Meinl Cymbals - Matt Garstka & Josh De La Victoria - "Iris"

You can see demos for each cymbal in Matt’s setup here: bit.ly/33voas1
14” Byzance Equilibrium Hihats
10" Byzance Jazz Splash
18” Byzance Jazz Extra Thin Crash
18” Byzance Extra Thin Hammered Crash
22” Byzance Foundry Reserve Light Ride
Artist Concept Model Fat Stack
20” Byzance Equilibrium China
Written and played by: Josh De La Victoria & Matt Garstka
Directed and edited by: Ivan Chopik
Additional filming by: Isaac Stolzer-Gary & Tony Mancuso
Engineered and mixed by: Francesco Cameli
Mastered by: Dave Collins
Filmed at Sphere Studios in Los Angeles, CA
Artwork/Painting by Brooke Robinson

[@diafenix]

One of the greatest things about being alive on this planet is being able to watch Matt Garstka and Joshua de La Victoria playing together.

[@behindthen0thing525]

And sex

[@bowensteevan]

Agreed. This is both inspiring and liberating. I've been listening to a lot of instrumental prog these days and these two come up with some pretty cool shit. Lots of great artists out there and we are able to see them play right from our hands.

[@diafenix]

@@bowensteevan Yes, there are some good things around that are worth being alive for right now ;)

[@The_Kevinist]

And LSD-25.

[@diafenix]

@@The_Kevinist t r i p p i n g !

[@octaviusdelmonte9019]

I like the fact that they do this kind of thing without resorting to (the now cliche) becoming dark and heavy. It's a more colorful type of Prog.

[@fivebyfivesound]

Love where Garstka's gone with his choices in drum and cymbal texture in recent years. The level of nuance and finesse the drier (but not dead) sound allows to come through is such a pleasure to hear.

[@Truid]

And a pleasure to mix I'm sure!

[@enkiea8322]

Darker cymbals are definitely "in" right now thanks to drummers like Matt who have excellent ears. Some pick and mix them better than others but it's certainly better than days of recent past when everyone had Zildjian A and Z customs.

[@behindthen0thing525]

@@enkiea8322 a customs sound great but they turn into a mess when you have more than a few

[@jona4354]

Those coated heads sound great in this recording/performing environment!

[@jamieplaysdrums8640]

Ugh hard agree with everything this thread, ya love to see it

[@kieran5302]

Josh's playing is so clean and tight. Also his sense of harmony is such a pleasure to listen to. Matt isn't too bad either 🙃

[@diafenix]

"matt isn't too bad either" hahaha i see what you did there.

[@thetheoristtranscriptions]

I have a guitar tab on my channel for Iris

[@jaakezzz_G]

How do you not play such bland parts clean and tight? It's gotta be the most simple playing I've ever seen. Matt is the only performance here.

[@fritswester2833]

@Jake Zee Jelous :)

[@connorross6921]

@@jaakezzz_G it's very easy to not mute effectively.

[@dandiegidio7729]

Music is the best invention.

[@sigwolf7486]

Matts one of the best modern drummers IMO. Been following him for years.. complex but groovy. Dude can shred. Saw him with AAL years back he ripped the kit with every ounce of sweat. Dude is a champion.

[@roleypolyjoely2400]

I may not be a musician, but I know enough to recognize tight playing when I see it. 3:41 onwards gave me shivers.

[@georgesoden]

Damn that metric modulation at 2:18 was beautiful

[@thedollarspecial7575]

The real question is, where is their album?!?!? This is so good and fresh

[@arthurgarcia502]

look for victoria in spotify

[@diafenix]

@legrandkosique such a cool comment. love it (although their faces sometimes seem to be screaming in enjoyment!)

[@magusking9215]

@@arthurgarcia502 That's the logic confirmation I was looking for. I'll be discovering this new project Live at The Whisky A GoGo - Jan 11 with Mestis

[@behindthen0thing525]

@@magusking9215 what happened? Did Matt finally get tired of tosin always hitting on him?

[@thetheoristtranscriptions]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aabLfIR7fN6Aq8U

[@plasticbrainwar3730]

Three of a Perfect Pair She is susceptible He is impossible They have their cross to share Three of a perfect pair He has his contradicting views She has her cyclothymic moods They make a study in despair Three of a perfect pair

[@ayekaye8055]

PLASTICBRAINWAR天天腦膠戰 this! 🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@daudramaydrums9522]

Oh wow it goes so well with this!!

