Live looping with Dubai’s Adam Baluch

We get to know the loop station-packing local sensation who looks set to break out with debut EP.

Adam Baluch plays a Taylor guitar and trumpet when performing. Jeff Topping for The National

Listening to Adam Baluch perform, you might hear the boom of a bass drum, the twang of a funk guitar, some soaring strings, a chiming piano, the blurt of a trumpet and a rap laid on top of a whole choir of voices.

But look at the stage and there is just one guy standing there with a guitar. How does he do it?

Baluch isn’t singing along to a pre-recorded backing track. Everything you can hear was performed live on the spot, a few moments before you heard it. It’s just that he isn’t playing it all at once.

Welcome to the world of live looping. This is a world in which once it is played, a musical idea can be repeated, round and round, over and over, while fresh layers and textures are added to create a whole orchestra of sound.

Using a smart little pedal, ­Baluch – a talented multi-­instrumentalist – can beatbox, play keyboard, guitar, percussion and sing several vocal parts, adding a potentially infinite number of “live loops” to a single track as he goes along.

Live looping technology has existed since the early 1990s, but has become much more popular in the past few years. Once a niche novelty, bearded folkies and lounge cover acts alike are now frequently spotted stabbing a toe at the magic box of tricks beside their feet.

Why the soaring popularity? “Ed Sheeran,” says Baluch in a matter-of-fact way, name-­checking the perky, young pop troubadour who is selling out stadiums worldwide with only a guitar and looper for support. “But, funnily enough, he was never an influence on me.”

I believe him. In fact, 34-year-old Baluch may have been looping longer than Sheeran – the Dubai-born musician picked up his first pedal eight years ago, when Sheeran was still an unknown, unsigned teenager. Weird, then, that Baluch was called on to warm up the crowd for Sheeran’s Dubai gig in March. I can’t resist asking him the obvious question – who’s the better looper?

“I can do everything he does – and I’m doing more with a loop station. A lot more,” says Baluch. “I don’t mean to sound arrogant. But people think he’s the ultimate looper. There’s a lot of people looping out there.

“He’s got great songs, and that voice, his playing, he can entertain thousands of people by himself – and that’s awesome. But I can loop like that, trust me.”

While he might not have three 80,000-capacity shows coming up at London’s Wembley Stadium – as Sheeran has in July – Baluch is certainly picking up fans fast.

As well as the great ginger one, in the past 12 months Baluch has supported Lionel Richie and Lily Allen. He’s preparing for a five-date tour of the Middle East and Asia warming up for The Wailers – Bob Marley’s former band – which begins on May 16 and arrives at Dubai’s Irish Village on May 21.

And with his sights set far beyond the region, Baluch has summer dates booked in London and Ibiza – with a four-track EP set to drop on May 31 as a free download.

Born in Dubai to a Ugandan father and an American mother, Baluch’s early years were spent growing up in the UAE, United States, Australia, United Kingdom and Sri Lanka. But his home life was less cosmopolitan – despite being introduced to the trumpet at the age of 8, Baluch says rock and pop music were banned from his childhood home.

“The trumpet wasn’t my choice, it was forced,” he says. Piano lessons followed soon after, and Baluch often performed in church when he was young.

“Music for my family was very spiritual,” he says. “My mum loved classical music, but I don’t think the classical thing was for me.”

As a result, Baluch didn’t touch a guitar until he was 23, but began writing his first songs within weeks of doing so. Having settled in Australia, in his 20s he led an eight-piece band called Shero – Baluch’s middle name – which recorded one album but failed to take off. While performing solo at a local talent-search gig about eight years ago, a mysterious stranger gave Baluch a piece of advice that would change his life.

“I was playing guitar and beatboxing, then I’d start singing, then go back to beatboxing, always swapping between the two,” says Baluch. “This guy came up to me afterwards, he was like: ‘Bro, I got this thing, you need to think about getting it’.”

