: : Great drummers

Belleville Pierre

Musicians or bands:

Destruction Incorporated, Lofofora, Asgard, Yo!Pizza Jump, Artsonic

Biography and commentary:

Pierre Belleville began drumset at age 7 and went through the Agostini School of Orleans and the CMCN (Nancy's Musical and Creative Centre), to finally teach at the Rock School of Bordeaux. What I find interesting in his playing, in addition to an excellent rock and funk knowledge and a great physical involvement, is his very thorough playing with the double bass drum, which make him surely one of the first drummers in the world (I mean it ) to integrate at this level of complexity, complex rolls with both feet integrated with double strokes with the hands ("daddy-mommy" in the military tradition) with probably Jimmy de Grasso , each one differently (a peak of gestural drumming technique hardly to surpass). Pierre did not play with a plethora of bands, which is normal considering his young age (he is not thirty years old) but already gives master classes and publishes scores. So it is the high-class! I bet that his brilliant career is just beginning, at least for me, he is one of the most interesting French drummers of the moment. Case to follow, then.

Marc De Douvan, publication in French: March 3, 2009 (for the translation in English: July 12, 2015)

Official website