(Photo by Mothmeister) In a message posted on their Facebook yesterday evening at 7 PM, the Belgian cult EBM act Front 242 have announced that they will hold their last concerts ever.

Here’s the statement which is being announced as a ‘Black Out’: “Today, we reach out to you, our fans, with a heavy yet hopeful heart to share the news of our final concerts. Now, we are preparing to bring down the curtain on our live performances as FRONT 242, we find ourselves navigating a sea of emotions.

For nearly four decades, we’ve journeyed together, creating unforgettable moments and sharing the profound joy of music. You’ve been more than an audience; you’ve been a part of our extended family, witnessing our evolution and sharing in our highs and lows.

The decision to step back from performing live has not been easy, but we believe it’s important to end this chapter on a high note, preserving the essence of Front 242 that you’ve grown to love. We want to leave you with memories of our band at its peak, full of energy and passion.

So, we are extending our invitation to you: join us for one last adventure. Let’s make these final shows a celebration of the incredible journey we’ve shared. We promise to deliver performances that capture the heart and soul of Front 242, a fitting farewell to a story we’ve written together.”

The band has announced a string of concerts, which will serve as the band’s live farewell.

EU24

• 04 Aug LOKEREN, Lokerse Feesten, B
• 10 Aug HILDESHEIM, M’Era Luna, DE

US24

• 06 Sept TAMPA, Jannus Landing, US
• 07 Sept PHILADELPHIA, Union Transfer, US
• 08 Sept CLEVELAND, Agora Theater, US
• 13 Sept LOS ANGELES, Mayan Theater, US
• 14 Sept PORTLAND, Roseland Ballroom, US
• 15 Sept SAN FRANCISCO, Great American Music Hall, US

EU24

• 12 Oct HAMBURG, Markthalle, DE
• 17 Oct UTRECHT, Tivoli Ronda, NL
• 18 Oct BERLIN, Huxley’s Neue Welt, DE
• 19 Oct OBERHAUSEN, Turbinnenhalle, DE
• 25 Oct MÜNCHEN, Backstage Werk, DE
• 26 Oct LANGEN, Neue Stadthalle, DE

US24

• 08 Nov HOUSTON, Rise Rooftop, US
• 09 Nov DALLAS, Granada Theater, US
• 10 Nov DENVER, Reelworks, US
• 15 Nov CHICAGO, Metro, US
• 16 Nov CHICAGO, Metro, US

EU24

• 29 Nov GOTHENBURG, Film Studios, SE (FutureRetro)
• 30 Nov STOCKHOLM, Berns, SE (FutureRetro)
• 06 Dec LILLE, Black Lab, FR
• 07 Dec PARIS, Le Trianon, FR
• 08 Dec LONDON – UK
• 13 Dec BARCELONA, Sala Apolo, SP
• 14 Dec MADRID, Sala La Paqui, SP
• 25 Dec CHEMNITZ, Dark Storm Festival, DE

EU25

• 10 Jan COPENHAGEN, Pumpehuset, DK
• 24 Jan BRUSSELS, Ancienne Belgique, B
• 25 Jan BRUSSELS, Ancienne Belgique, B

About Front 242

Front 242, a vanguard Belgian electronic music group, emerged in the 1980s, pioneering a genre they dubbed “electronic body music” (EBM). Their innovative approach not only defined a new sound but also left a lasting impact on electronic and industrial music genres worldwide.

Founded in 1981 in Aarschot, near Leuven, Belgium, by Daniel Bressanutti and Dirk Bergen, Front 242 set out to explore music and graphic design with emerging electronic tools. Bressanutti’s prior engagement with Prothese laid a foundational stone for what was to become a monumental journey in electronic music. The duo named the project Front 242, embedding a vision of organized popular uprising within their name, which resonates universally across languages.

Their debut single, “Principles”, released in 1981, marked the inception of their distinctive sound. The addition of Patrick Codenys and Jean-Luc De Meyer in 1982, from the group Underviewer, enriched the band’s sonic and creative depth. This formation solidified Front 242’s lineup and set the stage for what followed.

Front 242’s first album, “Geography”, released in 1982, showcased their unique blend of sound, which was further developed in their subsequent releases. Their pioneering sound was characterized by the innovative use of synthesizers, samplers, and sequencers, creating a powerful, danceable, and at times, confrontational sound that became synonymous with EBM.

