The Movement Towards Hybrid Percussion Set-Ups

Drumming News :

As rhythm has become the foundation of modern pop music, the role of percussionists— and their set-ups— continue to expand.

By the early 1900s, drummers had completely amalgamated the drums and cymbals of marching and orchestral percussion into what became known as “the drumset”. Played by one drummer instead of several, the instrument lacked what could be called a standard configuration, though. Indeed, the practice of combining different drums and percussion, accessories and effects— along with rhythms from the U.S. and around the world— was a feature not a bug and remained a fundamental part of the drumset’s ongoing development.

This tradition of constant evolution accelerated throughout the 20^th century with drummers for silent movies, radio shows and jazz and rock bands often taking an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to the drumset and to drumming.

Authentic African, South American and Caribbean rhythms, however, continued to be played on multiple instruments by multiple players. Salsa required 5 specialized players (congas, bongos/cowbell, timbales, clave, guiro), a full Samba percussion section needed even more (Surdo, Caixa, Repinique, Pandeiro, Tambourim, Agogo, Cuica, Chocalho) and West African drumming took a village (multiple Djembes, Dunduns, bells and shakers).

However, with the ongoing expansion and increasing influence of the drumset, percussionists eventually began expanding their set-ups, too. Even before Walfredo Reyes, Sr. (1933-2025) introduced and popularized a system for adapting Latin sounds and rhythms to the drumkit, Cuban timbalero Ulpiano Diaz (1900-1990) added cowbells to his timbales (1930s) and Puerto Rican-American Tito Puente (1923-2000) started using a cymbal with his timbale set-up (1950s). Later, Richie “Gajate” Garcia (1950- ) developed an adapter for bass drum pedals that allowed percussionists to play cowbells and blocks with their feet (1980s).

In the 1960s, another percussion-related trend was also developing. To add the sonic colors and exotic flavors that amplified the rhythmic intensity and fattened the groove in contemporary music, it became common to have both a drumset player and a percussionist in live and studio situations. At first the auxiliary/pop percussionist was a conga drummer with a tambourine, shaker and cowbell. But, following the same process that had shaped the development of the drumset, it wasn’t long before a variety of other instruments and effects were added to a percussionist’s arsenal, including timbales, bongos, djembes, cajons and much, much more.

As the proliferation and assimilation of Latin, World, Rock, R&B and Pop music styles expanded— and music became increasingly beat-centric— in the 21^st Century, these adventurous players began adding cymbals, hi-hats, snare drums, tom-toms and bass drums as well as electronic triggers, pads and pedals to their set-ups.

Today, these dual trends (larger percussion set-ups and extra percussionists to play them) continue to gain momentum and many players who started out as Latin, World, orchestral or studio percussionists have transformed into “Hybrid Percussionists”. There’s no limit to what these players include in their set-ups because there’s no limit to the rhythms, sounds and techniques they need to cover.

One great example of this phenomenon are the set-ups played by Aicha Djidjelli, Holly Madge and Aleksandra Suklar on the recent Hans Zimmer Live tours. With the variety of music they play in an evening, for the composer’s scores for films from The Lion King, Gladiator and Pirates Of The Caribbean to Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, their combined drum and percussion sets are the next step in the hybrid percussion revolution— a trend that will no doubt to continue to grow in the future.

For this article, we had the opportunity to speak with four percussionists whose drumming and drum/percussion sets document and define the hybrid movement: Roberto Serrano (Luis Miguel), Nasrine Rahmani (Diego Guerrero), JP Castillo (Jennifer Lopez) and Taku Hirano (Fleetwood Mac, LeAnn Rimes).

Roberto Serrano​ (@robertoserranooficial)

With more than 25 years of experience, and thousands of kilometers traveled in the United States, Latin America and Europe, Roberto Serrano has collaborated with artists such as Luis Miguel, Humbe, Sublime, Lilly Goodman, Yuri, Marcela Gandara, Abraham Batarse, Amanecer, Abel Zavala, Nathalie Hazim, Carmen Maria and David Cavazos. In addition, he has received Grammy awards for his work with Jesus Adrian Romero and Alex Campos.

