THE
BELGIAN POP-TELEX
NEWS - RELEASES - CONCERTS - NEW WEBSITES ...
Brussel, March 7th 2002
The Belgian Pop & Rock Archives website is now entrusted to the Flanders Music Centre. The Flanders Music Centre is a music information centre established by the Flemish government. More information about the centre can be found on its website, www.muziekcentrum.be.
The Belgian Pop & Rock Archives website will maintain its place on the web untill further notice. Some items on the website will gradually be replaced by items (such as 'news', 'links', 'charts') of www.muziekcentrum.be. The biographies and cd-reviews written by Dirk Houbrechts however will be kept available.
In the main time the Flanders Music Centre is developing a new exhaustive website with lots of information on Flemish music.
Future plans are too merge the content of both websites.
Feel free to contact the Flanders Music Centre (at info@muziekcentrum.be) for more information about both websites
Brussel, February 5th 2002
Press release of the Flanders Music Centre :
MUZIEKCENTRUM VLAANDEREN NEEMT 'BELGIAN POP & ROCK ARCHIVES' OVER
Bezieler Dirk Houbrechts heeft zijn website ‘The Belgian Pop & Rock Archives’
aan het Muziekcentrum Vlaanderen toevertrouwd.
Het Muziekcentrum Vlaanderen heeft de website ‘The Belgian Pop &
Rock Archives’ (http://houbi.com/belpop)
overgenomen. De website bevat 262 biografieën van Belgische pop & rockgroepen
en -artiesten. Bij al deze groepen werd een discografie voorzien, samen met links
naar websites, andere artikels, cd-recensies enz. De website is volledig en op
verschillende manieren doorzoekbaar. Per maand melden zich momenteel meer dan
90.000 bezoekers.
Dirk Houbrechts besliste begin dit jaar om persoonlijke redenen om met zijn
eenmansproject te stoppen. Uit de geïnteresseerden in een overname koos hij
het Muziekcentrum Vlaanderen om ‘The Belgian Pop & Rock Archives’
toe te vertrouwen.
Het Muziekcentrum Vlaanderen werd opgericht door de Vlaamse Overheid om
muziek van alle genres uit Vlaanderen te promoten en informatie te verschaffen
over muziek uit Vlaanderen. Het centrum bouwt zelf een nieuwe website uit die
begin maart online gaat. Het is de bedoeling om de inhoud van beide sites aan
elkaar te koppelen, zodat de informatie uit 'The Belgian Pop & Rock Archives'
kan gecombineerd worden met de concertagenda en de andere informatie die op www.muziekcentrum.be
voorhanden zal zijn.
which comes down to: I've given (not really "given", in fact, a fee
is changing hands) the control over my site to The Flanders Music Centre,
a Flemish-government sponsored organisation that has the goal to promote music
from all genres and provide info on music from Flanders. So dEUS was right after
all, nothing really ends.
The precise details of how the site will be technically maintained, where
it'll be hosted, how soon the audio fragments will return etc ... are still being
worked out as we speak, but one thing is for sure now : this site will survive,
and will continue to be developed, more or less integrated with the huge new site
that the Music Centre is developing right now. This means new opportunities (e.g.
the Music Center has in it's possession the entire vinyl & CD-archive of Kris
Dierckx, meaning they have pretty much each & every Belgian release from the
past 50 years at their disposal), and a few quirks (how will the artist from Wallonia
be handled, how will "opinion" get it's place ...). More news soon ...
Thanks everybody for sticking around, and certainly for the overwhelmingly
massive amount of support, offers for help, and other kind words I've received
after the goodbye-mail I sent at the end of last year. Sorry I couldn't reply
to each & every mail, but hey: I was quitting because I wanted to get myself
a life, not because I wanted to reply to emails for entire days ;-).
While I left the site with the feeling that I had basically wasted a few good
years of my life, all your reactions certainly have helped to make me feel better
about it all.
After four years of writing some 1300 pages about the finest bands & artists
Belgium has to offer, serving almost 1.900.000 visitors, 6.000.000 pageviews and
36.000.000 hits to surfers from over 180 different countries and just as dEUS
is leading the Belpoptop with "Nothing Really Ends",
I'm calling it a day.
The reason is not that I've lost interest in the subject, or that the site
was going down (still each month was getting new records), and not even a dot-com-malaise
(the site was never more than a hobby, with www.kingkong.be as the cool sponsor
for a part of the expenses). The reason is purely a personal one: a feeling that
I'm helping many a surfer but not really helping myself with all this; the creepy
sensation that I've become isolated under a pile of unreviewed CD's; the fact
that I've made many an acquaintance doing this site, but no friends. So it's time
for me to move on to other things.
