Loop 12

Droning, disorienting, ominous and sometimes satirical, Dallas noise collective Loop 12’s sound-art compositions (the term “music” might be a bit restrictive here) definitely aren’t for everyone.

Rickety analog tape equipment meets looping software as the musicians and artists compose these psychedelic soundscapes on the spot for each performance. The 10-minute “Mother Tympanic,” available at loop12.org, is a good test for whether or not you’d like it. Snippets of the Stones’ “Ruby Tuesday,” slowed and distorted, float above the mess of sounds—church bells, static, electronic crackles—like a passing car radio in a creepy fever dream; just before the song ends, Robert DeNiro’s “You talkin’ to me?” from Taxi Driver is pitch-shifted to helium-voice levels, adding to the sense of confusion. That sample also shows up at the beginning of “Amniotic” and gives way to a warbling, droning tone and creepy alien rhythm. Each composition blends into the next for a seamless experience.

At the And/Or Gallery Friday, the collective plans to “explore playful identity loss, dark wet felt, gangster computer god controls, surround-sight and offer participants free, ethyl-alcohol concoctions,” so plan your night accordingly.