Keep up with Stef here:
Endorsed by Meinl cymbals, Tama drums, Evans drumheads and Pro Mark sticks. Stef Broks (1981, Holland) plays rock and metal with a fusion touch. Polyrhythms are one of his main drumelements. By now Broks gives clinics, owns his own drumschool, works as a sessiondrummer and performs with his bands across the world.
Broks founded the band Textures with friend Jochem Jacobs in 2001. Right from the start Textures was picked up by Listenable Records (Soilwork, Gojira) and a lot of booking agencies. The band toured extensively and performed with almost every big name in modern metal: Arch Enemy, Meshuggah, Dillinger Escape Plan, Gojira, Sepultura, All That Remains, Slipknot, Cynic, Morbid Angel, you name it. Broks also joined fusionproject Exivious (formed by Cynic-member Tymon Kruidenier) in 2007.
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Stef Broks Interview:
SD.com: How old were you when you started playing?
Stef: Actually I started three times. The first time I started ticking on my mother’s back when I sat behind her on the bicycle. I must have been 5 or so. The second time was when I first played on a drumkit and had some lessons. At that time I was 9. The third time I started was when I joined my fist band at 14. I never stopped playing since then. Not even while I’m
sleeping.
SD.com: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?
Stef: Nope, my first band was a band with my friends. Metal, of course haha. Playing drums in schoolbands is not very popular in over here in Holland. Eeeh, Schoolbands are not very common.
SD.com: Who are your top 5 influences?
Stef: My influences don’t come only from other drummers.
1 U2 – mid 80’s albums
2 Tool and Danny Carey
3 Meshuggah and their approach to rhythm
4 Jeff Buckley for his overwhelming amount of emotion
5 My mum and dad for passing me a shitload of good music
SD.com: Assuming that influences doesn’t mean favorites, who are your favorites?
Stef:
Morgan Agren – Swedish masterdrummer
Hans Eijkenaar – Dutch masterdrummerDanny Carey – Tool
Roy Moonen – Dutch drummer
Mario Duplantier – drummer of Gojira from France
SD.com: Let us know 5 CD’s that are in your current rotation
Stef:
John Denver – An evening with John Denver
Zap Mama – Seven
Hable con Ella – Original Soundtrack
James Morrison – Undiscovered
U2 – The unforgettable fire
SD.com: What do you do to warm up before a show?
Stef: I go for a quick run outdoors. Fresh air is the best. I get through the songs rapidly with one of our bandmembers from Textures. I play rudiments on my practice pad.
SD.com: Can you remember a night you think was your best playing ever? If yes, when and where?
Stef: That must have been when we played with Meshuggah in a venue in Amsterdam. Packed with people and a hysterical response from the crowd (in a positive way)
SD.com: Do you have a favorite brand of drums or cymbals?
Stef: Of course those are the brands that I play. Tama drums, Meinl cymbals, Evans drumheads and Pro Mark sticks.
SD.com: If you could give one piece of advice to young drummers, it would be…
Stef: Find out the groove in your style of playing. Don’t focus on speed and tricks first. Opening your mind to other music is a good way to learn.
SD.com: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?
Stef: Man, I have more than one. I’ll give you three.
1 Damien Rice on his latest tour (2007). He’s the most famous alternative singer/songwriter in Europe at the moment.
2 U2 on their Zoo Tv tour 1993.
3 A Perfect Circle with Josh Freese on the 13th Step Tour. Perfect sound, blasting power and mathematical tightness.
SD.com: If you had to stop drumming, what would you want to do with your life?
Stef: Watching documentaries all day long. Oh shit, that’s what I’m doing already! Especially historic and artdocumentaries
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