Uploaded February 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
This is my attempt at playing one of the greatest grooves ever put down on vinyl. I've used my Pearl Mimic Pro drum sounds.
The first time I heard this (the EP version) in 1985, I stood transfixed by the raw power and depth of the drum part. I literally screamed when the first drum break thing happened. It blew my mind then, and it still does now, 33 years later.
I have recorded this using my Mimic Pro. Nothing fancy - I have used the internal Mimic recording feature to create a WAV file of my performance (one master stereo track of whole kit), and then exported this file into my laptop - Logic Express software. I've then combined it with the original Grace Jones track. There has been no post production or editing at all - this is the precise sound coming out the Mimic in a single track.
I could not find a drumless version of this to record to, unfortunately. This has made getting the balance between the original and my drums tough. It certainly means you can tell where I get the drumming wrong and where I fall out of that immensely deep pocket! Anyway, hopefully you will still appreciate this video :)
I am continually amazed at how incredible the Mimic drum sounds are. This kit is the same one I used on the drumless 'Sultans of Swing' cover in my last video. So it is based on V Expressions' re-modelling of the default Mimic sounds. I have used the VEX 'Bonham' kit, in essence, again (see my 'VEX Bonham' video for that), but with minor tweaks of my own to the toms (as on 'Sultans').
I have pushed the Room and Overhead mics up again, and added a fair bit of reverb, to try and get my drums to sit in with this stunning original mix. I think it has worked pretty well. You almost can't tell the difference between the original drum sound and my Mimic sounds - I think that's amazing.
I have been on YouTube for 12 years now doing videos. I forgot I had already recorded this for YT, back in 2008. There is little doubt that my drumming has improved dramatically since my last attempt at this track!
And yet, and as I said 10 years ago, I still say I cannot play this correctly. It is without a doubt one of the hardest drum parts I know. It is deceptive. It has a huge groove, and it has some very technical stuff going on, which makes keeping the groove supremely difficult (for this drummer at least).
10 years ago I asked 'who was the original drummer?'. No one seems to know. Some say this person, some say that person. Others say it was a machine. Others say it was Producer Trevor Horn working with loops. People on my 2008 video comments have sworn they were in the studio with Trevor Horn, and still said opposite things! It seems to be a huge secret and a huge debate!
All I know is - it's extremely hard. I find this harder then Sting's Seven Days, or Steve Gadd's 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, or Genesis' In The Cage, Suppers' Ready or Duke's Travels, or Copeland's Message in A Bottle etc etc. Way, way harder then all of these. Why? Because I can't groove like this! I love the challenge though, and thoroughly recommend all drummers sit down and try and play along to this. It can only do you good :)
First of all, the bass drum work is tough. You need control, speed and power. And groove. My dodgy ankle and technique means I keep losing the timing on the doubles, and you can hear that clearly on here.
Then throw in the hi hat work. THAT is what makes this such a difficult part. Brilliant dotted notes, they flow and move around the beat, in and out of the bass drum part and the snare hits. And you have to keep opening the hat rapidly when you dont want to (like on triplets). And you have to keep it grooving...........arggggghhhh!
I'm running the latest v1.07.2 software update on the Mimic. This has very noticeably improved the hi hat response, which of course is crucial to this track.
The two drum breaks are beast. Absoulutely stunningly complex, in my view. I love them, but they are SO hard!
I see from the video that I am pulling my usual faces all the way through this. And my eyes remain almost always shut. Well, the gurning is because I AM in pain - trying to keep on top of the groove and trying to get the sticking right. And my eyes are shut because I have to stay totally focussed. As soon as I open them, I lose one or two percent concentration (looking at the hi hat or the birds outside etc) and then the groove is lost and I make a mistake).......!!!
I hope you enjoy the performance, and of course I hope you appreciate the superb sounds coming out the Mimic Pro. If you want to know what the drums sound like without the original track, then have a listen to my recent 'Sultans' video, or the 'VEX Bonham' video.
