One of the things I really appreciate in the work of Robert Fripp is the structure that oversee’s his work while at the same time there are clearly areas that allow for the occasional “happy accident” or just enough looseness to allow for new things to be found and explored inside the work. I recently stumbled over this document that was included in the album of Frippertronics called “Let the Power Fall” I’ve included it here – as I find it pretty interesting.
A personal story: I worked at Crown Books in the early – through mid eighties in the DC suburbs and at one of the locations I worked at we would drink Schweppes ginger ale – which in an afternoon of store hijinks, we retitled “schweppetronics”. At the time, we considered ourselves to be pretty clever…
Let The Power Fall – By Robert Fripp
I
1. One can work within any structure.
2. One can work within any structure, some structures are more efficient than others.
3. There is no structure which is universally appropriate.
4. Commitment to an aim within inappropriate structure will give rise to the creation of an appropriate structure.
5. Apathy, i.e. passive commitment, within an appropriate structure will effect its collapse.
6. Dogmatic attachment to the supposed merits of a particular structure hinders the search for an appropriate structure.
7. There will be difficulty defining the appropriate structure because it will be always mobile, i.e. in process.
II
8. There should be no difficulty in defining aim.
9. The appropriate structure will recognize structures outside itself.
10. The appropriate structure can work within any large structure
11. Once the appropriate structure can work within any large structure, some larger structure are more efficient than others.
12. There is no larger structure which is universally appropriate.
13. Commitment to an aim by an appropriate structure within a larger, inappropriate structure will give rise to a large, appropriate structure.
14. The quantitive structure is affected by qualitative action
III
15. Qualitative action is not bound by number
16. Any small unit committed to qualitative action can affect radical change on a scale outside its quantitative measure.
17. Quantitative action works by violence and breeds reaction.
18. Qualitative action works works by example and invites reciprocation.
19. Reciprocation between independent structures is a framework of interacting units which is itself a structure.
20. Any appropriate structure of interacting units can work within any other structure of interacting units.
21. Once this is so, some structures of interacting units are efficient than others.
Interesting and timely as I am working through some thoughts regarding structure and production. I find it intersting to what level systems are used in production, when they are subverted or thrown out altogether. Also, what constitutes structure…
I’ve never seen this statement since I originally had this album on cassette with no liner notes (if my memory is correct) – I also remember a small hole in the plastic case indicating that it was a cut-out. I could be confusing this with a Leif Garrett album though.
The Leif Garrett album notes are, if I’m not mistaken are this:
Mouse, Hairspray, repeat.
Fripp’s approach to structure here was inspired by J.G. Bennett, a contemporary British Mathematician and somewhat of an esoteric. Theis approach to utilizing systems ( a very human activity) places the individual’s abilities and potential outside of any dependency by the system itself. The challenge of course is to continue to operate within active systems ( mobile or in process) as the systems evolve . While Fripp is recognized as master guitarist ( and I couldn’t agree more) the motifs or basic phrases of the pieces are generally very simple. Fripp moves easily within these very dynamic cascading structures. The end result resembles fractal structures which are recognized as common in most organic systems reflected in the music as very natural expressions.