German Drummer Popp creates a bold statement in his latest album
Devi is the second album by German drummer Simon Popp. An engineer as well as a drummer, Popp has an undergraduate and graduate degree in jazz drums from the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich. With a unique approach to contemporary drumming, Simon has subsequently collaborated with artists and producers across genres, with captivating live sessions. His resounding and distinctive drumming caries his music to an admirable level of complexity.
Previously, his first solo album Laya was released in 2019 and was a percussive take on third stream minimalism, using ambient themes. This year he released singles ‘Holort’ and ‘Pingo’ which feature on his latest release, and last year he put out EPs Gahu Dub/Baixo featuring Fazer—one of his collaboration projects, preceded by the single ‘Lilac’ in 2019. In addition to his solo career, Popp tours with his other collaborative projects Fazer, 9ms, Abstand, and Runden. 9ms released Pleats earlier this year, with more of a lo-fi sound, and in 2020 Runden released an eponymous album with a percussive and jazzy feel.
Devi is an eight-track-album with a bold, idiosyncratic, and versatile drumming. Able to capture moments that are both uplifting as well as ominous, the album works as a self-reflection for Popp, representing the deeply honest and personal high and low times in his life. The exceptional skill in the drumming on this album reveals his passion for complexity, polyrhythm, and using recording techniques like heavy limiting and pitch-shifting. Popp’s command over the drums reveals the true potential, stretch, and range of what drum music can sound like today.
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