Antonin Gerbal (1986) is a Paris-based drummer, improviser and composer whose work explores the intersections of jazz, experimental music, improvisation and electronics. Described by The Wire as “a techno Art Blakey,” his practice focuses on rhythm as a dynamic field of memory, perception and collective organization, reimagining the historical and sonic construction of the drum set across multiple musical traditions.

Drawing from early jazz, free music and contemporary experimental musical scenes, his research engages with rhythmic ideas emerging from diverse musical cultures and their transformations through improvisational contexts. Rather than treating these influences as fixed references, Gerbal approaches them as living models that reshape relationships to pulse, cyclicity, resonance and collective imagination.

He performs solo and with bands including [Ahmed], Ism, Sbatax, Vaka, Ward, Umlaut Big Band and ONCEIM, and has collaborated with renowned musicians and composers across international improvised and contemporary music fields. His work appears on more than fifty recordings released worldwide.

Alongside his musical activities, he directs Curved Pitch, a label dedicated to experimental and cross-genre sound practices.

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