Native Instruments releases Karriem Riggins Drums for Kontakt Player

Native Instruments has announced the release of Karriem Riggins Drum, the latest installment in the Play Series, built with pioneering drummer and producer Karriem Riggins.

Here's what they say:

A close collaborator with Kaytranda, Paul McCartney, H.E.R, Diana Krall, Kanye and many others, Riggins is celebrated for his unique and experimental approach to drumming and production, fusing his background as a drummer and producer across multiple genres.

Karriem Riggins Drum marks his first plug-in release, making it simple for producers to dial in his signature style of punchy and behind-the-beat drums.

The instrument features kits designed and recorded by Riggins during sessions in the renowned Studio 3 at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles.

Working with engineer Kyle Hoffmann, they created a palette of left-field drum sounds using guitar amps, reverbs, experimental mic placements, custom setups, and unconventional performance methods.

In addition to an array of one-shots and kits, the instrument packs a collection of MIDI groove patterns curated by Karriem himself, which users can customize using onboard controls or drag-and-drop into a DAW of choice for further editing.

The Karriem Riggins Drum Play Series was created to inspire musical diversity and explores how expansive the Law of Rhythm really is.

Riggins

In a first for Native Instruments, the interface of Karriem Riggins Drum was hand-painted in gouache on 56 x 76 cm paper and digitized by San Francisco-based artist Jason Jägel, whose work has appeared on covers for MF DOOM and Jahari Massamba Unit, as well as on large-scale public murals around California and beyond.

I created a movie poster-inspired scene. Karriem's music often feels cinematic, like it evokes its own world. The color palette, setting, and narrative of my painting represent a place both futuristic and ancient, which is how I experience Karriem's music and how his home of Detroit appears in my mind's eye.

Jägel

In the Karriem Riggins Drum walkthrough video below, shot at Sunset Sound, Riggins goes deeper into the instrument, explains how he approached the project, and shows how producers can use it to create one-of-a-kind drum parts:

YouTube.com/watch?v=z5kP-IqTNa0

The release is also marked by the publication of Behind the Sleeves, shot at Gold Line in Los Angeles, in which Riggins explores a collection of key records from his discography, recounting stories of his time working with J Dilla, Madlib, and most recently Steve Lacy:

YouTube.com/watch?v=oe0taG1l3Mo

Price: EUR 49 / USD 49 / YEN 6600 / GBP 44 / AUD 79 / CAD 69 / CHF 69 / CNY 349.