Sly Dunbar - The Drum Sound Of A Reggae Legend | Recreating Iconic Drum Sounds

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Sly Dunbar is not only credited for making the "Rockers" groove popular, but also for being one of the busiest producers in the Reggae universe. Alongside his musical partner Robbie Shakespeare he worked with countless artists and is one of the main figures if you look at reggae music as we know it today. Enjoy our take on his legendary drum sound.

00:00 Intro
02:32 Sinsemilla (Original)
03:31 Recreation - The Drum Kit
08:12 Sinsemilla (Performance)
09:50 Bush Doctor (Original)
11:48 Bush Doctor (Performance)
13:42 Jokerman (Performance)

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Drumming and mixing by Pascal Thielen

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Equipment used in this video:

Drum Kit:

Pearl President Deluxe
Finish: Ocean Ripple

Bass Drum: 22x14
Toms: 12x8, 13x9, 14x10 + 10x7 (Masters Maple Complete; Ice Blue)
Timbale: LP 13" Drum Set Timbale
Bongos: LP Havana Café Bongos

Snare:
14x6.5 Pearl Sensitone Aluminum

Cymbals:

Zildjian

14" Avedis Hats
18" A Thin Crash
18" Avedis Crash

Microphones:

Beyerdynamic

Bassdrums: TG D 71
Snare: MC 930 (top)/ M 201 (bottom)
Overheads: MC 930
Toms: M88
Hihat: M 930
Timbale: M420
Bongos: M69

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#slydunbar
#drumsound
#reggae
#drums
#artofdrumming

[af]

Man, this drummer can play any genre of music - at a high level!

[mikemickey]

Red, Guess who’s coming to dinner and Sinsemilla were some of the greatest records ever made. Sly had the most iconic drum sound on those albums. Thank you for doing a segment on him. Him and Robbie were truly masters

[andieslive]

Love, Honor and Respect to Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespear because they are two of the greatest musicians Reggae Music on Planet Earth. Yes, favorite riddim section drum sound is Peter Tosh Bush Doctor.

[DynamicRockers]

Pascal nailed it, he even did the delay throws manually 8:18 :) Really cool video as usual, you're spot on guys!

[camehmig]

i’d love to see one on ziggy modeliste from the meters. especially his snare/hh tone on Cissy Strut. as always, thank you for doing these

[dre]

Ive been listening to BLACK UHURU for 21yrs a picking up Robbie's style...intentively listening to Sly as well....

[gjgp]

THANKS for doing this and in such detail! What a Master, Sly and what a DRUMMER, Pascal!

[Jacob_Ski]

Very helpful video! Many many years ago I wondered how it's done. I was very curious about Sly's drum tricks. Analyzing many Jamaican records only gave me a guess.. but I was always fascinated this sound. This video is very well prepared! Good job 🔥

[mattryan]

Very nicely done!!!! Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar Reggae Rhythm section legends.

[Rastafan]

I have the 14 by 5 Sensitone Alu. I'm very proud to play this Snare, this Snare recreates the High Pitched Reggae Sound I need as a Reggae Drummer

[wadewilson]

Now I'm looking forward to recreating Bill Bruford's sound

[juanguerrerofraile]

beautiful vid bro, thanks for shaering!!

[nikolaiplotnikov]

Good job on this one! Can you do Bill Ward of Black Sabbath?

[sigismundjumbo]

Sly Dumbar remains my all-time drum favorite. His unique drum sounds are inimitable sending hearers into rapturous wonderlands. He's the best of the best drummer. No comparison. Top shot. 🌟💪🎉❤️👏😀

[Zeqhrox]

Me patiently waiting to do Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy octavarium drum set next and wondering how expensive it is going to be

[tmappe]

Man awesome video. It takes some concentration to learn those reggae grooves.

[GoranRista]

Great job, as always. You nailed the groove and the sound. 👏🏻

[Carlito_Sway]

Sly and Robbie's more recent project with Nils Petter Molvaer, Eyvind Aarset, and Vladislav Delay- Nordub- is my favorite of their extensive body of work. It combines the absolute deepest dub with wild ECM-style improvisation/sonic atmosphere. Some of the headiest music ever made, IMO.

[jamesconga]

Man you nailed this on the head perfectly. I play the exact same pearl sensi-tone snare though mine is cranked to max with a cs dot. Also your production and playing is Soo on point with sly and Robbie's style and studio sound. Bravo 👏👏👏

[SlimJimIce]

Great job! I’d love to see you recreate the sound of Style Scott RIP