French drums march to Beijing

[Photo/Provided to China Daily]

As a musical object of festivity, the drum has a unique power that transcends all cultures across the globe.

After touring three continents over the course of 25 years, Les Tambours du Bronx, a French percussion group, finally made it to China where they gave a sensational performance at Beijng’s Poly Theater on May 16. Throughout the show, the group’s powerful and rhythmical drumbeats reverberated around the performance hall which created an almost hypnotic frenzy for all those in attendance.

The 17 musicians, who began the show wearing t-shirts, only to take them off later because of the heat, created not only a sound to behold, but a sight as well. Watching 17 shirtless muscular men on one stage was reason enough for the audience to remain engaged, but then again so was their forceful and percussive music.

[Photo/Provided to China Daily]

The performance didn’t only involve playing drums, it also featured dancing and singing, in a primitive yet genuine way, which awakened the audience’s more natural feelings. Overall, the show contained an overwhelming masculine power and beauty. It’s of little wonder the percussion troupe has evoked an infectious craze among its fans. Throughout the show applauses and screams could be heard.

Les Tambours du Bronx started in 1987 in a suburb of Nevers, France. The fact that the band’s birthplace has always been inhabited by the working class has had a fundamental influence on their style of music. Drums and mallets are the main instruments they use, which both help create a forceful rhythm that resonates with the sound patterns of machines that can be found in most industrial workplaces.

However, the band did not become famous for playing working class music. The group gained its fame through using innovative ways in which drums can be played by bringing various musical elements into their act, like hip-hop, rock, heavy metal and techno.

It’s this special mixture of musical elements that serves as one reason for the group’s success. Other than that, the drum is one of the oldest instruments in the history of music, and it is present in almost all cultures throughout the world. With this last point in mind, Les Tambours du Bronx have yet to find any difficulty in relating to audiences regardless of what country they perform in, and judging from last week’s performance, China is no exception.