Angéle Demeurant, Software Developer on the Spacedrum

The Spacedrum was created back in Frankfurt in 2001, so it’s a fairly new instrument that people are really curious about. When I show and talk about this instrument, one out of two people have never heard of it. The sounds of a Spacedrum appeal to people because it’s something new to them. For those who want to play it, I feel like this instrument is easy to play and goes with the flow, so you don’t need to read a partition to play it. That’s definitely one big different point compared to other instruments.

My name is Angéle Demeurant, I was born in Paris, and I am 24 years old. I am a software developer currently working in a company called neo9 in Paris, and I previously worked for a year and a half in IBM in Dublin. I work full stack and develop different websites and applications.

I started playing computer games when I was very young at the age of 6. My dad used to buy the first released consoles and he would be fixing and making new computers for all of us at home, so we would be all playing together. I got my own personal computer at the age of 12, and thanks to a random class we had back in school, I did some basic coding and got really interested. During my last year of my A-level, I went to visit a University Institute of Technology that delivers an intense two years diploma in computer science. When I got into a class where the students were coding on different computers, I suddenly knew that that’s what I wanted to do.

I always listen to new and diverse music, but I mostly admire artists playing classical music, and I love some electronic music composers. I became interested in the Spacedrum when I was 16 years old and I saw these videos of artists playing this instrument. I instantly loved it and decided I would buy one when I would get my first full-time job.

I usually play with my instrument a few times a week after work, even for 10 minutes, as it’s really relaxing. How you play it is that you tap gently with the tips of your fingers, but you can use also the palms. You wouldn’t find a partition written for a space-drum, but every curve has a note. I always let my hands move themselves, letting my feelings decide if I want to play fast or slow.  The Spacedrum is purely instrumental melodies; there are no vocals.

The Spacedrum is a solo hobby, though I had the chance to play it with a colleague back at IBM who was playing the saxophone. I joined some free events also where people would meet and bring their instruments and we would be playing all together: a pure jam session! My main goal with the Spacedrum is mostly to release the pressure I have from the day or just to express my feelings with it. I love demonstrating for the first time this instrument: people always find it very relaxing.

Being creative definitely makes you think out of the box and lets your mind think of creative solutions that you would not normally think of. Music brings you to meet other people to play with, like it happened to me in IBM – it’s always good to meet new people in your work life or outside.

I would give some advice that probably other people have given already: have patience, as it should be a fun and relaxing instrument. The Spacedrum is also a flexible instrument, not physically but in the way that it does not have to be perfectly played. It is just an instrument that just goes with the flow, if I may say.