Listen to Matt Cameron Playing in Synth Project Plan D

Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron is among the many drummers heard on Plan D, a new synth-led solo project by the Melvins keyboardist Toshi Kasai.

In “Golden Voyage,” the first track released by Plan D, Cameron’s drumming is used to trigger other sounds. The track also features Dale Drover and Clem Burke, drummers with the Melvins and Blondie respectively.

You can listen to “Golden Voyage” below:

“Toshi Kasai understands us drummers,” Cameron said in a statement. “This amazing collection of drum vignettes is a perfect example of how Toshi hears the music in our rhythmic patterns. I am not sure how he did it, something including MIDI I presume, but none of that matters… Plan D stands on its own as a completely new musical entity and I’m super proud to be a part of it.”

“Plan D is a musical demonstration built for dimension, duration and dynamics,” Kasai explained. “My long-time desire became real and it’s even better than I planned because of the support from talented, experienced drummers. The unique and individual styles of drumming each tell a different story. It became an experimental, conceptual project. I directed their stories by writing notes on the synthesizer and triggering them by drum hits.”

He added of his inspiration: “I was listening to a soundcheck take I recorded with Dale… I thought the drums themselves [were] singing and I was wondering if I could trigger some other instruments by the individual hit of the drum take and put some notes over it. Around the same time, I was really getting into analog synthesizers.”

Toshi Kasai's Plan D project will be unveiled via four EPs throughout 2020. “Golden Voyage" is featured on the first edition, titled SW, which is available for order now.

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