Kevin Drumm
Encyclopedia
Biography
Emerging from the city's improvised music scene, in the 1990s1990s in music
For music from a year in the 1990s, go to 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99This article includes trends in popular music in the 1990s....
he became one of the world's pre-eminent prepared guitar
Prepared guitar
A prepared guitar is a guitar that has had its timbre altered by placing various objects on or between the instrument's strings, including other extended techniques...
players. Since then his work has expanded to include electroacoustic
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
compositions and live electronic music made with laptop computers and analog modular synthesizer
Modular synthesizer
The modular synthesizer is a type of synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules connected by wires to create a so-called patch. Every output generates a signal – an electric voltage of variable strength...
s. His early recordings contain mostly sparse, quiet sounds; recent works have been more loud and dense.
Drumm has collaborated with many artists working in similar fields, including Japanese guitarist Taku Sugimoto
Taku Sugimoto
Taku Sugimoto is a Japanese guitarist.He initially gained attention in the late 1990s for his restrained, melodic playing, unusual in the world of free improvisation. Critic Bruce Russell describes this era of Sugimoto's music by writing: "Sugimoto is perhaps the pre-eminent stylist on the guitar .....
, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jim O'Rourke
Jim O'Rourke (musician)
Jim O'Rourke is an Irish-American musician and record producer. He was long associated with the Chicago experimental and improv scene...
, and many European improvisers such as Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson
Mats Gustafsson
Mats Olof Gustafsson is a Swedish saxophone player and a stalwart on the Scandinavian free jazz scene. He is known for his tonal belligerence and intensity when improvising....
and German trumpeter Axel Dörner. He has also worked with the artist group Simparch
Simparch
SIMPARCH is an American artist collective that was founded in Las Cruces, New Mexico in 1996. Presently this group is organized and maintained by Matthew Lynch and Steve Badgett...
, composing a piece for their installation Spec, shown at Documenta
Documenta
documenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
XI in Kassel, Germany and at the Renaissance Society in Chicago. Drumm has also worked with saxophonist Ken Vandermark
Ken Vandermark
Ken Vandermark is an American jazz composer and saxophone and clarinet player.A fixture on the Chicago-area music scene since the 1990s, Vandermark has earned wide critical praise for his playing and his multilayered compositions, which typically balance intricate orchestration with passionate...
's Territory Band, which brings together American and European players who work in both jazz and free improvisation
Free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician involved. The term can refer to both a technique and as a recognizable genre in its own right....
.
Drumm's work draws upon musique concrète
Musique concrète
Musique concrète is a form of electroacoustic music that utilises acousmatic sound as a compositional resource. The compositional material is not restricted to the inclusion of sounds derived from musical instruments or voices, nor to elements traditionally thought of as "musical"...
, electronic sound, improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, and noise music
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
. Musical influences include Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Ralf Wehowsky, Heavy Load, and The New Blockaders. He is also a black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
fanatic.
Releases
- (1997) Kevin Drumm (CD) - Perdition Plastics
- (1999) Second (CD) - Perdition Plastics
- (2000) Comedy (CD) - Moikai
- (2000) Particles and Smears with Martin TétreaultMartin TétreaultMartin Tétreault is a free improvisation musician and visual artist. Often using the turntable as the basis for his experimental music, he has released many collaborative records with people such as Kevin Drumm and Otomo Yoshihide, as well as his own solo work.-External links:* at Discogs...
(CD) - Erstwhile RecordsErstwhile RecordsErstwhile Records is an independent record label devoted to free improvisation, particularly the electroacoustic variety. Erstwhile was founded by Jon Abbey in 1999, and his knowledgeable personality and tastes are closely identified with the label.Characteristic label artists include guitarist... - (2000) Kevin Drumm / Bhob Rainey Split (12") - Fringes
- (2001) KD (Cassette) - Freedom FromFreedom FromFreedom From is a Minneapolis, Minnesota based record label which primarily focuses on the international noise underground genre. The label was founded in 1996 with its first official release by a San Francisco three-piece named Job. Up until early 1998, the labels focus was singularly cassettes,...
- (2001) Cases with Ralf Wehowsky (CD) - Selektion
- (2001) Den with Taku Sugimoto (CD) - Sonoris
- (2001) Triangles with Leif Elggren (LP/CD) - Moikai
- (2001) Untitled (Erstwhile 015) with Axel Dörner (CD) - Erstwhile RecordsErstwhile RecordsErstwhile Records is an independent record label devoted to free improvisation, particularly the electroacoustic variety. Erstwhile was founded by Jon Abbey in 1999, and his knowledgeable personality and tastes are closely identified with the label.Characteristic label artists include guitarist...
