Pete Lockett is one of the most versatile multi-percussionists currently in the world, having immersed himself in percussion and drums from every part of the globe. The wide range of artists he’s worked with reflects the diversity of his playing. He has recorded and or toured with:
Björk, Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, Bill Bruford, Jeff Beck, David Torn, Vikku Vinayakram, Selva Ganesh, Ustad Zakir Hussain, The Verve, Steve Smith, Chris Potter, John Spencer Blues Explosion, David Holmes, Ganesh Kumaresh, Michael Nyman, Natacha Atlas, Texas, Trans-Global Underground, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Russ Miller / Nelly Furtado, Phil Manzanera, David Arnold, Evelyn Glennie, Bedlam, Jon Hassell,
Lee Scratch Perry, Primal Scream, Ed Mann, Michael Shrieve, Edwyn Collins, Damien Rice, George Brooks, Trevor Jackson, Craig Armstrong, John Bergamo, Bernard Butler, David Mcalmont, Metro Voices, London Sinfonietta, Natasha / Daniel Bedingfield, Euphoria, Catherine Bott, Pandit Sharda Sahai, Playgroup, Taufiq Quereshi, U Shrinivas, Rajesh Mandolin, Suga Babes, Hughes De Courson, Ronan Keating, Nitin Sawhney, Evan Dando, Adrian Sherwood, On-U-Sound, Kula Shaker, Afro Celt Sound System, Vanessa-Mae, , Errol Brown, Rory Gallagher, Gary Husband, Pet Shop Boys, Beth Orton, Martina Topley Bird, Shankar Mahedevan, Little Axe, Bikram Ghosh, Dino Merlin, Doug Wimbish, Ronu Majumdar, Hari Haran, Amaan & Ayaan Ali Khan, Amy Winehouse, Mel C, The Players, Junior Delgado, Will Calhoun, Zoro, Benny Greb, Johnny Rabb, Steve Sidelynk, The Aloof, David Toop, Lowell Fulson, Joji Hirota, Skip Macdonald, A R Rahman, Archive, Luke Vibert, Eumir Deodato, Andy Gangadeen, Steve White, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC concert orchestra, Youth of Killing Joke, Catriona MacDonald, Reshma, Aziz Ibrahim (Stone Roses/Simply Red) DJ Judge Jules, French band INTIK, Sinead O'Conner, Elefantes, Andy Wright, Farida Khanum, Qadir Shaggan, Attullah Essakhelvi, Paul Heard/Mike Pickering (M People), Hands Ensemble, Antonio Forcione and more!
A basic list of instruments covered by Pete includes the following:
North/South Indian percussion: tabla, mridangam, kanjira, ghatam, vocal percussion, dholak, naal, bhangra dhol. Middle Eastern percussion: darabuka, req, bendir, frame-drums. Latin percussion: congas, bongos, timbales, berimbau. Also Irish Bodhran, Nigerian Udu, West African djembe, Japanese taiko, Western drumset and many weird and wonderful percussion effects such as waterphones & spring drums, along with many strange percussive objects built and customised by Pete. He also works extensively with electronics & samplers, both live and in the studio, using samplers, effects units and live electronic looping to create densely alternative percussion fabrics.
Pete has worked in virtually every field of music conceivable, both live and in the studio. From pop and rock, to free jazz and the classical avant garde. From traditional Carnatic and Hindustani music of North and South India to traditional Japanese taiko drumming. Straight blues, funk and rock drumming to collaborations with classical, folk, ethnic and experimental musicians. One of Pete’s main calling cards is his ability to play traditional instruments out of their normal cultural setting and make them sit within the music comfortably. He has performed live at festivals and concert halls all over the world.
He has also worked extensively in the film industry. Pete arranged and recorded all the ethnic percussion for the recend 007 hit, Casino Royale and can also count the three previous bond movies, Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough amongst his credits, along with Hollywood blockbusters, City of Angels (Meg Ryan), The Insider (Al Pacino), Plunkett & Maclean (Robert Carlisle), The Bone Collector, (Denzel Washington), Amazing Grace, (Albert Finney), The quiet American (Michael Caine), Moulin Rouge, (Nicole Kidman), and the Guy Ritchie film Snatch, as well as TV and advertising credits which are too numerous to mention. He has also recorded in the Indian film industry, most recently in Chennai with AR Rahman on the 2007 blockbuster, SIVAJI, (Rajini Kanth). Worldwide touring has included India, Nepal, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Sudan, Malaysia, Hungary, Palestine, Israel, America, Canada and extensively all over Europe.
Percussion stompbox music uses many instruments. Innovative percussion artists such as Pete Lockett
and Juan van Emmerloot use the cajon, hand drum, foot drum, latin percussion instruments, wooden drum, wood drum,
from india - the djembe, Indian percussion, tabla, mridangam, kanjira, ghatam, vocal
percussion, dholak, naal, bhangra dhol, from the Middle East - darabuka, req, bendir,
frame-drums; Latin Percussion - congas, bongos, timbales, berimbau, Irish Bodhran,
Nigerian Udu, West African djembe, Japanese taiko, effects, waterphones and spring drums.
