Hey folks, it's Joe. Today we're excited to bring you an interview with the mighty John

Steynier of Battles. Now I first met John when my old band Parts in Labor was touring with

battles shortly after their mirrored album came out. I hadn't seen them in years, so it was great to

catch up before their show at the Fillmore in San Francisco recently. But before we get to the

interview, I need to ask for your help.

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Let's do the show.

This episode of the trap set is brought to you in part by Collectiveo coffee,

handmade coffee since 1993.

Check them out online at collectective.com. This is Joe Wong.

Welcome to the Trap Set, where each week we explore the lives of drummers.

I want to play something for you.

I want to play something for you. You're hearing race in by battles, featuring my guest John Stainier on drums.

Formed in New York in 2002, Battles delivers a singular and infectious synthesis of finger-tapped guitars,

noisy odd meter loops, adventurous keyboards, wildly processed vocals, and of course, gigantic drums.

Stainier's drumming is central to battles.

He even sets up in front, center stage, with a detention grabbing taxi cab yellow drum kit and a single symbol towering as high as the stand will allow.

His playing is nearly peerless in its precision, but Steynier's true genius isn't limited to execution. It also lies in his musical conception. His beats are concise and often trans-inducing in their simplicity,

yet they're wholly unique. As we'll discuss,

loops serve as the rhythmic foundation for most of battles' music, but John acts as the translator

...