Part 1
Name: Janek van Laak
Nationality: German
Occupation: Composer, drummer, producer, improviser
Current release: Janek van Laak's new single “OCTAPUSSY” is out via Sonar Kollektiv. It is the first single taken off his forthcoming full-length album Circle Of Madness - his debut as a solo artist after 2022's Two to Amuse with Tutu Amuse and Rosa Landers - slated for release later in 2024.
If you enjoyed this Janek van Laak interview and would like to find out more about his music, visit him on Instagram.
What was your first drum set like and what are you using today? What, to you personally, are factors in terms of build and design that you appreciate in drums and percussion instruments?
My first drum set was a Gretsch. I don’t remember the model name but it definitely was in the lower price regiment. I bought it at the age of 16 after I got some money acting in an advertising spot. Before that I had an electric kit, but that doesn’t count to me as a drum set. (got it from Santa Clause, or my parents around 12/13 yrs old.)
Now I also play a Gretsch that was given to me by a friend who’s sister's ex-boyfriend refused to pick his drum set up after 6 month into the breakup. The father wanted to throw it away but she saved it and brought it over to the studio … I instantly said yes if she asked me if I'd like to get a drum set for free (obviously) but she didn’t tell me it was a Gretsch. But somehow I knew it would be a Gretsch.
It is a Catalina Maple. I still play it to this day … I only invested in different snares, cymbals and hardware, kick pedals etc. so far. But I aim for a new kit in the next one or two years with a bigger kick drum ...
I think it all starts with the design … it’s like meeting a person for the first time. We all claim it's about the inner habits that make you shine (which is also true) but if I won’t be at least a little bit handsome looking I wouldn't get the chance to prove my inner values I guess. To me the drumset is a representation of you, the player and your standards. If you’re messy, the drum set might look messy. Like your room or your car.
The standards can shift and change over the years but I find a more minimalistic setup (hihat, 2 rides, 1 clap stack) and snare, kick, rack and stand tom, enough for the current vision with the solo project and the band playing this music.
In general I appreciate wooden things that don’t look too woody and are not too overpainted I believe. Certain configurations like tiny cymbals and cushions to muffle the sound can be put over it as well … keep it shiny!
Late Rush-drummer Neil Peart said: “The equipment is not an influence. It doesn't affect the way I play. It's an expression of the way I play.” What's your take on that?
I think it can be seen in both ways. I believe that the equipment definitely has an influence on how I play … especially in an improvisational context. For example, if I have a cymbal which is way more sensitive and reactive to the volume it's being played … I’m kind of like ‘forced’ to play with more sensitivity or let’s say use a different stick, force, technique …so I would definitely say I’m kind of bound to what the material is showing me and I become a ‘slave’ to the equipment which is given.
This is obviously a situation where you sometimes can not choose your material so let’s say you’re in a different studio in a different drum set and you play on a symbol or snare or use a kickdrum pedal you’ve never used before … ultimately it is a symbiosis of playing under the influence of the given equipment and at the same time it is definitely a reflection of who I am or what I am / become in that particular moment.
Or let’s say someone else brings a snare drum that doesn’t have the same rebound feeling that my daily snare has to a session. So I have to adjust.
But if I'm playing with my own equipment that I'm used to. On a daily basis I can agree with Neil in some way, but to be honest If I just use another stick, a very light one … doesnt it affect the way you play and become an expression of the way you play simultaneously?
Drumming is an integral part of many cultures, and traditions. Which of these do you draw from in your playing – and why?
Everything is everywhere. Obviously there are more obvious influences audible and hidden in certain styles. But I listen to all kinds of stuff and was never like: ooh yeah that’s it ...
My main source of inspiration is in everything I like and I like all kinds of stuff. But from an analytical-observing-myself-from-the-outside point of view it's definitely Afro stuff, krautrock and all kind of experimental free music (which comes back to everything) …
What were some of the main challenges in your development as a drummer / percussionist? Which practices, exercises, or experiences were most helpful in reaching your goals?
The hardest part of the journey so far was to become relaxed, loose … I struggled a lot with having good posture, grip and relaxed shoulders.
Once I started to train a lot of martial arts (Bjj) I started to feel more relaxed, focused and reflective about my body behaviour. I started to understand my body more. Obviously practising drums helped a lot as well ... even though I started my drum career officially at the age of 8, I had no ambition to learn, or practise …
At the age of 14 I had my first high school band and was just playing in different bands, improvising a lot and experimenting. Three years ago, when Covid came I had to realise that I won’t make any more progress with just playing and started to practise every day for almost 2 years. This year I was just playing again and found it joyful to detach from practise again. Next year I want to practise again daily ... I find it nice to jump between these two but there’s a lot more work to do. I haven’t reached my goals and hopefully never will…
Exercises that helped me were everything involving dynamics (accent notes in different rudimental variations for example), double strokes, playing alongside with a metronome and working with books … it was also helpful to restrain myself from playing entirely when I was alone in the room to force myself to focus only on the exercises.
It was also helpful to keep track of my progress, setting short and longterm goals ... writing like a diary and monthly plan etc. Also helpful was to realise that I am not the 8 hour practise virgin and enjoying life beside the work is an integral part of my personality which transforms through my playing and songwriting (I believe).
Also very helpful was / is listening to various kinds of music, even though I never really practised until Covid. I think I inhaled so much stuff that I adapted certain styles or patterns without learning them consciously.
What also helped me was to sing melodies and play along to melodies instead of counting beats This helped me and still does help me a lot with odd meter stuff. I also feel it makes drumming more melodic than strictly restrained to rhythmic / drummy behaviour if you inherit the bassline for example which is in 11/8 or whatever.
What do you think you're doing different than other drummers?
I don’t know. I try to focus more on my own development instead of comparing myself to others. I used to do that a lot but it was another integral part of my learning curve to get detached from comparison after being inspired all these years by so many great drummers. It can be quite intimidating to have so many strong personalities in your personal Mt. Rushmore.
The only thing that comes to my mind right now might be that I sometimes try to hear every count as 1 ... So there is no 4/4 7/8 11/4 9/4 or whatever signature.
Just constant movement ... but there are plenty of other drummers that do that as well I guess … it’s just a recent realisation I had. Also heavily depending on the musical context of course and merely happening in improvisations I participate in.
How do you experience the concepts of "groove," "swing," and "rhythmic feel" in music?
To me they’re just concepts. Made up belief systems. They are all the same to me. This is what I think today. Tomorrow they might be completely different institutions.
Or maybe already now they are distinguishable things … but I’ve never really worked with these clarifications. So I guess they intertwine, ideally.
How do time signatures and tempo affect our perception of rhythm?
Maybe the question could be WHY they affect our perception … I don’t really have an answer to this.
I don’t know if I have a perception of rhythm at all. Sometimes in the morning a song sounds faster than in the evening. Sometimes a 5/4 feels so organic and inherited and another moment it's the strangest thing. All in all they are both components of rhythm and rhythm is literally everything. A super fast song can have a slow moving melody laying on top or underneath and it becomes the chillest mood ever created.
How ever you play around with the components of rhythm allows you to shape every individual perception of rhythm and time. To you this or that feels odd, because you learned that it's an odd meter. But after some time dealing with a strange topic it becomes an inrooted part of you and isn’t strange anymore.
Sometimes a 4/4 groove can feel super odd and 7/8 has a four to the floor feel.