After January 1st, all audio will be put offline, The info will remain in place
for now, maybe more structural partners (Muziekcentrum? Poppunt? Humo? Bert Anciaux?)
are willing to continue developing it.
I hope I've been informative, entertaining or have otherwise helped you in
something with the site. Thanks for all the kind comments, good press & other
thank you's I've received over the years.
I leave you with these words from Ozark Henry's "Word up"
There's no way for you to know how you're wanted
passing here, passing here unwanting
every morning as I wake
I'm greeting all things
like Mark in his poem
looking forward just to see you pass
so I can catch a glimpse of you
It is time I let you know
It's making me nervous
are you the one for me?
Are you the only one?
Word up!
November 20, 2001
CAMDEN CONTEST Axl
Peleman is kindness in person, as he's sent me a big pack of goodies of his
project Camden to give away to you, unsuspecting surfer of this website.
By answering a few questions (of which you can find all the answers on this site,
or on Axl's personal site) you can win:
- T-Shirts (male and female)
- Copies of the single "Black paper Black Ink"
- The album "Miscellaneous".
Here's the questions you had to answer:
Interested in bringing your own product forward to the audience of this website
with a contest? Contact me!
REMIX DE MON MOULIN Marc Moulin's album "Into the dark"
is gathering quite a lot of really good press and attention around town: the album
this ex-jazzcat (see Placebo) and ex-electropopper
(see Telex) made this year is now set to be
released in no less than 42 countries, another advantage of being on such a prestigious
label as Blue Note.
Now, Marc Moulin is organising a contest, where you can put together your very
own remix of the first single that was released from the album "Into The
Dark".
On the website of Studio Brussels, you can find 13
samples with pieces of music used in the song, which you can use to put together
your own version of the song. Deadline is December 3rd, and the prize is featuring
as a b-side of the next single that will be taken from the album.
LEUVEN KORT The
shortfilmfestival "Leuven kort" has put together a list of Belgian videoclips
again, from which a jury and the public visiting the festival will choose the
best Belgian video.
This years "nominees", which you can go and see in a one hour show between
November 24 and 28 in Leuven are:
- Theme from Discotheque
by Samantha Fu - video by Heyvaert, van Groeningen & Boel
- Bananaqueen
by Zita Swoon - video by Neville Marcinowski
- Rescue
by Ozark Henry - video of Patrick Otten & Raf Wathion
- Denk je nog aan mij
by De Mens - video by Eddie Gregoor
- All Right
by Ultracowboy - video by Frank Devos
- La Ballade de Johnny Guitar by Ming - video by Bart Stolle
- Tears from the moon
by Lunascape - video by Walter Hilhorst
- De stad kan zo koud
zijn by Monza - video by Stijn Meuris
- La La Land by Green Velvet - video directed by Stefan Van den Eede (who
already won the an award recently for his video for Milk Inc.)
- I have got to love me
by Kamino - a video by Sam Vanoverschelde
- Welgemeende
by Flip Kowlier - a video by Wouter Van Belle
- On a good day by Indiana - a video
by Erik Bulckens
- Hot Hotter Hottest
by Zita Swoon - a video by Raf Wathion
Unfortunately, the videoclips are not offered on line to us as was the case in
the past years, but still there's more info about the setup and real shortfilms
to check out on the site of the festival: www.kortfilmfestival.be.
November 18, 2001
NO MORE LOUD DEUS MUSIC
The dEUS-compilation album "No More Loud
Music" is in the shops. It features the 11 singles the band has released,
including the new one "Nothing Really Ends",
excluding the first one "Zea" (which will be on the DVD "No More
Video's", but that's not until December). This means the tracklist is: 1.
Suds & Soda
2. Via
3. Hotellounge (Be The Death Of Me)
4. Theme From Turnpike
5. Little Arithmetics
6. Roses
7. Fell Off The Floor, Man
8. Instant Street
9. Sister Dew
10. The Ideal Crash
11. Nothing Really Ends
If you know a single (belgian) band that has already made a more impressive series
of singles, please tell me ...
Be warned however, that the band doesn't wholehartedly supports this singles compilation,
but "allowed" the record company to release it in order to be able to
release the said DVD-compilation of video's, behind the scenes movies, articles,
photographs.
JANEZ DETD. WAS ROBBED Punkrockers Janez Detd. are in dire
straits: not because they've decided to play covers of Mark Knobfler from now
on, but because somebody has been taking the TYI-principle of punk rawk somewhat
too literally: in short: their material has been stolen.
