Donald "DJ" Johnson, Jr. is an American musician, songwriter, and music producer best known as the drummer for Khruangbin, a Grammy-nominated trio from Houston, Texas, and one half of the hip hopproduction duo Beanz N Kornbread.[1]
Background
Johnson grew up playing drums, moving to keyboard organ in his late teens.[2][3] He has remarked on the cultural diversity of growing up in Houston, with people from all over the world living in the region and playing their music, as influencing his sound.[4]
Johnson is an alumnus of Texas All State Symphonic Wind Ensemble and studied orchestral percussion with instructor Jim Whitfill.[5]
Johnson met guitarist and future Khruangbin bandmate Mark Speer in 2004 at the Red Cat Jazz Cafe in Houston. The two later worked together as hired players in Pastor Rudy Rasmus' St. John's United Methodist Church gospel band in the city, where Johnson played organ and Speer played guitar.[6]
Johnson plays a jazz kit, which is smaller than the kit of many rock drummers.[14] In a 2020 interview with Modern Drummer, his kit was listed as a 3×13 Diamond Drum Co. maple snare drum; a 14×14 Gretschfloor tom, and a 14×20 Gretsch bass drum.[5] The interview stated he uses Promark DJ Johnson signature sticks and typically plays (left-handed) a Yamaha Refacekeyboard in live performance with Khruangbin. Johnson's cymbals were listed as 14″ CB Percussion MX series hi-hats and an 18″ Meinl Byzance Dark crash. Johnson does not typically record to a click track.[15][16]
References
^"Out of the shadows". Bangkok Post Public Company Limited – via www.bangkokpost.com.
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