Drums | Production | Hits

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: The first time I co-wrote and drummed on a track that made it to the Billboard Hot AC chart. But charting isn't why it stays with me, it was the ride, the raw pulse we captured, the moment we created that people felt. That’s where the visceral, gut-level heartbeat of life lives, and that’s why I’ll always cherish it.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I’m always writing new tv syncs or my own personal music. Right now though, my priority is connecting with new artists I vibe with and creating tracks together that make an impact.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Yes absolutely - if you need additional specialists (other killer instrumentalists), I’m happy to recommend collaborators I have worked with, depending on your project’s needs.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: My gut screams “Analog!” as that’s where the warmth, grit, and delicious imperfections live. But I’m equally in love with digital for its speed and endless flexibility. The sweet spot? Mixing them together until you get something warm, alive, and the modern benefits all at once.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I promise to bring soul, intention, and craftsmanship to your music. This is a collaborative, welcoming space where your ideas matter and your sound becomes its best version.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: That tiny moment a song comes alive. The little gasp people make when everything clicks. That weird excitement where you want to burst out of your own skin. Helping artists feel all of that is why I do this.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: “Can you take my rough idea and turn it into a finished track?” Absolutely. It’s what I do best. Whether you send me a voice memo or a full demo, I can build out the arrangement, drums, production, and polish until your vision is fully realized.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: A lot of people think production is just knobs, clicks, and an endless hunt for “the right” snare (haha!) But at its core, it’s none of that. Production is emotional architecture. Placing notes, chords, textures, and space in a way that pulls something real out of the listener. The gear matters, but the emotion is the ENTIRE point.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What feeling are you aiming to evoke? What artists live in the space you're in? What do you want people to feel in the first 30 seconds of your song? Your answers help me map out the emotional architecture we’re building together.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Choose someone who understands your vision and your vulnerability. Production is intimate. It’s not just about skill (so many people have that!), it's about trust. Work with someone whose sound moves you and whose energy feels safe, expansive, and collaborative. Authenticity is the key, so finding a place where you can be you, fully, is critical.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: My Mapex kit (of course), a Neumann, a juicy analog preamp, a reliable interface, and a laptop with Ableton, because with those five things, I can build worlds.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: Music is literally woven into my DNA. I’m a fourth-generation drummer, raised in Europe by a family where rhythm wasn’t a hobby, it was a language. I picked up my first sticks at age four, learning from my father (Stray, The Footprints), before being shaped by legends like Richard Beasley (Gary Numan) and Joe Barbosa III (Tarpan Studios - Mariah, Whitney). But pedigree only gets you so far. I had to blaze my own trail. College. Punk bands. Sweaty clubs packed around the block. National stages with top-five artists. Then production grabbed me by the collar and pulled me across borders - LA, Denver, and everywhere life called for a new chapter. Now, after nearly two decades of drumming, writing, experimenting, producing, charting on Billboard, scoring syncs, lighting up radio, and working with incredible collaborators, I’m still chasing the same sacred trio: feel, groove, excitement.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Analog soul with a modern, sparkly shimmer - that’s my lane. I was raised to play drums with pure feel, and then studied music production two decades ago to understand how to translate that feeling into every sonic decision. The real challenge (and thrill) has always been bringing humanity into electronic worlds… which is probably why I ran toward them instead of away.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I'd love to work with any artist honestly, that can value both the whisper and the explosion. Someone that wants to tell a story and has the skill to deliver, and will to adapt.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Mute something. Then mute something else. Great production isn’t about adding, it’s about revealing. The fewer elements you use, the more powerful each one becomes. I have had records with 30+ tracks and dropping that by a 3rd created immensely more movement. It's very easy to just keep adding but sometimes the magic is in taking away.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I live in the worlds of synthwave, synth-pop, alt-pop, rock, electro-organic hybrids, basically anything with a pulse and an electronic soul.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Turning emotion into rhythm, and more importantly rhythm into emotion. I can hear what a song feels like before it’s fully formed, and I build everything from that place, with a pulse that makes you want to move.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring movement. Emotion. A sense of identity that you feel before you even analyze it. My drumming helps the track stand up straight; my production helps it glow; my songwriting helps it speak.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Feel - Sound - Lock in. Once I understand what the song wants, what it needs, what it celebrates, I start building around that emotional core. Drums, synths, textures, harmonic playing… all woven together through constant collaboration and intuitive experimentation. Rhythm is created very early on and supporting textures come in to lift up the topline melodies.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio is my sanctuary: a hybrid world where analog warmth, live drums, and modern sound design all dance together. My Mapex kit sits next door, like a living creature with Paiste cymbals shimmering in the corner, always ready to sing. Everything feeds into a clean, expressive signal chain and from there into a digital playground (Ableton 12 or Pro Tools) where I can twist, shape, and sculpt sound until it feels alive using my synths, plugins or analog jiggery.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: My inspirations live all over the map. Actually, in every decade, every texture, every shade of rhythm. Ash Soan reminds me that groove can be a love language. Jeff Porcaro is the patron saint of pocket. Steve Gadd’s feel is basically the religion. And modern disruptors like El Estepario Siberiano blow open what’s possible behind the kit. On the production side, I adore the world-builders: The Midnight’s neon dreamscapes, Vulfpeck’s playful swagger, Kavinsky’s midnight-drive electricity, and the cosmic drama of Starship. And then there’s my pop side - Ariana to Dua, two artists who prove that emotion and polish don’t just coexist; they elevate each other.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I take your raw idea (your voice memo, your half-finished verse, your spark) and build it into a breathing, moving, emotionally charged piece of music. I sculpt drums that move with intention, production that wraps around the song, and songwriting support that helps your story find its true shape.