[@MrPjhitman]

Oh good, I'm not the only one noticed it at the start of the song

[@Myrkskog]

Brilliant. This and "Kepler" make an excellent pairing.

[@andyham6094]

His Tama kit and that snare sound soooo good. Really loving his new signature hi hats too. They sound so good in the mix.

[@brandonbulthuis2740]

I think every drum company should just let Matt design their stuff. He's made my favorite sticks, favorite china, favorite stack, and probably top 3 hi hats.

[@GabrielGuevaraDrums]

I was waiting for this and so were you

[@aaronstirling8714]

I don't know if there's any current drummer on Garstka's level with limb independence. The dude looks soooo insanely fluid for such awkward patterns, and time signatures I swear just watching him makes me feel like I'm going to have an aneurysm.

[@The_Kevinist]

There are tons. Virgil Donati is a powerful example of what you mentioned.

[@manasyadav1993]

Marco Minnemann

[@manasyadav1993]

Also Danny Carey

[@hazardeur]

@@The_Kevinist yeah Viregil is pretty much at the top and that's it for a few miles until the others come up

[@omukssbm]

As much as I think Matt is the most all-around skilled drummer alive today (Ever, maybe? Not familiar enough with drummers of the past to confidently state), I do have to say that in the mere limb independence department, Marco has him beat.

[@GuilhermeMendesG]

Everything in the video is just stuning. Audio quality is killer, the song, the creativity, damn man... never seen nothing like this before. You guys rule!

[@bkdesignr]

sick Sick SICK! can’t get enough of this. i found myself descending the escalator reinventing plane geometry trying to find the 1. brilliant.

[@oscarobregon3007]

The atmosphere that Matt gave this song it's just fucking amazing!! Wow

[@cremebrulee6667]

I really like how these guys explore all the feels each time signature. Josh's licks are super entrancing and dead on time and Matt is a true master of switching feels on the fly and does it basically perfectly every time... watched this guy in slow motion many times... Also the song sounds really nice and not abrasive at all. Reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaally great stuff you got goin' on there. Keep it up

[@jaxnaturals]

Such a great song! need more from these two!

[@joelalvarez7068]

I was waiting for this clip for so long!!

[@ssvon72]

Both performances perfectly gorgeous

[@CrisRYMER]

Love post for Josh, he's amazing.

[@stanmcdonaldjr7660]

Amazing !!!! Great Song !!! I've never heard of Josh De La Victoria before but now he's on the Radar ! Matt Bro your from another Planet !

[@andreacolombo7896]

Amazing drum sound; insane playing.

[@bantzrayder8976]

Guitar player here who watched for Matt, and was given riff envy and solo envy by Josh. First time seeing Josh play. Awesome work guys.

[@ifgwelf]

I love this stuff. So much great music happening right now.

[@パッパルンルン-y5s]

3:42~ This Riff is very very solid and clear sound. I love it....!!!!

[@codemasterz6074]

This seems more like a guitar demo than a drum one. And I loved every second of it. Never heard of Josh before but wow this guy is good.

[@thetheoristtranscriptions]

There is a tab for this on my channel

[@thetheoristtranscriptions]

I have a guitar tab on my channel for Iris

[@GuilhermeMendesG]

I can't get enough of these videos! geeeeeeez

[@gotmoresoul]

Damn I love this song

[@jesseeek4418]

One thing's for sure: Matt Garstka is the first to apply quantum math technology to drums!

[@matthewbritt8498]

Virgil donati tho

[@hazardeur]

@@matthewbritt8498 can't believe people are forgetting about VIrgil. I love Matt but Virg has been doing this and way crazyier stuff for the last 30 years and he's even adding on top and keeps going and going and going

[@XJoeyJordison666X]

​@hazardeur7327 imagine what Matt's gonna be doing in 30 years

[@johnhancock9573]

Ahhh this song was so refreshing to hear!!!! The ending left me on the edge of my seat!

[@devinbuchhorn]

gaaaaddddAAAAMMMMM 3:05

[@GabrielGuevaraDrums]

good laaaaawd

[@vladavasiljev]

Ectogenesis playtrought... Near the end... Same pattern and tricks... Even though I consider Matt the goat drummer (or in top 5), I found music he plays quite boring. Maby because I listen tool a lot...

[@truejungian]

@@vladavasiljev It's true, he is boring sometimes, because he focuses on chops more than on groove, although he can groove pretty well. While I also am a fan of Tool, Danny is amazing at doing simple yet creative tricks, but his left hand isn't there. There aren't many subtleties in his groove. I like his undertow grooves more than his recent math music meshuggah inspired chops, that again, lack the left hand

[@jamisonandrewmanhorvaththe1124]

@@truejungian he does not focus on chops more than groove.

