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Last night I had my ass kicked by a bunch of girls. Lez Zeppelin, the all female Zep tribute band, came storming through Boston, rocking a capacity crowd at The Middle East. I should have been prepared for what was to take place. My good friend and former bandmate (and current Lez Zeppelin bassist), Megan Thomas, contacted me a few weeks ago, telling me about her latest musical endeavor and inviting me to their upcoming Boston show. Megan is an amazing musician, so I knew she would nail all of the classic John Paul Jones bass lines. What I didn’t know, however, was how well everyone in the band would nail EVERYTHING. Especially the drummer.

Lez Zeppelin

With a 26″ Ludwig bass drum, 15″ Paiste 2002 Sound Edge hi hats, and a massive gong behind her kit, drummer Leesa Harrington-Squyres not only had the exact set up of the late John Bonham, she also had the same incredible feel and power. From the aggressive and sloshy intro of “Rock and Roll” to the odd-time stomp of “The Ocean“, Leesa channeled the spirit of Bonzo and flawlessly reproduced every back beat and fill in the Zeppelin catalogue. From the ghost notes to the sextuplet bass drum riffs to the massive pocket, it was all there.

Loop #121

Today’s loop, while not a direct copy of any particular Bonham groove, highlights the same underlying ghost notes found in many of his beats. In this case, the notes appear directly after the 2 and 4 of each backbeat, almost giving a sixteenth note type delay effect on the snare.

Editors Note – No mudsharks were harmed during the making of this loop.

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88 BPM

Tags: ghost notes, John Bonham, Led Zeppelin, Lez Zeppelin, mudshark, The Middle East

When I feel the aggravation
When I feel the old frustrations
I go into my room and hit my drum
(hit it)

When I feel the time approaching
Deep inside a big explosion
I pickup my sticks (pickup my sticks) and hit my drum
(hit it)

I don’t need no tranquilizers (no oh yeah)
When I’m down the doc advises
If my sickness calls, I miss my drums

Nanananananannanannannanananna

When I lay me down to sleep (oh yeah uh come on)
There one thing I wish to keep (oh yeah uh come on)
Keep em within my reach, my set of uh drums, uh drums, uh drums

Hat tip Chad Clark.

Tags: awesome, drum, The Osmonds

• I drive a Toyota.

• I’m from Iowa.

• I own a Sheryl Crow Album.

I’m not hip hop. But I love it.

J Dilla - He Is Hip Hop

Loop #120

Today’s loop is my hat tip to J Dilla and his incredible 2006 album, Donuts. While I had been familiar with Dilla’s work as a producer through his collaborations with Common and Talib Kweli, it wasn’t until the release of Donuts (and his untimely passing) that I got to know Dilla as a solo artist. Funky, warm, inventive, melodic and inspiring, Donuts is the kind of artistic statement that every musician should strive to create. Just take a listen to “Stop” and you’ll hear what I’m talking about.

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91 BPM

Tags: Common, Hip Hop, Iowa, J Dilla, Sheryl Crow, Talib Kweli, Toyota

That’s right, the wait is finally over. A crisp February 1st in Boston brings yet another new pack of loops to the loyal subscribers of ryangruss.com I pride myself on producing a highly eclectic range of styles with each new release and Vol 9 is definitely no exception. Let’s dive right in and take a look at what’s inside.

Gruss Loops - Vol 9

90_Thunk – Sometimes snares sound better when you tune them down. Way down. For this series of beats, I took one of my deep maple drums, loosened the batter head to the edge of complete floppiness, and laid a few sheets of notebook paper on top. To thicken things up even more, I tapped into some virtual tape saturation via Ozone 4 and cranked the compression knob.

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135_TheShore – I never really thought I’d produce a set of loops inspired by an MTV series. No, this isn’t a tribute to “The Grind”, but come to think about it, it’s not that far off. These loops are a direct result from watching far too many episodes of the wonderful freak show that is The Jersey Shore. I have a feeling that my subscribers in Eastern Europe and Seaside Heights will enjoy these grooves.

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179_Took5 – You can’t record a jazz groove in 5/4 and not pay respect to Dave Brubeck for making it the only household odd-time signature. Throw in a bit of Elvin’s left handed triplets on the snare and some ostinatos on the hi hat and bass drum and you’ve got my latest straight ahead loop set.

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68_BrushBallad – What’s that woooooshing sound? Awh, the wonderful warmth of brush-based ballad loops. From the “less is more” school of cool jazz icons like Bill Evans and Miles Davis, these loops explore every single inch of a 14″ Remo Coated Ambassador.

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103_BrushFunk – And while we’re on the topic on brushes, let’s see how they hold up in the world of funk. With an extra ringy snare drum and an army of 16th note ghost notes, my Regal Tip brushes prove they can hang in a genre outside of ballads.

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To become a subscriber and gain instant access to all of the 100+ loops (each as AIFF, WAV and REX2) in Volume IX, just click the button below.

Tags: Bill Evans, Elvin Jones, Floppy, Gruss Loops, Miles Davis, Volume 9

Well, after several months of coding, editing, cursing, rejoicing and testing, the big day has finally arrived. I’m pleased to announce the official launch of my new website, thelooploft.com!

