Christian Vander (Magma) Drumming?

Just curious, does anyone have anything to say about Christians drumming? I was watching some videos, and just for my own knowledge Id like to get to know what you guys think of him against say guys like Bruford or Peart...

Just cruious! Heard one guy say he was the best drummer ever so...and ive heard close to nothing!

Thanks Logan...interesting you bring up the guy from Focus, I remember playing some early focus for my dad and the drumming was amazing, and he LOVEs jazz and it had a kick to it and he was like wow this drummer is awesome!

His drumming and Janick Top's bass playing are the only things I find interesting about Magma.

For me Christian Vander is one of the greatest drummers/compositor/lyriricst of any prog genre...

Bastille Dude wrote: Logan wrote: Not only do I prefer Vander's drumming to Peart's, I also prefer his lyrics.

He's not just an amazing drummer technically, but it's his approach to rythm that leads us to his compositions.....The last 8 minutes of Kohntarkosz Part II (especially from the original studio version and some audience tapes) is some of the most innovative manipulation of Time and Tempo I've ever heard, hands down, as well as one of the most intense Prog Climaxes ever!

It starts after the Guitar solo with the 4-note melody that it plays in sync with the piano repeating those 3 chords: It takes about 4 measures for those two independent melodies to come back around to starting on the same note.

That's the basis for it. Then they start messing with the syncopation and feel of those two things passing through each other, speeding it up into a fast, almost Rockabilly/Jump Swing tempo().

To dig what they do with it from there, go get a copy of it IMMEDIATELY if you don't have one.

Vander really pioneered something with that piece. I have never heard anything else like it since.

Zeuhl Music is built on that foundation of taking odd and even-numbered beats and melodic phrases overlapping, getting a Jazzy kind of SWING going with it, and taking the possibilities of all of that to some outrageous extremes through repetition and the adjustment of the phrasing which gives that feel of the Tempo expanding and contracting.

Whew!

Yeah.

So, how 'bout those lyrics of his, huh?

Jay440 wrote: Bastille Dude wrote: Logan wrote: Not only do I prefer Vander's drumming to Peart's, I also prefer his lyrics.       He's not just an amazing drummer technically, but it's his approach to rythm that leads us to his compositions.....The last 8 minutes of Kohntarkosz Part II (especially from the original studio version and some audience tapes) is some of the most innovative manipulation of Time and Tempo I've ever heard, hands down, as well as one of the most intense Prog Climaxes ever! It starts after the Guitar solo with the 4-note melody that it plays in sync with the piano repeating those 3 chords: It takes about 4 measures for those two independent melodies to come back around to starting on the same note. That's the basis for it. Then they start messing with the syncopation and feel of those two things passing through each other, speeding it up into a fast, almost Rockabilly/Jump Swing tempo(). To dig what they do with it from there, go get a copy of it IMMEDIATELY if you don't have one. Vander really pioneered something with that piece. I have never heard anything else like it since. Zeuhl Music is built on that foundation of taking odd and even-numbered beats and melodic phrases overlapping, getting a Jazzy kind of SWING going with it, and taking the possibilities of all of that to some outrageous extremes through repetition and the adjustment of the phrasing which gives that feel of the Tempo expanding and contracting. Whew! Yeah. So, how 'bout those lyrics of his, huh?

Syzygy wrote: ...The juxtaposition of even and odd metres can have a trance inducing effect, as I discovered once when listening to Retrospektiw I & II while driving down the motorway....I think at least part of this comes from African polyrhythms, which are used a lot in shamanic rituals. Powerful stuff, and best experienced live.

Exactly!

Combine that with the Glossolalia-like vocals, and the whole Spiritual/Mythological aspects of this stuff, and it's easy to understand why Magma concerts are regarded as Religious Experiences.

I'm only familiar with his work on Udu Wudu, but I can already tell that Vander is a superb drummer.  Listening to De Futura makes that very apparent (wow!).  More Magma is a high priority for me, preferably on LP.

Vander is a fantastically multi-talented man. His drumming is great - but if he had a bigger kit it could have been even better.