ryangruss.com

I know what you were thinking. “Ryan has been doing nothing the past two weeks but eating mashed potatoes, drinking his weight in Harpoon Winter Ale and taking extended naps. There’s no way he’ll have Volume VIII recorded, produced and edited by January 1st.” Well, you were wrong. Yes, I have been overindulging a bit this holiday season, but I’ve also been busy in the studio, putting together my finest Loop Pack to date. Ladies and Gentlemen of the distinguished member’s only section, I present to you, Gruss Loops Volume VIII!

Gruss Loops - Volume 8

91_Thicky – When I was in college, there was a certain girl that my friends and I used to pay extra special attention to while eating in the cafeteria. She was a natural beauty, with long black hair and an apparent appetite for frozen yogurt. Definitely not obese in anyway, and far from being stick-thin, she was dubbed with the highly un-pc nickname, “Thicky”. While I feel bad, looking back and remembering such misogynistic behavior, I still wanted to name a loop pack after her. Thicky, these beats (topped with chopped walnuts and extra sprinkles) are for you.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

132_HitMe – Amped up, angular and funky, these grooves combine the intricate ghost notes of Clyde Stubblefield , the aggressive beat displacement of Kenwood Dennard and the compressor-happy production of Ryan Gruss.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

83_SlapBack – If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, then you know I’m a fan of reverb (when done right). The 80’s wouldn’t have been the same without the 4 second long decay on the snare and I don’t want to imagine a world without gated reverb on Phil Collins’ toms. This set of loops is my nod to the often overlooked flavor of reverb, the “slapback”.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

93_FifteenEight – While other loop sites consider 5/4 and 7/8 the ultimate in odd meters, I consider it just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve decided to raise the bar and record a series of loops that you’ll need all ten fingers and one foot (assuming you haven’t had any horrific lawnmower accidents) to count. Welcome to the wonderful world of 15/8.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

179_HighAndTight – Pristinely produced up-tempo pop with a hint of drums and bass, this set of beats is focused around my 10″ Premier soprano snare. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, my Pearl 6 1/2″ x 14″ brass snare makes a cameo appearance towards the end.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

106_Crunched – Would you believe me if I told you this set of grooves was inspired by Jesus Jones’ 1990 pop anthem, “Right Here, Right Now“? Well, it’s true. While stuck in holiday traffic last week, this song came over the car radio and instantly took me back to seventh grade. During that first year of junior high, I was 5′ 9″ and the tallest kid in my class. Fast forward nineteen years later and I’m still 5′ 9″… and I still act like a seventh grader. Not much has changed, other than my affinity for distorting dance grooves.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

190_TwelveEight – Not to be confused with the aforementioned 15/8 loops, these 12/8 grooves are far from the world of odd meters. With a steady back beat and an easy to identify “one”, this is the time signature that blues legends, strippers and even Journey have turned to for years.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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

Every winter, when I travel home to West Des Moines, Iowa to celebrate Christmas with my family, I also take part in a “reunion concert” of sorts with some old friends from high school. Fourteen years ago, just before packing up my bags and heading to Berklee, I teamed up with some other members of my high school jazz band to find a way to get into bars without a fake ID. The solution? Start a funk band. And give it a really bad name.

At first we were called Pushin’ Chunky. Then we were D.I.M. (Drunkards In Motion). Several years ago, we somehow transitioned into the rather unfortunate moniker, Chach. Our name may change a lot, but the set list never really does. Stocked full of quintessential bar-funk-soul-r&b-band standards such as Sex Machine, Superstition, Everybody’s Everything and Pass The Peas, it’s three hours of music that we can pull off on an annual basis… without a single rehearsal. Consistent? Yes. Tight? Eh. Tight enough.

Chach - Circa '95 - Excuse the shirts.

Loop #104

In preparation for this year’s Chach-fest, I’ve been brushing up on the ‘ol funk chops. Today’s loop is one of the many Kenwood-esque grooves that will be making the annual appearance down on Court Avenue. Two measures, some swung sixteenth notes and an open hi hat on the “one”. It’s what the best bar bands are made of. And yes, it looks like I finally quit the drum replacer habit.

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Get the .wav file here.

Get the .rx2 file here.

Get the .aiff file here.

95 BPM

Loop #98

Fu Manchu Not Included

I’ll admit, I started off today’s recording session with a rather uninspired wank-fest. Not really sure about what to play, I inevitably ended up doing some mathematical-fusion-funk-jazz grooves that only Kenwood would appreciate. Then I discovered a new reverb plugin. A plugin so magical, it inspired me to play a plethora of 70’s, heavy duty, straight up rock beats. The kind of drum grooves that make you want to do disturbing/illegal things with mud sharks.

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Get the .wav file here.

Get the .rx2 file here.

Get the .aiff file here.

70 BPM

My old mentor from college, Kenwood Dennard, is back to show us how to keep things flowing with Jaco Pastorius and John Scofield. From swing, to funk, to reggae, Kenwood always makes it feel good, no matter what style he’s playing.

Kenwood Dennard

I just stumbled across some old cassette tapes of my lessons with Kenwood. As soon as I can find the right adapter, I’ll digitize and upload a few highlights. Don’t worry, the keyboards and headset mic are present in these tapes as well.