NEWSARCHIVE

Period : May 13th-18th, 1999
In this issue : Orphan, Dour, Eden, 't Hof Van Commerce, Vanessa Chinitor, Neon Electronics, Neon Judgement, Zap Mama, Jan Breydel-proms.

May 18, 1999

ORPHAN HAS A NEW HOME
Orphan, the band of Jo & Dirk Cassiers, has taken a new start. After the debut album "September Rain" of two years ago, things got a bit quiet, but recently things got moving in the right direction again :
- The band has finished recording a second album, which will be released pretty soon on Oyster Records. Already there is a single out in the open, called "Wishing I Was Home", a straightforward & nice rocksong.
- their first single "Stuck in the Middle" has been included in the soundtrack for a Hollywood movie ("Friends & Lovers", starring Claudia Schiffer, Stephen Baldwin, Robert Downey jr ... - not out in Belgium yet).
- the line-up of the band has changed considerably : Jo & Dirk Cassiers now get support of Roel De Ruyter (guitar), Ron van Wallendael (bass) & Dirk Loots (drums).
More info : www.orphan.be

EVEN MORE NAMES FOR DOUR
The busy organisers of the Dour-festival (from July 10th onwards) have added another batch of names to the already very populated line-up for the festival :
Among the lucky bands are :
- For Thursday : Mister Things, Tony Alen, DJ Sireman + Killer Kella, Hooverphonic, DJ Vadim + Swollen Members, Carl Craig Innerzone Orchestra and Luke Slater.
- For Saturday : Steel Pulse, The Wailers, 22 Pistepirko, Arid, DJ Spooky, Ozark Henry and Dr. Doom (aka Kool Keith).
- For Sunday : Hellacopters, Mitsoobishy Jacson, IV My People, Ben Harper (!!!), Tricky (!!!) and Blood & Fire.
Still, the programme is not completely .. eh .. completed, but all names should be known by the end of this month.
More info : www.dourfestival.com

May 17, 1999

EDEN AND THEIR SEAFOODS
The band Eden from Eeklo has today released her second cd onto the unsuspecting masses. "Seafoods" is the title, a product that came into being after three months of studio-time under the productive capabilities of Paul Despieghelaere. EMI Belgium is very confident that the group will make it big because of the attractivity of Sofie & Roos.
The single "Star"that has been circulating for a few weeks as an eyecatcher for this release already is doing very well. On TMF you can somtimes catch the video for the song, in which the girls attack a Japanese Sushi-cook as vampires.

May 16, 1999

HOF VAN COMMERCE RAPS GEZELLE & NEW CD
Hof van Commerce, the crew who raps in "West-Vlaams", the dialect of the coastal region in Belgium, are gearing up towards the release of their second cd. Already, an advanced cd-single + 12" "Mag et entwa mjir zin?" (Can it be some more?) has been released.
The group can also be heard on the radio a number of times per day in a radio-"commercial" announcing some activities during the year of Gezelle (a flemish priest-poet who died exactly 100 years ago). In the spot the group raps a bit from "De averulle en de blomme" (the maybeetle and the flower). The organizers of the festivities say the Flemish rappers share the use of dialect & the feeling for rhythm, sound & rhyme with the poet.
Links :
- The site of the year remembering Guido Gezelle
- Hof van Commerce at Kinky Star.

VANESSA CHINITOR LAUNCHES CD & WEBSITE
In the run-up towards the Eurovision-songfestival later this month in Israel, the Belgian candidate is trying to dominate the popnews by launching a cd & a website.
On the cd, there are a number of songs by the Swedish writer Emma Philippa, who had already provided "Like The Wind" to the Belgian Eurosong-candidate. She had written these songs for herself, but sold the songs to John Terra when she decided to put an end to her carreer. Manager John Terra decided to put out a cd out as fast as possible, "because that's what they'll be asking for all over Europe if she ends up in a good position or with a victory in Israel".
The website, at http://welcome.to/vanessa.chinitor, contains most of the info you could possibly want about the girl from Dendermonde.

May 13, 1999

DIRK DA DAVO LAUNCHES "NEON ELECTRONICS"
That "The Neon Judgement" had ceased to exist, after 20 years of being alternative in a non-marginal manner, has been announced here earlier this year. Dirk Da Davo, one half of NJ, hasn't sunk into a depression after the - according to him amicable - split of the band. He has founded a record-company of his own (DanceDelic-D) and a new musical project (Neon Electronics). Of this last one, there's now a first cd out on the first one, filled with dark but very danceable music.
DDD is currently putting together a live show, in which he'll be performing together with DJ Mad Mix Man Reemoh. This last one is an alias of Remo Perotti, for the Belgian audience probably best known as the "Sjamajee"-man from "het Huis van Wantrouwen".
A novelty in all this is that this group is completely geared towards the internet : the CD is being lauched exclusively on the internet (through Proxis) and will be sold on this channel solely for about four months, after which the cd will hit the regular shops only from September onwards.
Links :
- Neon Electronics sales (and samples) at Proxis
- Neon Electronics own website
- Site of DanceDelic-D, the new record label of Dirk Da Davo

HEINEKEN BEATS THE RETREAT
The bombardment of the Chinese Embassy in Serbia of last week now also has had an impact on the Belgian musicscene : the première of Zap Mama's "A Ma Zone" tour - that was scheduled to be held in China this weekend - has been cancelled due to the troubled atmosphere in China.
The group would perform at "Heineken Beat", the first open-air concert that was to be held in the Chinese capitol Beijing. Apart from the Zaps also Hans Dulfer, Jocelyn Brown, Robert Cray & The Diry Dozen Brass Band and the local bands Zang Tiansuo & Rhythm Dogs were going to invite the Chinese to the dancefloor. Heineken now has postponed the festival "in reaction to widespread anti-American hostility following the accidental NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade".
Info about the (ex-)festival : http://www.heinekenbeat.com. The line from the opening speech of the "Field Marketing Manager China" which can be read there, somehow doesn't sound the same as it probably did at the time is was spoken : "Heineken recognises the universal aspect of music, a force which can transcend barriers and unite people of different backgrounds ...".

JAN BREYDEL-STADION OPENS WITH PROMS-NIGHT
On May 22st, the renewed Jan Breydel-soccer-station, home of Club Bruges, will be solemnly & festively inaugurated. On the schedule are a kind of "Night of The Proms" with the orchestra Il Novecento, conducted by Robert Groslot. The guest-singers include Paul Michiels, Worlds Apart, Umberto Tozzi, René Froger en Will Tura. Or to use the words of the press release : "European-coloured Soccerproms that gives lustre to the underlying idea of Euro 2000 - "Soccer knows no boundaries". To this goal, a number of internationally renound artist in a combination with 32,000 enthousiastic sportfans, culture- & musiclovers and a fitting light spectacle will let you get to know this renewed sports temple!"
Tickets (300 à 500 fr.) can be ordered online at http://www.janbreydel.com.
This supporter of rivalling team Genk hopes that this occasion will not be another celebration of a championship for Bruges. Knock on wood

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