That thing was – yes – a loop pedal, and when Baluch decided to move back to Dubai four years ago, it was the first thing he packed.

Still gigging solo under the name of Shero, Baluch formed the popular covers duo Few As Much with Brazilian ­seven-string guitar whizz Ziryab. The pair hosted a residency at the former Madinat Jumeirah jazz club Jambase, among other venues, and picked up local acclaim – as much for Baluch’s inventive looping as Ziryab’s phenomenal chops.

“There are only a handful of musicians that have really influenced me, and Ziryab is one of them,” Baluch says. “He’s one of the best guitarists in the world, wherever you are in the world.”

When the duo called it a day, Baluch began playing solo, ­organically augmenting his already trademark guitar and beatbox loops with piano and trumpet parts. And he bought a radio mic.

Baluch’s onstage performance at Zero Gravity is spellbinding – not only in the way he exploits his technology (and talents) to conjure up folk, soul, reggae and pop grooves all alone, but in his newfound charisma, a sudden star quality that was lacking a year ago.

Towards the end of his third set, Baluch loops up a thick funk on the Diana Ross track I'm Coming Out, before confidently strolling out into the crowd for a rap turn, his dreads bouncing in his wake.

Returning to the stage, he cuts the loops and mutters: “By the way, everything is live today, everyone,” into the mic, laughing. Then the phrase repeats. Again and again, looping round and round – both a playful joke, and a battle cry of intent.

The Gear

Instruments

Guitar

Baluch plays a dark sunburst ­Taylor acoustic guitar that looks as if it’s fresh out of the box. “It’s two months old,” he confirms. “I had a Taylor guitar, but my friend left it in a taxi.” Ouch. We wouldn’t want to be that guy. He uses Elixir strings, 12-53 gauge.

Keyboard

Baluch’s warm key sounds come courtesy of the Korg SV-1 Stage Vintage, which recreates the classic analogue sounds of eras gone by. “I love this thing,” says Baluch. “It’s the most heavy thing I have to carry around, but you just get great tones.”

Trumpet

Baluch’s first instrument is the trumpet, which he’s been playing for more than 25 years – a decade longer than the guitar. While looping troubadours are becoming increasingly common, it’s Baluch’s ability to add big, bright trumpet melodies that help him stand out from the crowd.

Tambourine

A good old ­tambourine can be called on to ­sprinkle ­additional percussive ­textures into the mix.

Electronics

Boss RC-300 loop station

One of the most popular – and accomplished – loop stations, this device features three separate stereo channels, allowing layers to be added and subtracted mid-song. Recording, stopping and repeating a loop is as simple as stepping on one of the device’s six pedals. Despite a list price of about Dh2,800, Baluch always packs a spare. “You never know what’s going to happen,” he says.

Mackie ProFX12 mixing desk

With all his instruments and mics plugging into one place – the looper – Baluch premixes the sound and balance first. He uses five inputs on the 12-line desk – his guitar, a beatbox mic, vocal mic, and two-track stereo keyboards. He also uses a third mic that bypasses the looper, allowing him to sing live while looping a guitar or piano part.

TC Electronics noise gate

If a live mic picks up an unwanted sound when looping – say, a gust of wind – it will be repeated round and round, like a scratch on a vinyl record. This “gate” guardian filters out unwanted ambient noises by only letting through sounds above a certain volume.

Wah pedal

Despite all the electronics, Baluch is relatively unusual as a guitarist, packing just one effects pedal (an electronic device that alters the sound of the instrument). His one stomp box is a wah-wah pedal, which produces the funky, “wah” sound popularised by Jimi Hendrix and predominant in funk music.

• Adam Baluch performs at The Gramercy, DIFC, on ­Tuesdays; Tribeca, JA Ocean View Hotel, on Fridays; and Zero Gravity, SkyDive Dubai, on Saturdays. Check out facebook.com/adambaluch for news and updates