KOCHI: On last Saturday, before a passionate crowd at Fine Arts Hall in Kochi, 14-year old Floyd Emmanuel Libera began to play on his drums a dynamic solo, later switching to progressive rock, traditional jazz and Latin jazz.
His tactful hands flipped genres through various levels of solos and techniques - a session that demonstrated the expertise of a child prodigy that he is - wowing the crowd. Floyd, through the Drum Clinic presented in association with the Kerala Fine Arts Society, marked his position as the youngest talent to conduct a drum clinic in Kerala.
A Drum Clinic is an educational demonstration of drumming technique by a respected and influential drummer.
“Floyd Libera stands out because his talent is unparallel. His approach is polyrhythmic and he isn’t restricted by barriers of genres. It is a challenge to single-handedly captivate the crowd, which is not common people but those who have a solid base in music,” says Mathew Joy, tutor of Floyd.
However, Floyd, who is not at ease with words as much as he is with a mallet, says its his passion that gets him going. “I am a bit burdened with academics too, but I make it a point to practice every day. Somedays, if I am in a mood for music, I play for three hours at a stretch,” says Floyd.
First Beats
Floyd started learning music when he was just four year. His father Foster Libera says he showed a passion for drums at the tender age following which they took him to classes. He began taking initial lessons at National Academy at Ravipuram till age six after which he moved to Jamdrum School under the tutoring of Mathew Joy.
Floyd also cleared the ATCL (Associate of Trinity College London) at the age of 13 years in 2014 with distinction making him the youngest in India to achieve this certificate for drums. The teenage percussionist will also appear in November for Licentiate (LTCL) degree from Trinity College.
Drum Clinic
According to Mathew Joy, a drummer needs to have a certain level of command over his trade to conduct a drum clinic. “It is more of a technical session where there are demonstration of various techniques and queries to be answered. The participants too are no novice in this area and that is where Floyd’s skill comes to the fore. At this tender age, he is so comfortable and expert with drums,” says Mathew. The first drum clinic was held at Bangalore last December at Aum-l-Artist. Another clinic will be conducted soon at Thiruvananthapuram on January 23 at Vyllipally Samskrithi Bhavan.