MusicRadar

KJ Sawka

The world of Jungle and Drum 'n' Bass grew out of a largely electronic scene in the early '90s – but more recently a small faction of brilliant drummers are bringing live, acoustic playing to the genre.

Following in the footsteps of DnB great Jojo Mayer, KJ Sawka plays jungle and Drum n Bass rhythms with such astonishing precision that it's hard to believe he's a living, breathing person like the rest of us. It's no surprise, then, that Sawka has been dubbed The Human Drum Machine.

Of course, almost all Drum n Bass rhythms are technically challenging – rhythms at 175bpm plus (with a haunted house-full of ghost strokes) are frequent. But the most impressive element of Sawka's style isn't his blinding speed but his feel: the dynamics, the bounce and the roll of his grooves, which he manages to maintain even at such ludicrous tempos.

Add that to the man's extreme multi-tasking ability to trigger samplers and sequencers on the fly and you have a very compelling live show indeed, performed by an incredibly compelling drummer. See his more electronic material here.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recommended listening

Cyclonic Steel - KJ Sawka (Beat My Drum) Buy here: Amazon | HMV | Play
Synchronized Decompression - KJ Sawka (Wax Orchard) Buy here: Amazon | HMV

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next: Introducing... Zach Hill

Around the web: