Whenever Frank Kissi sits behind a set of drums to play, he gets wrapped up in a feeling of joy for the opportunity to showcase his versatility and grasp of what rhythm is all about.
On Christmas eve last year when he played with the Black Lace Band featuring Abiana at the +233 Jazz Bar and Grill in Accra, the set he played was a transparent DW brand presented to him by Virtual Sound Lab based at Asylum Down in Accra. It was the first time he played that set.
Virtual Sound Lab is the official authorised distributor and agent for various global leading brands in the professional audio, musical instruments and equipment industry in this country since 2001.
Anyone with a bit of insight into the live music scene in Ghana knows Kissi is a first-rate drummer who has occupied the drum chair for nearly every artiste that matters in this country.
They include Kojo Antwi, Daddy Lumba, Efya, Becca, Rex Omar, Sandra Huson, Ofori Amponsah, Abiana, Gyedu Blay Ambolley and Amakye Dede.
Kissi leads his own Electric Band and is also a regular with the Black Lace Band and GH Jazz Collective. He was adjudged Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2015 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards and was one of the subjects of CNN’s ‘This Is My Africa’ series in 2016.
According to Godfrey Nana Opoku, CEO of Virtual Sound Lab, his company chose Kissi to be the one to showcase DW drums in Ghana because he is a great, well-known and influential drummer.
“His outstanding performance and interest in DW drums, as he has a set of his own already, led to Virtual Sound Lab settling on him officially to showcase DW drums,” said the Virtual Sound Lab boss.
Commenting on the DW set he plays now, Kissi pointed out that it is a topnotch brand that enables him handle any genre of music with ease.
“You can use it for all styles of music. It all boils down to the drummer. If you have the experience and know how to tune it, it doesn’t matter whether you are playing Highlife, Jazz, Reggae, Funk or Rock. So the DW set I use now works perfectly for me,” he explained.
He said always having a set of his own at his disposal has greatly helped to hone his skill over the years. He praised Virtual Sound Lab for its ‘Own Your Instrument’ promotion last December that afforded several musicians the chance to acquire their own equipment at special discounted prices.
The Virtual Sound Lab CEO also added he was proud of his outfit’s positive contribution to the development of popular music in Ghana because they always provide the right gear for the musicians.
By Nii Laryea Korley