If some punk is trying to sell you some Gibson S.G. guitars, or a Mesa Boogie
(whatever that is), tip it to wanted@skynet.be.
There's a reward waiting for you.
DE MENS GOES ACOUSTIC In January, February and March 2002, De Mens
announces it will be paying visits to cultural centers and theaters across the
land, to play under the title "De Mens: akoestisch en milieuvriendelijk"
(acoustic and eco-friendly). On the menu will be a number or new songs, a number
of songs which haven't been played very often, an a number of classics which will
get some new treatment.
It's already been decided that there will be no summer tour or festivals in 2002,
so better check them out there if you want to check them out at all.
Dates of this tour will be posted on this
page on the De Mens site.
November 5, 2001
BELPOPTOP OCTOBER : OZARK HENRY STILL
Only 4 songs survived from last month's list, and Ozark Henry shot from 9 to 1.
Newcomers galore (Hooverphonic, Eden, Monza, Yum, Dear Liza, Chitlin' Fooks &
Camden), with even an ex aequo at spot n°10.
New songs you could pick for next month's top are:
dEUS "Nothing Really Ends"
After a few years of ominous silence, dEUS returns for a brief while with a newly
recorded single - Leonard Cohen style - a compilation of their singles (to be
released this month) and a DVD with video's & goodies (next month).
Coem "Show" With a second album called "Bandwi(d)thconsiderations"
out earlier this year, Hasselt-based band Coem is seeking more attention for its
adventurous guitarrock music with the single "Show".
Vive la Fête "AAA"
Els Pynoo and her cool french lover from Limburg Danny Mommens point to their
"République Populaire" album with the promo "AAA".
As they say on their under construction website : "attention: post-elektro-pop
buyers!".
Sttellla "Un weekend avec Emilie
Dequenne" Jean-Luc Fonck, The Groucho Marx of the french language, has conjured up a
new album - titled "Un Homme avec un grand H, au pays des prises de tête"
- and this ode to Rosetta-actress Emilie Dequenne is the first single from it.
The Dill Brothers "What Have
I Done" Third single from the album "Remedy" by these ska-brothers from
the Kempen.
Fence "Relax"
Another band from Limburg with a new album: "Angels on your Body" is
the 2nd full CD and "Relax" the first single. On the downside: their
drummer Samuel just left them before the release of the cd.
Punk City "Mission" Retro goes commercial: A brand new project called Punk City debuts with the
single "Mission", featuring the vocals of Zohra (ex-Two Fabiola, later
solo) and the beats of Kris Vanderheyden (CJ Bolland, Tyrome, Insider)
Indiana "I'm not Alone" Indiana is a band centered around a bunch of "lovely ladies" (Ingrid
De Smedt & Viola Furleo, recently also another girl named Katerine Avgoustakis)
that will aim for the french market, although their debut album "On
A Good Day" - produced by Paul "Mellow"
Despieghelaere - was quite anglo-saxon.
El Tattoo del Tigre "Bereebee
cum bee" The most mambo of mamboing bands will go on a new tour of the country in
December, and prepares so with a new single from their irresistable debut album.
K's Choice "My Head (live)"
After cameo appearances on the new Raymond van het Groenewoud album (Sarah) and
the debut Camden CD (Gert), brother & sister Bettens focus on K's
Choice again with a double live album and this single to promote it.
Millionaire "Me crazy, you
sane" Good news is coming fast from Millionaire, for after the release their terrific
album "Outside The Simian Flock"
and this second single from it, they were invited by Muse to open a number of
nights for them in the U.K.
Jan Leyers "All Summer Long" Ex-Soulsister and ex-My
Velma Jan Leyers has returned to the label where he started out with Soulsister:
EMI Belgium. After the success of the hit "Only your love will do",
Leyers has become "hot property" again, so EMI is willing to invest
in his music again. A first result of their renewed cooperation is this new single.
Marc Morgan "Je reviens de loin"
Marc Morgan comes back from far, as he sings on this promo single for his
third album "Les Parallèles se rejoignent",
and in his case this can be taken quite literally, for this album comes after
a looooooooong silence.
Automatic Buffalo "Beauty Lies"
Luc de Vos is going full steam ahead with his plans to develop a career singing
in English besides his work with Gorki. The debut album "Party People"
of Automatic Buffalo will be released mid-November, and this single is here to
announce it.
HOOVERPHONIC ALSO TAKES AWAY MOST TMF-AWARDS After
their landslide victory in the Zamu Awards earlier this year, Hooverphonic
are continuing to dominate award ceremonies which hand out statuettes to Belgian
artists. Together with Milk inc. and X-Session
in the more commercial categories, they took away most "national" prizes
at the 3rd TMF-awards held in Ghent last Tuesday (the most hollow ceremony ever,
at least judging by the sound-quality of the broadcast).
