Robert Fripp: Let the Power Fall (1981)
A musical travelogue of Robert Fripp’s one-man Frippertronics roadshow.
Kronomyth 6: Buzz the great and powerfall featuring The Gibson Les Palette.
Frippertronics has its own Wikipedia page, which is both reassuring (as it points to our evolution as a species) and unsettling (implying a future where we have too much free time for the frivolous). Let the Power Fall is an entire album of Frippertronics, a technique that involves one guitarist (preferably named Fripp), two reel-to-reel tapes and an illimitable amount of patience on the part of the listener. I’m only kidding about that last part; Frippertronics is actually quite interesting in its own way, like watching a painter paint. As new sounds are added and old sounds recede into the background, the sum effect is a slowly shifting kaleidoscope of sound taking form. Fans of Robert Fripp will already be familiar with the concept, as he has experimented with the technique since No Pussyfooting and, more recently, dedicated an entire side of God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners to the idea. Let the Power Fall is the first album to commit entirely to the experiment. Taken from various live performances, the pieces are simply titled 1984 through 1989. Although each piece is different, they’re more or less interchangeable. 1985, for example, has a wistful tone to it (shades of Discreet Music), 1987 uses silence to create a palpable sense of disconnection, but these are the same sort of impressions you might get from looking at abstract expressionist art. It’s not hyperbole to refer to Frippertronics as musical painting, since the same artistic intent appears to be at work. Fripp carefully layers new sounds on top of old, creating new harmonies and musical possibilities in the process. A caveat for the casual listener: the sonic palette used to create these pieces consists mostly of sustained feedback and processed guitar that can sound like a jar of bees. So, before you plunk down good money on this, you may want to taste-test the concept on Exposure or GSTQ/UHM. If those samples intrigue you, an ambient feast awaits.
Original elpee version
A1. 1984 (12:16)
A2. 1985 (10:54)
B1. 1986 (5:22)
B2. 1987 (5:24)
B3. 1988 (6:44)
B4. 1989 (10:57)
All titles by Robert Fripp.
CD reissue bonus tracks
7. 1984 (Single Edit)
8. 1984 (Mix 1)
9. 1984 (Mix 2)
The Players
Robert Fripp (guitar, tapes). Produced and engineered by Robert Fripp.
The Pictures
Artwork by Danielle Dax.
The Plastic
Released on elpee and cassette in April 1981 in the UK (Editions EG, EDEG-10), the US (Editions EG, EGS/EGSC-110), Canada (Editions EG, EGHL 110), Japan (Editions EG, 28MM 0035) and the Netherlands (Editions EG, 2311 073). Canadian release included a free EP, Selected Pieces from the Editions EG Library.
- Re-issued on compact disc in January 1987 in the UK (Editions EG, EEGCD-10).
- Re-issued on compact disc on October 4, 1989 in Japan (Virgin, VJD-5003).
- Re-issued on compact disc on April 10, 1991 in the US (Caroline, 1558).
- Re-issued on compact disc in November 1993 in the US (Editions EG, EGCD-10).
- Re-issued on 200g vinyl elpee and expanded remastered compact disc in 2022 in the US (Panegyric, DGM5026) with 3 bonus tracks.
