suggestions
With surging popularity and advancements in technology, looping is likely to be with us for the foreseeable future. In a real sense it has redefined the whole one-man-band scenario, especially in the live performance arena, allowing for a multitrack type option outside of the studio. In Jerico’s case, he seems well on his way within the genre, and we encourage him to create to his heart’s content.
Summary
The sky’s the limit, go for it!
Contact
Jerico Niezen, [email protected]