Enjoy!
This is my attempt at playing one of the greatest grooves ever put down on vinyl. I've used my Pearl Mimic Pro drum sounds.
The first time I heard this (the EP version) in 1985, I stood transfixed by the raw power and depth of the drum part. I literally screamed when the first drum break thing happened. It blew my mind then, and it still does now, 33 years later.
I have recorded this using my Mimic Pro. Nothing fancy - I have used the internal Mimic recording feature to create a WAV file of my performance (one master stereo track of whole kit), and then exported this file into my laptop - Logic Express software. I've then combined it with the original Grace Jones track. There has been no post production or editing at all - this is the precise sound coming out the Mimic in a single track.
I could not find a drumless version of this to record to, unfortunately. This has made getting the balance between the original and my drums tough. It certainly means you can tell where I get the drumming wrong and where I fall out of that immensely deep pocket! Anyway, hopefully you will still appreciate this video :)
I am continually amazed at how incredible the Mimic drum sounds are. This kit is the same one I used on the drumless 'Sultans of Swing' cover in my last video. So it is based on V Expressions' re-modelling of the default Mimic sounds. I have used the VEX 'Bonham' kit, in essence, again (see my 'VEX Bonham' video for that), but with minor tweaks of my own to the toms (as on 'Sultans').
I have pushed the Room and Overhead mics up again, and added a fair bit of reverb, to try and get my drums to sit in with this stunning original mix. I think it has worked pretty well. You almost can't tell the difference between the original drum sound and my Mimic sounds - I think that's amazing.
I have been on YouTube for 12 years now doing videos. I forgot I had already recorded this for YT, back in 2008. There is little doubt that my drumming has improved dramatically since my last attempt at this track!
And yet, and as I said 10 years ago, I still say I cannot play this correctly. It is without a doubt one of the hardest drum parts I know. It is deceptive. It has a huge groove, and it has some very technical stuff going on, which makes keeping the groove supremely difficult (for this drummer at least).
10 years ago I asked 'who was the original drummer?'. No one seems to know. Some say this person, some say that person. Others say it was a machine. Others say it was Producer Trevor Horn working with loops. People on my 2008 video comments have sworn they were in the studio with Trevor Horn, and still said opposite things! It seems to be a huge secret and a huge debate!
All I know is - it's extremely hard. I find this harder then Sting's Seven Days, or Steve Gadd's 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, or Genesis' In The Cage, Suppers' Ready or Duke's Travels, or Copeland's Message in A Bottle etc etc. Way, way harder then all of these. Why? Because I can't groove like this! I love the challenge though, and thoroughly recommend all drummers sit down and try and play along to this. It can only do you good :)
First of all, the bass drum work is tough. You need control, speed and power. And groove. My dodgy ankle and technique means I keep losing the timing on the doubles, and you can hear that clearly on here.
Then throw in the hi hat work. THAT is what makes this such a difficult part. Brilliant dotted notes, they flow and move around the beat, in and out of the bass drum part and the snare hits. And you have to keep opening the hat rapidly when you dont want to (like on triplets). And you have to keep it grooving...........arggggghhhh!
I'm running the latest v1.07.2 software update on the Mimic. This has very noticeably improved the hi hat response, which of course is crucial to this track.
The two drum breaks are beast. Absoulutely stunningly complex, in my view. I love them, but they are SO hard!
I see from the video that I am pulling my usual faces all the way through this. And my eyes remain almost always shut. Well, the gurning is because I AM in pain - trying to keep on top of the groove and trying to get the sticking right. And my eyes are shut because I have to stay totally focussed. As soon as I open them, I lose one or two percent concentration (looking at the hi hat or the birds outside etc) and then the groove is lost and I make a mistake).......!!!
I hope you enjoy the performance, and of course I hope you appreciate the superb sounds coming out the Mimic Pro. If you want to know what the drums sound like without the original track, then have a listen to my recent 'Sultans' video, or the 'VEX Bonham' video.
Enjoy!
