On November 11, 2018, the first edition of a drum event called Śląski Festiwal Perkusyjny (Silesian Drum Festival) was held at the Chorzowskie Centrum Kultury theater in Chorzów, Poland. Our team was anxious to attend, especially considering the bill, which included the likes of: Austrian extreme metal specialist Kerim “Krimh” Lechner, the Polish rhythm section comprising Robert Luty / Piotr Żaczek, the Paris Monster duo (drummer, keyboard player and singer Josh Dion and bassist Geoff Kraly) as well as the internationally recognized educator Mike Johnston.
The first artist to perform on the day was Wojtek Deręgowski – an excellent young drummer, who has been consistently building his career based on social media as well as work on the road.
fot: beatit.tv
Take a look at the drum kit e brought with him to the festival:
“Today, I’ve brought a fairly untypical instrument – a discontinued, vintage, red wrap 1950s kit. You can see it on my Instagram because 90 per cent of the videos I make are done using these drums. I’ve also been using them live more and more often. The configuration is: a 22” x 14” kick, a 12” tom (usually), a 13” tom (I’m using it today to get a little extra power). Tuning 13-inch toms can be tricky but this one allows me to really find my own sound. The floor tom is 16”. I can’t remember the depth. I’ve never measured it and it’s impossible to find any info. The snare is a Ludwig Supraphonic so it’s a classic. However, it’s not a vintage instrument. I bought it not so long ago and it was made in 2015. It sounds great and it gives me no problems tuning it. That’s it as far as the drums go. It’s a compact kit but comfortable to play.
As for the cymbals, they’re all from Meinl, obviously. The hi hat is a 14” Meinl Byzance Traditional Thin. Then there’s an 18” Meinl Byzance Jazz Thin Crash. My absolutely favorite ride – the Meinl Byzance Monophonic Ride. It’s recently changed my approach to cymbal sound and musicality. On the right, I’ve got a 20” Meinl Byzance Extra Dry Thin Crash.
The bass drum pedal is a DW9000. My absolute favourite – very comfortable to play. One should be able to play any piece of equipment but this one is my fav as far as comfort goes.
My sticks are Vic Firth, as always. My favorite model is Extreme 5A. I like them the best. Sometimes it all hangs on a given pair, but generally the size, the balance and the length suit me just fine.
As for heads… On the snare it’s Remo Ambassador Coated, on the toms Remo Emperor Coated. It’s a warm sound. Vintage drums don’t always sound good with clear heads while coated ones fully render their richness. The skin on the kick is a departure from this approach. It’s Remo Powerstroke 3.
I play with a Mac. I use a PreSonus AudioBox. Four inputs, four outputs. I launch my tracks from it. When I play concerts, I use it to launch loops. It’s more convenient than an SPD-SX as far as I’m concerned. You can see what’s coming next. You can also easily stop it and restart from a given place. It’s very convenient. I run everything trough Pro Tools. I also record everything on Pro Tools.”
