Kye Lawton is an experimental and versatile drummer, spanning an array of genres, specifically in the realm of Jazz. His approach to drumming focuses on creating a sound that intertwines with the musicians he is playing with. Taking inspiration from the phrasing and musicality of Max Roach to the modern and equally musical approach of Martin France, Kye is a drummer who removes ego from his playing and strives to make the soloist and whole band sound their best. 

Kye isn’t defined by one single genre or style. His versatility spans from the earliest forms of jazz; to funk, afrobeat, drum and bass, and many other styles of which jazz (and other popular music styles) can be categorised. Kye is a strong believer in the removal of genres and categorisation of music, believing that we should just let music be music. Why does it need a label?

Whilst currently studying at Leeds Conservatoire, Kye has already collected a large handful of notable performances in both jazz and classical. Throughout his younger years, Kye had mostly focused on the cello, performing at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and the Barbican to name a few. Some notable performances include playing cello and cajon with Animate Orchestra at the BBC Ten Pieces Prom, as well as playing samba/percussion with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. More recently, Kye has been focused on his jazz drumming and has performed at SELA bar, Seven Arts, Wakefield Jazz Club, the Clore Ballroom (Southbank centre) and 606 Jazz Club.

Kye has been received mentorship from many well-respected musicians. Before moving to Leeds, he was attending the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy, getting regular mentorship from Julian Joseph, Byron Wallen and Tony Kofi. During this time, he even performed for Winton Marsalis, who gave brilliant advice to all the musicians involved. Kye has since been studying drums under the guidance of David Walsh, David Hamblett and Sebastiaan de Krom at Leeds Conservatoire. 

Gigging isn’t the only thing Kye contributes to the music scene, he has already started to do small amounts of teaching both drums and cello, as well as getting involved in the running of group workshops. He has also volunteered at youth groups, and worked at music courses and loves to help inspire creativity in both children and adults. At one of these music courses, he has taken charge of both the live streaming of performances, as well as having full control of the sound and lights desks.

Kye also has experience in many other forms of music. From steel pans to Taiko and even playing Samba at Notting Hill Carnival, his plethora of musical experiences are all influences that can be found in both his performances, his creative decision making and his lessons. 

To enquire about gigs, teaching, studio work, promotion etc.

Contact me @

Email – kyelawton@gmail.com 

Instagram – kye_lawton

WhatsApp – +44 7342 284048

When creating this EPK, it made me realise that for a career as a jazz drummer, or at least at my current stage of my career, an EPK may not be necessary. It did, however, highlight some strengths and weaknesses.
The first thing it highlighted, was my lack of professional, high-quality photos and videos, partly due to a lack of new performances. Even if I don’t send an entire EPK to people yet, to get gigs it would make sense to have some high-end photos and videos for promotion on both social media, and to send to promoters and venues. It has made me consider either asking friends or paying a professional for promotional photography and filming of gigs. I would also quite like to have played more gigs in general, to have a wider array of venues I can say I have played at. This is something that will take time, and I would update my EPK with new gigs, photos and videos. 

There is also the debate between the use of an EPK and the use of social media, specifically Instagram. Instagram is great for promoting gigs, as well as keeping in the loop with fellow musicians and reminding them you exist. An EPK has more use in terms of getting booked. Although some modern ‘hip’ bars may contact you via Instagram, most gigs are booked through emailing venues. An EPK could be a useful way of getting across who you are in a professional manner.

In the jazz world, there are different approaches maintaining a successful career. There are many jazz musicians who will rely on press and fame. Having an EPK on display on your website for example, allows for the press to easily get hold of your information, to write an article about you. However, many artists may just include a shortened Bio version of their EPK on their website, such as drummer Graham Costello. He includes a short Bio on his website but also includes other information such as links to projects he’s involved in, contact information and social media links, and links to streaming platforms.

Equally, there are plenty of well-respected jazz drummers in the current UK scene who have a lot less ‘clout’, avoiding the fame and mass follower’s approach. Drummers such as Gwilym Jones (gwilymjonesdrums) and Callum Smith (callumsmithdrums) are just as rightfully successful in their careers. Gwilym is a very well-respected jazz drummer who studied at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and plays regularly and Olivers Jazz Bar amongst many other venues. He is very known within the London and UK jazz scene and is a common pick for many jazz musicians looking for a drummer. He mostly uses Instagram to promote himself. Callum has an MA in Jazz from Guildhall, he also doesn’t specifically have his own website but uses Instagram to promote himself. This method manages to secure him gigs, session work, teaching and even tours with bigger pop bands. He also has a linktree, promoting his releases from his organ trio. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t have an EPK, it just means they don’t publicly display it. They most likely keep an up-to-date EPK that they can send directly to venues and promoters.

