Performance Spotlight: Richard Spaven

VF Artist Richard Spaven performs "Whole Other*" which is the title track from his newly released album!
Check out the story behind the album here!
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ITUNES
Whole Other* by Richard Spaven
itunes.apple.c...
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STICKS
#vf5A - American Classic® 5A
www.vicfirth.co...
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[@evanhosley2360]

That snare is so dry that it makes me wet

[@thefluxcapacitor1]

Best comment ever.

[@arrekusuhoobasu4598]

Every video of richard i see someone comment something about his dry kit making people wet. Lmfao

[@johnmontgomery6550]

Deceivingly complex. This shit is tasteful as balls.

[@jakecooley4588]

Richard makes me want to have a really gentle approach to playing

[@alexanderskog3786]

I know, right?

[@___mg9789]

Working with those cymbals you'd definitely need a gentle touch.. Not only will they break if you were to play them hard but the beauty and natural sound of the cymbal comes out when they're played gently Jake Cooley

[@peterkavanagh191]

Alexander Skog

[@nram3930]

@@___mg9789 Matt Gartska would like to know your location.

[@joeo4117]

Misael G I don’t know about the evidence of this but there’s a theory that thinner cymbals absorb impact better as they can wobble more so they don’t break as much as you would think

[@jordianme1441]

He's using basically just snare, kick and hi-hat...creating an engaging, beautiful earthquake of feelings. Considering he's playing on a recorded base with no live musicians there's huge ability in getting again the perfect time at 3;18. Great drummer, and also very good song.

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

could be a click in his headphones, or rythmic cues in the song we can't hear in this video, but indeed very impressive if he rode that space purely on his internal clock.

[@DrumsJulz]

+kodiak wild I'll tell you what i think it is: Many professional drummers play along with opened sessions on their laptops. There is the session with different channels opened and from there ,most cases an interface with multiple outs, he sends these to the FOH and certainly he's gotta have a headphone with a click to help on the performance. By that i don't mean to diminish his work at all. I am a big fan of him! Saw him play twice in London - Killer player! Hope I have helped you.

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

DrumsJulz i do appreciate the info in your response. i bought the album on amazon, & listened to it through my truck's sub, & i believe alex is right, there is still rhythmic activity going on in that space that keeps time, the frequencies just can't be heard on a phone speaker...here, let me check, since i have fire tv fired up and hooked into a sound system with some bass.... ...yeah, it's not even the deep bass that keeps that section going, i just couldn't hear it beyond the drums on my phone.

[@DotaFreezwalm]

+jordian me pretty sure he's hearing a click though

[@MrHypernox]

You know guys, playing with people is harder than playing alone to track like this .. I mean.. He is great, but don't say playing alone is harder than playing together :D

[@diogotabreu]

Of all the Performance Spotlights I've seen (and I've seen plenty), this one is without a doubt in my top 5 favorites, next to Thomas Lang, Keith Carlock, Jojo Mayer and Mark Guiliana. This guy is incredible and an excellent time keeper. Great work

[@hddrummer8838]

Chris Dave

[@zackleake]

Guiliana's performance in his Spotlight fried my brain...

[@diogotabreu]

Zack Leake I know, right? That guy's a beast

[@5amJones69]

+Diogo Teixeira de Abreu What about dave weckl?

[@diogotabreu]

+sam jones Dave Weckl is one of the best drummers out there. He is a living legend, I can't argue that. However, I've seen so many great Dave Weckl performances that I can't say I think his "Performance Spotlight" gave me goosebumps (unlike the ones I previously referred). He just delivered what I expected (a great performance)

[@doubl3m1nt]

no sampler can make such beautiful breakbeats.

[@evanhosley2360]

doubl3m1nt unless it's a sample of him

[@noisyneil]

....squarepusher would disagree, but i take your point.

[@penisbreath952]

someone else please listen to this with a metronome going through the whole song. it's at 140 bpm and the displacement this man does is unbelievable

[@Pravuz]

Holy shit dude, thanks for the heads up on listening to this with a metronome. Good god damn.

[@lovesomeome13]

Just got through listening to it with the metronome going on at the same time... it sounds awesome!!!!!

[@Drummunchies]

mid-tempo (70) makes it more down-to-earth ;)

[@snickers6125]

I like how he utilizes odd motions and movement to add texture and feel, I wonder if he does this for show or a deeper muscle memory trick. Regardless I could watch this all day

[@Mynameisnumber5]

A perfect love making song....... I'm just throwing that out there. :p

[@Convisis]

I had trouble understanding this video because no incessant blast beats, double kickers or 9 string guitars.

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

if you're looking for that here, sure, this would be quite disorienting.

