You can hear me play percussion on the new Taylor Swift album The Tortured Poets Department on the track "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived." Feel, groove, and musicianship are at the heart of what I do every time I sit down at the drum set. I focus on finding the right tones and getting the best performance for your track.
I grew up as a classical percussionist and spent my formative years learning mallet percussion as well as drum set. That background gives me the musicality and phrasing to develop unique and musical drum parts for any given song. In my life as a drummer, I have performed all over the world and recorded multiple styles including Rock, Pop, Indie, Hip Hop, Jazz, Swing, Afrobeat, Metal, Country, Blues, Americana, Swing, Disco, and Punk. Currently I am the house drummer at Tiny Telephone Recording in Oakland, California. I also work as the touring drummer for Thao and Pop Up Magazine (Magik Magik Orchestra) and proudly endorse C&C Custom Drums.
I track at my home studio in Oakland, CA. I own multiple modern and vintage drum sets, dozens of snares, bass drums from 20"-28", and too many cymbals. I have a great collection of drum mics and preamps (12 channels). In addition I can add vibraphone, glockenspiel, and any other percussion your song might need.
I'm easy to work with and my communication is strong. I'm honest and transparent about the whole process.
Send me a note through the contact button above.
Credits
AllMusic verified credits for Jason Slota- Thao & the Get Down Stay Down
- tUnE-yArDs
- Dear Reader
- Samantha Crain
- Thao & the Get Down Stay Down
- Thao & the Get Down Stay Down
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- Sophie Hunger
- Sophie Hunger
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- John Vanderslice
- Thao & the Get Down Stay Down
- Release The Sunbird
- John Vanderslice
- Magik Magik Orchestra
- John Vanderslice
- Magik Magik Orchestra
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- Magik Magik Orchestra
- Brass Menazeri Balkan Brass Band
- Brass Menazeri Balkan Brass Band
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- John Vanderslice
- John Vanderslice
- Space Blaster
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- Debbie Neigher
- Jack Perla
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- Jinkx Monsoon
- Bitches Brew (2)
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- John Vanderslice
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- Release The Sunbird
- John Vanderslice With The Magik*Magik Orchestra
- Strand Of Oaks
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- Thao & The Get Down Stay Down*
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- Doe Eye
- The Eargoggle
- Holly*
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- The Reverend John DeLore
- Thao & The Get Down Stay Down*
- It's Just Craig
- The Eargoggle
- Forrest Hill
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- Samantha Crain
- Raj And The 100's
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- Greg Hoy And The Boys
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- Scott Gagner
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- Spacemoth
- Spacemoth
- Thao & The Get Down Stay Down*
- Val Esway + Global Spider Community
- The Midnight (2) With The Magik*Magik Orchestra*
- Aeseaes
- Echo Specter
- Matt Nathanson
- Spacemoth
- Various
- Taylor Swift
- Nate Baker (4)
13 Reviews - 3 Repeat Clients
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Working with Jason was an excellent experience and I'm planning on hiring him again for a future project. It was fun hearing how the drum part evolved as we worked through the revision process and in the end I felt like his part elevated the songs to another level.
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Jason just nailed! He has such great touch and feel. He knew exactly what I wanted without giving him too much instruction. An absolute pleasure to work with. Highly recommend, will be using him again!
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Jason is unbelievably talented! He made my song so much more than I thought it could be and was so responsive and nice during the entire process. It is so cool to be able to work with a professional drummer who is so passionate and generous. I will definitely be using him as much as I can!
Thank you Jason!
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Jason is a great drummer and was easy to work with. At the beginning of the job, we had a solid discussion about how the work process would go, what would work/wouldn't work and what would be the best way to go about it all. I feel like we both had clear ideas of what was expected from each other, and Jason delivered exactly what I was looking for. He is a professional and I will likely work with him again!
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Couldn't ask for better drum parts than what I got from Jason- amazing playing and totally in the pocket. Very musical and well recording tracks too, it was a cinch to fit them into the track and his parts really made the song come alive. I'd definitely recommend him to everyone!
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I waited until my Mix engineer buddy got back with his feedback about the drum tracks. Happy to say he loved how well they were recorded! This is from a super-critical guy! :D
Jason sent me one rough recording, I gave feedback and we finalized the next version he sent because he had understood and incorporated the feedback so well. In fact he sent me options too. Great work! Definitely going to record more with him.
