ryangruss.com

Well, not for good… but for the next week I’ll be spending the majority of my time sitting here and drinking this. Don’t look for any new loops to be posted on this site, but for some highly insightful, tequila-fueled rants and observations, be sure to keep up with me over on Twitter.

Loop #125

As I pack my bags (and 30 SPF sunblock), I leave you with a loop inspired by this guy:

Funky hair. Funkier Beatz.

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104 BPM

Tags: beer, Justin Timberlake, Mexico, Tequila, Tulum, Vacation

Tags: Stevie Wonder, whistle

Hot off the press over at thelooploft.com is World Music Drum Loops Vol 1. Via the press release:

“The Loop Loft is proud to announce the latest release fresh from our studio: “World Drum Loops – Vol 1”. We’ve taken an eclectic mix of rhythms and sounds from all over the world and combined them into one highly diverse loop pack. With drum and percussion grooves hailing from areas like Jamaica, Africa, Cuba, South India and Trinidad, World Drum Loops Volume 1 will supply you with a unique arsenal of culturally and geographically inspired loops and sounds. Listen to the audio preview and you’ll hear what we’re talking about!”

Click here for more details.

Tags: 6/8 afro cuban, Frame Drum, Reggae, Soca, South Indian, The Loop Loft, World Music

Here’s a great video (with pristine audio) of Miles and crew at the 1970 Isle of Wright Festival which took place, oddly enough, at The Isle of Wright.

Note – Dave Holland was rockin’ the “thin headband look” 39 years before Lindsay Lohan. A true innovator, both in jazz bass and fashion.

Tags: hippies, Isle of Wright, Jack DeJohnette, Lindsay Lohan, Miles Davis

Another 1st of the month brings us another set of Gruss Loops. Volume X features four different loop sets with over 25 different groove and fill variations in each style and tempo. A mix of world, funk, latin and r&b loops, Volume X is a must-have for any well-rounded loop collection.

Gruss Loops - Vol X

88_BigDirtyFunk

Yep, I actually named this set of loops “Big Dirty Funk”. This first set shows that I’m not afraid of cheesy loop names or using flams in my fills. This is LOUD funk. Think Rage Against the Machine meets Parliament, blended with an industrial-grade bitcrusher.

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86_FrameDrum

Ever since posting my first frame drum loop a few months ago, I’ve received dozens of requests for more grooves on this particular instrument. In order to please the masses, I’ve recorded another round of grooves with my beloved Cooperman drum. The first half of the loop series features just my hands and fingers, while the second half introduces a brush in my left hand.

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108_Soca

In an attempt to heat things up and get through the frigid Boston winter, I locked myself in my studio and channeled one of my favorite grooves from the Caribbean, Soca. Moving things around from the hi hat, coss stick and snare, I elaborate and embellish on a wide mix of soca grooves.

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85_Bark

No, I’m not talking about ferocious dogs. I’m referring to the “bark” of an open hi hat within a 16th note groove. While Bernard has been doing this for years (just forward to 3:15), I take the bark and put it in a more contemporary setting. Ultra-dry and crisp production plays in contrast with a wide open, ringy snare drum.

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To become a subscriber and gain instant access to all of the 100+ loops (each as AIFF, WAV and REX2) in Volume X, just click the button below.

Tags: Bernard Purdie, Frame Drum, Gruss Loops, Parliament, Rage Against the Machine, Soca, Volume X

Tags: drum solo, Keith Moon, ringo

It’s another cold and snowy day in Boston. I love living in New England because I really get to experience all four seasons, but I also hate this time of year. Three months into winter, late February is when I usually start perusing various travel websites, looking for an escape from the daily routine of scraping ice off of my windshield.

I have a rather vivid imagination, so rather than dropping a few grand on a trip to the Caribbean, sometimes I’ll just crank up the heat in my studio to about 95°F, crack open a few Coronas, and play some grooves indigenous to tropical regions. Reggae, calypso, samba… anything to feel like I’m within a 500 mile radius of the equator. My wife doesn’t seem to agree that this is the same as lounging around in a beach chair, somewhere on a white sandy beach. My response to this is usually a snap of the fingers, and a request for more guacamole.

Traditional Soca Dancing - Thanks Google Images!

Loop #124

Today’s “take me away” groove is Soca. An offshoot of Calypso music, Soca originates from the islands of Tobago and Trinidad and is usually based around a heavy drum and percussion ostinato. Some examples of Soca grooves in popular music are Buster Poindexter’s 1987 hit, “Hot, Hot, Hot” and Kevin Lyttle’s “Turn Me On”. This particular loop is a four bar phrase consisting of just kick and snare. With an almost march-like quality, this groove makes for an ideal drum break on any Caribbean dance floor. Look for more Soca grooves in the upcoming and highly anticipated release of Gruss Loops Volume X.

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108 BPM

Tags: beach, beer, boston, Ostinato, Soca, tropical, winter

Some albums totally blow your mind when it comes to production. Other albums inspire you by the incredible musicianship. And some albums hold their own just by the level of songwriting. But it’s not that often when an album comes along and takes all three of these elements to transcend the high bar of awesomeness (wow, what a horrible analogy). D’Angelo’s epic 2000 release, Voodoo, is one of these special records.

Just as I was about to graduate college, thinking I knew everything there was to contemporary music, this album sent me scurrying back to the practice room. Not because of the complexity of the drumming, but the feel and the SOUND. I remember spending hours sitting in front of my Gateway computer, with the adapter speakers blaring (tiny sub woofers kicking out the bass), soaking in every measure of ?uestlove’s drumming and D’Angelo’s production, arranging and composition. It was a humbling experience which would usually lead me to tears, then some nachos, and finally a game of 007 with my roommate, Bob, to help clear my head.

Loop #123

Today’s loop takes some of the production and performance cues found on Voodoo. To get the super dry, ultra-present drum sound, I didn’t use any of my usual overhead and room mics. I pulled out my super thin and trashy hi hats and went heavy on the gating and compression of the cross stick. I also did 3,845 sit-ups, waxed my chest and oiled up my abs.

PS – I just realized that 99% of my recent loops have been in the 80-90 BPM range. I put in a call to my Red Bull dealer, so look for some 200+ BPM loops soon.

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85 BPM

Tags: ?uestlove, Cross Stick, crosstick, D'angelo, Voodoo

No, this isn’t a setup to a weird joke.

Damn, the 80’s looked fun.

Tags: 2" tape, Ampex, brushes, steve gadd

Loop #122

Yep, it’s still completely freezing in Boston. This makes two things certain:

1. my gas bill will be higher than my car payment.
2. my frame drum will sound awesome.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this ridiculously cold winter, the dry air combined with the heat pumping out of my furnace provides for ideal frame drum conditions. The calf skin head naturally tightens up and lends itself to some nice overtones and extra resonance.

This was especially true today, as I was cleaning up my studio and realized my prized frame drum was sitting directly on top of one of the heating vents. Oh shit. The hot air had tightened to the drum to a pitch that I’ve never heard it produce. If you listen back to the recording from October, you’ll hear that the drum is practically an octave lower from the state in which I picked it up today.

Rather than freak out and detune the drum to avoid any tearing of the head, I decided to fire up some mics and capture this unique tone the drum was creating. Before it was all over, I recorded a set of 25 different loops (a mix of hand, finger and brush playing), which will be released next month to all of my loyal subscribers. For the rest of you cheap bastards, here’s just a one measure taste of the session:

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86 BPM

Tags: Frame Drum, South Indian