[@gabrieltorrence12]

You taught me a new word "Incessant"..🔥💪🏿

[@israelredburn8115]

Soo tasteful 😩 It totally blows my mind. The displacement, the groove, the feel. It makes me want to rethink my drumming and totally start over

[@bradley6346]

Israel Redbur

[@thefluxcapacitor1]

No need to start over. Take what you know and blend it with this. Then create your own thing.

[@joshjamesuk]

I've seen Spaven live with Bill Laurance (Snarky Puppy) and Jose James. I went to his masterclass at the London Drum Show too. He's a fucking beast, love his take on drums!

[@StompL7]

lucky bastard

[@spacejazz6272]

where did you see bill Laurence?? I LOVE his solo stuff

[@joshjamesuk]

+Stephen Barlow I've seen him do a small personal gig at Mau Mau Bar, London with only 80 of us in the audience! That was great. I saw him in Ronnie Scott's in London, Sput was on drums for that one though. I saw him in Amsterdam most recently touring his latest album. I've seen snarky puppy every time they've ever been in London and a couple of times around the rest of the U.K. Must have seen them at least 12 times! Jose James I saw at the Cheltenham Jazz Fest.

[@spacejazz6272]

Josh Woodley you're so lucky man, I live in London area but I can never seem to find a snarky puppy gig anyway. I would love to see those guys at least once in my life

[@mrdrumfreak456]

F*ck drumming, I'll be a stripper :(

[@johnkircioglu2192]

I think he's cheating.

[@brod_drumz]

how

[@chun-weikang471]

he took spaven

[@marcvandoornik]

Yeah, I think so too. He’s just playing perfectly timed hits with excellent dynamics and groove to make believe he’s a half decent drummer, obviously. Fraud. ;-)

[@matthewbritt8498]

This is possibly the most beautiful drumming I’ve ever seen…. Stuff like this elevates the art

[@secrecysmith5001]

the entire song is.

[@compassionawareness]

One of the most unique and interesting contemporary drummers I have ever heard. Love this dude. Just in style alone, he is comparable to all of my other favorite drummers right now.

[@billysbility]

He makes 90's rnb grooves in modern sound, damn cool.

[@JustbeinFrank97]

I was just thinking to myself about how he'd sound playing for aliyah

[@uraharamitchell7250]

He is a Hokage of pocket Chris Daddy Brian Blade Brody Simpson Richard Spaven The Four Hokage of Pocket and Groove

[@johnny5.56]

Adam deitch bud

[@pablomata7098]

Missing Yussef Dayes for sure

[@DaniParraOnDrums]

Nate Smith

[@locksh]

Natural talent (and infinite practice, I'm sure). His understanding of the groove and how he manipulates time signatures is truly something else. He can make a 4/4 sound like 11/16

[@rendeeroo7788]

gotta love when my drum teacher recommends an official vic firth video featuring non other than himself (he's my drum teacher) all because he saw I was using vic firth sticks :D

[@brod_drumz]

is he really your teacher? that's dope . does he do lessons

[@kangarooshorts7275]

+brod drumz obviously not.

[@rendeeroo7788]

+brod drumz yeah he works as a drum teacher in my school

[@rendeeroo7788]

Kangaroo Shorts it's not that unbeliveable when other celebrites have gone to my school, take for instance David Beckham who visited my school, Chingford foundation school.

[@chun-weikang471]

what school is this?

[@hddrummer8838]

Meinl is killing the cymbal game. Love it!!!

[@tuomollo]

+henry diaz Great cymbals indeed but they have a good marketing department. There is a lot of other manufacturers creating great unique sandy, jazzy cymbals. Check out Anatolian Jazz Collection for example.

[@PyroShredder982]

This dude, Mark Guiliana, Keith Carlock, Vinnie Colaiuta, Chris Dave, Benny Greb, Eric Harland = most creative drummers

[@lovesomeome13]

Philip Appleby Benny greb!!

[@devonscope6222]

Thanks for mentioning Chris Dave. People be sleepin on him

[@etiennelaget852]

So smooth, I didn't know Richard, what a nice discovery..! I'm really digging his style :)

[@SheldonKreger]

Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/richardspaven

[@nelsonvalentesanchezventur4273]

Trace all my thoughts back to you and I find Pieces of what you left behind I smite[?] and losing faith I go low Don't care about thoughts you leave untold Closer when we fall apart, when we fall apart, closer Closer when we fall apart, when we fall apart, closer closer closer Searching I hold 'til I break away, fall So I let go to keep you from my flaws Oooooooh Closer when we fall apart, when we fall apart, closer Closer when we fall apart, when we fall apart, closer closer closer Closer when we fall apart, when we fall apart, closer Closer when we fall apart, when we fall apart, closer closer closer Oooooh (Instrumental interlude) Closure, closure, closure, closure, closure Can't get closure,er er er Can't get closer, er er er Can't get closer oooh I I Can't get closer, falling back now Can't get closer, falling back down Can't get back down, can't get can't get Closer falling back nooooooooooooow Closer when we're fall apart, when we're fall apart, closer Closer when we're fall apart, when we're fall apart, closer closer closer Closer when we're fall apart, when we're fall apart, closer Closer when we're fall apart, when we're fall apart, closer closer closer Ooooooh

[@brycetheshredder]

This guy will go down as one of the best drummers in history. Just such a unique style of playing and does it so damn perfect.