The release of “No Comment” in 1984 was a critical moment, with the album’s liner notes introducing the term electronic body music for the first time. This period also saw the band’s expansion into international markets, signing with American label Wax Trax! and embarking on tours that included supporting Ministry, marking their rising global influence.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Front 242 continued to innovate and evolve. Albums like “Tyranny (For You)” reached new heights, charting in the United States. The band’s willingness to reinvent themselves was evident in their shift towards a more techno-oriented sound with the “Re:Boot” tour, acknowledging influences like The Prodigy.

Side projects and collaborations flourished during this time, with members engaging in diverse musical endeavors that included forming bands like Revolting Cocks, C-Tec, and Cobalt 60.

The band’s last studio album was “Pulse”, released in 2003 and re-released by Alfa Matrix in an extended version. Also check the various extended reissues and Front 242 live releases.

Front 242 studio albums

• Geography (1982)
• No Comment (1984)
• Official Version (1987)
• Front by Front (1988)
• Tyranny (For You) (1991)
• 06:21:03:11 Up Evil (1993)
• 05:22:09:12 Off (1993)
• Pulse (2003)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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(Photo by Mika Baumeister) Erhan Kurkun, a former member of Praga Khan and guitarist for Lords of Acid, will face trial in a Belgian court in September over a MeToo case. He is accused of sexual assault, rape, and inhumane treatment. Four women have come forward in the case Nancy Swerts of the Leuven prosecutor’s office confirms.

It’s uncertain if Kurkun will play on Lords of Acid’s forthcoming 53 concerts in the USA this autumn.

For years, there have been rumours about Erhan Kurkun’s violent behaviour, often alleged to be due to alcohol and drugs. In late 2020, a former singer from Lords of Acid claimed he had assaulted her. She alleges that Kurkun, with whom she had a brief relationship, had mutilated her. A total of four female victims have come forward. Another woman who joined the lawsuit had previously worked with Kurkun.

Erhan Kurkun was Praga Khan’s primary guitarist. After being released from custody, he played during Praga Khan’s final live show, The End, in Brussels.

A few months back, Deborah Ostrega, former lead singer, spoke on the radio about her time with the band in the late ’90s. She mentioned selecting men from the crowd to join her on stage and possibly be invited to her hotel room afterwards. Ostrega acknowledged the era’s difference, suggesting such actions today might lead to MeToo allegations.

About Praga Khan

Praga Khan is the stage name of Maurice Engelen (born 7 January 1959), a Belgian electronic musician and one of the pioneering figures of Belgium’s new beat and acid house scene, active as a DJ at Brussels’ Happy House club in the late 1980s. Working with vocalist Nikkie van Lierop, known as Jade 4U, he released material under multiple aliases, including Praga Khan, Jade 4U, Major Problem and Channel X, between 1988 and 1991. In late 1988, Engelen formed Lords of Acid in Brussels with programmer Olivier Adams and Jade 4U, debuting with the new beat single “I Sit on Acid.”

Lords of Acid’s debut album, “Lust” (1991), became an underground hit, followed by “Voodoo-U” (1994), “Our Little Secret” (1997) and “Farstucker” (2000). Under his own name, Praga Khan’s best-known track is “Injected with a Poison” (1992), which reached number sixteen in the UK and number one in Japan. A former Lords of Acid guitarist, Erhan Kurkun, was tried on sexual assault charges brought by four women and sentenced by a Belgian court in 2024.

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As Eldrina Mich I work as a go-between and a devil’s advocate when it comes to Side-Line. If our own staff needs to be interviewed then ask the questions no one else dares to ask.

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Belgian singer Bea Van der Maat from the Belgian pop act Won Ton Ton has passed away. Her family confirmed her passing in a concise statement: “She passed away on Thursday, July 27, 2023, at UZ Leuven. Béatrice, as she was known in full, was diagnosed with ALS in June 2022. Last Thursday, she chose euthanasia.”

Besides being a popular TV presenter and actress, Van der Maat was best known as the lead singer of Won Ton Ton.

Won Ton Ton achieved significant success in Belgium and the Netherlands in the late 1980s with their hit single “I Lie and I Cheat” (’87). Unfortunately, their subsequent (excellent!) singles “Hey Marlene” and “Can I come near you” (both ’88) didn’t enjoy the same level of success. In 1989, the band released their debut album, “Home.”

The group had aspirations for an American adventure as well. The success of “I Lie and I Cheat” brought them to New York, where they were invited to perform a showcase in front of numerous American record companies. While one company showed interest, Van der Maat discovered she was pregnant with her first child just as the US tour was about to begin. Consequently, the planned tour did not come to fruition.

