 BERLIN, Germany (Top40 Charts/ Peter Hasler Official Website) - The drummer has been neglected for a long time in popular music. Not anymore if Peter Hasler gets his way. This jazz drummer from Switzerland wants to take drum music firmly into the mainstream of pop, rock and funk. He calls his style 'drum music' and he calls his album 'Drums Music' so it should be no surprise what the main sound of the album is. But this is certainly not a prog-rock style self indulgent drum solo. Hasler's music is far more complex and involved than that. As he himself says, he wants to show that the drums can be as valid a melodic instrument as its more flashy cousins. It may not be easy listening, but 'Drums Music' is an album that grooves from start to finish. It blends acoustic and electronic drums to create an incessant, rich and diverse array of rhythms that operate as melodies at the same time. As you'd expect from a man who has been studying music in all its forms for over twenty years and who has led a variety of groups in music as diverse as jazz and electronica, Hasler is an exceptionally accomplished musician. However, much more than that, he is an innovator. And 'Drums Music' perfectly illustrates both sides of his musical talent. The tight funky breakbeats of 'My Specialities' are as good as anything you might here on a James Brown track. 'Two Tones' meanwhile takes the electronic route and demonstrates that Hasler has a place alongside pioneers of production such as Aphex Twin or The Orb, and 'Water' shows he is at home even with new age experimentation. Admittedly this is not an album for the casual listener. Peter Hasler is too complex and strange an artist for that. Instead it is for the music fan who really understands the endless possibilities that exist in music and who wants to push the boundaries. 'Drums Music' is much more than just drum music. It is a record that grows with every listen, that challenges the received wisdom and that shows where music can take you. If Peter Hasler is right, it might also be a sign of the music of the future too.
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