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ddrum celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2023 with deep gratitude for the community of customers, artists, dealers, and distributors that have contributed to this milestone. What began as a basement project in electronic drums in the early 1980s evolved into a full-line drum company at the forefront of modern drumming. “Powered by ddrum™” really means that the company is powered by a collective passion for making music. The team continuously draws inspiration from its creative community as it looks eagerly toward an exciting future.
At its core, ddrum is a company of drummers for drummers. Here, you’ll find employees who were once told they were practicing too loud. They still play weekend gigs and get excited when they see a beautiful kit. ddrum has a proud legacy of breaking new ground while simultaneously serving the everyday needs of working drummers. Balancing a spirit of innovation with practical functionality, ddrum became the first brand in history to use ash, ash-maple, and alder shells, giving its kits unique tones suitable for a variety of playing styles.
Always at the forefront of industry trends, and in some cases, starting them, ddrum has always innovated in a way that was traditionally only available through custom drum makers. A collaborative partnership with sister brand Dean Guitars has allowed ddrum to get creative in its USA Custom Shop, where customizable criteria include shell dimensions, finish, and hardware options. The style and attention to detail has garnered the company endorsements from Vinnie Paul and Carmine Appice, among dozens of other signed and independent drummers.
It’s been a long journey to the mainstage from 1983, when ddrum began as Clavia Digital Musical Instruments, which later became NORD Keyboards. Synthpop was sweeping the globe as personal computers gained traction. Co-founders Hans Nordelius and Mikael Carlsson worked in the basement of a home in suburban Stockholm to create the Digital Percussion Plate 1, the world’s first digital drum allowing for dynamic playing using sampled sounds. A year later, the duo officially launched an improved version of Plate 1 under the ddrum brand, complete with the logo’s signature red coloring, and the capability to play four sounds from an EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory).
While other electronic drum kits of the day relied on rubber pads, ddrum used real drum heads to trigger sounds. Along with a separate trigger for the snare drum rim, the authentic heads enabled more realistic playability. Over the next two decades, ddrum’s drum pads, heads, and hoops garnered a large and loyal following.
Clavia continued to innovate with electronic drums until 2005, when they sold ddrum to Armadillo Enterprises, a musician-run company. This was a pivotal moment in ddrum’s history, as the brand broadened its horizons to acoustic kits, snares, deccabons, hardware, and accessories, making ddrum a full-line drum company.
Today, ddrum continues to bridge the worlds of vintage and modern, finding the sweet spot between old-school and cutting-edge. Whether players selected a kit on a beginner’s budget or they invested in the customized kit of their dreams, ddrum extends its heartfelt thanks to its community of loyal fans and followers over the past 40 years. The team looks forward to decades of innovation to come.
Stay up to date with ddrum, including upcoming product releases, at www.ddrum.com.
