Making the Impossible Feel Simple

The best drummers can play something wildly complex without making it feel complicated.

Richard Spaven is one of those drummers.

His playing often sounds programmed, but it never loses its human feel. The subdivisions can be unusual. The coordination can be deep. Yet the groove still feels clear, soulful, and easy to follow.

This week on Drummers on Drumming, I’m revisiting my 2021 conversation with Richard.

I’ve been making a habit of returning to older episodes and giving them a proper dusting. I’d like to think I’ve gotten better at making this podcast over the past six years. Some early conversations deserve a tighter edit, cleaner sound, and another chance to reach people.

This was certainly one of them.

Richard has worked with José James, Flying Lotus, Gang Starr, The Cinematic Orchestra, Jameszoo, and many more. His solo records also show just how clear and distinct his musical voice is.

What I love about Richard’s playing is that the hard stuff never sounds like homework. He understands electronic music from inside the culture. He doesn’t simply copy programmed beats on an acoustic kit. He studies their feel, sound, space, and purpose.

We also talk about dynamics as a form of coordination. It’s one thing to place each limb correctly. It’s another to control the volume, tone, and weight of every note.

In this episode:

• Teaching with honesty and helping students find their own voice

• Treating dynamics as another layer of coordination

• Creating programmed precision on an acoustic drum kit

• Keeping complex grooves soulful and easy to feel

• How the Amen break changed modern music

• Living inside a music scene instead of simply studying it online

• Learning from electronic beats without separating machines from musicians

• Why smaller, higher-pitched kick drums can leave more space for the bass

If you enjoy what Richard has to say, he also has a chapter in Volume One of the Drummers on Drumming book. He goes even deeper into several of the records that shaped his playing.

Listen to the newly refined episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Cheers,

Ben

“an absolute gem—The depth here is next-level...“
- Butch Vig

“[This book] brings us back to carefully gathered, intimate insight and a deeper sense of connection that feels like sitting at a round table sharing stories with drumming colleagues. Well done, Ben!”
- Jojo Mayer

“A beautiful tribute to the drumming community...”
- Jared Falk