Skip to content
Episode 340 Percussionist Blake Fleming episode artwork

Feb 14, 2026 1 hr 14 min

Episode 340 Percussionist Blake Fleming

from The Lydian Spin Hosted by Lydai Lunch

Blake Fleming is a percussionist, author, and educator known for his work with experimental bands and for writing The Book of Rhythm, an encyclopedia of over 5,000 organized rhythms for all instruments. The book has been sold in more than 20 countries and was a top 5 instruction title in the 2020 Modern Drummer Reader's Poll, and Blake was featured in SPIN's 100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music. He has recorded and toured across jazz, rock, and avant-garde scenes, and his drumming has been covered by outlets including The New York Times, NPR, Spin, Rolling Stone, MOJO, Modern Drummer, and Pitchfork. In addition to studio work and teaching students worldwide through live online lessons, he has completed his second full-length album, The Beat Fantastic, scheduled for release later this summer on vinyl and digitally via blakefleming.bandcamp.com. Blake co-founded and drummed for the math-rock/post-hardcore group Dazzling Killmen in the early 1990s, later touring with Japan's Zeni Geva in 1996. In the late '90s, he formed the experimental instrumental quartet Laddio Bolocko, and in 2001 became the co-founding drummer of The Mars Volta, recording early demos and briefly returning for touring in 2006. He went on to form Electric Turn To Me, contributed to projects like The Rollo Treadway. Blake has an extensive studio résumé, recording with Omar Rodríguez-López on multiple solo releases and contributing session work for artists including Kim Taylor, The Ropes, and Israel Nash Gripka.

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Episode 340 Percussionist Blake Fleming

0:00 1:14:35

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of The Lydian Spin?

This episode is 1 hour and 14 minutes long.

When was this The Lydian Spin episode published?

This episode was published on February 14, 2026.

Can I download this The Lydian Spin episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.