SHOW US YOUR KITS
Feature by Zoë Brecher
Who: ALEX KLIMAN, 26. Moscow, Russia.
What band are you in?
I’m in post-punk band called “Lie Johnny.” I’m a drummer, singer and songwriter as well. Our musical style can be described as post-punk, indie-rock. I’m inspired by young Bono (U2) and Robert Smith (The Cure). I founded LIEJ in 2012 with my close friend Polina Zakharina– she’s on bass. We covered a few songs, but one day we understood that it’s not enough and I invited guitarist Jezz Raker (we were familiar before) and started to play my own songs. I started to write music when I was 16, so I had a lot of songs to work on! Now we have two EP’s — Sublimation (2013) and Hero (2015), available on iTunes, and we’re going on European Tour this autumn.
Drums: Sonor SQ² Drum Set
A 22×17” Bass Drum (Medium Maple Shell)
B 10×9” Tom Tom (Thin Maple Shell)
C 12×10” Tom Tom (Thin Maple Shell)
D 14×13” Floor Tom (Medium Maple Shell)
E 16×15” Floor Tom (Medium Maple Shell)
F 14×6” Snare Drum ProLite Brass Shell
Cymbals:
1 Sabian 22” APX Ride Cymbal
2 Sabian HHX 16″ X-Plosion Crash Cymbal
3 Sabian Hi-Hat XS20 14” medium hats
4 Sabian 18” HH Chinese Brilliant
I’ve got more, but this is my main working kit.
Hardware:
Pedal TAMA HP900RSN Iron Cobra
Double Tom Stand (DTS 475)
Cymbal Tom Stand (CTS 479)
4x Multi Clamp (MC 276) + 1x Mini Boom Arm (MBA 471)
Boom Cymbal Stand (MBS 673 MC)
Boom Cymbal Stand (MBS 400)
Snare Drum Stand (SS 277)
Hi Hat Stand (HH 674)
Heads:
Evans Drumheads
Sticks:
Vic Firth
Vater
What was your first kit?
Let me think. It was electronic drum set: Yamaha DTX500K DTLK9. I learned to play on it at home.
How old were you when you got it?
I actually started as a DJ when I was 15 in local clubs and composed music in Propellerhead Reason. Then my dad bought me electronic drums that I dreamed of when I was18 and I started to learn to play drums.
Why did you start drumming?
I always loved tapping rhythms since I was a kid, and my father taught me to play guitar and showed me some cool music. He also played in a band in his youth. Then, as I was said, I started to mix music as a DJ and around that time I became interested in drumming.
How many drum sets have you had?
I’ve only had three, including the kit I have now.
Where did you buy your current kit?
It was a Christmas gift from Santa.
Do you have a dream kit or cymbal?
I’m dreaming about a drum MIDI controller. Actually, my wish list is so big that I even lost an answer. But if we talk about cymbals, most of all I think I’d love to play on Sabian Artisan series cymbals. And perhaps as a singing drummer I dream about cymbals that will not drown out my singing.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only keep one part of your kit what would you save?
I would keep my huge 22” Ride Sabian APX, because it reflects the sun, it’s possible to cook on it, and it also can defend against wild animals. It is more than just useful.
Are there any unique things about your setup?
Yeah. It’s always difficult to achieve perfect sound, due to the fact that I’m a singing drummer, especially on the big stage, also because I’ve got the reverb effect on my vocal and the microphone always captures cymbals, so it’s really hard to hear yourself. Therefore, the main unique thing about my setup is to achieve a balanced volume level between my voice and my drums, if I may say so.