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Planet Loop

With just two musicians wielding a full-band sized arsenal of acoustic drums, electric bass, pedals, pads and samples, PLANET LOOP is a unique trip not to be missed.

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With just two musicians wielding a full-band sized arsenal of drums, 7-string guitar/bass, pedals, pads and samples, PLANET LOOP is a unique trip not to be missed. Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, the duo forges its unique brand of “electro-funk jazz” combining wild improvisation with the deep rhythms of worldbeat, Latin, funk, and trance music. Frequently a third performer ranging from sax to piano to guitar shares the stage as well as part of the rotating “PLANET LOOP TRIO.”

“Part of the hypnotic nature of our songs comes from the loops we create and the influences we draw from,” notes bassist Michael Schaller. “But, we are a live band with jazz roots, committed to creating all of our sounds in the moment, on the stage.”

The project is the most recent brainchild of longtime collaborators Michael Schaller (bass/loops/samples) and Carrie Jahde (drums/electronics). The two have collectively performed on stages spanning all corners of the United States, Italy, and Eastern Europe. Having played and released records together for close to a decade in groups including Carmizin, Los Mex Pistols, Eclypse, and the Neil Bjorklund Group, the duo takes spontaneous musical communication to an entirely new level.

“Our music is an organic outcome of our long history together as performers,” explains drummer Carrie Jahde. “We both have so many ideas that need to come out; in this duo we find the perfect forum to collaborate, take musical risks, and just enjoy the ride.”

Many of PLANET LOOP’s songs draw on their variety of experiences as “cultural and geographical nomads,” both having lived in the Midwest, Western, and Eastern United States at some point in their lives. Spoken word samples peppered throughout the songs reflect lessons learned through years of travels and exploration. African, Arabic, Indian, and Latin drum samples mingle with electronic cello loops, otherworldly vocal lines, fat bass effects, and just about anything else they can pull out of their electronic hats to create this multi-sonic cocktail of global groove.

“Visit PLANET LOOP and you’ll want to live there,” urges Malcom Miles of KZUM radio, Lincoln, NE. But most likely, PLANET LOOP will visit you first. Since 2007, they have relentlessly spread their sounds across both US coasts and between, including a “Berklee to Berkeley” tour that looped from MA to CA and back again; bi-monthly California and Oregon tours; and regular Bay Area festival and venue performances. ENJOY YOUR STAY, PLANET LOOP’s full-length studio album, was released in August 2007 and continues to receive radio and internet attention throughout the country, and placed as a finalist in the 2008 Fame Game Effigy Awards. PLANET LOOP'S newest studio album, CUBED, was released in April 2011, and features three different trios recorded on three different days.

Song samples, press photos and a current tour schedule can be found online at www.planetloopmusic.com.