The Beat is a new album by Deniz Tek, built around previously unreleased drum recordings by the late Ric Parnell.

The material dates back to 2015, when Tek and Parnell were working on songs for Mean Old Twister. In between sessions, they spent time jamming freely, with Ric on drums and Deniz on rhythm guitar. There were no rules or plans. The recordings were made casually, then archived and forgotten.

Ric Parnell passed away in May 2022. Known for his work with Atomic Rooster in the early 1970s and later as the drummer of Spinal Tap, Parnell was a musician defined by precision, dynamics and restraint, always playing in service of the song.

Years later, the recordings were rediscovered by Ron Sanchez and sent to Tek. Listening back after nearly a decade, Deniz was struck by how complete the drum performances were. Those tracks became the foundation of a new album.

Using Ric's original drumming as the bedrock, Tek wrote and arranged new songs that followed the natural flow of the performances. Some of the original rhythm guitar remains, while all vocals and many guitar parts are new. Anne Tek and Bob Brown contributed additional guitar and bass.

The Beat is not an archival release or a reconstruction. It is a record made in the present, shaped by continuity, trust and rhythm. Moving through hard rock, blues tension and open rhythmic space, the album carries Ric Parnell's presence throughout, sometimes literally audible, as in Going Home, and felt deeply in Here And Gone, written directly with him in mind.

The Beat stands as Deniz Tek's personal tribute to a close friend, created by following the music where it wanted to go.