Hey, thanks for stopping by! Allow me to sell myself for a quick minute...
My name is Alex and I'm a self-taught drummer. I learned entirely by ear, and I believe this foundation was instrumental (PUN ALERT) to my becoming a versatile and creative player.
I've been a musician all my life and played drums for 18 years (as of 2016), but 6 years ago I decided to go back to the basics and relearn everything.
My ambition was to become a "limitless drummer" and since then I've been training multiple hours every day, as well as teaching others and performing regularly. This time has all been spent living in Hong Kong and now I'm back in the UK and ready to establish myself here.
As a drummer, my philosophy is that I should be able to play any drums, with anyone, in any genre and at any tempo. I am equally at home playing a slow swing with brushes or a 240bpm blastbeat. I play to a marching standard with my hands and have learned 7 different techniques for the feet. Versatility is key! I am always training to fill the gaps in my skillset and developed 15 Systems (which I teach) to learn everything from advanced co-ordination, movement around the kit, rudimental grooving, infinite creative variation, rhythmic phrasing etc.
I've been fortunate to tour around internationally with a band called Noughts and Exes, play great festivals and open for awesome bands, as well as embark on some exciting ventures such as being the first band in Hong Kong to kickstart an album, and spearheading a 50-person indie musician flashmob extravaganza which saw us take over one of the busiest shopping regions of the city to perform our song "Hearts". There's a video of it on the Media page. If you watch it, do note that I'm a singing drummer and will happily do backing vocals while playing.
My playing time has been almost evenly split between acoustic and electronic drums so I'm comfortable with the feel of both. I recorded my most recent album for Omicron entirely using a TD20KX electronic kit, Logic Pro X and a custom VST setup. I have around 100 hours of studio time logged and am generally very efficient in the recording process (whenever possible). Oh, clicktracks are my bread and butter now, I use one almost every day. In fact, I was a product tester for (and "actor" in the commercial for) the SoundBrenner Pulse, which is a haptic feedback metronome. I was asked to create a tutorial video showcasing advanced drumming tips for the Pulse but I'd already left HK at that time, unfortunately. Still, I did get a free one :)
Anyway, my specialty is spontaneous creation, and I've been complimented by many great musicians on my ability to lead and follow during jams in various genres, and fit into the flow of song-writing. I don't overplay but I'm not afraid to experiment, and I always try to play what's right for the song, in the moment.
I've played several gigs without any rehearsal and am featured on the soundtrack for a movie called "Hong Kong Trilogy" playing entirely spontaneous drum parts (search Soundcloud for Hong Kong Trilogy Senses Jam to hear).
I can play drum solos on request, and have so far always invented my solos on the spot as I think a great drummer should play with emotion, not something they've rehearsed a hundred times to the point of it being routine. I'm an idealist like that, but I trained hard to master this skill!
TL;DR
Basically if you're in need of a fill-in drummer, session musician, song collaborator, tour partner - or just want to work with someone who can slot in to an existing band without much fuss - I could be your guy. I learn songs quickly (the result of learning to play by ear), can transcribe songs usually within minutes, play with feeling and have decent musical sensibilities.
Finally - and despite this all sounding like a massive sales pitch - I'm a very friendly and down-to-earth person, and I don't come bearing a huge ego about my playing. I am always willing to take advice and feedback on board, and I simply love to make music and play drums!
What do you say?
Let's make some goddamn music.
