Ever notice that almost every trendy nightclub you set foot in throughout New York City has one, if not many, drummers pounding away, pumping up the crowd? I’ve started to take these party extras for granted, but the reality is that drummers in commercial clubs is a nightlife phenomenon that went from nonexistent to noteworthy just in the past few years. Clubbers accepted it, thrilled in it, and quickly welcomed these musicians at their dance floors and tables. Since then, no one’s stopped dancing long enough to analyze what this trend is all about! So I left my party shoes behind and sat down with Stu, one of New York’s most elite nightclub drummers, to pick his brain on the topic. Not only did I get a unique insider perspective on New York nightlife, I got a crash course in music as well!

Enjoy!

When did drummers in nightclubs become hot?

I’d say five or six years ago. I’ve been doing this for six years now, but it was already a kind of a thing when I started doing it. Now you see more and more of it all the time.

Is there a country that started it?

I don’t really know. I just figure everything comes from London (laughs) but I could be wrong.

Is there a particular club in New York that launched the trend?

Yes. I think the old Pangaea.

Oh! I used to go to Pangaea in London.

There you go.

And what kind of music are club drummers associated with?

Mostly house. That’s the most live drum friendly music.

Now I say I like house music, but I know house music is actually extremely complex with all these different subcategories. Can you explain some of the different kinds?

You’ve got the earthy house, I don’t know what the exact name for it is really, but you’ve got real sampled instruments, piano, singing thrown in there. It’s not so electronic and techno sounding. And that’s more drum friendly. Then you have the techno thing which is sharper, and it’s harder to get in there with a big sound and a live instrument. There’s also hip hop. I love playing drums over hip hop, but that’s harder to do because there’s so much space and you don’t want to just bash away. You want to blend in and pick your spots, but it’s so slow you’ve gotta really know what you’re doing.

What does a drummer bring to a party?

Energy. It’s a live musician. And drums are an exciting instrument to watch someone play. It’s a creative expression, and sometimes you don’t get that from the music itself unless you’ve got a really great DJ who can mix something really well.

What are the different kinds of nightlife drummers? I know there are the guys running around playing the bongos, but you were one of the first drummers I saw still with a complete set up and symbols and everything.

Yeah, well there aren’t many of us. (laughs) There are the guys who play the African djembe drum and they walk around with just that one drum. And I like that. That’s awesome. But I’ve been a drum set player all my life. So I have more cymbals and bongos, more Latin percussion instead of African. I’m more Latin, Afro-Cuban I guess you could say.

So would you say the trend started with the djembe guys?

Yeah. Although way back I saw more drummers with a rig than now.

Were you one of the first in New York clubs?

I’m not sure. Definitely one of the first ten. (laughs)

Now it seems clubs like having a sax and guitar player too. What’s this all about?

I think it’s because back in the old times clubs had shows, musicians and performances. Look at “I Love Lucy.” And then it got narrower and narrower to where you’re just packing people in with a DJ. I think now we’re back to maybe wanting more performance oriented things. And I think drumming is probably the easiest way to get in there, then sax and guitar. I’ve played with an electric violin player too, which was great.

And how do all of you collaborate? Do you talk before hand? Do you all rehearse?

(Laughs) No, No. There’s never any rehearsal. It depends on the musician. If you get someone who just wants to wail on his drum or guitar and not listen to anybody else, then you’re not going to do much collaborating. But I like to listen to what they’re doing and give them play. If you’re with other good musicians, you’ll understand what one another is doing.

So how do you know when to bang on the drums and how do you know when to stop?

Instinct. It’s all about what the music sounds like. Where can I fit something in? Does it need anything? Should I play on the beat? Play around the beat?

That’s improv, right? Technically, you’re improving the entire night.

Yeah. The entire night. I’ve played some songs so many times that I’ve developed some sort of routine, but it was never on purpose. I like to think of it as a wave. The DJ’s sort of the band. He’ll come up and get louder and louder and cut out. There’ll be that airy sound before he gets faster and faster to where the pounding beat comes back in. And I like to go underneath him with my volume like a wave, and when the music hits its peak, I like to crash over the top, playing louder and then backing down again.

Can a drummer make a party worse?

Yeah. If you’re not a good musician. If you play out of time. It just sounds like a mess. (laughs) Hopefully, that’s not me.

Tell me about how you started as a musician and how you started working in clubs.

