Where is my drummy poppy music?
May 2, 2021 4:26 PM Subscribe
When I was exercising today Paul Simon's Obvious Child came on and WOWEE those drummers got me fired up. Give me more like this! Those happen to be Brazilian drummers, but I'm looking for any super heavy drumming similar to that, even American marching band drum line style, but I do want it similar to this in terms of drums + poppy music. Suggest music for me to sweat to, please!
A couple of my favorite drummy songs that get me moving:
Ramalama (Bang Bang) by Róisín Murphy, which is layers of various percussion plus vocals.
Lose My Breath by Destiny's Child, with a drumline sound.
posted by theatro at 5:31 PM on May 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
Ramalama (Bang Bang) by Róisín Murphy, which is layers of various percussion plus vocals.
Lose My Breath by Destiny's Child, with a drumline sound.
posted by theatro at 5:31 PM on May 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
I love the version of Tusk from The Dance which is Fleetwood Mac plus a marching college band.
posted by Candleman at 5:33 PM on May 2, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by Candleman at 5:33 PM on May 2, 2021 [5 favorites]
David Byrne's Rei Momo came out around the same year and is also an American-in-Brazil pop album, heavy on percussion, though maybe not as heavy as Obvious Child.
Dirrty Old Town is not a bad track to give a try too.
posted by mark k at 5:46 PM on May 2, 2021 [5 favorites]
Dirrty Old Town is not a bad track to give a try too.
posted by mark k at 5:46 PM on May 2, 2021 [5 favorites]
Try using the search term "Burundi beat." You may find some music that scratches this itch for ya.
posted by Dr. Wu at 5:55 PM on May 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Dr. Wu at 5:55 PM on May 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
The band performing with Paul Simon on that song is Olodum, who are like, the definitive Brazilian samba-reggae band. They also appeared in a version of Michael Jackson’s They Don’t Care About Us. They have a massive catalog, not all of which is poppy but it really runs the gamut! I Miss Her is a reggae tune with great drums.
posted by mekily at 6:04 PM on May 2, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by mekily at 6:04 PM on May 2, 2021 [5 favorites]
The article linked by Dr. Wu mentions the Malcolm McLaren–fueled early-'80s rivalry between Adam & the Ants ("Antmusic," "Kings of the Wild Frontier") and Bow Wow Wow ("C30 C60 C90 Go," "I Want Candy"), both of whom used the Burundi beat. (That article also touches on the cultural appropriation issues and Malcolm's treatment of 14-year-old Annabella Lwin.)
You might also like some things by The Go! Team ("The Power Is On," "Huddle Formation").
posted by lisa g at 6:40 PM on May 2, 2021 [6 favorites]
You might also like some things by The Go! Team ("The Power Is On," "Huddle Formation").
posted by lisa g at 6:40 PM on May 2, 2021 [6 favorites]
Seconding bertran: Hot 8 Brass Band - Love Will Tear Us Apart (YT, and thanks again to Wordshore).
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:43 PM on May 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:43 PM on May 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
If we're talking about New Orleans brass band music, might as well bring up some Mardi Gras Indian music.
Wild Tchoupitoulas - Hey Mama
This techno track isn't poppy, but the propulsive drumming has tons of energy.
Palmbomen II - Samuel Aboah
posted by Leontine at 7:35 PM on May 2, 2021 [3 favorites]
Wild Tchoupitoulas - Hey Mama
This techno track isn't poppy, but the propulsive drumming has tons of energy.
Palmbomen II - Samuel Aboah
posted by Leontine at 7:35 PM on May 2, 2021 [3 favorites]
I feel like Afro Celt Sound System could have some things for you. One song in particular - When You're Falling.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:10 PM on May 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:10 PM on May 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I just made you two spotify playlists, one with Brazilian music that fits this profile, and the other with a few New Orleans or New Orleans-style and Afro-Beat tracks.
