Internet drumming sensation El Estepario Siberiano scored yet another viral moment when he covered The Weeknd’s international #1, “Blinding Lights,” on his kit, amassing over 5.9 million YouTube hits to date and becoming his most-watched video by over 1.7 million views!
Think it’s strange for a drummer to go viral without his band? You clearly haven’t heard El Estepario’s work! The 28-year-old Valencian musician turns conventional drumming on its head to bring nothing but mind-boggling beats to songs you’d never expect they’d mix with.
Straight from the start of this clip, El Estepario reimagines every beat of The Weeknd’s hit, rewriting the grooves to his own staggeringly unique style. The effect is instantly immense as he lays rock/metal complexity over such a simple pop song, filling every gap imaginable with lightning-fast beats and death metal pedal work.
El Estepario lays every card on the table as he grooves through his unimaginable musical tricks, his facial expression a mix of sheer concentration, confidence, and the pure love every musician holds for their practice. In the outro, he reveals how he pulled together a number of techniques featured in his previous viral videos, telling how he’s “never tried to do all of those things on my long videos because it is just too difficult. But I did for this time, and it turned out great.”
Drummers the world over have been quaking over this clip. One YouTube commenter, @GizmoDuck, wrote, “I’ve been a drummer for over 35 years, I rarely make YouTube comments, but I have to say this man is the cleanest percussionist I have ever seen. Your limb independence, the beat subdivision, and again the cleanliness you keep in your grooves while traversing your kits is awe-inspiring […] Most importantly, I am truly eager to see the next generation of drummers you inspire from your videos, and what astounding performances they might achieve when they incorporate your techniques and perhaps go beyond what we see here. Please never stop, you are an inspiration to drummers around the world!” With over 7.4k likes on the comment, GizmoDuck certainly isn’t alone.
But El Estepario has a controversial side which doesn’t rear its head on YouTube. This drummer has made waves across all social media platforms, boasting 5 million Instagram followers, 4.9 million TikTok followers, 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, and over 2.4 million Spotify plays on his 2024 single, “Not For Me.” But over on Reddit, viewers aren’t afraid to share their unpopularly honest opinions about his drumming style and technique.
As Redditor u/WorthlessMonkey wrote on the r/drums forum, on a post posing the question, ‘What do you drummers think about El Estepario Siberiano?’ — “His videos are exactly the type of content that someone non-drums related sends you over Facebook because they know you’re a drummer.” Another replied, “It’s become clear that people are much more astounded by speed than actual technical skill,” and yet another wrote, “El Estepario is the kind of flashy gimmick drummer that non-drummers will say is one of the greatest.”
And they aren’t alone in their view. Redditor u/Sponess took their insight even deeper, commenting, “There is a part of me that worries that kids will take his lead and strive to become robotic in their playing instead of developing a voice. But that’s a result of social media drumming in general and not his responsibility.”
El Estepario Siberiano continues to redefine what it means to be a drummer in the digital age, captivating audiences worldwide with his unique fusion of styles and electrifying performances. His take on “Blinding Lights” is just the beginning for this Valencian virtuoso. Dive deeper into his astonishing artistry by exploring the links below.