So @imaginatorofthings was talking about how Khn has more room to improvise on the guitar than Klek does on the drums because that's the nature of their instruments. @diabolicallymagnificentlegion also noted that "Klek has a massive responsibility to keep the train on the tracks". And he does! Not just in reality, but in my version of their "open-source" lore.
We've been told repeatedly that les frères de Poitrine are time travelers, but other than that remark about how they can never reach the future because it always moves ahead of them, we have never actually heard anything about their chrononautical exploits. We haven't seen any evidence of time travel at all. ...Or have we?
Think about it. Khn is essentially playing two instruments at the same time. Is it magic? No. It is merely a mechanical device that breaks the rules of time as we know it. The looper pedal! Unlike our looping pedals that just record and play back sounds, Khn's technologically advanced setup is actually manipulating the flow of time to achieve multiple layers of sound at once.
Now, I can't be sure but that seems at least somewhat dangerous. The boys can be a little reckless sometimes. But they don't mean anyone any harm and they like humans a lot, so they wouldn't risk playing us their roknrol if there was a chance of it harming us. And that's what Klek's drumming is for! It controls and maintains the temporal fluctuations of the looper to keep everything nice and tidy and unharmed. To paraphrase one comment on the KEXP performance, "Atomic clocks check in with this drummer to make sure that they're on time."
The "About" page on their website hints at it, but as with most other facts about them put out into human media, there seems to have been some miscommunication. They think that it's just an ordinary drum kit, a normal looping pedal, and a standard run-of-the-mill double-necked polka-dotted black and white guitar-bass.
"Using his agile toes and an electronic looping module, Khn records and harmonizes multiple layers of melodic ornamentation in real time, constantly switching between microtonal guitar and bass lines that intertwine through angular, chromatic quarter-tone phrases. Within this vortex of repetitive cells, Klek’s dry-toned drumming behaves with the wisdom and restraint of a sherpa; the gradual and calculated addition of elements, or the stoic use of silence, guides the listener through the journey — making asymmetrical grooves dance, pushing intensity to its peak, or shifting the rhythmic anchor point at exactly the right moment."
Look at that. That's some poetic sci-fi shit right there. Their team probably just misunderstood the underlying technology because humans aren't familiar with it yet. I don't know the details either but it makes sense, doesn't it? I'm not mathy or musical but from what I understand music is inherently and inextricably linked with time, right? This is probably how they're so good at weird time signatures.
Now, this doesn't rule out the possibility that they have a more conventional sort of time travel as well. They could have all kinds of wacky adventures that we don't know about... yet. I'm still not sure exactly what those pyramid things do. Or that van-like vehicle we saw them lounging in. Or how they can be 333 years old. I think if they have travelled anywhere else, especially our past, they've been very careful not to interfere with it.
I'm not sure whether their musico-temporal skillsets have any effect on or correlation to their personalities either. They're pretty mysterious and we're still getting to know them as performers. I was saying the other day that they didn't seem to have strongly developed personalities in the beginning but they're starting to individuate. They've really gained a lot of confidence on this last tour and interact with the crowd more often. Klek is very silly in contrast to his more grounded role in the band and Khn is more down-to-business and a little aloof. He gets some acrobatics and fun noises though! I think Klek compensates for not being able to goof off while playing by putting his comedic and improvisational skills into the moments in between songs when Khn is tuning his guitar and fiddling with the time-manipulator.
These are simply some of my observations and interpretations so far.
If anyone has any knowledge about the use of temporal distortion in music I would love to hear more! Feel free to correct me if I've misunderstood something about the technology or left anything out. And of course I would love to hear about how this has played out in their adventures so if you've witnessed anything or heard any stories about this, please feel free to share them!
