Hungarian drummer Péter Szendöfi built an international reputation through fusion, clinic work, and high-level session playing, with a career that bridges acoustic drumming and live electronic performance. His name is closely tied to modern jazz-fusion in Europe, but a major part of his identity comes from his work in Loop Doctors—a project that pushed real-time sampling and electronic triggering into improvisational performance long before it became common.
Szendöfi is the founder/bandleader/composer of Fusio Group and co-founded Loop Doctors with keyboardist Áron Romhányi. Modern Drummer notes the duo as an electronica-jazz / drum’n’bass crossover project, built around live-triggered samples and improvised performance concepts. In other words, this isn’t “drums over tracks”—it’s a live ensemble approach where electronics become part of the rhythmic vocabulary. In Loop Doctors, Szendöfi performs on acoustic kit while triggering samples and loops live (Octapad/sampler setup), turning electronics into part of the improvisation instead of background playback. Drum Channel documents this clearly in their performance/course series “Breaking Down ‘The Loop Doctors,’” describing the duo’s method: triggering samples live as an integrated part of the improvised arrangements.
Loop Doctors has deep documentation going back to the mid-2000s. Event archives note the project’s formation around 2005 and the recording of their first album High Voltage in 2006 with guest bassist Gary Willis (and trumpet player Kornél Fekete-Kovács). Major venue/program listings such as Müpa Budapest also describe the group’s blend of drum’n’bass/jungle/breakbeat influences with jazz elements, reinforcing the band’s identity as a live-electronic performance project rather than a studio-only concept. PAS also documented Loop Doctors at PASIC 2018 (Romhányi on keyboards, Szendöfi on drums), putting the project directly into the PASIC clinic/performance world.
Across his broader career, Szendöfi’s artist profiles describe him as one of Hungary’s most frequently employed drummers, with credits spanning roughly 150–200 albums. Those same sources connect him to ongoing international touring and clinic work, including long-running collaborations with Gary Willis and saxophonist Brandon Fields.
Recent activity: Loop Doctors remains active into the current era, including documented performances such as their 2025 appearance connected to Expo events and ongoing updates through Szendöfi’s official channels.
Gear: Tama; Meinl; Vic Firth; Remo.
Sources: Tama (official artist page); Modern Drummer; Drum Channel; Remo (artist profile); Vic Firth (artist profile); Müpa Budapest program archive; Percussive Arts Society (PASIC 2018 archive).
Update: January 23, 2026
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