I started piano when I was six, drums when I was eight. I’ve been playing drums all my life. I went to music school. I played in bands forever. Ten thousand bands. Then I was working at a stereo store. A promoter shopped there and he always asked me to come to his parties. I’d never been to a club in my life. He’d always invite me and I’d never go. I didn’t think I belonged in a club. I’m more of a rock, dive, CBGBs type of guy. I also always had paying gigs on the night he had his parties. So finally he said, “Why don’t you come, bring your drums, and I’ll pay you.” And I said “Really?!?” But a gig’s a gig.

And what club was this?

Dorsia.

And what was that first experience like?

Awkward and weird. I’d never been to a club before. It was a whole new experience for me. So I started playing and just tried to think about not annoying people, blending into the music, and trying to do something cool by listening to what was there. And by the end of the night, after a few drinks and a few girls getting into it, I started to get more comfortable until I got more and more gigs, getting hired at other clubs. And here we are.

So how much of this nightlife stuff takes up your work now?

I was doing four nights a week at one point. While it doesn’t sound like a lot, you’re playing for four hours with very few breaks. You’re going all night. It was rough, but I loved it. And it paid more than the blues and R&B gigs I was getting.

And what are the pros and cons of working in nightlife like that?

Pros are that I was thrown into New York City nightlife without any of the waiting in line. It was a whole new experience and whole new set of people I met. It was overwhelming in a very cool way for awhile. I loved it. It was something new. It was glittery. It was shiny. The girls were pretty. (laughs)

Girls love the drummer, just tell me.

Yeah. (laughs) Girls love the drummer.

And any cons?

You can get sucked in to a black hole of partying all night. Playing till four, then the after party. Next thing you know you don’t see daylight anymore. You’re a vampire. And you start to lack balance.

So when you did that four nights a week thing, what was your schedule?

Cain. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

What other clubs have you played at?

Groove Jet, Flo, Latin night at B Low, Dorsia, Room Service, PM, and some others that I forget.

Do you have a favorite? A least favorite?

I played at the Versace Mansion through Cain. I loved that. But I’d say Cain. Not just because I work there, but because of the atmosphere: the wood pillars and the South African vibe. I like the whole scene, the staff. The security guys there are the coolest.

They protect you from all the girls?

(Laughs) They don’t mind doing that.

Something you love about New York nightlife:

I love the action. You can do any kind of style, any kind of vibe. You’ve got everything and people from all over the world.

Something you hate:

Yeah: Lindsay Lohan (laughs). Nah, people get snooty and uppity sometimes. I like open minded people.

Favorite place to chill in the city:

National Underground which is a new spot on Houston and Allen. It’s a bluesy, rockish, folk place. They have some really nice nooks and a brick cavernous thing down there. It looks like a mafia, speakeasy, Al Capone-type hang. And then I like Lit on 2^nd avenue near 6^th street. The downstairs, not the upstairs.

So that’s where we’ll find you on your nights off. Favorite drink?

Uh. Beer. (laughs)

What’s your inspiration drink while drumming?

Vodka cranberry. But that’s not because it’s my favorite. It’s just what gets handed to me all the time.

Craziest drumming nightlife experience?

I was playing at PM where they’d made a little stage which was three feet wide. They’d attached it to a runway which was attached to a wall. A wall of white cinderblock – so I had to climb it. I’d climb the wall and jump down in time with the music when the DJ would peak.

To hit the drums?

Yeah. Onto the stage from the wall. I wouldn’t climb very high but one night it was the owner’s birthday and I had a bit too much champagne before I started playing. I started climbing all the way up to the next floor and jumping down. I climbed too high and I didn’t make it on the way down.

So you’re hitting the drum with your whole falling body force?

Yeah. Oh yeah. I’d land on the stage while I’m playing. At the same time. But I didn’t make it this once. One leg hit the stage, the other didn’t, and I just fell off the side. I fell hard. And everyone watched me. (laughs)

Future plans?

My band’s The Matters of Circumstance (check out and listen here!). It’s acoustic / electric rock, kinda poppy, but it’s deep stuff as far as lyrically and musically. We have a base player and two guitar playing singers from Barbados. We’re going down there to make a record and then hopefully do some touring. And keep playing in nightclubs!

Tags: Cain, interviews, music, New York, Nightlife, partying

This entry was posted on Friday, May 23rd, 2008 at 3:16 pm and is filed under clubs, interviews, music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.