Etienne Nillesen

Etienne Nillesen is a Dutch percussionist and sound artist based in Cologne. His music explores the acoustic properties of drums, particularly pitch, overtone relationships and the way sound changes in different spaces. Through carefully tuned instruments and subtle playing techniques, he develops performances centred on resonance and attentive listening.

His recent solo work uses two snare drums tuned in a precise microtonal relationship, allowing interference patterns and harmonies to emerge during performance. He teaches at ArtEZ University of the Arts and has performed at contemporary music festivals across Europe. Creative Sources documents his percussion in several experimental recordings, including CS582, CS624, CS658 and CS769.