THE SNARE AS A SELF-CONTAINED HARMONIC WORLD
A RETHINKING OF WHAT THE DRUM CAN BE

Etienne Nillesen is a composer and sound artist based in Cologne.
In his solo work, he redefines the snare drum by bringing its harmonic and resonant qualities into focus, shifting attention away from its conventional rhythmic role.

Sound in this work is not treated as a sequence of events, but as a spatial and sculptural phenomenon – something that fills a room, changes character as it moves through space and can be perceived differently depending on where and how one listens.
Resonance, duration and perception are central compositional elements.

Listening is treated as an embodied experience. Each performance creates a listening situation in which attention, space, and acoustic conditions become part of the music.

Using two specially tuned snare drums, he explores sustained tones, overtones, and subtle interference patterns. Through extended playing techniques and precise control of resonance, the instrument opens up into a fragile, continuously shifting sonic field in which pitch, texture, and rhythm emerge from the interaction of sound itself.

Rather than focusing on individual notes or gestures, Nillesen’s music unfolds in the relationships between sounds. Small differences in tuning, pressure, and movement create beating, pulsation, and slow transformations that shape the listener’s perception over time.

Nillesen’s work has been presented in international contexts ranging from contemporary and experimental music festivals to spaces dedicated to exploratory listening and sound-based practices.

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“[…] en might just be the most revelatory snare drum solo you’ll ever hear.”
— Vito Camarretta, CHAIN DLK

“[…] once we let Nillesen cast his spell, an entire world opens up.”
— Peter Margasak, Nowhere Street