[@jmr2master]

So Smooth! Keep up the great work! I hope to one day be this smooth!

[@glensR33]

Met Richard in Galway 2019 ......Stunning !! even better Now !!

[@ljoe7038]

he always looks so tired... please let him rest next time before the session!

[@AquaAnim]

Thats what touring 24/7 will do!

[@uraharamitchell7250]

He looks like such a Golfer with those caps on

[@yoyocatdogma]

Amazing drummer and amazing sound. That snare is so dialed in it is unbelievable. Love the hint of trashiness in those meinl extra dry cymbals. Impeccable engineering and mixing by the folks at vic firth as well. What a showcase of his awesome playing!

[@dcQ23]

Favorite drummers: Richard Spaven, Danny Carey, Matt Garstka, Billy Kilson, Matt Cameron, Jimmy Chamberlin, Ilan Rubin. Who else should be in my top 10?

[@michabula5763]

I'd throw Gavin Harrison in there ;)

[@Tito124]

Of all the perfomances I've seen this is the only one that actually some one is playing some actual music! Finally vic firth shows what sticks are made for...

[@gabrieltorrence12]

A lesson to master the pocket before branching out.

[@STIXAHOY]

Cymbals sound perfect in this volume. Can't stand it when drummers just bash cymbals. Sounds so musical and well thought out.

[@tuomollo]

+Julia Francis some cymbals are ment to be bashed.

[@yrussq]

+tuomollo It's idiots that are meant to be bashed not cymbals, idiot.

[@ACWB3PRODUCTIONS]

+yrussq you sound dumb . Cymbals are meant to be bashed. Really it depends on technique.

[@yrussq]

Arthur Bishop Cymbals are meant to be played like all other instruments. And only stupid idiots meant to be bashed, well as i said. :))

[@ACWB3PRODUCTIONS]

+yrussq Okay thanks for explaining

[@armystrong2727]

man I'm so digging this groove....

[@geofergal4657]

He is the drummer for Jose James. He is so GOOD at his craft. Smooth he knows when to fill in, but doesn't overstep. The song ¨Come to my door,LIVE¨ His playing is so smooth in that song. HE INDEED is a great MUSICIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@M123OCT]

Just watched him playing this live at the Scottish Drum Fest in Falkirk. This guy is brilliant, and so bloody tasteful and subtle.

[@sebastianbang1138]

Groove in focus. Spaven is always amazing.

[@StevenMartinOfficial]

if youre listening to this in 2022 there's a really good chance you're a genius 🔥

[@TheStudioDrummer]

It was difficult picking just one Richard Spaven Video for my "Most Amazing Drum Videos" Playlist kzbin.info/aero/PLeSLlVm4s2_TkDjU-2QIntT_d3G4zM9OF BUT alas, I love this song...

[@airmike._.]

didnt know Edward Norton was hittin some shiet!

[@SenorRohas]

The dude just floats over this shit.

[@SenorRohas]

How have I not heard of this guy?

[@laurivlehto96]

Super inspiring! I got the urge to go and write a song.

[@kevinwalford5271]

Just saw him live last night in Manchester... absolutely blew my mind! What a talent... incredible drummer!

[@misterkwhite99]

New genre entry: Ambient Soul

[@DJSuPreme7]

Its amazing how GTA 5 brought me here from the 1759 outro track to hooked on Richard Spaven's world of drum n bass great music mann!

[@MrDrum31]

You Should Be the Massive Attack Drummer!

[@Dolph_Art]

What genre of music is this??? I love what I am hearing.

[@samuelmarconett1979]

His playing reminds me of a pianist. Beautiful, gentle, and calculated.

[@Adiaf8oros]

Excellent, but the ride is unheardable, come on.

[@samy6465]

Such an articulate and creative performance! I'm excited to hear what artists like him and Mark Guiliana bring to the table in the future.

[@YamahaDrumsEurope]

Go Rich!

[@masonkiller1]

It’s so satisfying to listen to hin on these cymbals. The mix is outstanding, the drumset sounds incredible dry.