The winners in all categories were (national / international):
- Best Dance Milk Inc. / Faithless
- Best Rock : Das Pop / U2
- Most promising new band : Zornik /
Blue
- Best R&B - Rap : ABN / Destiny's
Child
- Best Live Act : Hooverphonic / Faithless
- Best singer - male : Gene of X-session / Robbie Williams
- Best album : Hooverphonic, The Magnificent Tree / Destiny's Child, Survivor
- Best pop band : X-Session / Atomic Kitten
- Best singer (female) : Geike Arnaert of Hooverphonic, Jennifer Lopez
- Best single : Something by Lasgo / We come 1 by Faithless
- Best Videoclip : Never Again by Milk Inc. / Lady Marmalade
On a related Hooverphonic note: There are stil some tickets available for their
big concert in Vorst Nationiaal on November 2nd. And still better: Ozark
Henry will be opening for them on that same night.
JAN LEYERS RETURNS TO EMI
Ex-Soulsister and ex-My
Velma, tv-interviewer and songwriter Jan Leyers has returned to the
label where he started out with Soulsister: EMI Belgium. After the success of
the film music for "Team Spirit"
and especially the hit "Only your love will do",
Leyers has become "hot property" again, so EMI is willing to invest
in his music again.
A first result of their renewed coöperation is a new single, called "All
Summer Long", which can be heard on the radio already. Further plans
also include a full-CD, but this one is planned only for April or so.
In between this and the album release, Jan Leyers will be doing a "solo"
tour through some of the cultural centers of the country, in January and February
2002. The première is in Bonheiden on January 10, the other dates can be
found on the usual concert agenda's or from Kras Artists.
MUZIKANTENDAG IN THE A.B.
Poppunt is organizing their 3rd Muzikantendag (musician's day), and the programme
and venue they have reserved this time looks more interesting then ever.
Some of the things you can catch on November 24 at the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels
are:
- workshop with Axl Peleman (Ashbury Faith,
Camden ...) about the bass, Michael Shack (Blue
Blot) about drumming, Frank vander Linden (de
Mens), Jo Bogaert (Technotronic)
and Alex Callier (Hooverphonic) about songwriting,
Mental MC's (ABN, Sint-Andries
MC's) about rap & hiphop, Mo&Benoelie on DJ'ing, David Poltrock (Monza)
on keyboards, Nikolas Vanderveken (Janez Detd)
on DIY-publishing, Wouter van Belle (Axelle
Red, Gorki ...) on producing, Stijn Meuris
(Noordkaap, Monza) on self-promotion, or
Jeroen Vereecke (Das Pop) on managers.
- a special about jazz this year, with a cross-over performance of "The Demagogue
Reacts" and Jean-Marie Aerts (see JMX, TC
Matic ...)
- gigs of Zornik and Buscemi.
- A demopanel, where beginning bands can put their demo before the prying ears
of some A&R-scouts of Belgian record companies.
All details about the event at the website that's been put together for it: muzikantendag.poppunt.be
October 24, 2001
UN HOMME AVEC UN GRAND H ... Sttellla
has did it again: Jean-Luc Fonck has been locked up in his cell long enough to
come out with 65 minutes of "connerie" and wordplay. The title of this
new masterpiece is called "Un Homme avec un grand H, au pays des prises
de tête" (something like "A man with a big axe in the land
of the headhunters", but undoubtedly it will have a 2nd or 3rd degree meaning).
The first single of the album is called "Un weekend avec Emilie Dequenne",
a song that Jean-Luc Fonck wrote after being on a television show with her. Another
is about "La Fille du Météo", one about Twin Peaks (as
is the cover) "Laura sonne pour l'heure à Palmer", one
a Renaud-pastiche "A paris", and even a song in Spanish "Ke
Pasa" (not a cover of the TC Matic
song). But all in all it's of course about "rigoler", with more wordplay
than you'd get in ... in ... in a very wordplaying situation.
Quite funny already is that in the CD's there's a free ticket for a concert "celebrating
the 27th anniversary" of Sttellla. However, a place and a date is not yet
known, as is the number of invitees. Or as he told Le Soir "Il y a un
problème, c'est qu'en mettant une place gratuite dans chaque CD, on n'a
aucune idée du nombre de gens qui va s'en servir. Donc, maintenant, si
je vends 100.000 albums... On vient de rentrer dans le hit-parade des ventes en
septième position. D'un côté, c'est très agréable,
mais de l'autre, ça commence à nous faire peur. Bref, c'était
encore une bonne idée à la con, et dans ce domaine, je suis spécialiste."