Roberto has taught at colleges and universities throughout Latin American and given clinics and masterclasses in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Austin, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and Bolivia. He currently tours and records on drums and percussion with a variety artists, including Jesus Adrian Romero, Humbe and Nopals, and he was most recently featured on Luis Miguel’s internationally-acclaimed, 2023-2025 world tour.

“As a percussionist and drummer, I’ve had the opportunity and good fortune to experience both worlds. Although they are coming from the same place, each one has different textures, perspectives and musical responsibilities. The desire to seek a mixture of these two worlds is what led me to experiment with different instrumentations.

Sometimes, these fusions are Cuban-oriented, sometimes Brazilian, Colombian, Peruvian or African and, many times, a combination of all of them. This effort is not only to discover what each influence can demand in terms of technical and rhythmic knowledge, but also what each requires in order to create the appropriate color and the texture.

This has led me to immerse myself in a deep study of each style and its elements and also to dare, with all due respect, to merge patterns, styles and instruments. And all of this has pushed me to constantly change my set-up— obviously, depending on the tour, the artist or the project I’m called to work on.

Recently, I was working on a set with a Bass Drum, Snare, Hi-Hat, Conga, Tumbadora and Timbale because I was practicing some Timba and Salsa rhythms. The next day I changed to Kick, Snare, Hi-Hat, Djembe, Timbale and Floor Tom because I was practicing a Colombian Style.

Sometimes I feel lost in this Rhythm Exploration Obsession. But I’m pretty sure this is part of the necessity of expressing myself… and the music I play.”

Nasrine Rahmani (@nasrine_percussion)

Nasrine Rahmani is a professional percussionist specializing in Flamenco and Latin percussion. She was born and raised in Australia where she began her studies in African, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban percussion. After completing a degree in Music Performance at the prestigious Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, she began the first of four extended stays in Cuba to continue her education. Then, to immerse herself in the culture and music of Spain, she decided to move to there— eventually specializing in the Flamenco Cajon.

Today, after 25 years of her musical career and 15 years living in Madrid, she is recognized as one of the leading representatives of Flamenco percussion and appreciated for her supportive accompaniment along as well as her strength as a soloist. She has accompanied musical figures such as Montse Cortes, Jorge Pardo, Chicuelo, Caramelo de Cuba, Belén López, Karime Amaya, Munir Hossn,Vanessa Martin and Manuel Carrasco and is a member of Diego Guerrero and Niño de Elche´s projects.

In 2021, Nasrine released “Tú Compas Flamenco,” a 52-track album for learning, performing and recording Flamenco rhythmic styles. It is used by a multitude of professional and amateur musicians and dancers, as well as in academies and universities around the world.

“There is a world of possibilities to create a powerful set-up using the Cajón as the driving force. With the Cajón as the centerpiece and a good variety of cymbals, I will normally add a variety of other colours, depending on the style of the music. For Flamenco fused with Latin Jazz, I will usually have a snare, hi-hat, foot-mounted cowbell and mounted Rebolo.

Recently I have been experimenting with adding some bongos and congas as well as a mounted guiro which is a lot to reach around and co-ordinate but heaps of fun. For more of a traditional flamenco or world music setting I will often opt for an Udu (African clay drum) or riq (Middle Eastern tambourine) instead of the latin percussion elements.

I come from a hand drumming background, and don’t play the kit, so it has taken me a while to get comfortable with pedals and multi-instrument independence. But the work has paid off. As a modern percussionist, it really is necessary to find a way to capture the essence of a rhythm originally interpreted by a group of percussion players and boil that down into a groove that can be played by one person.”

JP Castillo (@jpcastillomusic)

Costa Rica-born Latin/Pop percussionist JP Castillo started as a drummer in his church and later attended Fullerton College in southern California where he studied percussion and voice. He also dances, composes and produces. While his main gig these days is touring and recording with international super-star Jennifer Lopez, JP Castillo’s skills are in demand by some of the most iconic names in the music business.

Since his first professional job playing Aladdin in the Aladdin Musical Spectacular at Disney’s California Adventure theme park, JP has gone on to appear as a featured member of The Jacksons, JLo and ABC-TV’s “Dancing With The Stars” band and alongside many other world-renowned artists, including recording and co-producing with Janet Jackson.

“I designed my set up with JLo because her catalog is infused with a wide range of Latin, R&B, Pop and electronic music. I always aim to pay respect to the original grooves, textures and elements that make the record what it is. To me, that’s the “sauce”. Each instrument in my rig is there to provide layers of texture and color for the groove.”