- (2001) Kevin Drumm / Pita Split (12") - BOXmedia
- (2002) DEG with Leif Elggren and Mats Gustafsson (LP) - Firework Edition Records
- (2002) Frozen by Blizzard Winds with Lasse Marhaug (CD) - Smalltown SupersoundSmalltown SupersoundSmalltown Supersound is an independent record label based in Oslo, Norway, and dedicated to new forms of jazz, rock and electronic music.Their catalog features albums by Annie, Jaga Jazzist, 120 Days, Mental Overdrive, Bjørn Torske, Mats Gustafsson and Sonic Youth, amongst others.In 2004, the...
- (2002) Sheer Hellish MiasmaSheer Hellish MiasmaSheer Hellish Miasma is a 2002 noise album by Kevin Drumm. It is likely that the font choice for the cover was inspired by Merzbow's 1995 live album Noizhead.-Reception:...
(CD) - Mego - (2002) I Drink Your Skin with Aaron DillowayAaron Dilloway-Biography:He has been releasing and recording music since the age of 16. He was a member of experimental bands Couch, Galen and Universal Indians. He is a former guitarist and tape manipulator for the experimental band Wolf Eyes, which he left in 2005 to live most of that year in Kathmandu, Nepal...
(Cassette) - Hanson RecordsHanson RecordsHanson Records is an American independent record label founded in Brighton, Michigan and now based in Oberlin, Ohio. It is operated by the musician Aaron Dilloway, formerly of the band Wolf Eyes.-History:... - (2003) Eruption with Fred Lonberg-Holm and Weasel Walter (CD) -
- (2003) Land of Lurches (LP/CD) - Hanson RecordsHanson RecordsHanson Records is an American independent record label founded in Brighton, Michigan and now based in Oberlin, Ohio. It is operated by the musician Aaron Dilloway, formerly of the band Wolf Eyes.-History:...
- (2003) Mort Aux Vaches with Dan Burke (CD) - StaalplaatStaalplaatStaalplaat is an independent record label that is located in Amsterdam with a separate store in Berlin. Created in 1982, the company's mission was created as a sound forum for sound artists, who write and perform new and experimental music...
- (2004) Impish Tyrant (Cassette) - Spite
- (2005) Horror of Birth (Cassette) - Chondritic Sound
- (2005) Kevin Drumm / 2673 Split (LP) - Kitty Play RecordsKitty Play RecordsKitty Play is a New Jersey based record label formed in late 2003. The label's acts covers a wide variety of genres from straight forward rock music to abrasive noise...
- (2007) Sheer Hellish Miasma reissue (CD) - Editions MegoEditions MegoEditions Mego is a non-funded independent record label, founded 1 January 2006 by Peter RehbergIts aims are to maintain the back catalogue and legacy of the Mego label, as well as releasing new works.- Releases :...
- (2007) All Are Guests in the House of the Lord with PrurientPrurientPrurient is the performing name of Ian Dominick Fernow. He has released material on numerous independent record labels, such as American Tapes, Hanson Records, RRRecords, Load Records, Troubleman Unlimited, Chrondritic Sound, Kitty Play Records, and his own label Hospital Productions...
- Hospital Productions - (2007) Purge (Cassette) - iDEAL
- (2007) Gauntlet with Daniel MencheDaniel MencheDaniel Menche is a musician from Portland, Oregon. He has released music on labels such as Soleilmoon, Trente Oiseaux, Or Records, Alien8, Antifrost, Tesco Organisation, Blossoming Noise, f e r n s recordings Beta-lactam Ring Records, and Editions Mego...
(CD) - Editions MegoEditions MegoEditions Mego is a non-funded independent record label, founded 1 January 2006 by Peter RehbergIts aims are to maintain the back catalogue and legacy of the Mego label, as well as releasing new works.- Releases :... - (2008) Snow (Cassette) - Hospital Productions
- (2008) Imperial Distortion (2CD) - Hospital Productions
- (2008) untiled (LP) - Dilemma Records
- (2009) Malaise (Cassette) - Hospital Productions
- (2009) Alku Tape (Cassette) - Alku
- (2009) Imperial Horizon - Hospital Productions
- (2010) The Icy Echoer (7") with Michael EspositoMichael EspositoMichael Esposito is an experimental artist and researcher in Electronic Voice Phenomena .-Biography:Michael Andrew Esposito was born in Gary, Indiana in 1964. He is a descendant of Alfred Vail who invented the Morse Code and several early telegraph devices with his partner Samuel Morse...
