January 23, 2000

Amazing how uninteresting belgian pop becomes when you have got flue. Incredible how difficult updating a website becomes when you are not feeling well. So far for the excuses for the lack of updates in the last week. Here's what you might have missed :

- Starflam (you are bound to remember "Le Plat Pays" of two years ago, otherwise you might know them from one of the remixes on Zita Swoon Disco Adventures) has a new 12". It's called "Bled Runner", it's wicked, and out in the shops by now. The band has signed a deal with "major" Warner, and will perform at the AB-club in Brussels two times next month.

- Thou will be playing with John Parish at De Nachten next Saturday. He is best known as the producer of PJ Harvey, and last year got into the "Belgian scene" through his cooperation in the soundtrack of "Rosie" with Mauro Pawlowski. Parrish has just produced the second Thou-album in the Portishead-studio's in Bristol, to be released in the next months. In Studio Brussel's "Duyster" Does & Bart already presented the track "Soon The Ladies".

- Arid has released a fourth single of "Little Things of Venom", in this case the song "Me & My Melody". Also, it was revealed this week that there are plans for a IMAX-movie starring Jasper Steverlinck. The movie is supposedly called "Haunted Castle" and features a soundtrack with Double-T-bands such as Metal Molly, Lunascape & Ozark Henry. In a theater (since it's IMAX probably not very) near you in September. Arid will be at the Ancienne Belgique (the Big Hall, not the club) for a concert on March 10.

- Neven (or Peter Claessen, who also cooperated on the Glyth-album we just reviewed) will release a new album "Bruxelogic" on Exit Recor in March. The pre-release will be held in Paris, on 22 february (22/2/2000, at 20:00 and 'till 2:00). Entrance is, you've guessed it : 20 French Francs. The party will be held on a boat on the River Seine (Batofar), and Lt.Sprüdel and DJ Just Mat will also be there.

- Axelle Red will also be doing a few concerts in France, but for her it's more dates and bigger halls : she kicks of her "Toujours Moi"-tour on Thursday the 27th in Montpellier and will play at least 36 dates in the two months that follow (dates can be found at her official website). Even better news is that she has finally released one of the good songs of "Toujours Moi" as a single : "Parce Que C'est Toi" is doing very well already.

- Noordkaap get gold. "Avanti", the best-of and farewell cd of Noordkaap, has just reached gold status in Belgium (15,000 copies). The gold album will be handed to the band during their very last gig, which will be held on April 1 on a place & time to be announced later.

- Laïs signs with Virgin, a contract for 5 albums (the first of which should appear in the Fall of this year). The girls are currently also trying to make an impression upon France, with a guest-role on the new I Muvrini cd, and a number of concerts opening up for Sting.

- According to my books, the first release of the millennium has become Flat Earth Society's live album "Flat Earth Society Live", which was released on January 7. Vermeersch & Vervloesem seem to have gotten into some creative fit, since only one week later, A Group have released "Volume 3" (they skipped the Volume 1). If you select your station well, you might have already heard their cover of "Porque Te Vas".
More news at their excellently designed website.

- Zita Swoon have been nominated in the Netherlands for one of the Edison Awards (in the category "Foreign Alternative Music"). Other news about the band is that the released date for the "Plage Tattoo"-cd is set for March, and that the band will be hitting the studio in May/June to record a brand new studio-album. Touring with "Plage Tattoo" will continue all over Europe until September.

January 11, 2000

PITA IS IN NEST NOW
Pita, the creative beat-creator of the hiphop-band ABN has come up with a new project, after he had left Quinte about a year ago. His new band is called "Nest", and consists of him and rapper Mohamed Mamoen (aka MHD).
Nest will release "Dans met mij", a single on DJAX-records in one of the next days, a surprise cooperation between this crew and flemish rocksinger Raymond van het Groenewoud. Shortly afterwards, the album "Grenzloos" will follow, characterized by the inventive use of samples & Maroccan music.
Meanwhile, Quinte is also adding the finishing touches to a 2nd ABN-album, since he is continuing that band on his own (with many guest-beatcreators, rappers ...).
Info found on the DJAX-website.

DEBUUTROCK, THE SELECTION
Debuutrock, another talent contest for rock groups in Flanders, has made public the names for this years edition (which were selected from demo's by Studio Brussel, Stage, Rif-Raf & Debuutrock, and then had a team of debuutrock come & see a rehearsal in the bands' own place). They are :
- Humb (jazzy hip-hop, only 18 years of age on average)
- Loner (stonerrock from Ghent)
- Mr. Wiggly (rock/pop, also from Ghent)
- Higgin's (techno to crossover to ragga with a live-drummer & guitarist from Aalst)
- Gloin (in between Massive Attack, Swell & Suede)
- Admiral Freebee (jazzconservatoriumstudenten from Antwerp)
- Crosseyed Monkey (soulful band with female singer from Kapellen)
- Shue (garage-blues from Antwerp).
These "laureats" will present themselves during a live show at the Vooruit in Ghent on March 22, and will also appear on a cd of Debuutrock just after.
More info the Debuutrock-site.

EXTRA GORKI AT THE AB
It was announced yesterday that Gorki will play an extra concert at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels on February 10, after their showcase on the day before had been sold out completely (see the AB-site).
Meanwhile, the single "We Zijn Zo Jong" has already hit the airwaves, a precursor to the release of the new full-cd "Eindelijk Vakantie", which should be out in the shops on February 7.

WIGBERT & KRIS DE BRUYNE IN SEARCH OF TRUE LOVE
Last Saturday, De Warande in Turnhout witnessed the première of the show "Grote Liefde", a musical/literary performance in which singers Wigbert Van Lierde & Kris de Bruyne, writer Bart Plouvier & actor Ernst Löw go looking for True Love in literature and music.
"They searched the treasury of world history for literary sighs, poetic apologetics, musical primal screams, cursing lyricism, unchast laments and chaste allads. Withouth overseeing their own work. With this mesmerizing mosaic they open the year for us : sung poetry, spoken songs, acted quotations, true music and a plethora of surprising, touching and funny moment" says the press-release (in Dutch, of course).
This leads to a diverse programme, ranging from Wigbert singing Dylan, Cohen, De Bruyne & himself, scraps from the Bible to Flaubert & Piaf to Bobbejaan Schoepen, newspaper clippings etc ...
Next show is Friday January 14 at CC De Bosuil in Overijse (info : bosuil@online.be, tel : 02/657.31.79), later in Lokeren, Eeklo, Aarschot, Ternat, Bornem, Melen, Bilzen, Heist-o/d-Berg, Leuven, Bonheiden, Waregem, Dendermonde, Leopoldsburg, Alsemberg, Roeselare, Evergem and Zwijndrecht. Info : Garifuna at 014/84.37.03.