It’s fair to say 2026 has been the year of French Canadian math rock band Angine de Poitrine. They’re all over the place online, plus all over the place at every venue around the world! They’ve even got a gig in out home city of Manchester coming up in September.
Their real names are still unknown (as they’re aliens, not human beings), so our attention is drawn now to the duo’s most excellent drummer Klek de Poitrine. He’s got the beats and he’s also got a polka dot costume.
All Hail, Drumming God Klek de Poitrine!!
The French Canadian band exploded onto the music scene, grabbing attention thanks to the absurdist papier-mâché uniforms they were. Then the catchy math rock music makes you stick around.
Their commitment to this is commendable, but from a drumming point of view Klek has a lot to deal with there:
- Limited vision
- Big cumbersome outfit
- The heat
Drumming is bloody hard work and it’s why a lot of drummers rip their tops off, all so they can breathe a little. Klek has done the exact opposite, loading himself up in stuff. It must be hot and sweaty in that polka dot thing, so his ability to keep time with the band’s complex music is very impressive.
It gets so hot for him at some gigs the paint on his arms runs off onto his suit.
To add to the comical effect of the band, Klek’s proboscis monkey-styled nose sways all over the place whilst he’s playing. It’s a great little touch as the point is to not take it seriously, it’s just two young guys having a blast.
What is going on here then? Well, we’re drumming experts! Geniuses, in fact!! Thus, we’re taking a look at this microtonal approach to banging beats
Klek’s Kit and Playing Style
Above you can hear on Fabienk his style, this with his drums isolated away from bass and guitar. Our take on it is, by the closest approximation at any rate, is a Jaki Liebezeit style motorik beat. That means:
- Repetitive, looping rhythms
- Rock flourishes with tom-tom variations
- Ever-evolving grooves
It’s an unusual structure, he’ll often shift around a lot, going from complex to repetitive in quick succession, all whilst his nose flies about the place. It’s funky stuff, though, and adds a real danceability factor to Angine de Poitrine.
And that’s what we like about Klek. No nonsense, just going down to the core of it with punch beats that’ll get people moving. It’s an often forgotten thing with drummers. Like in heavy metal or grunge, it’s just whacking the kit hard and heavy, there’s no desire to dance (headbanging maybe).
Here, Klek powers everything along in perfect harmony with guitarist Khn de Poitrine.
Khn’s guitar and bass playing work by looping various parts together live. It needs exceptional timekeeping from both of them to tie it all together, not least (again) as their vision is so restricted.
And the heat… boy, must it be hot for them. All those stage lights beaming down on them, you have to be fit to do that night after night.
Anyway, from our research online, Klek uses a Tama Superstar setup with a Tama piccolo snare and custom Luka snare additions. His style includes trance-like repetitive rhythms with head-muffling and unconventional dampening sounds all over his kit (a polka dot black sheet is usually spread across most of his kit).
We’ve no idea how long Angine de Poitrine will remain on our planet before returning home, but whilst Klek is on Earth I recommend drummers pay attention to him. Do so, now! Or you may upset our visitor.