- Fragment FactoryFragment FactoryFragment Factory is an independent record label based in Hamburg, Germany, founded in summer of 2009. The label is operated by the sound artist Michael Muennich and specializes in releasing Experimental music in the broadest sense, including Electro-acoustic music, Noise and its several... - (2010) Necro Acoustic (5cd boxed set) - PicaDisk
Appears on
- (1995) Ken Vandermark - Standards (CD) - Quinnah
- (1996) Gastr del Sol - "Our Exquisite Replica of Eternity" on Upgrade & Afterlife (CD) - Drag CityDrag City (record label)Drag City is a Chicago-based independent record label. It was established with a Royal Trux release in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn.Drag City specializes in experimental indie rock acts...
- (1998) Loren Mazzacane-Connors and Alan Licht - Hoffman Estates (CD) - Drag City
- (1999) "Berlin 1", "Graz 2", "Wien 1", "Berlin 3" on Charhizma 002 feat. Dafeldecker/Kurzmann/Fennesz/O'RourkeJim O'Rourke (musician)Jim O'Rourke is an Irish-American musician and record producer. He was long associated with the Chicago experimental and improv scene...
/Drumm/Siewert (CD) - Charhizma - (2002) Territory Band-2 Atlas (CD) - OkkaDisk
- (2003) "Wels", "Nickelsdorf 1", "Nickelsdorf 2" on Charhizma 020 feat. Dafeldecker/Kurzmann/Drumm/eRikmErikmeRikm has appeared on the artistic scenes in 1992.His early experience as a musician , and as a visual artist led him to composition and turntables....
/dieb13Dieb13Dieb13 is the performing name of Dieter Kovačič, a Viennese based avant-garde musician. He has also performed under the names Takeshi Fumimoto, Echelon, Dieter Bohlen, and dieb14. After appearing on several compilations documenting the burgeoning Viennese avant-garde scene of the late 1990s, he...
/NoetingerJerome NoetingerJérôme Noetinger is an improviser and composer of electroacoustic music based in Grenoble, France.He also runs the record label and record distributor Metamkine and writes in the French magazine Revue Et Corrigee...
(CD) - Charhizma - (2003) "Untitled" on Untitled (CDr) - No label
- (2004) Territory Band-3 Map Theory (2CD) - OkkaDisk
Tracks appear on
- (1997) "Brassy" on Scatter (CD) - Ash InternationalAsh InternationalAsh International is a British record company and audio-visual organisation started in 1993 by Mike Harding and Robin Rimbaud. In 1995 Robin Rimbaud left to pursue his music group Scanner full time. Ash International is part of the Touch organisation, founded by Jon Wozencroft in 1981...
- (2000) "Three" on Prix Ars Electronica CyberArts 2000 (2xCD) - Ars Electronica CenterArs Electronica CenterThe Ars Electronica Center is a center for electronic arts run by Ars Electronica situated in Linz, Austria, at the northern side of the Danube opposite the city hall of Linz. It has been built on the right side of the Nibelungenbrücke....
- (2000) "Untitled" on Variious (2xCD) - Intransitive RecordingsIntransitive RecordingsIntransitive Recordings is an independent record label for experimental music, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1997 by the artist Howard Stelzer and currently based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Intransitive publishes electro-acoustic music, free improvisation, sound art, sound poetry, and noise...
- (2001) "Feelin Hilarious" on Or Some Computer MusicOr Some Computer MusicOr Some Computer Music is a compilation album CD released in 1999.Mastered by, edited by: Denis Blackham, Russell Haswell.-Track listing:#CD slopper: "Blr oodgr,-1:3"" - 0:32#Trevor Wishart: "Fabulous Paris" - 23:50#Aphex Twin: "Perc # 6" - 4:45...
(CD) - Or RecordsOr RecordsOr Records is a small British independent record label company, established in 1998 and based in London. They specialize in electronic music and experimental music, and are distributed by Touch Music... - (2001) "Untitled" on Transmissions 003 (2xCD) - Transmissions
- (2002) "My Tree Bears No Nuts (Part 2)" on All Tomorrow's Parties 1.1 (CD/2xLP) - ATP Recordings
- (2001) "Untitled" on X + Y = XY (CDr) - Alku
- (2004) "Untitled" on LDS Relationchips (CDr) - Entr'acte
- (2005) "Untitled" on ALKUjiggerypokeryMIX (MP3) - Alku
External links
- Kevin Drumm discography maintained by Daniel Novakovic, includes cover scans
- Kevin Drumm discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Kevin Drumm interview (September 2003) at Stylus MagazineStylus MagazineStylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
- Kevin Drumm interview (April 1998) at Perfect Sound Forever
- Kevin Drumm interview (1999-2003) at Pitchfork MediaPitchfork MediaPitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
- Kevin Drumm's list of Top 16 at Dusted Magazine
- Review of Sheer Hellish Miasma (December 2002) at Ink 19
- Review of Land Of Lurches (September 2003) at Pitchfork MediaPitchfork MediaPitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...