What is up?
We’re back with a new installment of Big Fat Five.
This week, I’m joined by Carla Azar. Carla is the drummer, a vocalist, and a creative force behind Autolux…a band that exists in their own weather system. She has also worked with artists like PJ Harvey, Jack White, T Bone Burnett, Jim Keltner, and more. But as you’ll hear in this conversation, the résumé is only part of the story.
Carla’s playing has a rare kind of tension to it. It can feel mechanical and human at the same time. Heavy, strange, precise, loose, hypnotic, and deeply musical. She doesn’t play the drums; she responds with the drums.
In this episode, we get into the records and drummers that helped form her voice.
Listen to the full episode HERE
CARLA’S BIG FAT FIVE:
Artist - James Brown Charlie Drayton
Album - Star Time
Release Year - 1991
Key Track(s) - “Funky Drummer,” “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”
Drummer - Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo Starks
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Artist - Can
Album - Tago Mago
Release Year - 1972
Key Track(s) - “Mushroom,” “Halleluhwah”
Drummer - Jaki Liebezeit
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Artist - The Beatles
Album - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Release Year - 1967
Key Track(s) - “A Day in the Life”
Drummer - Ringo Starr
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Artist - Jimi Hendrix
Album - Are You Experienced
Release Year - 1967
Key Track(s) - “Manic Depression,” “Fire,” “Are You Experienced?,” “The Wind Cries Mary”
Drummer - Mitch Mitchell
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Artist - Aphex Twin
Album - Come to Daddy
Release Year - 1997
Key Track(s) - “Bucephalus Bouncing Ball,” “Come to Daddy - Mummy Mix”
Drummer - Richard D. James (Aphex Twin)
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
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Arist - J Dilla
Album - Donuts
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Artist - Timbaland
Key Track(s) - Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” “Nigga What, Nigga Who”
Listen to the full episode HERE
P.S.
How would you describe your own playing in three words?
Big Fat Five is a recurring series on the podcast Drummers on Drumming, powered by Big Fat Snare Drum
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