Superstar drummer and Dirty Soup collaborator Carla Azar offers her Dirty Monday playlist of tracks that have influenced her the most.
Besides playing in her band, AUTOLUX, Carla has also worked with many other highly respected artists, such as Jack White, PJ Harvey, Josh Homme, T Bone Burnett, and Jim Keltner.
You can check out the full playlist and read why these tracks mean so much to Carla below.
1. "Jigga What, Jigga Who" - JAY-Z
CA - When I first heard this track - I had never heard a beat like it. I immediately learned it the next day - huge influence. One of my all time favorite beats.
2. "Mushroom" - Can
CA - This beat changed my life and got me into the band Can. Jaki Leibeziet --> one of the greatest drummers of all time. I love his quarter note hi-hat coupled w all the other intense activity between the kick and snare. I feel like the hi-hat is the magical hypnotist of his beats.
3. "Pimp Hand" - Vince Staples
CA - No I.D. / great producer/musician. Great beat maker -- he made the beat on this track. And he's one of the more musical beat makers in hip hop today. He makes unique beats with original sounds - which is what I'm most drawn to.
4. "Bucephalus Bouncing Ball" - Aphex Twin
CA - This is the greatest electronic drum programming in the world to me. Richard James is the most original, most musical electronic musician / beat maker - he's way ahead of his time. This strange cinematic sound design-level programming changed my life and opened my mind up to extreme creative panning and sound creation. I'm always trying to copy everything he does on every level. I have nothing but pure love for his work.
5. "Hunter" - Bjork
CA - I love the programming in this song. I love any cool beat that uses brushes. Super rare to use brushes in this way - in electronic-based music.
6. "Cissy Strut" - The Meters
CA - Great drum beat. That's all. I did a session w Ziggy Modeliste once. It was a dream.
7. "Twin Hype Back" - Run The Jewels (Instrumentals)
CA - This beat = SICK AF. EL-P = SICK AF beat maker. Another non drummer beat maker that makes original beats while always incorporating original sounds. I love how he programs snare fills in this track and all the background percussive choices.
8. "Funky Drummer" - James Brown
CA - No need to explain this one. Every drummer in the world (I heard there were millions) should Venmo Clyde Stubblefield $1 or more >> that should just about do it.
9. "Roxanne" - The Police
CA - This is the reason I started playing drums. This song. This is the drummer. Stewart Copeland.
10. "When The Levee Breaks" - Led Zeppelin
CA - When I first heard this I couldn't stop listening to the feel on the hi-hat. (also a very strong argument for a drummer writing drum beats on this level - getting equal publishing / songwriting).