LA based music quartet NOOP

NOOP. What does that mean? It’s not a real word, right? Is it slang for “nope”? Is it some type of acronym? The uncertainty of this word is exactly why the LA based music quartet named themselves NOOP. So much of music (particularly in Los Angeles) is about being marketed and appealing to as many potential fans (translation-consumers) that this group wanted to rebel against that. No, they’re not musical anarchists. In fact, the members themselves have established and successful careers in other projects but they noticed that too often they were losing touch with making music for themselves…which is why they originally started down this career and artistic path. Call it a “musical time-out” if you like but NOOP has already been accumulating fans based on their first release “Evolve.” The irony of the situation is not lost on the group but they still try to avoid paying any attention to the glowing online reception this instrumental ensemble is receiving. One wonders if NOOP is like the attractive girl at the dance who knows that ignoring the boys only makes them want her attention even more. Perhaps it’s possible in this scenario but more likely, the admirers of NOOP appreciate the joy and passion that is born of the enjoyment of the musicians involved.

They say that the most inspired and successful creations are the most effortless. The band is currently recording their EP in Los Angeles as a result of the overwhelming response their initial offering received online. “Evolve” is a genre/style bending tune which showcases the exceptional talent of each band member while hooks are pervasive throughout. The band and song’s inception came about when guitarist/composer Nipun Nair played an early version of the track for drummer Lemuel Clark. Clark’s immediate enthusiasm for the project led to the addition of Bassist Gabriel Coll and Renny Goh on Keyboards…and a recording session. Producer/actor/musician Brittney Grabill coproduced a performance video for “Evolve” with Isiah Taylor (filmed at Blue Dream Studios). In almost no time the video had achieved more than 55,000 views on YouTube and created a clamor for more music from NOOP. It’s almost unheard of for an instrumental ensemble to receive this type of immediate and unsolicited attention; the fact that NOOP had one recording and only one recording ready to go left them in a bit of a predicament. This is currently being remedied in the vast studio environment of LA.

The instrumentalists which make up NOOP appear so accomplished that they are capable of any musical style, an aspect which they allude to in many parts of “Evolve.” This leads NOOP fans and investigators to wonder what the EP will sound like. It’s a query mirrored by the band’s composer Nipun Nair. He reveals, “The main thing I’ve learned from this experiment that is NOOP is that if you create something you love, trusting your instincts and creating what you truly believe in, it will resonate with people. They will feel the passion that you have. The gift and the benevolent anxiety for me is that the musicians in NOOP are all so amazing that I can write anything, in any style that I want, and they will make it sound great. I think NOOP’s sound should be constantly changing, constantly evolving. That’s a great thing but it also means that I will be just as surprised as everyone else to see what the record is going to sound like. We’ll use the same instrumentation but that’s all I can say for sure. I’ve never been so excited about being in the dark.”