DRUMMER here, new to the forum

[Zakhopper316]

Hey guys and girls, what's up I'm Zachary (go by Zach) I'm new to dubstep and pretty much all electronic music and hope to learn a lot here. I have been a drummer for 13 years and have a VERY extensive knowledge of rhythm. I am currently studying jazz drumming at the college level in NYC. I'm 21 and have 2 years left until I graduate and get a gig playing in some hip NYC big band right? NOO, about a month and some change ago I really had an epiphany and realized that I should make the music I believe in and not study and play along to what ever leads to a pay check. Music was not always that for me I really do love playing the drums but school turned it into something else. So I decided to finish my degree and do what I'm passionate about because I feel like that's just what I have to do.

I want to make and produce my own tracks and record live drums on them. Everyone at my school says it's a horrible idea, they say electro music is far to precise and quantized for a live drummer, the scene is to small to make a living, there's no market for what I wanna do and so on and on.. They may be right and you may feel the same way but just WHAT I REALLY NEED IS SUPPORT and knowledge. Not ways I can fail.
This is a vid. Of my first attempt at playing electronic music.I don't think this is really dub step but it's justa cover to get used to playing to synth music and stuff.

I am working on a 5 song ep right now, that's kinda dubstep , drum and bass, electro stuff. I have 2 and a half songs sequenced for it, no drums recorded yet. For the drums I wanna record each song as 1 whole take, no quantizing or punching in. Also I can't find anyone else doing this stuff and it would be a huge help to find/talk to some people trying this.

Thanks sorry forthe long post but wanted to give you a background since I'm gonna be around. You guys are posting some really cool sounding stuff both original and mass market and I really cant to have a context for what I'm hearing!!

[pandy]

I really cant to have a context for what I'm hearing!!

You'll eat your words.

Seriously though, welcome, and good luck

[murky21]

easy mate...

Think live drumming works really well with dnb/ dubstep sets.... check this guy out http://thejungledrummer.com/ he's being doing sick stuff for about a decade....

As for drums on tracks check out a project called 'Author' who is Jack Sparrow + Ruckspin... they are doing some really good things incorporating live instruments into tracks.... also check out Submotion Orchestra
Also check out Engine Earz http://www.engine-earz.com/
good luck

[DJSpekt]

check eoto out too!

[-[2]DAY_-]

the scene is to small to make a living, there's no market for what I wanna do

this is more or less the reality.
also -
big band is awesome. u have no idea how much i miss playing with human beings.

also -
EOTO is wack.

[Zakhopper316]

check this guy out http://thejungledrummer.com/ he's being doing sick stuff for about a decade....

As for drums on tracks check out a project called 'Author' who is Jack Sparrow + Ruckspin... they are doing some really good things incorporating live instruments into tracks.... also check out Submotion Orchestra
Also check out Engine Earz http://www.engine-earz.com/
good luck

Thanks so much I'm so glad to see there's other drummers doing this stuff, he seems (jungle drummer) to be playing breakbeats and for variation he will restart the phrase at diff parts if the groove. Almost like a human looper. Engine ears was more like what I'm trying to do. They had one track about halfway down the page with mlk sound bite that I really liked. They are so far away tho. Europe must be the dad to these new(er) genres?

Thanks for the links I'm gonna be listening to all of them, if there's any otherthings I should listen to please post it and I'll check it out.

[Zakhopper316]

check eoto out too!

I actually thought eoto was pretty cool, the drumming was very fluid and spacious, however I can't speak on it's merits from a dubstep perspective. Another thing that I am considering is getting with a dj/producer type and doing a duo of sorts. I donna if this would be more appealing and what not but I'm thinking about. I'm realizing if I really want to go places with this I might have to have a vocalist to make it more accessible to the average listener but that puts my production techniques and costs at a whole new level.

I'm wandering if anyone here would wanna colab maybe for a remix of their tracks or something. Maybe Try leaving out the drums for a tune and have me drop a beat on it...? Just ideas

Thanks guys.

[Autocrat]

I'm a drummer myself, but you sir put me to shame!