[@AndrewDRoyappa]

I think the thing that shocks me the most about professional musicians is just how they play things like this ☝️ with zero mistakes. Like, exactly zero

[@thomasdinkelspiel1098]

Oh c'mon dude it's a video playthrough. Even these guys will tell you the audio is not from this performance 99% of the time.

[@ytaudioguy]

@@mattg8091 wtf it's matt garstka

[@hcaz5818]

@@thomasdinkelspiel1098 they probably played it 3 times and took the best parts from each take

[@walterrserrano]

@@hcaz5818 Wtf man, haven't you seen Matt in person responding to Thomas Dinkelspiel above???

[@WallyZ_World]

You know when you hear a kick ass song and it’s only like a minute and 53 seconds? I must’ve listened to this song atleast 67 times today and it’s almost 5 min long but I was in such a trance that when it ended I’m like “damn, why are the coolest songs always so short? This should be longer!” 😆 THIS WAS AMAZING!!!!!!

[@Ashlord]

This is outstanding! Why am I just discovering this masterpiece now? 🤧

[@Emmanuelwithus]

Holy technical variety! Beautiful song and an excellent job to you both!

[@brandonmora3564]

That's your guy's sound!!! Great stuff as always. Thanks Josh and Matt keep it up!!🔮❄️🖤🆙🔣

[@codyninetyfour]

Unbelievable talents displayed

[@tallmantactics66]

Holy shit that was absolutely sick to death 💀 just incredible 🔥

[@scottdewar9316]

2 of a perfect pair

[@Alien-Arri]

This is fantastic . Amazing job !!!!!👏👏👏🔥

[@leonardc6560]

That's mesmerizing

[@GabrielGuevaraDrums]

3:05 when your CPU goes from 60% to 95%

[@hughneutron5303]

so fast that i had to check nvidia control panel to make sure motion blur wasn't somehow running on my browser

[@diafenix]

i died.

[@infinitelight111]

Ahahahahahahha

[@RJB_TV]

holy jesus my jaw actually dropped at parts.

[@alexsamba2499]

2 mostri!!!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@grilltcheese9940]

a perfectly written song

[@nostalgiajunkie]

This is the coolest thing I think I’ve ever seen from Matt. It’s hard for me to get into AAL because the melodies don’t connect with me and the constant unfamiliar time structures they build and change throughout the songs make it hard to follow if I don’t listen to the song more than a few times. This kept my attention throughout the entire performance rather than getting tired of the constant fluctuation. I looked forward to the changes and syncopation rather than dreading/being annoyed by them. Great songwriting and the shred added to the song rather than detracting, it definitely shows talented and tasteful writing in a genre where few bands can walk that line well.

[@JamesFoxFiles]

Joshua Blou t Well said.

[@abcdefghijkl5408]

AAL's first and third albums have a lot of groove like this. I don't really like their 2nd album and the latest release takes awhile to understand what they're going for (i do like it). Given all this, i think you would like Plini....check him out.

[@nostalgiajunkie]

Fake Name lmao I’m an OG w/the instrumental music dawg, I’ve seen plini twice, really love his phrasing more than anything. there’s a few jams by aal that I’ll have stuck in my head like ectogenesis or brain dance, but I think they’ll always be one of those bands that drop my jaw musically, but never get super into. I make a habit of watching every gartska vid that drops tho, and I’m really glad I did for this one

[@danielhadida3915]

I think the "problem" with AAL is specifically the lack of melodies : songs are driven by the rhythm and thus harder to get into for many people, because we're too used to songs driven mainly by melodies. It's no wonder Physical Education is easier to grasp than CAFO, because PE HAS a distinctive melody. Once I understood I should listen to the rhythm rather than looking for melodies, AAL started making much more sense.

[@raymondmattos6173]

As a drummer committed to the craft and onstage often I look at Matt's skill and think "Man, maybe I should have stuck to keyboards" Matt you are an inspiration for sure, and de la victoria - crazy together. Where is the album? Please please keep making videos..this is the SH-T!

[@MFKR696]

It's not every day you see someone with a 7-string playing with a slide.. I'm loving it. I'm all for the "outside the box" approach. As for that harmonizer line, I think Steve Vai would approve. I personally think harmonized guitars need to make a come-back. Harmony lines were what made me love bands like Slayer and Death. It's a hell of alot more effective than that octave up/octave down bullshit that Djent does to death.