Before Won Ton Ton, Van der Maat was part of the group Chow-Chow, which was active in the mid-1980s. With Chow Chow, she reached the finals of Humo’s Rock Rally in 1984.

In 1996, Van der Maat also released a solo album: “Thin Skinned”. She bid farewell to the music world definitively in 2010, after a final tour with Guy Swinnen. Our condolences to the family of friends, a true talent is gone.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Who says Dirk Da Davo thinks The Neon Judgement! Even if this band remains one of the pioneers and true references in the Electro-Underground scene, Dirk has been involved with numerous other projects. The recently released album “Retrospective 1987-2023” is an opportunity to discover those projects; a fine selection from Dirk Timmermans’ (he’s real name) work over the thirty six past years aside from The Neon Judgement. The album has been released on vinyl format by Je M’En Fish and features ten songs. Each title of the work inspired me to ask a questions to Dirk. This is a short story of this Belgian living legend of Electronic music… and more…

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: The album takes off with “King Of Fools” which is probably the most surprising song from the album. It sounds sexy while the slide guitar has something pretty American-like. What is this song all about and what does it say about the music you’re listening to?  

DDD: The song is about the feeling that got created during the lockdown and the absurdity of certain measures taken which oppressed the people like never before. And I am questioning that in the song. ‘Will you obey the king of fools? Is there a way to neglect his rules? In a way he seems modified… Do you think he is justified?’ It is about this new created normality which I can’t get used to.

Musicaly it is not that far away for me. As a young kid I grew up with my father’s western music compilation records. And the music you listen to when you are a kid, stays forever in the back of your head… It’s a bit American/Western. It’s not the first time that it shows up. With The Neon Judgement we did the albums “Blood And Thunder” (1989) and “The Insult” (1991)who also have a American Tex Mex vibe in some album tracks. 

Q: “Ozz” is a track you composed together with Jean-Marie Aerts. I didn’t exactly expect you both composing music together. How did you get in touch and how was it working together? 

DDD: I know Jean-Marie already for a long time. He produced some album tracks for The Neon Judgement’s “Blood And Thunder”-album in 1989. He played the bass on The Neon Judgement’s “Jazzbox”-single in 1998 and we even did some experimental dub vinyl releases together in the 90s. And in a way we stayed connected. I live in Spain and Jean-Marie and his wife decided to come over for a vacation. I have a recording studio in the place where I live. It took exactly 2 days after his arrival and we started recording jam sessions. We finalized an EP and we decided to call our project DDDJMX. We released the digital EP in 2017 by the same title: “DDDJMX”. At the end he visited me 3 times which resulted in 10 recordings we digitally released in 2020 as the “Oceaned”-album. It was interesting. Jean–Marie left me completely free in production , arrangements and all regarding the tracks. An honor for me that he gave me his confidence! I feel flattered.

Q: “The Unreal” sounds to me as ‘modern’ The Neon Judgement. Are you sometimes nostalgic when evoking The Neon Judgement and do you think it’s really over now -especially because you went back on stage again since the so-called farewell concert in the A.B.? 

DDD: Oh really? It was not intended like that. No, I am not a nostalgic person at all or it must be about my childhood. I always prefer to look ahead and try to find new challenges. That is where the oxygen is! We had a fantastic trip with The Neon Judgement; I’m grateful to the fans but one day you have to call it a day. But never say never, I like to keep these things open… What I enjoy now is recording new music and develop myself further as a musician, not to play the same tracks over and over again. 

Q: “Where Even Angels Fall” sounds definitely 80s like. How much of the young Dirk Da Davo from the 80s do you still recognize in your music and approach today?  

DDD: That is a difficult question. I think through all my career I kept my personal touch, but it might have been influenced with the musical surroundings at certain periods… But I still carry the DDD label over all I think. No compromises for better business.

Q: “Sexhead” definitely is my favorite song from the album which reminds me of Cabaret Voltaire. I think to know Cabaret Voltaire have been one of your influences. What did you like in their sound and did you ever got the chance to get in touch with Richard H. Kirk -who passed away in 2021?  

DDD: An influence is perhaps a big word. We felt more like-minded. I liked the way they approached music from their first album on. The sound –experiments, the search for something new and with that sound they represented the times in which we lived. I met Richard once yes; I think that was during the first half of the 80s. We shared a venue in our hometown, Leuven, a venue named Lido with as line-up: The Neon Judgement, Cabaret Voltaire and 23 Skidoo. Oh what a night full of impressive music! ! 😉 

Q: “Meat Cathedral” is another 80s song which was released by your side-project If It Moves. It’s a project you set up with Glenn Frank -who also contributed to songs of The Neon Judgement right? What was this project all about?  

