Kevin Drumm

Kevin Drumm is an experimental musician based in Chicago, United States. Emerging from the city's improvised music scene, in the 1990s he became one of the world's pre-eminent prepared guitar players. Since then his work has expanded to include electroacoustic compositions and live electronic music made with laptop computers and analog modular synthesizers. His early recordings contain mostly sparse, quiet sounds; recent works have been crushingly loud and dense.

Drumm has collaborated with many artists working in similar fields, including Japanese guitarist Taku Sugimoto, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jim O'Rourke, and many European improvisers such as Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and German trumpeter Axel Dörner. He has also worked with the artist group Simparch, composing a piece for their installation Spec, shown at Documenta XI in Kassel, Germany and at the Renaissance Society in Chicago. Drumm has also worked with saxophonist Ken Vandermark's Territory Band, which brings together American and European players who work in both jazz and free improvisation.

Drumm's work draws upon musique concrete, electronic sound, improvisation, heavy metal, and noise music, and has proved difficult to categorize. His solo and collaborative work ranges from challenging improvisations, ambient textures, and blistering walls of sound. Musical influences include Iron Maiden, Ralf Wehowsky, and The New Blockaders.

Discography

Releases

• (1997) Kevin Drumm (CD) - Perdition Plastics
• (1999) Second (CD) - Perdition Plastics
• (2000) Comedy (CD) - Moikai
• (2000) Particles And Smears with Martin Tétreault (CD) - Erstwhile Records
• (2001) Cases with Ralf Wehowsky (CD) - Selektion
• (2000) Kevin Drumm / Bhob Rainey Split (12") - Fringes
• (2001) Den with Taku Sugimoto (CD) - Sonoris
• (2001) Untitled (Erstwhile 015) with Axel Dörner (CD) - Erstwhile Records
• (2001) Kevin Drumm / Pita Split (12") - BOXmedia
• (2002) DEG with Leif Elggren and Mats Gustafsson(LP) - Firework Edition Records
• (2002) Frozen By Blizzard Winds with Lasse Marhaug (CD) - Smalltown Supersound
• (2002) Sheer Hellish Miasma (CD) - Mego
• (2003) Eruption with Fred Lonberg-Holm and Weasel Walter (CD) - Grob
• (2003) Land Of Lurches (LP) - Hanson Records
• (2003) Land Of Lurches (CD) - Hanson Records
• (2003) Mort Aux Vaches with Dan Burke (CD) - Staalplaat
• (2004) Impish Tyrant (Cassette) - Spite
• (2005) Horror Of Birth (Cassette) - Chondritic Sound
• (2005) Kevin Drumm / 2673 Split (LP) - Kitty Play Records
• (2007) All Are Guests in the House of the Lord with Prurient - Hospital Productions
• (2007) Purge (Cassette) - Deal

Appears on

• (1996) "Upgrade & Afterlife" on Our Exquisite Replica of Eternity (CD) - Drag City
• (1999) "Berlin 1", "Graz 2", "Wein 1", "Berlin 3" on Charhizma 002 feat. Dafeldecker/Kurzmann/Fennesz/O'Rourke/Drumm/Siewert (CD) - Charhizma
• (2003) "Wels", "Nickelsdorf 1", "Nickelsdorf 2" on Charhizma 020 feat. Dafeldecker/Kurzmann/Drumm/eRikm/Dieb13/Noetinger (CD) - Charhizma
• (2003) "Untitled" on Untitled (CDr) - No label

Tracks appear on

• (1997) "Brassy" on Scatter (CD) - Ash International
• (2000) "Three" on Prix Ars Electronica CyberArts 2000 (2xCD) - Ars Electronica Center
• (2000) "Untitled" on Variious (2xCD) - Intransitive Recordings
• (2001) "Feelin Hilarious" on Or Some Computer Music (CD) - Or Records
• (2001) "Untitled" on Transmissions 003 (2xCD) - Transmissions
• (2002) "My Tree Bears No Nuts (Part 2)" on All Tomorrow's Parties 1.1 (2xLP) - ATP Recordings
• (2002) "My Tree Bears No Nuts (Part 2)" on All Tomorrow's Parties 1.1 (CD) - ATP Recordings
• (2001) "Untitled" on X + Y = XY (CDr) - Alku
• (2004) "Untitled" on LDS Relationchips (CDr) - Entr'acte
• (2005) "Untitled" on ALKUjiggerypokeryMIX (MP3) - Alku

External links

• Kevin Drumm discography maintained by Daniel Novakovic, includes cover scans
• Kevin Drumm discography at Discogs
• Kevin Drumm interview (September 2003) at Stylus Magazine
• Kevin Drumm interview (April 1998) at Perfect Sound Forever
• Kevin Drumm interview (1999-2003) at Pitchfork Media
• Kevin Drumm's list of Top 16 at Dusted Magazine
• Review of Sheer Hellish Miasma (December 2002) at Ink 19
• Review of Land Of Lurches (September 2003) at Pitchfork Media

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