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Taku Hirano (@takuhirano)
Born in Japan and raised in the United States, Taku Hirano was trained in European classical music, Black American Music, and Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, West African, Indian and Japanese percussion traditions. He attended Berklee College of Music for both undergraduate and graduate studies and was the institution’s first graduating hand percussion principal.

Taku has toured the world as the percussionist for Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, John Mayer, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie and LeAnn Rimes and was a featured soloist on “Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour” by the Michael Jackson Estate and Cirque du Soleil.

His live performance credits also include Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Shakira, Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Snoop Dogg, Ed Sheeran, Usher, Jonas Brothers, Pharrell Williams, Annie Lennox, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, Patti LaBelle, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Steven Tyler, Chaka Khan, Jon Batiste, Melissa Etheridge, Queen Latifah, Barry Manilow, Andrea Bocelli, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. His recording credits include Dr. Dre, Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, Ziggy Marley, Jennifer Hudson, LeAnn Rimes, Josh Groban, and Lionel Richie as well as numerous film scores, soundtracks, television shows, national commercials and signature sample libraries.

“The core configuration of my multi-percussion rig (conga, quinto, tumba centered, bongos and timbales to my left, percussion table and wind chimes to my right, multiple pedals – whether electronic or cowbell/kick pedal – below, and cymbals to my left and right) had its genesis on my first world tour, with Whitney Houston, and evolving into my large, touring rig. This template continues to this day on major tours with Fleetwood Mac, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks, John Mayer, Lionel Richie and Cirque du Soleil. 

Portions of this set-up have changed as needed. For example, the concert toms took the place of my full timbale set on Fleetwood Mac because I had to play the tom parts that Mick overdubbed on those iconic recordings. I originally looked to pioneers of the multi-percussion/electronic-percussion pop touring rigs of Tim “Timbali” Cornwell, Terry Santiel and Bashiri Johnson for inspiration, but building on the ergonomics that best-suited my needs, height and playing techniques.

My cajón-based, hybrid rig had its genesis 20 years ago with Lindsey Buckingham, when I had a 50/50 role as percussionist and drummer (incorporating a V-Drum kit into a sit-down, cajón-based/sit-down percussion rig for those tours). Similar rigs to this cajón-based drum kit were also used for Josh Groban, Les Nubians, and currently with LeAnn Rimes. As one of the first cajón-based drum touring rigs, I was navigating uncharted waters in terms of rig design.” 

Additional Hybrid Percussionists

Luis Conté (@luisconte) (Phil Collins, James Taylor, Madonna, Pat Metheny Group, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Shakira)

Ray Cooper (@raycooperofficial) (Elton John, Eric Clapton)

Richie Garcia (@richiegajate) (Phil Collins, Sting, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Diana Ross, Hiroshima, Patti Labelle, Amy Grant, Brooks and Dunn, Luis Miguel, John Denver, Art Garfunkel)

Roland Garcia (@rologajate) (Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Robin Thicke, American Idol, DWTS, Raphael Saadiq)

Taku Hirano (@takuhirano) (Fleetwood Mac, Whitney Houston, Dr Dre, LeAnn Rimes, John Mayer, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie)

Bashiri Johnson (@bashirijohnson) (Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Donald Fagen, Madonna, Steve Winwood, Rolling Stones, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Paul Simon, Barbara Streisand, Eric Clapton, Lionel Richie)

Brian Kilgore (@briankilgorepercussion) (Barbra Streisand, Daft Punk, John Williams, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Dr. Dre, Coldplay, Linda Rondstadt)

John Mahon (@johnmahonworld) (Elton John)

Valerie Naranjo (@valerienaranjo196) (SNL)

Luis Ribeiro (@luisribeiro_percussion) (The World Of Hans Zimmer)

Kevin Ricard (@kevinricardpercussion) (Sergio Mendes, Herb Alpert, Steve Winwood, Kenny Loggins)

Martin Verdonk (@martinverdonk_percussion) (Steve Winwood, Prince, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, George Duke)

Ray Yslas (@rayraydrums)(Chicago, David Sanborn, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Nicks, Prince, Ricky Martin, Martina McBride, Carlos Santana)

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