Well next time, I'll check with the EDM police to determine what's hip at the moment and what's not.
You gave plenty of examples of EDM artists stretching beyond the conventional boundaries, eschewing loops, and integrating more conventional instruments, which of course was the hot topic at the IMS in Ibiza (which is why I was asked to be
on a panel regarding the subject). Interestingly,
all the loops were derived from tambourine sounds, so they fit right into adapting traditional instruments in an EDM context.
It doesn't matter whether you like or want to use the loops, but one of the reasons I got heavily into EDM back in the 90s was because the community seemed more open-minded...DJs had no problem jamming with me on guitar, but guitarists had a hard time accepting jamming with DJs. I knew which side was more interested in exploration. It just strikes me as condescending to say the loops are "missing the point" but "the effort is appreciated," which at least to me comes across "these loops suck because you know nothing about EDM, but thanks for trying to fake it."
FWIW in 1981 I gave a paper at the Audio Engineering Society on what I called "synchro-sonic recording," which foretold and defined the rise of the type of electronic dance music that hit in full force many years later (and which we're still listening to today, over 30 years later). I've been doing a solo EDM act that blends guitar, loops, live mixing, and vocals since 1998. I'm not a tourist, nor am I slumming. I'm not interested in doing what other people are doing...they're already doing it, so I don't need to.
Loops are used for a lot more than EDM, like commercials, soundtracks, and presentations. I don't care about fashion; creative people will use tools creatively. I create what I need for the music I want to make. I make those tools available to others.
Right now I'm doing music that's heavily rock-influenced but with a lot of electronics...I'm restless. It's always time to do something different. As I said in my address at the New Music Seminar, the only advice I give people is to be true to themselves...because if they are and are successful, they'll always be successful. If they achieve success through calculation, they'll have to keep calculating for the rest of their lives.