This is one of my favorite songs from The Weeknd’s 2015 album, Beauty Behind the Madness. It’s so chill, groovy and delicate. I was feeling inspired, so I sat down and recorded this song without much preparation. The drums are minimal in the original track, so I simply decided to play what I felt like. For that reason, it’s a bit more drum-centric than the original and I took the opportunity to throw in some extra fills and stick tricks. Unfortunately, YouTube took down my original video due to copyright infringement, but the drums sound so good that I couldn’t waste the footage. For that reason, this is the “drums only” video. I hope you enjoy.
In this video I’m using CAD Touring 7 drum mics, with the exception of an Audix D6 on the bass drum and an Audix D5 on the Snare. I’m using a custom drum set made of maple Keller drum shells with Pearl lugs and rims. I worked with the maestros at Columbus Pro Percussion in Columbus, Ohio to build it. For cymbals, I’m using a pair of 14″ Meinl Byzance Dark Hats, a Meinl 16″ Byzance Medium Crash on my left, a Meinl 18″ Benny Greb Signature Byzance Sand Medium Crash on my right, and a 21″ Meinl Byzance Dark Ride.