[@EugeneNovik]

Something about just the video itself that makes it super dope... Everything about it actually haha. Just gnarly.

[@vincentboersma9227]

I keep discovering new interesting drummers, I knew Mark guiliana and Chris dave for now but not this guy. But he is fresh, !! he has his unique style. and that is dope. I will be launching also drumcovers on my channel, check them out when they are there. Best regards Vince,

[@deanthornby2026]

When I grow up I want to be Richard spaven

[@LuizBertonimusic]

snare sounds really bad. too busy. only numbers apparently,I ain't saying the dude does not play well.but he is not very musical. music is a flow it's like breathing , this drumming sounds like a seizure.

[@yuricroscenko9767]

Your playing is amazing... New entry on my list of favourite drummers... Incredible!!!

[@student702]

What are the toms for? Shelf space? I like the way he plays like liquid though,, very fluidly.

[@elwoodwhite7708]

I smile and I watch and l hear movements at times reminds me of the 80 20 dude on the Instrutional videos idk why but way smoother and less mechanical but interesting what do you think ? Richards amazing

[@tracechiappe1148]

no overhead mics? love the mix though.. cymbals sound fucking sweet and smooth even though only the hats are mics haha

[@jonaslaursen7201]

I keep coming back to this. In some ways it's like watching Steve Jordan for the first time. You are pretty much in a trance for the whole video because of the amazing beat and timekeeping.

[@cnsorenson]

Where's the ride cymbal mic?

[@aaronmatthews6066]

Amazing, really reminds me of Luke Flowers from Cinematic Orchestra. So fluid, love it

[@StompL7]

I love this kit and great fucking performance. also the camera work was incredible :)

[@stephenshia]

4:44 hearing the floor tomm for the first time, I cried

[@Johnbobon]

3:44

[@zackleake]

Spaven is quickly becoming my favorite drummer. So smooth and musical!

[@kazzieatp]

き

[@joshmccartney2386]

Love the humility in the drumming community and respect for this excellent artist.

[@pinholuis]

Freaking AMAZING!! Just followed on Spotify!

[@hubertcumberdale2078]

Does anyone know if it's possible to get this track without the drumming? I wanna have a go at it too!

[@nottobey]

That' just amazing! Richard, your performance is so beautiful and musical!

[@be9nz]

What headphones is he rocking here?

[@bojancosic7267]

Distant thunder behind the sun shine

[@minasvasilakis1]

Unique style! Very interesting! Great imagination, binding and articulation all in one!

[@andrewmilbankdrums]

Simply beautiful! Fantastic work

[@amyo]

Mac miller

[@iancroft7863]

think you'll find the kick drum is an 18" and not a 20"

[@drumpillo]

Totaly hooked me! Great Feel, kind of hypnotic.. love it

[@shreyasiyengar8408]

Hands down one of the best performances I've ever seen. But that snare sound is fatiguing after the first couple of minutes. Too high and too compressed. Could have easily gone down a little lower in tuning and still gotten that tight crack out of it. And the compression is a little too prominent for a player of his quality.

[@jakehawthorn]

Shreyas Iyengar While I agree, I think the true beauty is in the cymbals. Meinl rules. *edit due to being shit at spelling...

[@alenzeravica7608]

Dude, flawless

[@fabrigasan2150]

Mi ricorda Giles dei Krimson, anni 90 …⏳⌛️

[@LukasSuniga]

VERY VERY VERY NICE MAAAAAN! YEEAAH LET´S GROOVE

[@janknjazovic]

top!

[@1985sfa]

What ride cymbal is he playing?

[@ionesally6695]

I literally listen to this song at least once a day everyday

[@brentrichards4191]

The definition of taste right here players.

[@jordandyck7966]

I bet he’s got a pocket inside of his pocket..

[@andsuaz]

Tight! more Ride on mix pleae!

[@НикитаБобров-ю6г]

Radiohead should have taken this guy

[@skatearlyesterday]

those chunky hi-hats though

[@joonajaakkola3865]

Any info on the cymbal setup? Byzance extra dry ride, hats and crash?

[@cheftuna]

+Joona Jaakkola 16 extra dry hats, 18 extra dry hats, 20 vintage pure ride, 18 vintage crash

[@drumz47]

Oh Hell yes.....

[@deantreloar]

HOLY. CRAP. Sooo CLEAN! This guy is so fricken' refreshing! MAN..... Just can't even say enough.

[@NickHolum]

I just bought the record. Very very cool.

[@_bones_jones]

Why haven't I heard about this guy before? Although its nothing overcomplicated, something about it feels... different, in a good way. :)

[@___mg9789]

I fall asleep to this every night

[@arjunchakraborty2206]

Is this dream pop?

[@nameloss]

inspiring stuff. what ride is that?