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⚡ Quick Hits
🎹 radiohead's hypnotic loop gets a ghost-note makeover
@Harry Jenkins
Harry Jenkins returns with Part 2 of his drum treatment for Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place," and the reel is closing in on 850k views. The London player leans into the tune's hypnotic loop, finding pockets and ghost notes that make Phil Selway's original feel like a launchpad rather than a template. Scroll-stopping stuff for any Radiohead head behind a kit.
🎤 alicia keys groove looks easy — until you try it
@Andwele Simons
Andwele Simons takes on Li'l John Roberts' notoriously tricky groove challenge, built around Trevor Lawrence Jr.'s arrangement and Alicia Keys vocals. It's one of those deceptively deep pockets that looks simple until you try to lock it in, and Simons nails the feel. A clean reminder that the hardest grooves are rarely the flashiest ones.
🛒 Gear Picks
🌰 tama's walnut snare trades crack for luxurious mix-ready warmth
@Tama Drums
Tama's STARPHONIC Walnut snare pairs a 6mm thin shell with Hi-Carbon snare wires for a warm, controlled response that settles into a mix without fighting it. The Walnut Burl outer ply makes it a looker, but the real story is that mellow, luxurious voice. One to watch if you want studio polish over sharp crack.
🎛️ 24 inputs, one interface: audient's evo 16 + sp8 tested
Audient's EVO 16 paired with the SP8 preamp expansion gets the full teardown from That Swedish Drummer, who frames the combo as a legitimate one-stop recording solution for a full kit. With 24 potential inputs on tap, it covers close mics, overheads, and room pairs without forcing a second interface into the chain. A practical look at a setup that scales from bedroom tracking to serious multi-mic sessions. A popular alternative is the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20.
🌊 Deep Dives
🌪️ leprous's "the sky is red," a 10-minute prog masterclass
Baard Kolstad tears through Leprous's "The Sky Is Red" in this ten-minute Drumeo performance, and it is a masterclass in controlled chaos behind the kit. The 2019 Pitfalls track gives him room to navigate shifting meters, ghost-note detail, and the kind of dynamic restraint that makes the explosive moments land. Worth sitting with for anyone studying progressive drumming at its most musical.
🎸 the beatles' only ringo drum solo, decoded by bissonette
Gregg Bissonette zeroes in on Ringo's drum solo from "The End," the rare moment Starr stepped out from behind the Beatles' arrangements to trade fills across Abbey Road's closing suite. In just over five minutes, Bissonette walks through what makes those bars tick, from the tom voicing to the feel that countless drummers have tried to copy. A worthwhile sit for anyone who has ever underestimated Ringo.
🎓 Practice & Skills
✋ the 5 rookie habits quietly wrecking your drumming
66Samus breaks down the five habits that quietly sabotage new drummers, from death-gripping the sticks to skipping the metronome. It's a quick 8-minute watch aimed at anyone in their first year behind the kit, but the fixes apply just as well to returning players cleaning up old technique. Worth a look before your next practice session.
🧠 larnell lewis maps drumming in 13 levels of difficulty
Larnell Lewis of Snarky Puppy walks through 13 levels of drumming difficulty in this WIRED breakdown, moving from the simplest backbeat up through polyrhythms and advanced independence. It is a useful map for benchmarking your own playing and spotting which rung you are ready to climb next. With nearly four million views, it has become a go to reference for framing practice goals.
🌎 From The Community
🎸 victor wooten's 20 seconds locking in with carter beauford
@Victor Wooten
Victor Wooten dropped a short clip from his Dave Matthews Band run, captioned simply "Good Times with DMB." Even a 20 second window into that rhythm section locking in is enough to send drummers straight to the comments, trading notes on Carter Beauford's pocket and the chemistry Wooten brings as a guest. A small reminder of how much fun the gig looks from behind the kit.
That's it for today! Thank you for carving out time to read! This community means a lot to me, and I'm grateful you're here. 🙏
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Happy drumming,
Matteo