Another thing writing this EPK has highlighted, is that it may be worth getting domain names and social media handles for both me personally, and bands I am a part of, as soon as possible. It is important to be easily findable. Domain names do cost money, but not much. They typically cost between £10-20 per year. Other considerations would be whether any music or photos are copyrighted. I know that what I am currently using is not copyrighted, but in future, I may want to use photos, videos or audio that may need special permission to use. Or equally, I may want to pay a profession to take photos or record a gig. Although these things may cost money, having a more professional EPK to send to venues and promoters may be the difference between getting gigs, which in turn would make far more than the losses. 

Creating this EPK really made me think about what context it may be used. After speaking to my peers, I concluded that not only will it be beneficial in booking gigs, but it could be useful for getting other kinds of music related work. That is why I chose to include information not only about all the brilliant tuition I have received, but also about the small amount of teaching experience I have, as well as mentioning that I have worked with children. These small pieces of information widely expands the potential work I could get out of such a short amount of writing.
Any good EPK needs some name dropping, normally big names that you have worked with. I can’t say I have done any projects with any big names (yet), but I thought it could be helpful to mention some of the big names I have been mentored by. I suppose to a reader; it portrays me as a serious committed musician who will know his stuff. 
In terms of contact details, I decided to include Email, Instagram and WhatsApp as they are not only the best way to get in contact with me, but also the most common routes for communication within the UK jazz scene (from what I’ve observed). In the future, I may consider creating a specific enquires/music email, separate from my personal/main. This would mean that emails are less likely to get lost. Currently, I don’t have a website or my own Spotify/apple music etc, but if I did, I would also include links to those so that the reader can easily see what I’m about, without having to do any of their own research. My peers also suggested setting up and adding a link to Bandcamp. I would say that a Bandcamp link would be more beneficial on a website or Instagram page, as it would be targeted more towards customers. Although the reader of my EPK isn’t likely to buy anything from the Bandcamp link, it does show more professionality, as well as giving them that information in case they want to include it when buying tickets to a show.

When I first started making my EPK, I didn’t really care for how it looked. I thought there was very little chance I would actually use it, so didn’t see much point in making it look pretty. After reflecting on the potential uses of an EPK, I think that maybe in the near future, I may want a proper, professional looking EPK. If I was to properly design my EPK, I would probably choose a colour scheme (I like black, orange and blue), as well as integrating photos and videos in a more tasteful manner. I would most likely use an external template, rather than a basic design using the limited tools of a Show submission.

I also wanted to include more interesting and personal information about myself, that still seemed relevant to working within the music industry. I thought that mentioning Steel Pans, Taiko and Samba would not only show a wider knowledge and understanding of music, both culturally and in practice, but could also potentially open doors for teaching, or working as part of a band/group.

When I spoke to some of my friends, classmates and bandmates. They all recommended being more active on social media. It is somewhat of a weakness of mine. They recommended posting regularly, whether that be things I am practicing, promoting gigs, or even posting about small gigs or hotel lobby music jobs. Basically, just posting anything that reminds my peers that I exist. It could potentially get me more work down the line. Another suggestion was to include photos and videos even if they aren’t the most professional, as I can always comment about that. Finally, they recommended looking at other drummers in the field to see what they did. That is how I discovered that there is quite a diverse range of approach’s to creating a successful career as a jazz drummer. 

Overall, I would say that having an EPK is definitely something worth considering in the near future as it could definitely help when trying to get the bigger gigs at the more reputable venues and festivals, but ultimately the most important factor is to have good quality audio and/or video. The most important thing is the music. Equally, by providing an EPK, it gives the venue or festival some key highlights and information about me that they can add to the advertisement and promotion of the event.
 
 
Graham Costello’s website – accessed 6^th May –  https://www.grahamcostello.com/bio
Gwilym Jones Instagram – accessed 6^th May –https://www.instagram.com/gwilymjonesdrums?igsh=MWN5a2VpcG1wZHQzMg==
Callum Smith Instagram – accessed 7^th May – https://www.instagram.com/callumsmithdrums?igsh=MWljbnc0ejl2bzV4Mw==