Angine de Poitrine: the Canadian duo on influences and live risk

The Canadian duo **Angine de Poitrine** champions authenticity and risk in their live performances, where every note is improvised and the connection with the audience is paramount, despite the inherent limitations of their format.

The world of music is full of acts looking to break the mold, and the duo **Angine de Poitrine**, hailing from Quebec, Canada, is a prime example. With a sound that evokes other dimensions and a stage presence that defies convention, this duo has carved out a space of their own on the music scene. Their guitarist, **Kun de Poitrine**, recently sat down with the American magazine **Guitar World** to break down the keys to their approach, from their influences to the audacity of their live shows.

## The echo of pogre rock and math rock

The music of **Angine de Poitrine** draws from sources that many pogre rock fans will recognize instantly. While **Kun** admits he isn't a regular listener of the British band **King Crimson**, he does acknowledge a strong influence from 1970s pogre rock, a genre he and his bandmate, drummer **Krec**, devoured. The lack of internet access in their rural childhood forced them to explore through second-hand shops and libraries, which resulted in a deep immersion in records they played to death.

The discovery of odd time signatures came courtesy of **Frank Zappa** and his track "Zomby Woof", included on the album **"Cheap Thrills"**. That riff, which still fascinates him today, marked a turning point. But if there's one band that left a lasting mark on his youth, it was **Gentle Giant**. The listening sessions of old videos by **Soft Machine**, **King Crimson**, **Genesis** and **Zappa** himself at **Krec**'s mother's house had one thing in common: a fascination with **Gentle Giant**. What drew **Kun** and **Krec** to this band was that blend of clumsiness and genius, a "freak" air that coexisted with musical ideas of dazzling beauty. The track "Just the Same" by **Gentle Giant** is cited as a perfect example of how the band kept the "groove" even in odd time signatures, highlighting the guitar part and the accents which, according to **Kun**, sound "tremendously pleasing".

## Riffs that inspire and challenge

When asked about his three favorite guitar riffs of all time, **Kun**'s answer is as personal as it is revealing. The first is everything that makes up "Legs" by **Massacre**, a band associated with experimental rock. The chord pogre, the layered melody, the bass line and the guitar tone are described as "candy for my brain". His second pick is "Reptilia" by **The Strokes**, where he highlights the energy with which the tenths are strummed on the electric guitar. Finally, he mentions the guitar on "Pin It Down" by **Madison Cunningham**, a record he listens to often and that appeals to him for its tone, its low tuning and its overall delicacy.

These choices are not mere anecdotes, but rather reflect a particular sensibility toward melodic construction and the sonic expressiveness of the guitar.

## The juggling act of live performance: bass, guitar and loops

The question of how difficult it is to handle bass and guitar simultaneously, on top of constantly manipulating tones and creating loops with their feet, is one of the pillars of **Angine de Poitrine**'s approach. **Kun** clarifies that he doesn't play both instruments at once; his double-neck guitar allows him to switch quickly and frequently between bass and guitar to build layers of sound. The complexity, he says, lies less in the intrinsic difficulty of the musical phrases and more in the orchestration of pedals, the adjustment of saturation and volume levels, and the physical limitations themselves.

The irony shows when **Kun** describes a hypothetical performance scenario: playing in a mask, in the dark, with flashing lights, no peripheral vision, fingers smeared with acrylic paint and suffering a heatstroke. Under those conditions, yes, it would be "extremely difficult". But that is precisely the band's philosophy: embracing the absurdity of the situation, laughing at it and, at the same time, delivering a show that makes the audience smile, laugh and, if possible, dance. For **Angine de Poitrine**, music is also a form of "spectacle", a performance that goes beyond mere sound.

## The audacity of improvisation

The idea of playing everything live, with no pre-recorded tracks, is what **Kun** calls their "freak show". For him, authenticity lies in real-time execution. If he started relying on pre-recorded lines, the line between a live performance and a recording would blur dangerously. "If you're going to do that", he argues, "put down the guitar, start fiddling with filters and effects and put together a DJ set". Total improvisation is the heart of their approach, even though he admits it's a "dangerous and imperfect" method.

When a mistake happens, the strategy is to erase it before it repeats, while trying to keep the current phrase going and communicating with **Krec** through body signals to indicate the need to repeat sections or to signal that the mistake has been fixed and they can carry on. **Krec**, for his part, must stay alert so as not to lose intensity and to catch those signals, waiting for the right moment to return to the normal course of the song. This method, though risky, is what keeps the spark and fun in their performances. If it ever became easy, they would find a way to complicate it again to preserve that essence.

## The limits and intimacy of the duo

Playing as a duo undoubtedly presents significant limitations when it comes to arrangements. **Kun** admits it can sometimes be frustrating. However, the duo's formation was not a premeditated decision, but a natural consequence of their musical connection. "We play together because we connect musically. And since there's no one else, we adapt to it and that's that", he explains.

As the years go by, the search for a third member becomes increasingly complex. The dynamic between **Kun** and **Krec** has consolidated into a tight unit, developing their own way of doing things. The creative space they share has an intimate character, especially after more than twenty years together. Compatibility isn't limited to music; sharing the same sense of humor and the same artistic vision is fundamental. **Kun** confesses that, at this point, there is a certain antiestéticar of "shaking up or breaking that space", describing their duo as "fossilized", in the sense of a consolidated and enduring structure.

The proposal of **Angine de Poitrine** is, ultimately, a celebration of controlled imperfection, artistic audacity and genuine connection with the audience. Their music, far from being a mere succession of notes, is an experience that seeks to provoke emotions and reflections, all wrapped in an aura of mystery and originality.