Álvaro López (born 1979) is a drummer and producer. His most well-known project to date has been as drummer/programmer with the English trip hop band Second Person, working on their 2004 debut release ''

Chromatography In chemical analysis, chromatography is a laboratory technique for the Separation process, separation of a mixture into its components. The mixture is dissolved in a fluid solvent (gas or liquid) called the ''mobile phase'', which carries it ...

'' and the following two albums The Elements and Come to Dust with band-mates Julia Johnson and Mark Maclaine. The

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

-born drummer/songwriter is also known for his work with

The Feeling The Feeling are an English rock/ pop band from Horsham, Sussex. Following a limited release of their first single " Fill My Little World" in late 2005, the band entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 with their first full release " Sewn" in Fe ...

in their early days has produced and played on various electro tracks with a number of Spanish DJs including Karim Haas and Cristian Varela.

History

Starting in the school choir at the age of 6, he moved on to study

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

. After moving to London and four years studying Music Performance and Technology he travelled to Cuba in Summer of 2003 to study Afro-Cuban Rhythm. Once there, he studied under Betun (Luis Valiente Marin) the well known and hugely respected percussionist for Cachao López (

Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club was a musical ensemble primarily made up of Cuban musicians, formed in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit (record label), World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and dire ...

). López has played in a number of bands with a wide range of styles including

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

. He joined Second Person in mid-2004.

Trivia

* His Jazz credits include playing with

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

' band the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at

The Barbican Barbican is a type of fortified building. Barbican may also refer to: * Barbican (drink), a brand of malt beverage in Saudi Arabia and the UAE * Barbican Estate, a residential estate in London ** Barbican Centre, an arts centre in London ** Barb ...

. * He can be seen throughout

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

playing at various shows and

jam sessions ''Jam Sessions'' is a guitar simulation software title and music game for the Nintendo DS that was originally based on the Japan-only title ''Sing & Play DS Guitar M-06'' (''Hiite Utaeru DS Guitar M-06'') originally developed by Plato and relea ...

most nights of the week.

Credits/Releases

* '' Come to Dust'' - Second Person: drummer/programmer (in production: Album) * '' The Elements'' - Second Person : drummer/programmer (2007: Album) * '' Live at the Bedford'' - Second Person : drummer (2006: DVD) * ''Sol Chango'' - Sol Chango Trio: drummer/co-producer (2006: Album) * ''

'' - Second Person : drummer/programmer (2004: Album)

References

* Second Person in ''The Independent'' (23rd Oct 2002: pg 12) * BBC Radio 2 Interview (The Weekender with Matthew Wright - 3rd Nov 2005) * ''

Future Music ''Future Music'' (stylised as ''FutureMusic'') was a monthly music magazine, published by Future plc in the UK between 1992 and 2024. It was aimed primarily at record producers working in the electronic music field. ''Future Music'' included Comp ...

'' interview (Nov 2005) ;Specific

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Alvaro 1979 births Living people Spanish drummers 21st-century drummers