Category: 120-140 BPM

April 21, 2009

One for Meg

Yeah, I know I should be hating on Meg White. The sloppy technique. The loose time. The lack of chops. But, in my humble opinion, she’s the perfect drummer for The White Stripes.

She doesn’t use multiple splash cymbals. She doesn’t play anything faster than a 16th note. She plays what she feels is right for the song… and it feels fucking great. Music shouldn’t fit on a grid. It should have a vibe. It should have some soul. Meg’s got plenty of soul. And a sweet set of Ludwigs.

tbdmegwhite092507 300x212 One for Meg — Meg White

Loop #56

Today’s loop is based off of one of the many floor tom grooves favored by Meg. A strong, “four on the floor” feel, mixed with a bit of filtering. It might be a little “accurate” as far as grids go, but I gotta keep all of you REX-heads happy. Now, go start a band with your wife/sister and write some indie rock classics.

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (157MB)

Get the .wav file here.

Get the .rx2 file here.

129 BPM

April 17, 2009

Phoenix

I first became a fan of Phoenix after hearing their track, “Too Young”, in the 2003 movie, “Lost in Translation”. I was struck by how tastefully this French band combined dance grooves, rock guitars and pop melodies. Typically, this blending of genres is a recipe for disaster (apologies to The Bravery) but Phoenix pulls it all together in a very refreshing and musical manner. Perhaps it’s all of the coq au vin and Bordeaux?

To get a better idea of what I’m talking about, check out this clip of their recent appearance on Saturday Night Live.

Loop #54

Today’s loop is heavily inspired by Phoenix and their approach to combining a pulsing, dance beat along with the grittiness of a rock groove. To achieve this sound, I used a lot of gating on the individual tracks, some sub bass on the kick, and an amp simulator on the overheads.

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (75MB)

Get the .wav file here.

121 BPM

March 30, 2009

Old is the new New

There’s recently been a resurgence of the classic “Motown Sound” in modern music. Artist like Jamie Lidell, Amy Whinehouse and one of my favorites, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings have been infusing their twenty-first century tracks with both the production and feel that came roaring out of Detroit in the early 1960s.

Loop #41

This loop is dedicated to the legendary Uriel Jones who sadly passed away last week. If you want to learn more about Uriel (and the history of the greatest rhythm section ever), then I highly recommend watching the documentary, “Standing in the Shadows of Motown”.

james jamerson6 300x239 Old is the new New — Uriel Jones and James Jamerson

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (85MB)

Get the .wav file here.

130 BPM

March 13, 2009

ECM.

Recently I’ve been digging through my collection of albums on the ECM label. It’s been a refreshing change to the over-compressed (then compressed again to mp3) music that’s usually jammed into my eardrums throughout the day. ECM records tend to have a very distinct, clear and present sound that are particularly complimentary of cymbal work.

Several of my favorite drummers have recorded on albums produced and released by ECM. The two that have probably influenced my playing the most are Jack DeJohnette and Peter Erskine. I highly recommend checking out Jack’s work on the Keith Jarrett trio albums or Peter’s 1992 record, “You Never Know”.

peter erskine 1 300x200 ECM. — Peter Erskine

Loop #32

Today’s loop is inspired by all of those great ECM recordings. It’s also a great opportunity to fine tune my overhead mics (and play fills over the bar line).

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (98MB)

Get the .wav file here. (w/ keys)

Get the .wav file here. (without keys)

123 BPM

March 5, 2009

Wally’s

If you consider yourself a true music fan and live in Boston, then odds are you’ve been to Wally’s. Since 1947, it’s been a Beantown institution, known as a stomping ground for both Berklee students and touring musicians alike. The size of a small apartment (it’s literally the ground floor of an old brownstone), Wally’s is about as intimate as a venue can get. In order to safely walk to the bathroom, you need to squeeze past the hi hat and pray to god the drummer doesn’t do a fill.

While my friends and I were in college, Wally’s was our Mecca. You could find us there on any given Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday night. These were known as “funk nights”… and funky it was. The musicians responsible for “house band” duties usually consisted of Sam Kininger on sax, Eric Kranso on guitar, Adam Deitch on drums, and a slew of other musicians who would later go on to form the band, Lettuce.

