LP Raw Series Percussion

102
| MAY 2016 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
A
merican percussion giant LP
has been a world leader in its
fi eld for decades. Producing
only bongos and cowbells in the
early years, the company has since
developed to provide an enormous range of
hand percussion and kit add-ons, including
its popular Jam Blocks and Ridge Rider
cowbells. With the release of the Raw Series,
LP attempts to tap into the street drumming
market in a Stomp-esque, industrial
percussion kind of a way.
Build
Designed as a stand-alone percussion set-up
or as a selection of add-ons for the
experimental kit player, the Raw Series
line-up consists of three main components.
Firstly, we’ll look at the Street Cans, which
form the bulk of the collection. These 1mm
ribbed steel shells are available in 14", 16"
and 18" diameters, all with a 16" depth.
Closely resembling large metal beer barrels,
their resonant head-free design is intended
to deliver “thunderous punch and explosive
power”. The fl oor-tom style drums feature
extra long, height adjustable legs designed
to allow playing from a standing or seated
position (up to 36" height).
Next up, ‘Potz’ are a cheeky play on a
street performer’s favourite. Simple in
concept, imagine a saucepan with the
handle replaced by a mounting bracket and
you’ve got yourself a pot. The melodically
pitched Potz are available in 4", 6" and 8"
diameters and are fi nished with a brushed
steel appearance, much like the Street Cans.
They have a heavy gauge steel construction
with a spun steel top and are left with a
rustic, welded aesthetic. They use LP’s
spring-loaded, self-aligning mounting system
which will fi t standard mounting rods or
From £36 Latin Percussion is thinking outside the box
with its new street-drumming inspired line
LP RAW SERIES
PERCUSSION
WORDS: TOM BRADLEY
stands up to ½" diameter.
The prize for the most unusual
component has to go to the ‘Trash Snare’.
This is an actual galvanised steel dustbin lid
that has been transformed into some kind of
bizarre timbale-type instrument using a 14"
fl anged hoop and a tuneable Remo head,
then fi lled with synthetic beads. The snare is
designed to be played on both sides or used
as an enormous shaker, offering a plethora
of tonalities and effects. Other elements of
the Raw Series include the Jangle Bell (a
classic Ridge Rider cowbell with internally
mounted nickel-plated steel tambourine
jingles) and LP’s new Sound Enhancers. The
Sound Enhancers are small percussion
instruments modelled to clip onto any
fl anged hoop magnetically. They are
available in three options: Jingle, Shaker
and Snare Wire.
Hands On
Let’s begin with the Potz. You may or may not
be surprised to discover that they sound
uncannily similar to the type of ordinary pots
and pans that you might fi nd in your kitchen
cupboard. Admittedly, it’s unlikely that your
Tefal saucepans have been pitch-matched to
quite such a degree but I’d wager it would be
tricky to tell much difference. The smallest 4"
pot sounds decidedly choked in comparison
to the 6" and 8" versions which each have a
more lengthy decay. The larger pot has a
welded metal tab for use with the magnetic
Sound Enhancers, which is a useful touch.
The Sound Enhancers are a lot of fun to
experiment with, not only with the Raw
set-up but also a regular drum kit. With each
type bringing its own sonic characteristic to
the table, they also all have something in
common: they apply a lot of pressure to the
drum head which dampens the sound quite
THEY SOUND UNCANNILY SIMILAR
TO THE TYPE OF ORDINARY POTS
AND PANS THAT YOU MIGHT FIND
IN YOUR KITCHEN CUPBOARD
considerably. This can have its advantages of
course and work particularly well with the
jingle add-on for producing drum’n’bass or
funk-style sounds on the snare. Using them
on the toms though I fi nd to be fairly
unsuccessful.
The Street Cans come tuned extremely
low and sound absolutely enormous. They
provide an instant attack and create a
gut-rumblingly deep note, particularly the
larger 18" model. These could be most useful
as a Surdo-style drum within a street
ensemble or as a replacement/additional
fl oor tom for a regular kit. Tuning the cans
up a little gives them a more rounded tone
and reduces the prominent slap from the
batter heads. But priced between £210 and
Also try…
1
NATAL CLASSIC
SERIES CONGAS
AND BONGOS
We say: “ A superb
professional sound,
lovely organic feel and a
reliability that lets you
fully express yourself
without worry. ”
2
TYCOON
CRA TE CAJON
We say: “ If it’s
percussion with a
difference you’re after
check out this
quirky-looking cajon
from Tycoon. ”
RHY254.gear_lp.indd 102 22/03/2016 16:45