Keep up with Franck here:
www.myspace.com/athleticsmusicians
Franck Camus was born in France in 1970. Early on, his parents got him interested in music by way of classical piano and vocal studies. By the age of seven, he was discovered to possess a great talent in sports, especially swimming. Music, then, temporarily took second place in his life while swimming dominated. While studying physical education in university at the age of eighteen, he rebegan his love affair with music by teaching himself how to play drums. At twenty-three, he was stricken and paralyzed by meningitis at the height of his swimming career (having won swimming and water polo championship titles in French university leagues). His illness, though, catalyzed his understanding of movement and the human mechanism, and this wall all it took to make him redouble his efforts to rebegin to walk, swim and of course, play drums. Possessed of a strong character, he relearned to do all this and founded his first band two years later, playing high-speed death metal all over Europe.
One day in 1996, he heard cryptopsy’s NONE SO VILE and was blown away by the intensity of the drumming. He contacted the group in order to take lessons from drummer FLO MOUNIER, who quickly accepted. FRANCK moved to Montréal in 1998, having brought his big drums with him, and undertook a search for a fast, technical metal band. He joined PAROXYSM in 2001, and their first album, REVELATION IS DENIED, came out on G.W.N. records in 2004.
PAROXYSM play mind-blowingly technical death metal, yet maintain a groovy edge amid jaw-dropping tempo changes. This has earned them many opening slots in metal show, included one for CRYPTOPSY at a jam-packed medley. On a personal level, FRANCK studies drumming techniques in jazz, rock and polyrhythms with BRUNO ROY, all the while holding down a career as kinegiologist in physical fitness centers.
In 2002, he got noticed and hired by the CIRQUE DU SOLEIL, to train their performers and musicians. Physical fitness and musical training were then joined in FRANCK‘s ultimate goal of preventing skeletomuscular injuries in musicians. He has, since then, been preparing numerous clinical projects and conferences (drum fest November 2006), and the release of the new album Scars of the Art October 2007 (prodisk label. opening for Skinless, Immolation, Suffocation.
Franck endorse luka percussion and grindstix
Franck Camus Interview:
SD.com: How old were you when you started playing?
Franck: I was started very late at 20 years old. Due to my swimming career I was too involve in, being in a band before that.
SD.com: Did you play in a school band or any drum corps?
Franck: no, not at all
SD.com:: Who are your top 5 influences?
Franck: I have many drummer that I’m listening but regarding my playing. t’s quite hard to say who really influence me except for Flo Mounier (because he teach me)and Gene Hoglan. Actually I work my technique with Jojo Mayer concept. For the rest I listen many Jazz drummer.
SD.com: Assuming that influences doesn’t mean favorites, who are your favorites?
Franck: too many to mention, ha ha ha … Actually Flo Mounier, Gene Hoglan, Etienne Gallo, Derrek Roddy, Tim Yeung and so many…
SD.com: Let us know 5 CD’s that are in your current rotation
Franck: the last Aborted, vital remains, martyr, coldworker, negativa, neuraxis, mumakil, none so vile from cryptopsy but this one is in rotation on my mind 24 hours a day…
SD.com: What do you do to warm up before a show?
Franck: many things, if I can I do some cardio because warm up means warm up… When you do stretch it’s a part of warm up but you have to increase your body temperature and stretching is’not increasing the temperature. You need to have oxygene on your muscle to perform so you need increase your heart rate to let the blood circulate faster with the oxygen.
SD.com: Can you remember a night you think was your best playing ever? If yes, when and where?
Franck: for sure in Rouyn noranda with skinless and cryptopsy in October 2006.
SD.com: Do you have a favorite brand of drums or cymbals?
Franck: I love my snare wich is an endorsement that I choose because the sound is huge it’s a luka 14×7,5 one piece very heavy and sensitive for the drum. I love Sonor and sabian cymbals.
SD.com: If you could give one piece of advice to young drummers, it would be…
Franck: practise, practise, practise on the clic
SD.com: Who gave the best live performance you’ve ever seen?
Franck: Flo Mounier, Gene Hoglan, and Marco minneman with Necrophagist
SD.com: If you had to stop drumming, what would you want to do with your life?
Franck: continue my job as a coach and biomecanician for musician and sport elite I do for Olympic preparation for some synchronized swimming!
SD.com: Being a Kinesiologist, describe any extra measures you take to play more comfortably.
Franck: I pay attention to any details regarding my posture, and to the recovery (food, cardio exercise and so on)
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