2273107233 62358336bf 225x300 Wallys — Wally's

Loop #26

This is a groove inspired by those late night jam sessions at Wally’s. Uptempo funk with a bit of conga in the mix. For this loop I used my little 10″ Premier snare and cranked it up nice and high with no dampening.

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (16MB)

Get the .wav file here.

130 BPM

February 26, 2009

Kick and Snare.

That’s all I’ve got today. My right hand is still gimped up and I’m in the middle of upgrading my studio with more RAM.

Loop #20

On this loop, I was going for a sampled, dance vibe (but on a live kit… with one hand). To achieve this, I cranked up my 6 1/2″ x 14″ brass snare and taped one of my LP jingle sticks to the batter head. I loosened the heads on my 22″ kick as low as they’d go (without wrinkling) to obtain as much attack and low end as possible. I placed a Shure SM57 in the far corner of the room and combined this track with a bit-crusher to add some dirt. I then gated and compressed each individual drum track until some club kids with glow sticks started to knock at my door.

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (57MB)

Non-Logic fools, get your .wav files here.

120 BPM

February 21, 2009

Ride the Rim.

Most drummers associate playing the rim of the snare drum with cross-stick back beats and rim shots. While it definitely serves these functions well, it can also be used as an alternative to the hi hat or ride cymbal for creating unique sounding grooves.

Some well known examples of this technique are Van Halen’s “Finish What Ya Started” and INXS’s “Need You Tonight”. Both of these drummers play enormous kits with a multitude of cymbals and hats to bash on, yet chose to ride a pattern on the rim of the snare drum to better suit the song. This “less is more” approach only accentuates cymbal crashes and fills when the time is right.

alexvanhalen 221x300 Ride the Rim. — Alex Van Halen - Rim Rider

Loop #17

No cymbals. No toms. Just kick and snare. And a bit of rim.

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (36MB)

Non-Logic fools, get your .wav files here.

120 BPM

February 16, 2009

Fun with filters.

Today’s loop started off as your typical 6/8 Afro Cuban groove. Well, not that typical. I took the traditional bembé clave which is normally played on a cowbell and moved it around the toms. If you want authentic latin beats, don’t turn to the kid who grew up in Iowa. I mean, I went to high school with these clowns.

6/8 Afro Cuban, from someone who has never been to Africa or Cuba:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Anyway, to bastardize this loop to the fullest, I ran all of the drum tracks through Logic’s EVOC 20 Filterbank. I played with the stereo width, LFO rates and resonance levels until my vanilla, 4 bar beat turned into something that didn’t even resemble a drum set.

picture 11 300x242 Fun with filters. — Geekfest '09

Loop #13

Björk just called. She wants her production style back. But I’ll post it anyway…

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (43MB)

Get the .wav file here. (filter)

Get the .wav file here. (no filter)

120 BPM

February 15, 2009

Big Bass Drum.

Nothing says I love you more than a 60″ Bass Drum. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Loop #12

Dry, compressed, reamped and plenty of bass drum.

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (52MB)

130 BPM

February 8, 2009

Saturday Night Fusion

In 1970 Miles Davis turned the jazz world upside down with the release of Bitches Brew. Featuring 20+ minute songs and an expanded rhythm section, Miles pushed the envelope of a genre that would be later be known as “fusion”. Blending jazz improvisation with rock instrumentation and grooves, Bitches Brew was a turning point not only for Davis, but for several members of his band.

One of those members was keyboardist, Joe Zawinul. After the release of Bitches Brew, Zawinul went on to start his own band, Weather Report along with sax player and fellow Davis alum, Wayne Shorter. Weather Report carried the fusion torch into the 1980′s, releasing several classic albums along the way including; I Sing the Body Electric, Night Passage and my personal favorite, Heavy Weather.

alexacunaweather4 300x186 Saturday Night Fusion — Weather Report

Loop #7

Today’s loop takes the hypnotic, vamping style of Bitches Brew and mixes it with the quarter note, cross stick grooves found on several tracks from Heavy Weather. I took out all of the muffling in the kick drum and tried to lay down the foundation with more “boom” than “thud”. Unlike many of the albums mentioned above, no drugs were used during the recording process (mom, I swear).

Preview Here:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download the Logic session here. (20MB)

130 BPM