After several collaborative releases, German drummer Simon Popp is back on Squama with his second solo album ‘Devi’.

While his phenomenal debut ‘Laya’ was a percussive take on ambient and third stream minimalism, ‘Devi’ features eight tracks of bold organic grooves, uplifting and hopeful in one moment, sinister and dark in the next. This dualism is reflective of the ups and downs in Simon’s own life, making the album a brutally honest and deeply personal record.

Over the past two years Popp has steadily refined his skills both as a player and an engineer: There are virtuoso drumming parts, revealing his passion for polyrhythm and complex structures and recording techniques such as heavy limiting, using gated reverb and pitch-shifting give the record a modern 90s vibe. ‘Devi’ is a forceful statement of what contemporary drum music can sound like today.


Written, Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Simon Popp
Mastered by Christoph Stickel at CS Mastering
Drawings by Miro Maria Schachtner
Designed by Maximilian Schachtner at Daily Dialogue

  • The Line Of Best Fit

    13.07.21

    "This is an exciting record for drum music, formed in a quietly burgeoning scene in Munich built around an exciting new label, Squama. The rich history of German kosmiche has another album worthy of being more than just a footnote."

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  • Sueddeutsche Zeitung

    06.08.21

    "Insgesamt erweist sich "Devi" als höchst abwechslungsreich und vielstimmig. Und genauso wie bei Popps Debüt oder seinem Projekt 9ms ist beeindruckend, wie das alles wirklich vom Schlagzeug her gedacht und entwickelt ist. Das heißt ohne dass Popp etwa "krampfhaft" Saiten- oder Tasteninstrumente einbaut, um den Radius zu erweitern. Nein, auch so entsteht eine vielfältige Klangwelt, die ihre Stärke gerade daraus schöpft, dass sie sich zwischen Jazz, Pop oder Weltmusik bewusst nicht klar verortet. Und genau das macht Simon Popp zu einem der derzeit spannendsten Münchner Schlagzeuger."

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  • Popp


    Exploration and play are at the core of Simon Popp’s creative process. Classically trained in jazz drumming and polyrhythm, the Bavarian-born artist draws from a vast array of percussive instruments to build his expansive sound palette. Learning the drums and listening to a wide range of genres from a young age instilled in him a ravenous musical curiosity that resonates throughout his various projects: as a solo artist under his own name, his duo-projects 9ms and Enji&Popp or as the drummer for bands like Roosevelt and Fazer, the group he co-founded with conservatory peers Martin Brugger, Paul Brändle, Matthias Lindermayr, and fellow drummer Sebastian Wolfgruber in 2018.

    • Devi

      180g vinyl

      € 25
      • Laya

        180g vinyl

        € 23Sold Out!
        • Laya Clear Vinyl Edition

          2023 Repress, Clear vinyl, comes in screen-printed PVC sleeve

          € 25
          • Laya Clear CD

            Popp's debut album available on CD, accompanying the 2023 clear vinyl repress

            € 16
            • 031921 5.24 5.53

              Limited 10" dubplate (one per customer)
              Edition of 50. Comes in a letterpress printed and embossed cover with silver printed innersleeve.

              € 30Sold Out!
              • Percussive Maintenance (2)

                White printed transparent cassette tape.
                Limited edition of 50 copies.

                € 15Sold Out!
                • Blizz

                  180g vinyl

                  € 25
                  • Candid

                    180g vinyl, 2nd pressing (late 2024)
                    Each record comes with unique print, edition of 300
                    Ships early January

                    € 25