Drumattic is now closed for the Christmas and New Year Holidays.
The physical shop, workshop and studio will be closed over this period. The shop will reopen on Thursday the 9th of January. The workshop and studio will be opening a tad earlier, and are already booked up.
The web-shop will be operating as normal, though there will be a shipping delay during this time.
Now that the boring stuff is out the way, id like to take this time/space to have a little recap of the year
The shop has had a good year, with lots coming and going. As usual, there is loads of really nice and interesting stuff that passes through the doors and I’m very lucky to of been in the presence of so much great gear. I do owe a big thank you to everyone who gives/sells me such lovely stuff, and to all who come in and buy it! It really is a pleasure to be able to meet so many interesting people.
I’ve had some really nice stuff this year, and its honestly hard to remember all of it, though I think my favourite/most notable thing in stock this year would likely have to be Rob Ellis’s Yamaha maple custom kit which was used with almost all PJ Harvey stuff from ’93-’02. The snare is now in Australia and the kit in Romania.
Again, a massive thank you to all who support the shop, physically or digitally.
The studio is in full swing and has had a very busy year. This has been used countlessly by so many different people for lessons, recording, practice, teaching, masterclasses, YouTube videos and more. This fills me with joy, as its a pleasure to see the room get so much use and love from people.
To note especially, its a pleasure to have Mr James Porter there on a very regular basis to run some of his lessons, practice, record and do all manner of drum/music related things. Its a pleasure to be able to slightly hear his drumming through the wall.
I’ve also been lucky enough to have James from Majetone at the shop occasionally to record and film YouTube videos. I have really enjoyed him being here. He is a fountain of drum and recording knowledge and a pleasure to talk to. You really need to follow his YouTube channel here.
Loads of my kits have been used (in & out of house) for video and recording. From photoshoots to game sound design, to album recordings at big studios and sample packs.
I have hosted several masterclasses this year with some superb drummers. I would like to thank Clive Deamer, Rob Brian, A.J. Rousell and Matt Green for performing these masterclasses this year. It looks like there are some lining up for next year. I would also like to thank everyone who has come to these and showed your support.
I can no longer honestly say that I do 100% of all the workshop / restoration work…
For the last year I have had a local young student (&drummer) called Rowan helping me out on Saturday mornings . Some of you who have been in on Saturdays may of met him or seen him floating around in the back.
Rowan has been undertaking jobs such as sanding, chrome polishing and shell disassembly. He is proving to be very useful and is a real asset to my week. He also somehow manages to put up with my constant ramblings.
Thank you Rowan, its a pleasure to have you at Drumattic.
As per usual, I’ve had a huge amount of work and drums in the workshop over the last year. I’m very privileged to be able able to restore, repair and make so many interesting and rare drums for so many people. There has been rewraps, full restorations, shell reductions, countless snare mechanism repair/replacements, loads of calf heads made, custom jobs, edges recut and much much more.
At the top of my list, I have been lucky enough this year to:
– Repair and re-head loads of Peter Gabriel’s personal drums.
– Make full set of calf skin drums heads for Oli Jefferson to be used on tour with Robert Plant
-Make a set of Pre Int 16″ calf heads for Gary Astridge.
So there have been some very positive points this year. A year that marks 10 years of me registering Drumattic as a business, and deciding to do this full time.
Over this time I’ve seen the business grow and now be able to offer so much.
I’m lucky to still be going, as we all know, its not easy at all to operate such a small in the current climate, let alone something creative/musical. The general costs of a business and a business premises only grow larger with time.
It must also be noted that the running of the business as a whole is quite the slog. This year has seen many long weeks, early mornings and late evenings. Sometimes I do wonder if it is all worth it.
Its often hard to chart ones own progress, life happens and keeps moving regardless.
I have dedicated a decade of my professional life to Drumattic. A little over 10 years ago, I was selling drums out of my parents dining room, now I have a premises with a dedicated, well stocked shop, a dedicated workshop, and a drum studio. Yes, I am very lucky to have these, but the feeling of achievement is mostly clouded by the sheer amount of work, energy, time & stress that has been / is being put into the business.
In the more private area of my life, I would like to thank my partner, my parents, my brother & my cats for your continued support, and for being amazing people (or cats, respectively).
Well that about wraps up the long blurb of a general recap of Drumattic so far.
Next year doesn’t look too different as it stands. there will be stuff coming and going, an open studio room, an active workshop, and hopefully the odd masterclass.
I would like to thank you all again for your support this year. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2025