4. Aphex TwinDrukqs
That record, man. It definitely scratches my breakbeat itch, that snare-rush vibe, and the tempo of it. There’s humour in it, and there’s also a lot of sweetness in it. It was also so mysterious – at the time I didn’t know how he was making this music! I had no idea, and I really didn’t get it, and had no experience making electronic music. I’d like… messed around with FruityLoops a little. When you hear that shit, you just think, "Holy fuck!" I would imagine what the equipment would look like that he was using.
What a huge force in music. Again I’m just so glad that Aphex Twin exists, and that it’s gotten around as much as it has. I never tire of it either, I still listen to that record a lot.
Do you think it had any influence on the way you drum?
I think it did. I definitely like what that music does to your heartbeat. I wanted from pretty early on to recreate the way that music affected my heart and body. And when I was actually like going to all these jungle and drum & bass parties in New York as a teenager, there were guys who were drumming! They were doing that stuff on the drums. Jojo Mayer, Guy Licata, and a whole load of other guys… but mainly those two, and I was learning from them. Listening to that stuff was a big part of the influences that funneled into my head and affected where my drumming went.