DDD: The project happened by coincidence. I joined Glenn’s band Street Ducks at the time as an extra guitar player. We shared a rehearsal room and one evening I was there alone with him. We started to program some industrial beats, I took a guitar and Glenn a microphone and what you hear happened on the spot. A week later we were recording the track together with Ludo Camberlin in his studio and it got released on vinyl. Glenn was part of The Neon Judgement for a short period as a bass player, but not as a song writer.  

Q: “157” reminds me of the early minimalism from Front 242. I can’t remember you ever did something together with the guys of ‘242’. Was there a connection or friendship? Rivalry? Just respect? 

DDD: There was an undercooled friendship, for sure no rivalry no. I remember a big party we had together in the 80s in Sweden, were we shared the stage in a double bill. We ended up throwing tables to each other during the after party, but it was just for fun! 🙂 Tour stress that is! 😉

Patrick Codenys also helped me out preparing the recordings of The Neon Judgement’s “Mafu Cage”-album. We were getting into sampling, but we didn’t have a sampler ourselves. That is when Patrick proposed that I could come over to his house to prepare samples for the “Mafu Cage”-sessions because they had a sampling machine.

“157”is one of my favorite Neon Electronics recordings produced by Glenn Keteleer (Radical G) who is my partner in the project now since 10 years. 

Q: “Strive” is one of your ‘new’ songs but what are you actually busy doing? And who are you working with? And is there an artist you really would like to work with?  

DDD: I am busy doing what a musician does: making music and enjoying it. And I try to run my digital label as good as I can. 

I am all the time working on songs and demos with Sanchez (the Mexican) under DD Sanchez, solo etc… Hopefully after summer we can produce new Neon Electronics music.. After summer I will release a digi-EP with new DDDJMX music. There is always something going! There’s not really a musician that I can directly think of , but for sure I would like to deliver music for a Quentin Tarantino movie if that counts also!  

Q: Talking about Sanchez, “Cities In Dust” is a song from your project together with him. The project DD Sanchez remains one of the most surprising ones and I dare to say a kind of antidote to your involvement with The Neon Judgement. What’s the ‘bonus’ in your career of DD Sanchez?  

DDD: It’s a challenge for myself. From the beginning of the project (first release 2019 “Z”-EP) I had the intention with DD Sanchez to write and create a less dark kind of music. A real challenge when you are mostly known in a darker scene and maybe not so wise but a musician should always follow his instinct and his heart . We released a full digi-album October 2022 and it got titled “HappyGrey” The title carries the load: it not really happy Pop music and neither very dark music. So it is “HappyGrey” music. 

Q: “In Dreams” was originally written in the early 90s and sounds to me as The Neon Judgement injected with Techno. What did you keep in mind from this (r)evolution in sound called Techno?  

DDD: “In Dreams” was recorded and released on vinyl format under DDD Program in 1992. During those times I was into club music and Techno. I think the Techno scene took over the thing that we started as the next generation. They distilled it down to its essence. Nowadays I still enjoy quality Techno music. I am a secret fan of Amelie Lens, also a Belgian DJ artist, but don’t tell anyone !

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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Out on October 7th is “Psychopuppets”, the new album by the legendary Leuven based post-punk band Soviet War.

The release comes out on Track & Traces, a sister label of Starman Records founded by veteran Roland Beelen (Antler). Via Tracks & Traces Beelen releases material from artists who at the same time have strong roots in the past and enough creativity to produce new material in the present. Previous albums have been released by, among others, TB Frank & Baustein, TV Smith, Honeymoon Cowboys (Siglo XX) and Suns of Arqa.

Included on the release is archive and live material from the early 80’s, plus new material. The band is also touring again and recently played support for The Stranglers in Het Depot , Leuven.

Formed as The Soviets the primitive punk of the early years evolved into post-punk, as a result the band changed their name to Soviet War. The band recorded a cassette ‘Bootleg’ and sold hundreds of copies at concerts, but when the Anything But label put one of their songs, “The Nuthouse”, on its compilation “No Big Business 2” the band also recorded “Just a Story” during the same sessions. The track would end up on the “Koude Golven” compilation. In 1982 a second recording session resulted in the single “It became a problem/Guns for fun” on the same Anything But label and two other unreleased tracks, which you can finally find on this LP.