FROM SLOW TO RAP
Is the name of a new edition of a booklet that the province of West-Vlaanderen
is publishing. In it, you'll find the names and details of 384 bands, artist and
Deejays operating from that Province, and contact details for places where beginning
bands can play or rehearse.
To celebrate this 2nd edition and make the booket known, they are inviting the
musicians and everybody else interested to a music-filled day with workshops &
music on October 27th in Tielt.
In the afternoon there will be workshops ("from demo to record deal"
with Luc Van Acker, de Billijke vergoeding,
how to get gigs in Holland or the North of France, pop & rock schools ...)
In the evening, there will be gigs (entrance 300 fr.), with DJ Lefto, Moiano,
Outspoken Members, Krewcial, Pacific Beach Patrol, Creams & Spices, Cowboys
& Aliens, Flip Kowlier, The Unichorn
Big Band, November, Cornflames, De Portables en Orange
Black, presented by a stubru-crew consisting of Krewcial, Libelia Desplenter
and Eppo Janssen.
If you're interested in attending or obtaining the guide, contact peter.velle@west-vlaanderen.be,
tel 050 403 319.
October 18, 2001
1,2,3,4 ... RAMONES TRIBUTE Kloot
Per W is nearing the completion of his Ramones project. For almost two years,
he has been recording Ramones songs under a number of inventend names with his
friends, putting it as MP3-files on his website and then inviting everybody else
interested to join in on the "Hey ho let's go". His appeals have been
more than succesful, as he now about to present no less than 56 covers of Ramones-tracks
on "1,2,3,4 ... A lo-fi Ramone Tribute". Among the participants,
there are a number of well-known bands, such as Paranoiacs,
Daan, JMX, The
Kids, Neven, Golden
Green, De Bossen, Riguelle
& Hautekiet, La Fille d'Ernest
(and of course KPW himself) which have foud their way onto CD1, while the crème
the la crème of the Belgian punk scene (The Hot Rod Honeys, Faroutski,
The Dirty Scums, de Lama's, Bad Preachers, Funeral Dress etc...) have found their
way onto CD 2.
The CD will be presented on a special evening in Hof Ter Loo, on November
2nd. On that night, there will be performances by Clash City Rockers (punk and
new wavecovers), The Kids, Funeral Dress, G.B.H. and Dj Kloot Per W (playing the
Ramones) and more. Entrance is 500 fr., and includes a 4-track vinyl sampler of
the CD.
More info on the Flurkily renewed website KPW.
The presentations of all the participants (a list that is still growing - the
project probalby won't end with this CD) and their tracks is on this
page.
ART MEETS MANAGEMENT Another
eclectic project is also about to be presented to press and public: Art Meets
management is a project set up by Frank De Mey, providing "a unique
forum for all managers to show off their artistic talents", this year
with a CD, next years with paintings, sculpture ...
14 managers (you would be surprised who can call himself that way these days -
newspaper De Morgen today ran a story that Michel de Coster of De
Mens has just been promoted to director of BT Ignite. And he's a bass
player! What's next? Drummers as CEO's?), were invited in the studio, where dirk
Blanchart tried to produce a decent tune out of them (or as the promotalk
has it "assisted the selected participants in a high-end professional
recording studio, polishing their raw material until 12 shiny diamonds appeared").
However, many of the managers that responded to the project, already have quite
a bit of experience in music: E.g. Frank De Mey plays in Frank&The Face (which
will now go by the name Blushh - debut CD soon), Nico De Cock plays with Marky
Ramone's group, Peter Bonne plays in A Split Second and Twilight Ritual, Jo Cassiers
plays in Orphan ... The full list of participants and their chosen song is here.
The CD will be presented on October 26 to a "selected audience" in Antwerp,
where "the selected managers get the chance to show off their performing
skills, live on stage, on our huge final event in Antwerp, hosted by Veerle Dobbelaere."
The rest will be in the press, I guess, or can be found on the website of Art
meest management, which is not unpredicably http://www.artmeetsmanagement.com.
Watch it : This site pays royalties, and was built and maintained in
accordance with the terms and conditions negotiated with SABAM,
the Belgian society of copyright-holders. Consultation of this site is free, but
this exludes downloading, reproducing or public performance of any part of this
site. Please do not copy. Link!
After
their landslide victory in the Zamu Awards earlier this year, 
Another
eclectic project is also about to be presented to press and public: Art Meets
management is a project set up by Frank De Mey, providing "a unique
forum for all managers to show off their artistic talents", this year
with a CD, next years with paintings, sculpture ...