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Jason is an excellent drummer! I was looking for a drummer to be able to play a style of blues close to a reference I had, and another drummer from the site referenced Jason and I went with him. And he did a wonderful job with capturing the style I was looking for :)
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Working with Jason was fantastic. He has listened to the song carefully since the first version proposed. He interpreted the requests very well, despite the distance and the difficulty of expressing the required result in words. He proposed different versions to arrive at an excellent final result. Registration is professional with a number and quality of microphones like ones you find in pro recording studio . Always clear and precise, it was very punctual in the release of the final version.
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Great playing and recording quality. Jason was responsive with an incredibly quick turn-around for an original part that fit the song well. We've already reached out for parts on another track.
Working with Jason is like sliding into a warm glove. He remotely recorded 7 tunes for me and gave reasonable revision guidelines.
Jason is the complete package in personality, performance, and professionalism. Few people can talk about diverse styles of music from afrobeat to black metal into the avant, yet alone play them. Jason has the rhythmic vocabulary to playperform what others dare to dream, developed from direct experience on international stages from the African coast to the jungles of Vietnam. His limbs have it all - with a great selections of drums, cymbals, mics and tuning know how to bring it all together. The quality of performance and recording leaves nothing for want of - other than improving yourself!
Jason is an A list drummer who instinctively knows the right part and feel for every track I send him. I’m often pleased with the very first
take!Furthermore, his gear matches his talents as a drummer and the tones are ainfir
Jason was at my first ever session at Tiny Telephone SF waaaay back in 2011. In fact, outside of myself, he was the only other musician on the record (he did handclaps... what can I say? I'm a slow burn). We've since performed live together about 50 times, and is the drummer on the latest double LP. In addition to his incredible skill as a drummer, he is also my go-to opinion for mixes, arrangements, and production. Jason's an asset to any ensemble. He also tells great dad jokes.
Interview with Jason Slota
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I record through a Universal Audio Apollo interface and Logic X. My mic setup changes depending on what is needed for a track. I often use many of the following mics in my tracking...matched pair Coles 4038, matched pair Josephson c42, Microtech Gefell UMT 70s, BeyerDynamic M88 and M201, EV RE20, Sennheiser 421's, plus the ever useful SM57, D6, and EV 635. Pre's include UA 4-701d, API 512c, BAE 312a, Great River MP-500NV, and a pair of Burl B1's
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Tracking for the next Thao & The Get Down Stay Down album, working with a Chinese singer songwriter on some dark Indie rock, and prepping for some touring.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Yes. Both offer sounds and textures the other is incapable of. Both offer work flows that cannot be obtained by the other. Having the ability to do endless takes on a digital platform is both enticing and a hindrance to the performer.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started taking drum lessons at my local music store when I was six. I've been at it ever since.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: groove, pocket, and musicality.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Quincy Jones. There aren't too many people who have such a deep connection with and understanding of how a song can go from a whistled tune in the shower to something the whole world listens to.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't play the Hi hat too loud. It gets into everything.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: The broadest term possible, rock
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Musicianship
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Musicianship, groove, and feel. I am able to quickly find a creative part for the track that elevates the song without overplaying.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I talk (or email) with the client and get an understanding of what the goal is and listen to any style suggestions. I then put the guide track into Logic and write out a form chart. I record a demo mp3 of the song and send it to the client. Two revisions later, we usually have a final take!
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I'm inspired by anyone who is passionate about what they do.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Tracking drums and percussion for songwriters
I was the drummer in this production
- Live drum trackAverage price - $200 per song
- PercussionAverage price - $200 per song
Maximum of 2 revisions per song. More revisions can be done. Contact me for further details. Payment needs to be completed (Paypal or Venmo) before files are delivered.
- Among other things...Drum sets by Cravitotto
- Ayotte
- Rogers
- C&C
- and Ludwig. Musser One-Nighter Vibraphone
- Musser M645 Glockenspiel. Mics by Coles
- Microtech Gefell
- and Josephson. Pre amps by UA
- API
- BAE
- Great River
- and Burl.