[@infinitelight111]

Cool stuff guys, keep up the awesome work

[@kwilcox417]

Hey Meinl, can we PLEASE get a Matt Gartska album featuring the Gem project plus all the tracks he does with this amazing guitarist? PLEEEEEASE? Seriously, if this exists I'll buy one for me and more for all my friends.

[@meinlcymbals]

You'll have to ask Matt about those. Totally out of our hands.

[@pedroleal7118]

Gorgeous! Thank you guys for the effort and the Music!

[@sierrrrrrrra]

2:18 reads to me as a battle of who can destabilize the other rhythmically haha :) amazing song!

[@justinrensel8518]

I resonate with this interpretation

[@udomatthiasdrums5322]

love it!!

[@RhysticStudies]

3:41 yeah let's fuckin go

[@ThiagoAlmeidaAvelino]

Dope as usual.

[@mikeromano3001]

That's my fave on that matt🤘🤘

[@markcrimi]

Bad to the bone!!! Great job!!!

[@llamaden7643]

MAN this is so amazing wow

[@masakazu3508]

I need to hit this “like” button 1000 times more

[@alonzovillarreal4666]

Wow! Beautiful work

[@BasicInfo7715]

Genius... love it man 👍🏻

[@funkslave9425]

Just incredible

[@farelyesha6470]

FINALLY!

[@mountainofsound]

I need an album of this stuff man plssssss

[@petertaydus6330]

I NEED MORE VIDEOS

[@Rockeiro70]

Oh Yeah 🤘🏼😎

[@Borahkreth]

This is so insanely great

[@ricardomaciel8355]

Amazing

[@helliumluminuss8247]

Потрясающе !!!

[@manilichros7595]

Really like this style

[@SaintTrinasTorch]

Friggin sweet!

[@joaorolo2371]

Brilhant❤

[@arnauloayza]

Clean as always. Groundbreaking!

[@juandelacruz4679]

Please release this in Deezer

[@Jen0os]

That snare :o

[@valuablesandwich]

Listen to "Stasis" by Casimir Liberski... Matt's snare sounds better than EVER in that tune

[@VirgoKing89]

Jens Z This snare sounds way better Matt Halpern’s in “Garden in the Bones”. 👍🏽🤘🏽

[@user-id2dx4qd6j]

Mohammad Saleh agreed but no one was really talking about matt halperns snare sound

[@mythscion]

Not enough time signatures...;)

[@magusking9215]

And 1 or 2 strings short Hhhhhhh Just kidding, I'm loving this - Is this the Victoria project that will play at the Whisky with Mestis ???

[@johnjones6601]

Lmao!😂👍

[@miguelsaavedrums]

Love this

[@dennycrane2938]

This track has a strong Final Fantasy 6 vibe

[@danielhadida3915]

I was about to ask you to be more specific, and then I remembered the airplane music. That's KIND OF a stretch, but once you've got it, it is indeed impossible to unhear. Good job.

[@infinitisma6162]

It's about time... rhythm that is.

[@4ff3]

INSAAAAANE

[@VincentLloydM]

YESSSS AH.

[@paulvickers7997]

S T U N N I N G ❤️

[@jemplayer]

I see Josh is a man of good taste and plays Mayones. The dancy fucking 7/4 groove at the end has my eyes crossed.

[@shaneilellis9832]

Here in 2023

[@jeihantiaki2631]

It really hurts matt. Matt gold 🤘🤘

[@pokefanero1522]

brutal!

[@caseypnw]

1:42 love it

[@commitsudoku6016]

"Cooper what are you doing?" "Docking" 1:30

[@heyyitsRJ]

dude drop an album with these collabs

[@8195229]

Raymond Cabrera Good news, they did. Check out Victoria - Modern Value and they have some singles too.

[@JedTaneo]

Fatt Gratska killin the drums

[@joseborges5796]

Demasiado brutal , saludos desde VENEZUELA.

[@MySynthDungeon]

Digs!!Tight!! Cheers!!

[@giulianolavardino9444]

parece Three of a perfect pair de Crimson a primera vista

[@dieruko]

Most people come for the drumming, but that guitar tone is some next level shit.

[@thetheoristtranscriptions]

I tabbed this out on my channel.

[@LawrenceDrums1]

Matt, Josh, song, mix... all absolutely amazing. Does anyone know what that mic/can thing on top of his kick, between the 2 toms is?

[@oliverjaehne4063]

🙏🏽

[@justinsiegel6720]

Dope stuff