Blog Post Five: Rip Every Drum – Crafting Beats from Scratch
For me, every song starts with the drums. Back in the day, I’d map out entire albums by selecting 12 or 13 drum kits, ensuring that no matter what other elements came into play, the drums would be consistent and cohesive. When working with Curtis seals in the studio, the first question wasn’t what are we working on today? It was always, what drums do you have? The rhythm guided everything.
I read recently that Billy Joel starts his songs by mimicking other percussion sections, and honestly, that’s how I used to approach things too. I’d build tracks by starting with beats, layering everything else around them. For my first album in 1995, we snuck into the Seattle University studio late at night with a couple of friends. We recorded the first song right there with James Little (he was all over my early work). That first album set the tone—every beat started with the drum kit, and it’s how I’ve approached production ever since.
After that, I worked at a music store, which gave me direct access to all kinds of gear. I’d sample every drum sound from every keyboard and module—like the Planet Phatt—instead of buying them. Early on, I thought I’d be a sample-based producer, but I quickly ran into issues with looping and truncating properly on high-end samplers. I started out with a Gemini DJ sampler, which made it easy to loop seamlessly, but it was limiting.
When I upgraded to the ESI-32, things opened up. I began experimenting with chopping beats and working with loops, but it took a while before I truly understood how to manipulate samples. I didn’t see the potential in small chops back then, so I mostly worked with four or eight-bar loops. But as I got better, my friend suggested that if I wanted to create unique sounds, I’d need to replay the parts instead of just sampling them.
That’s when Curtis really became essential. He brought a deep musicality that helped take things to the next level. Together, we focused on layering complex synth riffs, ensuring that the music evolved across verses and hooks rather than repeating the same patterns. This made the songs more intricate, though it probably kept them from being as commercially successful as simpler pop hits.
Looking back, I realize I was always aiming for complexity—changing riffs, hooks, and verses slightly throughout each song. Even my lyrics were packed with too many words. I thought listeners wanted more advanced music, but simplicity sells. It took me a while to grasp that balance.