Early Years
Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Freddy Poncin’s musical journey began at the age of 12 with congas. He had the honor of studying Latin percussion under Raoul Burnet, a master percussionist renowned across Western Europe and an expert in Afro-Cuban rhythms. Burnet’s impressive career included collaborations with legends such as Patato Valdez, Tito Puente, and Mongo Santamaria.
In the late ’90s, Freddy developed a passion for West African rhythms, particularly djembe drumming from Guinea. In 2000, he relocated to Australia, where he significantly impacted the Western Australian music scene as a percussionist. Freddy collaborated with various groups, including the Latin Jazz group Descarga, LC Salsa, and WAAPA’s award-winning Defying Gravity. He was a founding member of WAADA (now Akwaaba) and worked with numerous acclaimed musicians.
Following Burnet’s sudden passing, Freddy expanded his expertise to include kit drums, embracing reggae, ska, and funk. In the 1980s, he joined Revelation Time, which soon became the premier Afro-reggae band in the Netherlands and one of Europe’s finest. Recognized for his dynamic reggae drumming, Freddy was lauded by “Oor” music magazine as one of Europe’s best reggae drummers. Revelation Time made history as the first Dutch reggae band to release a single in Jamaica on the Tuff Gong label with “Captain Dread,” mixed by Bob Marley’s engineer Errol Brown. The band also scored a top 40 hit in Europe with “South Africa,” touring extensively across Europe and backing iconic artists such as Lee Perry, Benjamin Zephaniah, Eek A Mouse, Nereous Joseph whilst sharing the stages with the likes of Aswad, Ziggy Marley, Fela Kuti and UB40.
Australia 2000-2016
Freddy’s performances with the Grace Barbe Afro Kreol band took him to prestigious festivals such as WOMADelaide, Byron Bay Blues and Roots, and Woodford Folk Festival. His immersion in Mauritian and Reunion Island music styles, like Sega and Seggae, further broadened his musical repertoire.
In the same time from 2006 till 2016 Freddy had an endorsement with the LP (Latin Percussion) brand and was featured twice in Drum Scene magazine as one of Australia’s leading hand percussionists.
Educator and Facilitator
Freddy is also a dedicated educator, conducting djembe and conga drumming workshops in Perth and Fremantle. He has worked with organizations such as CanTeen, Telethon, UWA WAAPA, and the Perth Jazz Society. As a casual lecturer at WAAPA, he collaborated and guest lectured with Tim White, principal percussionist of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Freddy has also facilitated corporate team-building workshops with Human Rhythms Pty Ltd and organized successful drum camps with Guinean Master Drummer Mohamed Bangoura and the world-famous Mamady Keita.
Return to the Netherlands
In March 2016, Freddy returned to the Netherlands, where his reputation as a top reggae drummer quickly reestablished him in the European Reggae scene. He continues to collaborate with upcoming singers and renowned artists from the Netherlands, Suriname, and Jamaica, producing and composing original “riddims”. On Dutch national TV, he got huge accolades from the Golden Earring drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk for his drum work in Iva Wonder’s Tribute to Stevie Wonder band whilst reaching the main final of a music competition in a successful TV series.