Drumadics, Underground Percussive & Horn Ensemble, Breathing Life in NYC Subways

Image credit: Drumadics

Brisk saunters are the lingua franca in a crowded NYC subway station. The middle of the day and an iridescent sun beats the ground and passing foreheads with unapologetic abrasion, causing sweat to slither down backs and the subway to transform into a refuge for the cool. Any station has the chance of having music brimming the air’s rim, with 14th St. and W 4th St. being hotspots for jazz musicians to flirt with the atmosphere and provide soundtracks for the train wait. While this feat is largely comprised of soloists, there are collective creative minds who’ve coalesced and began making music as an ensemble.

One day out in Union Square and the same unapologetic attack the sun had on the sidewalk was the same that Drumadics provided the subway station in the middle of the day. The refuge was in the music, which was being performed in the same makeshift manner that many subway performers do: a drummer’s seat on a bucket, the horn player’s feet dancing along the rhythm of the band, the people gathering around, sweaty palms choking their smartphones.

Their official Twitter account says “The Fusion World-Beat sound captivates audiences in NY & around the world,” and without a shrivel of doubt; any Drumadics performance will have a crowd haloing the group, each individual donning a face-wide grin.

In between sets the group met the general air of excitement with unfazed focus; the talk was kept at a bare minimum, the drummer and brass players consuming water with their primary desire of putting on a show at the forefront of their demeanor. Almost as an unspoken agreement with the audience; the vibe could not be disturbed in between songs as they prepared for another vivacious song.

Alongside jazz standards and original compositions, the band also dabbles in covers of hip-hop songs, walking the bridge between influences and related genres.

While the band considers New York their home, a recent GoFundMe was launched with the endgoal of having the band visit different cities around the globe. Regardless of the amassed fame to come, there’ll always be a raw aesthetic associated with the “Beat-N-Brass” band; the reverberation of 40s and 50s jazz music which held its place as the soundtrack of Urban NY. You can keep up with the band, founded by William B. Johnson, on Twitter, SoundCloud, and Instagram.