The first tune on the Brazilian playlist doesn't have drums until 45 seconds in, but it's definitely worth checking out. Sergio Mendes recorded 100 drummers in a parking lot because he couldn't find a big enough recording studio to get the sound he wanted.
posted by umbú at 8:17 PM on May 2, 2021 [13 favorites]
The first tune on the Brazilian playlist doesn't have drums until 45 seconds in, but it's definitely worth checking out. Sergio Mendes recorded 100 drummers in a parking lot because he couldn't find a big enough recording studio to get the sound he wanted.
posted by umbú at 8:17 PM on May 2, 2021 [13 favorites]
You Win Again by the Bee Gees brings big drum energy, though I'm less wild about the implicit interpersonal politics of the song.
posted by terretu at 11:20 PM on May 2, 2021
posted by terretu at 11:20 PM on May 2, 2021
Bruce Peninsula is a weird mashup of genres (folk, gospel, rock, etc) but they are one of my favorite bands partly because of their fantastic and frequently intense percussion. Not sure if they are quite what you are looking for but hey.
posted by ropeladder at 5:48 AM on May 3, 2021
posted by ropeladder at 5:48 AM on May 3, 2021
Response by poster: I'm loving all the answers so far! Thank you!
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:11 AM on May 3, 2021
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:11 AM on May 3, 2021
I love The Obvious Child and I also love Punch In Punch Out. Percussion doesn't start until a bout a minute in.
posted by ftm at 6:28 AM on May 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by ftm at 6:28 AM on May 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
You could try the Rockin' 1000 performance of Learn to Fly. That's a lot of drummers.
Their Smells Like Teen Spirit kicks ass as well.
posted by flabdablet at 7:40 AM on May 3, 2021
Their Smells Like Teen Spirit kicks ass as well.
posted by flabdablet at 7:40 AM on May 3, 2021
Course of Empire - Infested I'm not sure it counts as 'poppy' (vaguely industrial metal) but the one minute long intro sounds like a typewriter army and drums throughout are awesome, and it may not be fully 'pop', but the parts with lyrics are not a huge percent of the song - it's mostly drumming.
Vampire Weekend - Sympathy They often borrow liberally from Paul Simon, and this one is no exception. It has a full drum solo towards the end, with bongos, handclaps, and everything going on throughout.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:55 AM on May 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
Vampire Weekend - Sympathy They often borrow liberally from Paul Simon, and this one is no exception. It has a full drum solo towards the end, with bongos, handclaps, and everything going on throughout.
posted by The_Vegetables at 7:55 AM on May 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
Olodum also recorded an album with a bunch of jazz musicians that you might enjoy.
posted by box at 8:42 AM on May 3, 2021
posted by box at 8:42 AM on May 3, 2021
For certain definitions of 'poppy,' there's also nyabinghi music.
posted by box at 10:07 AM on May 3, 2021
posted by box at 10:07 AM on May 3, 2021
Konono No. 1 was the first thing I thought of here, particularly Mama Liza.
I actually have a playlist called 'Big Drums' that I break out when I have big speakers. It starts with The Specials' Concrete Jungle, Pusha T's Pain, and the version of Guns of Brixton from The Clash's live album, From Here to Eternity.
YMMV for all of them, but bear in mind that Pusha T is the Pusha T from Clipse, and the lyrics are in keeping with the rest of his oeuvre.
posted by Kreiger at 10:41 AM on May 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
I actually have a playlist called 'Big Drums' that I break out when I have big speakers. It starts with The Specials' Concrete Jungle, Pusha T's Pain, and the version of Guns of Brixton from The Clash's live album, From Here to Eternity.
