Philip Selway says drum machines opened up his drumming

Time, listing the 100 best albums of all time, once wrote that the drum machine on Kid A left Philip Selway forever dismayed. Talking to Mono for an essay on rock drumming in the digital age, he says the opposite.

Playing along sequencers with Radiohead pushed me to create some new dynamics. It's another way of solving the problem of arranging songs.

Philip Selway¹

He calls it a challenge, and a healthy one, that has changed how he has drummed over the years, and says hip-hop and dance have done drummers a great deal of good.

The clearest case was Radiohead's last tour, when Clive Deamer joined him as a second drummer.

One played in the traditional way, the other almost mimicked a drum machine. It was push-and-pull, like kids at play, really interesting.

Philip Selway¹

Electronics, in his words, opened up my drumming rather than closing down the possibilities of what I can do.¹