Kaz Rodriguez taks to BeatIt, Pt. 2
During the 25th edition of the DRUM FEST Festival, which was held at the Conference and Exhibition Center in Opole, Poland, we met up with the drummers who participated in the event. They performed with their bands, conducted drum clinics and workshops, but also judged young Polish sitcksmen as part of the Young Drum Hero contest, which presented a very high level of playing.
Artists performing at the festival included the likes of Maciek Gołyźniak, Łukasz “Icanraz” Sarnacki, Katy Elwell, Jason Bittner, Jason Sutter, Rick Latham, Gary Novak, Russell Gilbrook and, last but not least, Kaz Rodriguez.The London-based drummer, educator, producer, music director and composer collaborates with some of the most popular pop acts on the British scene (Jessie Ware, Wilkinson). He has three solo albums, collectively titled “Thoughts” under his belt, composes backing tracks to be used during solo performances by the most renowned drummers of today, the likes of which include: Gerald Heyward, Chris Coleman or Aaron Spears. Kaz Rodriguez is endorsed by such brands as: Tama, Zildjian, Roland, Vic Firth czy Protection Racket Cases. He is also an official Roland V-Drums Demonstrator.
In the second part of our interview, Kaz talks about the gear he uses on a regular basis (drums, cymbals, their configuration, skins, snare drums, sticks), and the relation between all the elements of the drum kit.
“I’m a snareoholic. It is a fetish, I think, for us drummers. We have to own up to it. I’ve been drawn to 13-inch snares for a long time. Tama are now making me something that’s 13″ by 9”. I like the deeper thing because it just gives me more body and contrast. For me, wood snares are not so bity, they’re more controlled. You can play really nice pop songs, ballads or things like that. For my sort of music, which has got that progressive, fusion, orchestral, I want things that are just cutting. So I use metal snares: brass, steel. You can never have too many snares. (…) It’s an essential tool. Think of it as a penknife.”
“Even if your toms sounded ridiculously awful, if your kick drum and snare drums sound great, the toms will sound nice.”
“It’s the combination of kick, snare, hat, which are the most fundamental instruments in drums. It’s what creates your heartbeat, it’s what creates the sound. A lot of people try to ask this question, especially in my clinics: ‘How did you get that sound?’. I’ve always said: ‘Kick, snare, hi hat’. You could be heavy with your hi hat but you’ve got to make sure your bass and your snare is balanced with that.”
Drummers and Drummerettes! Here is Kaz Rodriguez in the second instalment of an exclusive interview for www.beatit.tv!
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