DK the Drummer and Sucre
DK THE DRUMMER
Three words: DK. The. Drummer. This man has an unbelievable track record and an even more unbelievable live performance. Not only is Darren King (DK the Drummer) a Grammy nominee, but he has accolades such as co-producer of Mutemath, co-producer on Kanye Wests’s “Real Friends” and work with Travis Scott. On top of all that, he is half the band Sucré, and also works as a music video director. It seems that there is nothing this man can not do. Scrolling through Warehouse Live’s promotional calendar, one can immediately tell that there is something special about Darren King, even without having heard a single note of his music or mixes. The man wears half of a disco ball on his head as a helmet! More on that later.
The evening at Warehouse Live began a little later than anticipated, around 8:00pm, with a performance by Sucré, of which King is the drummer. Surprisingly, or not, it turns out that King is also married to the other half, and lead singer of Sucré, Stacy King. Originally from Houston, this intimate venue was packed with locals anxious to hear one of their own perform hits like “Loner” which has received 2.1 million streams on Spotify and other notable tracks like Young and Free and their latest release, “Inside.” With heavy synths, ample drums, and delicate vocals floating over it all, Sucré has perfectly balanced beauty with darkness in their music. After a fairly brief set, the band members exited the stage and the room began to increase in occupancy over the course of about twenty minutes.
Finally, it was time for DK the Drummer to make his appearance. In contrast to the clean, suit wearing, drum playing, Darren King in Sucré, the man that returned to the stage was dressed in a wildly reflective suit covered with sequence and a half-disco-ball-helmet atop his head. After a few clicks of the projector screen buttons, DK began to shine – literally. For those familiar with infamous mash-up artist, Girl Talk, DK the Drummer embodied all of the excitement and nostalgia of combining familiar beats and basslines from songs of the past with heavy hitting rap and pop lyrics.
SUCRE
Watching one man orchestrate a live mix and mash of a huge variety of hits from the past four decades was one incredible feat to witness – all while playing extremely intricate drum patterns. Though it seems possible for King to accomplish the mission himself, he has entrusted a “plus-one” to the stage to handle an intricate weave of synths and sound controls throughout the entire performance and allow him to interact more frequently with the audience. With lights shimmering throughout the room, and psychedelic, acid-washed visuals playing behind them, the audience was on their feet and dancing for the entire set. At one point, the vibe in the crowd was so great that King left the stage to join the dance party, disco-ball-helmet and all. Even his wife could not resist the temptation to shimmy and shake! After an hour and a half of sweat inducing dance and aerobics, the evening finally came to an end. The audience left beaming with smiles from ear to ear and still had an entire night in front of them to ride the high so carefully curated by the one and only DK the Drummer.
Coverage by Marshall Heins II
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