The Diplomats of Drum are a band from Malaysia that comprises of each ethnic race in the country. The Diplomats fuses Malaysian melodies and rhythms with global beats and melodies, creating a unique brand of global Fusion. The global beats that they have pioneered have influenced many movements where they have played and they are highly regarded as the most exciting and promising youthful, ethnic-flavored percussion ensemble.
Born from pure creativity and experimentation with rhythms and percussion, the Diplomats of Drum started as an energetic bunch of street performers, slowly changing into a serious all percussion ensemble. Their enthusiasm is infectious and their diverse unified beats, combining showmanship and acrobatic stunts in their performances attract audiences. Eventually they evolved into a global fusion band. But they have not forgotten their humble beginnings, and have incorporated their drumline like percussion style and rhythms into their stage performances.
Influences include Indian classical vocals, Gaelic chants, traditional Malay rhythms, Afro beats and Latin grooves, Bhangra rhythms, Scottish Bagpipe, sitar, jembe and a drumline.
“We’re a bunch of happy go lucky noise mongers who love music and everything about it. After many years of being session musicians, we decided to get together to form the Diplomats of Drum.”
“We officially got together as a band in 2006, but have been playing as percussionists for some time before that. We decided to progress and maintain the band concept after being asked to perform at a friends charity gig. We liked that way we sounded, so we stuck to playing as a band, combining our percussive skills with the new found melodies, and added a few more members to complete the gang!”
“We’re a hodge podge of soundscapes! What we did is, we took the traditional melodies and rhythms of Malaysia, and fused them with instruments and sounds from other countries! In particular, we love Celtic music…so that’s why we lean a bit more towards it. Hence the term global fusion that is closely associated with us. Plus, we incorporated the percussions into the band, so we’re pretty loud!”
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
