Trevor Lawrence Jr's Istanbul Agop Clap Stack won a Grammy the day after we shot this video. You hear this cymbal as the handclap on the mega-mega hit Galway Girl from Ed Sheeran's 2017 release ÷ (Divide). Not only makes that Trevor Lawrence Jr. one of the most heard musicians on the planet, right next to other greats like Jeff Porcaro, Vinnie Colaiuta or JR Robinson - the best thing here is that he designed this sound himself. And it's a 3-piece stack that sounds like a handclap. Looks easy, but it took many years to transform an analog 8 bit handclap sample into a cymbal setup.
It is not the only record where the Istanbul Agop Clap Stack is featured. One record you should really hear is Trevor Lawrence Jr. his own album 'Relationships', released in 2017. Below the video is the Spotify embedded version of the album, and a list of albums that the Clap Stack is recorded on and Trevor just recalled from the top of his head.
It's not a cymbal In the video Trevor tells us he does not even consider this a cymbal; he sees it as a stack of discs. A stack that is built up of an 11, a 13 and 15 inch disc. Each disc has the right shape, the right weight, the right sound, the right tonality on itself - combined they reproduce the sound of a real handclap.
For years Trevor has been experimenting with this sound and finally made it happen with the Istanbul Agop team that knew how to reproduce this sound for a drummer, without having to rely on triggers, samples or effects. It is a unique live- and recording instrument that every producer Trevor has worked with wanted right away.
Trevor Lawrence Jr. demos and talks about his Istanbul Agop Clap Stack
Fragment of Galway Girl with the Istanbul Agop Clap Stack effect
Listen to Trevor Lawrence Jr's Istanbul Agop Clap Stack on Links to all the albums are added with this article. Only Dr. Dre's 'Compton' is not available on Spotify.
Trevor Lawrence Jr. - 'Relationships' (2017)
Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl, on '÷ (Divide)' (2017)
Grammy Win Best Pop Vocal Album
The Platinum and Gold records are almost not countable anymore. In September 2017 Galway Girl had sold 1.2 million combined units in the United Kingdom only, with 246,000 in actual sales and 95 million in streams.
These, and the figures for the US and the rest of the world are still growing.
Charlotte OC - 'Careless People' (2017)
LeAnn Rimes - 'Remnants '
Dr. Dre - 'Compton'
The Big Short - Movie
Anthony Hamilton - 'What I'm Feelin'' (2016)
Grammy Nomination Best Traditional R&B Performance
Trevor also used it live with Herbie Hancock
Trevor Lawrence Jr's 2017 album 'Relationships'
Trevor Lawrence Jr. Tip The best usage of it is in combination with a snare drum sound. Hit a snare and the Clap Stack at the same time, and you feel the effect as it is ment to be. (Do this in your local drum store as well!)
Of course, you are free to do with it whatever you think is musically best.
