FLO MOUNIER – En tekniker som sverger til variasjon

Ny tråd er startet og hvem andre enn den teknisk begavede Flo Mounier fra CRYPTOPSY kunne passé bedre til å starte den? Flo var lynkjapp med å besvare våre spørsmål og viste seg som en mann med føttene godt plantet på jorden. En ekte Blast Beast i ordets rette betydning.

 

ET – When did you start to play the drums?

FLO – I started about 18 years ago.

 

ET – Why did you start playing drums?

FLO – I had tried different instruments like the guitar and the saxophone but it was the drums that really got my attention.

 

ET – How old were you when you got your first drums/drum set?

FLO – I was 13 when my father bought and repainted an old 5 piece Slingerland set. It only had the lugs for the front heads but I didn't know the difference.

 

ET – How often do you practice?

FLO – At first from the ages of 13 to about 18 I really had a drum to fool around on once in a while, didn't take it that seriously. I have periods in my drumming career when I practice more then other times. At the moment I am trying to do 1 hour 1/2 every 2 days.

 

ET – Which drummer did you look up to when you were young and is there anyone today that you admire more than the rest?

FLO – I didn't ever have a (single) drum god or idol. I believe very strongly that the more influences one has the more original one becomes. I respect so many drummers out there that it serves no purpose to mention a few and ignore the rest.

 

ET – What kind of equipment do you use? Which equipment is in your ears the best?

FLO – I use Pearl drums, Sabian cymbals, Vic Firth sticks, Remo heads, Beyer Dynamic mics and Roland electronics. They sound the best to me and many others.

 

ET – Which qualities do you think is most important to succeed as a drummer today?

FLO – To know more then one style of music. Its important to be as open and knowledgeable to many styles of music in order to understand and appreciate the subtleties of each playing technique and therefore get a lot of gigs.

 

ET – Have you ever played a solo during a gig?

FLO – Yes many times

 

ET – If you haven’t become a drummer, what would you most likely been doing?

FLO – I would be involved in the television or film industry most likely. I went to University and got a bachelors in communication studies.

I'd much rather be playing the drums.

 

ET – Do you workout a lot?

FLO – I try to do 45 minutes of weights every 2 days, which is more of a personnel thing then a direct link to drumming.

 

ET – Do you have any special rituals you have to go through before you enter the stage?

FLO – Yes absolutely; I warm up on a practice pad for about 30 minutes, then I go through the beginning of the songs on the set list that night and play them on the pad and I do about 5 minutes of stretching to finish off.

 

ET – Which releases have you been a part of so far? (Band name, title, release year)

FLO –

CRYPTOPSY – Ungentle Exhumation 1993
CRYPTOPSY – Blasphemy Made Flesh 1994
CRYPTOPSY – None So Vile 1996
CRYPTOPSY – Whisper Supremacy 1998
CRYPTOPSY – And Then You'll Beg 2000
CRYPTOPSY – None So Live 2002
CRYPTOPSY – Once Was Not 2005

And a few side projects.

 

ET – Before we end this, you now have the opportunity to challenge another drummer to take part in this series. Pick a drummer and explain why?

FLO – I wouldn't call it a challenge cause people are free to do what they'd like, but I would definitely like to read the answers of Gene Hoglan my good buddy. This guy was a great influence and continues to be, a master at his craft.

 

 

Gene Hoglan kunne fort blitt litt av en utfordring for oss, men med de riktige kontaktene på plass, så ser det ut til at Flo’s etterfølger blir nettopp Gene Hoglan, og det etter Flos eget ønske. Vi venter i spenning på hva denne legendariske trommisen vil svare.