Marc Riordan is a devout musician to a degree that sometimes worries me. Certain things come into his scope he finds fascinating and he dives in with dedication not only to the mechanics of a form (executing Ragtime repertoire, devouring horror flicks and the music associated with it, interpreting Bach immediately come to mind), but the relation to historical context, the meaning embedded into details of that form, and the spirit of the form, all become obsessions. That dedication leads to years of research and practice unlike I have seen from most of my musician friends' allegiance to sound. He’ll disappear like a hermetic monk into a thing, hence the worrying on my part. Is he eating? Does he sleep?

He is also one of my all-time favorite drummers. He doesn’t make it easy for me to categorize his scope of understanding the trap set or all the styles in which he plays drums convincingly and effortlessly. Please keep that in mind when you listen to this tape. There is much value in each deliberate articulation, his pacing, all of which are indications of a deep understanding of rhythm unique to a drummer’s disposition. And that’s just the horizontal. The vertical plane he occupies has its own rich depth, so you might have to listen to this material more than once to fully appreciate the x and the y. Even though much of this album can seem modal at times, he acts on a few curious harmonic twists that have real weight, particularly on side B. Kleine cadeautjes!

When someone like Marc offers music of their own design, articulating a concept that is personal, it’s worthy of giving it your complete attention. There is a refreshing proposal on this magnetic tape. It is full enough to hang on each note carefully at full volume, but also complete enough to play at a nominal volume while you’re shining your shoes. Drip VI is a little universe, and it defines itself clearly and uniquely, without divergent exposition. It's music that reflects a lifetime of consideration, consciously or unconsciously.

On side B you hear the addition of Devin Hoff’s beautiful bass sound. He is a musician who can carry a metal band, but he is a consummate improviser, equally able to integrate himself into music as part of the fabric, not to feature himself. That is rare! Heather Canning also makes an appearance, a bit of a ghost figure in the music that adds an unexpected, delightful timbral layer.

Perhaps a more important layer I find is on the philosophical level: music as a means to reflect a kind of loyalty to the profundity of a sound. Marc’s reverence in the power of a simple interval, an articulation, the synth patch he uses… it’s profound to me, and I feel like he’s asking the listener to allow the same attention he regards to sound. I hear a kind of playful wit in the occasional jocose choice. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s woven into Drip VI. I often wonder if it is to downplay the inner-goings-on of his sharp calculations and to round off the seriousness of how he approaches music.

Marc is a trickster, so whatever is going on in that resourceful mind of his, we all benefit from it.

- Frank Rosaly, Amsterdam, June 2023