Wednesday, June 4th
ETIENNE NILLESEN – REIMAGINING THE SNARE DRUM
doors 19:30 / show 20:00
Etienne’s exploration of the snare drum redefines its role as a percussive instrument, transforming
it into a self-contained harmonic and melodic entity. His work is not merely an expansion of
technique but a fundamental reassessment of the drum’s sonic architecture, probing the
relationships between materiality, resonance, and perception.
At the core of his practice is an intimate engagement with resonance, treating the drumhead as a
dynamic surface that contains a latent field of overtones and microtonal interactions. Through
circular motions, variable pressure control, and precise manipulation of contact points, he
accesses a vast spectrum of pitches, harmonics, and sustained sonorities that are typically
obscured in conventional drumming. His snare drums, tuned a semitone apart, create a harmonic
framework where sympathetic resonances and interference patterns emerge, forming an evolving
tonal landscape that is as much about pitch as it is about texture.
The rhythmic dimension of his playing is equally unconventional. Rather than relying on fixed
pulse structures, he generates rhythmic flow through friction, tension, and gradual
transformation, where changes in speed, pressure, and angle modulate the sound field in real
time. This approach results in a music that is less about attack and more about sustain, less about
percussive impact and more about timbral evolution. In this way, his snare drums function as
resonant objects in constant flux, where rhythm emerges as a secondary consequence of
harmonic activity.
Nillesen’s work is deeply rooted in a minimalist aesthetic, yet it resists the stasis often associated
with minimalism. Instead of looping structures or static repetitions, he focuses on gradual
variations in overtone complexity—where microtonal beating, phase shifts, and unstable
resonances create a sense of organic, evolving motion. His use of extended duration is not about
endurance, but about cultivating a heightened perception of sonic detail, where the ear adjusts
to subtle fluctuations in frequency, dynamic weight, and spatial diffusion.
His performances blur the boundary between composition and improvisation, not in the sense of
balancing pre-determined form with spontaneity, but in that form itself emerges from the real-
time negotiation of sonic possibilities. Each performance is an act of deep listening—to the
instrument, the space, and the moment. The drum is not simply played—it becomes a resonant
entity that speaks through touch.
Through this intimate process of sonic excavation, Nillesen’s work challenges conventional
notions of percussion, creating a listening experience that is both immersive and forensic, where
every gesture is magnified, every resonance is consequential, and every shift in pressure reveals
new sonic terrain.