This blog has been (and will remain) my “virtual workshop”, bringing readers along for the ride as I record and produce beats in my studio and share my thoughts and inspiration around the music. But this blog (built on wordpress) isn’t an ideal distribution center for large digital files. It’s been great for giving subscribers access to the wide mix of loops I create each month, but as far as packaging my growing library of loops into tight niches/genres and giving customers the option to select their own desired file types, wordpress just doesn’t have the flexibility. The new site was designed entirely around the online shopping experience, focusing on the product itself and the ability to quickly and easily download it directly to your computer.

The Loop Loft will not only act as an outlet for my drum loops, but will soon include releases from other instrumentalists as well. I’ll be working with top session musicians in NYC, LA, Nashville and London to bring you the funkiest, most soulful, un-programmed, unique and inspiring loops anywhere in the world. Yes, that’s quite a claim, but just watch. The loop world is about to change. And we won’t charge you $79 for the experience.

So, come on in and take a tour. The paint is still drying so be careful where you sit. And while you’re at it, follow The Loop Loft on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with the latest news. Trust me, you don’t want to miss the release of The Yngwie Malmsteen Shred-Pack Vol 1.

Tags: Grand Opening, The Loop Loft, Yngwie Malmsteen

Such a pun-laden headline could only mean one thing: Another funk loop. And rather than picking up the sticks and burying the VU meters into the red, I decided to to go the subtle route and use brushes to lay down the back beat.

Jim Keltner - Master of brushes, forks and pens.

Loop #119

I’ll admit, I’m not breaking any new ground with today’s groove. Drummers like Steve Jordan, Jim Keltner, and even the guy from G. Love and Special Sauce have been incorporating brushes into funk and pop grooves for years. I am, however, providing you with two measures of pristinely-produced, wide open snare, right hand on the floor tom, brush-based goodness.

Enjoy.

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103 BPM

Tags: brushes, floor tom, Funk, G Love, Jim Keltner, Steve Jordan

I know, I know. There’s been a serious lack of loop postings recently. This isn’t because I haven’t been keeping busy in the studio. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite. For the past month or so, I’ve been burning the midnight oil, cranking away at something so big, so revolutionary, that it needs its own URL. It’s a project that’s been a plan of mine for years and finally, technology has caught up to my vision, enabling me to pull it all off. More details to be released soon. Stay tuned.

And for whatever reason, I’ve recently found myself watching a lot of the trainwreck-on-tv known as “The Jersey Shore”. I can’t really tell you how or why I started to tune into this hugely entertaining yet morally, ethically, and intellectually inept MTV series (can I blame it on my wife?), but regardless, I find it fascinating. My favorite part of the show is when the cast goes out clubbing (which is apparently every night), the house music starts thumping, and the guys start fist pumping to the beat.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you already know how I feel about dance music. Perhaps The Jersey Shore is starting to change my stance? Nah, it isn’t. But from watching some serious fist pumping on a weekly basis, I’ve been inspired to record another beat suitable for the Snooki in everyone.

Guys, this is for you.

Loop #118

Before using today’s loop, make sure you get juiced-up, hit the gym, spend at least 25 minutes in a tanning bed, put on your favorite Ed Hardy t-shirt, and apply at least 7 oz of hair product to your dome. My pumped-up house beats will take care of the rest.

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135 BPM

Tags: Dance, Fist Pump, hair gel, Snooki, The Jersey Shore

Well, it looks like we have our first winner in the “Beat & Bratwurst Contest”. This photo was submitted by Endai Hüdl, whom you might remember as the composer of the electro-dance-circus epic, “Ded Blokkz Mambo”. While the jury is still debating the authenticity of this image (those are some HUGE brats), I applaud the effort that went into its creation. That said, I’m happy to present Endai with three free months of member’s only access here at ryangruss.com.

Congrats Endai!

Tags: beat magazine, Bratwurst, Contest, Germany

You might remember Chaircrusher from the “name this odd meter” contest I had a while back. Well, he’s taken some of his prize winnings (extremely valuable Gruss Loops) and incorporated them into the following track.

Some of the track details from Chaircrusher:

Juno60 — chords (thru AudioDamage BigSeq)
JP6 — bassline
Guitar
Goldbaby Kick
Hats from ???
Some of my own sampled percussion.
One of the free Gruss brush loops from last year.

As is my custom, I generally load your rex files, then have Ableton
Live slice them to a Drum rack, and sequence them myself. I will make
an effort to use some of your loops more or less intact in the near
future, but I will probably edit them to make my own turnarounds and
fills.

I have, however loaded some Gruss Loops and extracted groove from them
for use in track. In fact I’ve swiped a groove from one loop and then
used it to quantize midi loops driving ANOTHER of your loops split
onto a drum rcak…

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Nice work Mr. Crusher. Or can I just call you Chair?

Tags: Chaircrusher, User Examples

Today I bring you the latest track submitted from one of my readers. Recorded by Endai Hüdl in Berlin, Germany, the song is entitled “Ded Blokkz Mambo” and incorporates the Blakey-esque loop #79. Unfortunately, Endai didn’t include much of a backstory to the track. He did, however, provide a brief description:

“Rabbit fur costume for the brain. helps me concentrate…”

After listening to the track, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Ded Blokkz Mambo by endai hüdl

Tags: Art Blakey, Berlin, Brain, Fur, Germany, Mambo, Rabbit, user example