Roy Kasika, Uganda’s Hottest Session Drummer
I met Roy though Sweetwater Sound, where I first met his brother, who introduced me. Roy is one of the most talented and sought after drummers in Uganda, and often goes on tour internationally.
We were having a conversation about Dream Rodeo, when Roy offerred to play some drums on the project. I sent him two songs, both of which he knocked the ball out of the park…
The thing that is so special about what Roy has contributed to Dream Rodeo is his creative approach to the groove! I have learned now that when choosing tracks to request Roy to play on, I choose songs that are wide open, but haven’t strongly suggested the direction they want to go… I give Roy just the vocals and a click or a drone and he instinctively comes up with something brand new and absolutely perfect for the song… things I would have NEVER dreamed of, but send me in a brand new direction, and dictate a brand new groove for the whole song!
Seldom has a session player contributed and influenced me as much as Roy.
At first, he did the slowly simmering march time on Swan Song on the German album, and the trippy groove on the song Manu from the Liberian album, where he is joined by Tim Beeler, Andy Booth and the great Bakhiti Khumalo (Bassist from Paul Simon’s “Graceland” album.)
Both of those songs would not at all be what they are if it were not for his contribution.
Since then, Roy and I have stayed in touch, and he has contributed to four new tracks, “Tanda Beni” from the Angolan record, “No Woman, No Cry” and “Three Little Birds” fro the “Jamaica’s Favorite Son” album, and perhaps the most mysterious and groovy, “Kagome, Kagome” from the Japanese album.
I look forward to further collaborations with Roy, in which I send him tracks and he records in his Studio in Uganda, and then sends them back to me. Roy’s contributions marked the first time any sound on any Dream Rodeo track was recorded anywhere other than Monastic Chambers or the Cloister, but he has opened up new possibilities to me, and made this project TRULY international!