Wedding percussionist Costa del Sol | How a drummer can get people dancing
If you want an epic dance party at your wedding, think about hiring a wedding percussionist…
From stylish dance floor decals to outdoor wedding dance floor rentals, there is so much to choose from to make your reception memorable, but for the ultimate wedding reception, the style and choice of music is also fundamental, and not only that, someone with the right beat and vibe to get everyone up and dancing.
Did you know that when African tribes (or a lot of tribes anywhere for that matter) are having a get-to-gether for the village, they will dance all night to drum beats. Likewise, from early times, Inuvialuit (Inuit who live in the western Canadian Arctic region) have used songs and dancing to recount legends, stories, and traditions and during their celebrations, where the blend of the drum beat and the rhythmical rise and fall of voices, quickly drew men and women to the dance floor.
It’s clear that drums and a drum beat have something that brings out an innate response in people to move and join in the fun. Not only that, a live drummer will add that unique touch to your playlist, making the music played have that added “live music” sound achieved by freestyle drummers playing.
Basically, with a freestyle drummer, you’ll never have to break the flow of the upbeat songs throughout the night.
And what better person to do that than, Daniel Molina, one of Spain’s leading percussionists / bongo players.
We actually met up with Daniel a few months ago, where we learnt a bit more about this Brazilian born musician, a percussionist for more than 20 years.
Daniel was born in Salvador Bahia Brazil, raised in a cradle of musicians, and then professionally trained at the Federal University of Bahia, and today we find out a bit more about the man behind the beat.
Thanks for coming along today again Daniel, please tell us what are your top three tips to get people dancing?
Good energy, good music and enjoy to the maximum
How did you get into percussion for dance music?
My beginnings were when I was accompanying dance classes. I actually ended up living in Costa del Sol because I received an invitation to teach at a percussion festival, which then led to many other opportunities, permitting me to stay in the beautiful part of the world, where I live from what I most love, music.
What type of drums do you use when playing Dance Percussion music?
I have a set of congas (also known as tumbadora, a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba ), timbales (Timbales or pailas which are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing) and djembe (an African drum played by beating with the hand).
Who has been your greatest musical inspiration?
My biggest inspiration is a great African percussionist Mamady Keith, a master djembefola from Guinea. An incredible musician, who by the age of five had developed his own technique of tone, slap, bass and learned the rhythms of his village and was playing Djembe in all of the ceremonies, celebrations and festivals.
He was also the founder of the Tam Tam Mandingue school of drumming.
What is the current music trend at weddings?
The types of tendencies vary a lot, obviously depending on the musical taste of each bridal couple, but in general, most ask for latin house etc, an electronic dance music genre that combines house and Latin American music, such as that of Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, and African origin.
What sort of set could a bridal couple expect if they were to hire you with a dj? And how long do you normally play for?
I always bring a good set of congas, timbales, djembe and bongos and I normally play for three hours.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I love music, so it still forms part of my life, even in my “free time” which is usually spent studying and practising percussion.