You may find this tunes of help...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zZ_qbtNpOgl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm4g8KpFp2s

[tacospheros]

i'm a drummer too, been playing for 15 yrs. my advice would be don't forget your roots. bring that jazz sensibility to the stuff you do, don't try to just play loops. keep it organic. change it up. experiment with rhythm. listen to afro/cuban/indian stuff, stuff with odd time polyrhythms.


there's already a bunch of generic sounding "live" dubstep acts that have a drummer who just plays BOOM SNARE, BOOMBOOMBOOM SNARE and call it dubstep, but i think those dudes are missing out on a lot. dubstep has a lot of room for polyrhythms, in fact that's really what got me into it in the first place. the tension between the half time beat and the double time basslines really gives you an opportunity to flex if you've got the skills



with that said i would highly recommend Shigeto as someone who really does interesting stuff with live drums/programmed beats. here's one i just found of him doing some jungle beats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU6GS_imcZo


and good luck dude! let me know if you find a bass player who's looking to collab, i'm fiending for some live accompaniment myself

[choc-ice]

this is great, your drumming is solid and its nice to hear someone with a bit of groove drumming to this sound. jungle drummer is the first guy who comes to my mind too, he was my idol when i was younger.

i recently saw Sampha live, and he had a drummer with him. the drummer wasnt really doing anything fast and technical, but it worked perfectly. i dont know what you call it but it wasnt natural drum sounds it was more like pads and electronic drum samples. it was a great thing to watch, and a similar style of music but a bit more soulful.

[doubleohno]

Look up KJ Sawka

[murky21]

this is great, your drumming is solid and its nice to hear someone with a bit of groove drumming to this sound. jungle drummer is the first guy who comes to my mind too, he was my idol when i was younger.

i recently saw Sampha live, and he had a drummer with him. the drummer wasnt really doing anything fast and technical, but it worked perfectly. i dont know what you call it but it wasnt natural drum sounds it was more like pads and electronic drum samples. it was a great thing to watch, and a similar style of music but a bit more soulful.

pretty sure when I saw SBTRKT & Sampha live, SBTRKT was doing live drumming, was really impressive/ sick

[choc-ice]

pretty sure when I saw SBTRKT & Sampha live, SBTRKT was doing live drumming, was really impressive/ sick

yeh i really wanna see SBTRKT. i dunno what he looks like but this is sampha and his drummer when i saw them at mount kimbie show in london..

(flickr link)
http://flic.kr/p/9UzFQD

[Zakhopper316]

Look up KJ Sawka

Holly shit dude THIS is what I'm talking about! I'm so happy you posted this for me, I'm very motivated now to work out the dub step form for real on a
drum kit after seeing him do his thing with that drum and bass. he's spot on so i know it can be done.

Also I'm looking for someone who would be interested in having me remix one of their tracks by adding real drums in place of the drum machine stuff. i am kind of sucking at
this sequencing thing and really wanna work out the physical mechanics of some dub step beats on a killer track.

[cloud capture]

nice man, check out "squarepusher". He records a lot of his own live drums & bass guitar into his electronic music.

[Artie_Fufkin]

I play the drums also and I highly recommend checking out Jojo Mayer.

[OllieScott]

A friend of mine has been doing something similar, he basically just records a mix and then drums over it live, mainly clubs tunes and brostep though that the average person goes crazy for (Bass Cannon etc). Been booked in a couple of local clubs and he gets paid for it. Also he working with a local resident dj on more of a "live" set

Video here if you wanna check it out.

[Zakhopper316]

I play the drums also and I highly recommend checking out Jojo Mayer.

Dude I saw Jojo Mayer live with nerve about 3 weeks ago here in NYC at the mercury lounge. He has had such an impact on my drumming it's amazing, he's one of my favorite drummers, however he's working with a live band and also he is really making his own electro genre In a way. He's also to good for me to replicate to be honest, his tunes are so fast.vbut ye he's a drum and bass god.

[leeany]

I really love this Aphex Twin cover. There's more than 1 person playing the drums tho

[___]

I want to make and produce my own tracks and record live drums on them. Everyone at my school says it's a horrible idea, they say electro music is far to precise and quantized for a live drummer, the scene is to small to make a living, there's no market for what I wanna do and so on and on.. They may be right and you may feel the same way but just WHAT I REALLY NEED IS SUPPORT and knowledge. Not ways I can fail.
This is a vid. Of my first attempt at playing electronic music.I don't think this is really dub step but it's justa cover to get used to playing to synth music and stuff.

You are not alone

There are some people that love your idea, like this man:



or this group: