Les Tambours Du Bronx - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

From the beginning, the musicians used 225 litre "Monostress" drums, chosen for their resonance and flexibility. The drums arrive raw by truck, then are painted by Les Tambours du Bronx to their own designs. One drum is used for two concerts, one for each side. The drums are given away every second show then end up, most of the time, in a warm and cosy living room, under a TV or as a piece of furniture.

The sticks are made of beech wood and are 40 cm (16") long with a diameter of 3 cm (1.2"). Each musician breaks about two pairs per concert. Back in time, they were pieces of picksticks. They're now delivered on pallets.

There are 14 drums on stage, two musicians on sampling stands, and one playing keyboards. One singer, or even two, perform a few songs. The drums circle arc is divided into three parts called "bases", "middles" and "rhythmics".

The band performed more than 1100 concerts and totalled over 120 musicians, all of them from Nevers and the surrounding area. Nowadays a few musicians from the beginnings are still there.

Since their creation, they have broken about 16000 oil drums and 110000 sticks !

The electronic sounds, set off by the metal pipe stands, appeared in the mid-nineties. Keyboards arrived in 2003, with the album "Stereostress Remixes". This allowed the band to explore other musical influences whilst keeping its industrial roots. Before that time, their concerts were acoustic only, with up to 28 musicians on stage. The present set still preserves straight drums songs. Occasionally the band will still play a 20 minute acoustic show, instead of the complete 1h30 usual one.

Since the new show launched in February 2009, the metal tubes have been also used to trigger real time video in addition to the sounds.