YMMV for all of them, but bear in mind that Pusha T is the Pusha T from Clipse, and the lyrics are in keeping with the rest of his oeuvre.
posted by Kreiger at 10:41 AM on May 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
Morris Brown from Outkast's Idlewild album/film features prominent drumline rhythms and marching band horns.
posted by downtohisturtles at 11:18 AM on May 3, 2021
posted by downtohisturtles at 11:18 AM on May 3, 2021
You might enjoy Serge Gainsbourg's Requiem Pour Un Con and Gainsbourg Percussions
posted by Chenko at 12:09 PM on May 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Chenko at 12:09 PM on May 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
You could try the Rockin' 1000 performance of Learn to Fly. yt That's a lot of drummers.
Fair warning to the OP that the Rockin' 1000 performance of Learn to Fly DOES have a lot of drummers, but also a lot of singers and guitarists, so it may not be as drum-forward as what you're looking for. However, their Smells Like Teen Spirit might work.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:09 PM on May 3, 2021
Fair warning to the OP that the Rockin' 1000 performance of Learn to Fly DOES have a lot of drummers, but also a lot of singers and guitarists, so it may not be as drum-forward as what you're looking for. However, their Smells Like Teen Spirit might work.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:09 PM on May 3, 2021
Oh, and if you want funky upbeat drums, have a dive through Peter Gabriel's post-Genesis catalog. Dude got all up in World Music for a while and used all kinds of global drum styles and rhythms.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:10 PM on May 3, 2021
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:10 PM on May 3, 2021
Try "Trashcan" by Delta Spirit
posted by jimmereeno at 3:47 PM on May 3, 2021
posted by jimmereeno at 3:47 PM on May 3, 2021
Great question!
Glad someone's already mentioned New Orleans brass bands. Another New Orleans favorite is the band Galactic - their Carnivale Electricos album is really good for strong percussion. I like Hey Na Na and Ha Di Ka.
posted by mostly vowels at 7:23 PM on May 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
Glad someone's already mentioned New Orleans brass bands. Another New Orleans favorite is the band Galactic - their Carnivale Electricos album is really good for strong percussion. I like Hey Na Na and Ha Di Ka.
posted by mostly vowels at 7:23 PM on May 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
I have many fond memories of drumming along with my obvious child back in the day...some recent downloads include a couple from Madame Gandhi and Mujeres’ Y La Bamba.
Thanks for this post, I don’t have a category, just love the vibe.
posted by childofTethys at 7:22 AM on May 4, 2021
Thanks for this post, I don’t have a category, just love the vibe.
posted by childofTethys at 7:22 AM on May 4, 2021
Go-Go music is drum heavy and catchy and melodic.
Go-Go youtube playlist
Chuck Brown, Trouble Funk, Rare Essence, etc.
posted by alikins at 9:45 PM on May 5, 2021 [2 favorites]
Go-Go youtube playlist
Chuck Brown, Trouble Funk, Rare Essence, etc.
posted by alikins at 9:45 PM on May 5, 2021 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I only marked one best answer but they're ALL so good. You've given me so much to listen to! Thanks!
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:05 PM on May 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:05 PM on May 6, 2021 [1 favorite]
Although they're not really playing samba, Olodum, the band playing with Paul Simon in this clip, have samba roots and influences. Check out the samba-enredo genre, they're the yearly anthems of the brazilian samba schools. You can't get more poppy and drummy than that.
For a more mellow vibe, check out the pagode genre, it's a more chilled offshoot of samba originating from Rio cookouts.
posted by Tom-B at 4:50 AM on May 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
For a more mellow vibe, check out the pagode genre, it's a more chilled offshoot of samba originating from Rio cookouts.
posted by Tom-B at 4:50 AM on May 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Well, the answer is always Amerie - 1 Thing
(interestingly, built off samples from the Meters' Oh Calcutta, at ~1:40 in)
posted by Bron at 9:09 AM on May 8, 2021
(interestingly, built off samples from the Meters' Oh Calcutta, at ~1:40 in)
posted by Bron at 9:09 AM on May 8, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by bertran at 4:44 PM on May 2, 2021 [3 favorites]