Like the mafia's hitmen they dont miss.....

Keith Le Blanc

Keith Le Blanc started out as the drummer with the infamous Sugarhill Gang, working with Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel on classics such as The Message, Freedom and White Lines, the Treacherous Three and many others. Sampled a thousand times by rappers and producers over the years, Keith and the Sugar Hill Gang rhythm section of Doug Wimbish (Bass) and Skip McDonald (Gtr) laid the foundation of Hip-Hop itself 20 years before Dr Dre and Puff Daddy got to mess with their grooves.

From his own Malcolm X "No Sell Out" to his involvement in creating the sound of Tackhead with Doug Wimbish and Adrian Sherwood, he has gained recognition as one of the top and most innovative drummers in the world. Keith has continued to experiment with new sound using his own Blanc Records as a base from which to release pioneering albums and push musical boundaries even further.

His writing and production skills have attracted the likes of Living Color, Peter Gabriel, The Cure, Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. As a drummer he has worked with everyone from James Brown to Trevor Horn, Seal to REM, The Rolling Stones, Annie Lennox, The Stone Roses, Robert Palmer and Bomb The Bass. Recent work includes sessions for Tina Turner, Brian Ferry, Neneh cherry, Sunscreem, Depeche Mode and Little Axe.

“ It's not the melodic aspect of music that's the universal language- it's the rhythm.”

Keith appears on Drops in the Bronx Vol 2 and The Temple of Boom and Disco Drops Vol 1

Nasser Bouzida

Drummer, percussionist and hammond player, Naz is a walking, talking groove machine; a disciple of the drum (a slave to the rhythm). A specialist in the delivery of the breakbeat ethos, Naz has pioneered his own double snare drum techniques and commands his bass drum triplets. He can often be found playing at "Blow up" (Wag club), the Jazz Cafe with his band Big Boss Man or playing drums in the studio for Morcheeba.

Naz is like a rhythmical encyclopedia. Having studied the great drummers and percussionists of the past he has a built up a huge repertoire of beats and percussion patterns. In his drum harem he has twisted all the best influences into one big drum bonanza. Check out the diversity of his sound and style, no tempo is too fast or too slow for Naz. Always learning new rhythms - from traditional Cuban patterns to D.C. Go Go Beats and east coast Hip-Hop Breaks, his appetite knows no bounds, devouring grooves with an ease that comes from years of genuine practice and discipline.

Recent projects include recording drums for Morcheeba and releasing a new Bongolian album.

“ I think of sound, of colours, of rhythm. There are many different ways of approaching the drum kit”

Naz appears on Fistful of Drummers and Goody Goody Drumdrops.

Jan Kincaid

A pioneer of the London Acid Jazz scene, Jan translated his love for the funk grooves of the seventies into a sophisticated sound championing classic soul in an era dominated by Hip-Hop. The Brand New Heavies was originally an instrumental unit inspired by the James Brown and Meters records its members heard while clubbing the Rare Groove scene in vogue at the time.

When Jan played live in the USA he hypnotised audiences that hadn't seen a live drummer in a long time, but especially impressed were the rap community who saw a drummer playing grooves that rappers would usually sample from old 70's records. Legendary R&B artist Ray Charles was so impressed with the BNHs that he invited the band to play his 50th anniversary in the music biz. Where Jan happened to meet some of his heroes like Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones.

A string of chart singles like, "Dream Come True", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Back To Love", "Close To You", "Spend Some Time" and "Never Stop" established The Brand New Heavies as one of the UK's finest contemporary soul/dance groups of the time.

The groundbreaking album "Heavy Rhyme Experience" featuring Black Sheep, Pharcyde, Main Source, Master Ace, and Kool G to name but a few, was recorded live and the band performed legendary New York shows with the likes of Q-Tip (formerly of A Tribe Called Quest) and MC Serch (formerly of Third Bass) which helped Jan establish himself not only as a formidable drummer but as a writer, arranger and producer.

“ Technique is only a means to an end. If you can't use it musically-forget it! ”

Jan appears on Drops in the Bronx Vol 1.

Style Scott

Legendary drummer from the infamous "RootsRadics" the No.1 Jamaican backing band. Style's credits include classics such as Gregory Isaacs' "Nightnurse", Barrington Levy's "Under me sensi" and countless other hits by the Israel Vibration, Bunny Wailer & Dub Syndicate.

The undisputed heavyweight champion of the Reggae/Dub genre whose grooves influenced the birth of the dancehall beats of the 80's. Instantly recognizable, Style has a reputation for loud, tight and fearsome fills. His delivery is second to none, whether in the studio with Capleton or Luciano, or on tour with Israel Vibration. Style is still very much in demand; from New York to London, Jamaica to Tokyo.

Dub has profoundly influenced the way producers, musicians, DJ's, engineers record and play popular music. Today, there techniques can be heard across all musical genres, from Ragga and Hip-Hop to Dance and Punk/Rock. Artists such as Capleton, Wu-Tang Clan, The Fugees, Massive Attack, Portishead, The Clash, The Police, Bad Brains, No Doubt just to mention a few. As a young musician hanging out at sound system dances, aspiring drummer Style Scott absorbed their far out heavy dub sound that was popular at the time.

By the end of the 1970s the Roots Radics had superseded the Revolutionaries, for all the same reasons as the Hot Session Band of the Day has been superseded since the days of the Skatalites.

The sound the Roots Radics created was much sparser than that achieved by the Revolutionaries, allowing more scope for a variety of one off mixes and flip side dubs.

They had changed the beat by slowing it down and injecting a far more syncopated, almost metronomic feel into it. Their trademark was a slower, sparser rhythm, precisely clipped guitar chops and mesmerizing bass, all sounding as if they'd been looped, the Roots Radics had respect for the past but looked to the future and in so doing they laid the foundations for roots reggae in the "Digital" age.

From their first #1 smash "Hard Time Pressure" (Sugar Minott), Roots Radics became the reggae studio band of the '80s. The Iyahbinghi rockers n'dub grooves they recorded at Channel One made them and the singers/Mcs (Gregory Issacs, Bunny Wailer, Israel Vibration, Frankie Paul, Eek-A-Mouse, Barrington Levy and Johnny Osbourne) they backed the undisputed kings of dancehall.

“ Drums are the hardest instrument to get music out of. You can play a lot of rhythms, but it's the hardest because you don’t have that much to work with”

Style appears on Drumdrops in Dub Vol 1.

Horseman

Horseman needs no introduction! His hard-hitting beats have backed the best Reggae artists in the business; Max Romeo, Little Roy and many more.

Famous for his precision timing and fearsome delivery. Having worked alongside producers and engineers like Jah Shaka and Mad Professor has guaranteed his status both in the studio and on stage. Horeseman rips into his favourite grooves from old Studio One classics to heavyweight Dub.

Horseman on Drumdrops in Dub Volume 2.

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