In early 1983, guitarist Leon left and the band split up. 36 years later, in 2019, Soviet War reformed with the three remaining original members, Bergy, Tirre and Zip joined by new guitarist Koen. Corona prevented their comeback concert from taking place, Instead they started work on new songs. As soon as the live circuit regained some breathing space in the autumn of 2021, concerts finally followed.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on April 1st is “The Vinyl Collection” by the Belgian cult minimal wave act Pas De Deux. The release comes as a limited edition double vinyl with a special etched D side. The CD version is titled “The CD Collection”.

Pas De Deux is best known for their participation in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest with the excellent track “Rendez-Vous”. The song caused quite a stir and protest in the national pre-selection at the time. It only features the phrase “Rendez-vous, maar de maat is vol en m’n kop is toe” and when it was chosen by the jury to represent Belgium, riots almost broke out in the venue where the show was taking place.

Here’s a video of said evening, which most Flemish readers will remember really well, it was the talk of the town for weeks. Top entertainment.

On this complete collection you’ll find songs which were made between 1982 and 1983, including the cult hits “Cardiocleptomanie”, “Mani Meme” and various versions of “Rendez-Vous”.

Also included are some new photos from the band’s first video and all the info, credits and lyrics of the songs. The track “Rendez-vous in München” is being released for the first time ever here.

The band performed “Rendez-Vous” accompanied by the Dieter Reith Orchestra, directed by Freddy Sunder, on a backing track with synthesizers and drum machines. Apart from the Eurovision broadcast on 23 April 1983, there is a (mono!) recording “Rendez-vous in München” which is being released for the first time ever here together with 4 other alternative versions of the original song.

Pas De Deux consisted of Walter Verdin, Dett Peyskens and Hilde van Roy. The band was founded in 1982 in Leuven.

After Pas De Deux Walter Verdin continued as videomaker and graphic artist. Hilde Van Roy became a journalist and worked for the TV1 news, among others. Dett Peyskens remained active in the music world and later became part of Red Zebra, among others.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Belgian tripop/synthpop act Psy’Aviah isn’t shy of venturing into unknown territories. On their newest album, “SoulSearching”, they invited the wellknown Belgian psychologist Dirk De Wachter to provide words on the song “Becoming Human”. De Wachter is a professor at the famous KU Leuven university and author of the bestsellers “Borderline Times”, “The World of De Wachter”, and many more.

The link with the central theme in the new Psy’Aviah album – the quest through life in today’s world – can actually be found in De Wachter’s first book where he criticizes the lifestyle of the western world and the effects on happiness, loneliness and the relation with social media, consumerism, and an Icarus/ego centred world.

You can listen to “Becoming Human” right here in Spotify.

For the track Yves Schelpe asked Dirk De Wachter to provide his deep voice for the lyrics he wrote and which were inspired on the narrative he shares in his lectures and books. Yves: “I wanted to work on the subject of what it means to be human, and especially with these words I was trying to rephrase in a poem how the “small goodness” of philosopher Emanuel Levinas could be interpreted.” For Schelpe, it was a collaboration bound to happen one day, his office is closeby to where I live so…

The album is out now via Alfa Matrix, on CD, 2CD and as download and streaming of course as well.

You can check the complete album in its deluxe version below on Bandcamp.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Bart Van Meulebroeck is already active for years now in the Belgian electro fields. He got involved with very different projects such as the electro-pop duo Propulsion, released one album together with the body/tech/trance formation Nebula-H, experimented with dark-electronics as Ex.Es, got also involved with an 80s cover project ao. But the latest experiment is driven by ambient influences and called Nevel. The first official (double)-album “The Hageland” released by Wool-E Discs is a conceptual release inspired by the Hageland, which is a Flemish region in Belgium where the artist is living. Bart Van Meulebroeck give me more details about his work.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: You’ve been involved with numerous projects and different music styles so how did you get the idea to start Nevel, which is mixing electro-ambient and more danceable stuff?

Bart: With the NEVEL project I keep on collaborating with other artists and as I have just started my own digital label ARTIFICIAL NIGHT, I am able to release new tracks whenever I want to. These tracks will be available as streams or downloads via various digital platforms. Also I am glad to deliver an EX.ES (dark electro) track/remix every now and then. Various labels such as Alfa Matrix, Infacted Recordings, Körperschall records and UpScene have released either tracks or remixes. PROPULSION (synth-pop) has been on hold for a few years now and we (Ben, who initially started PROPULSION) stopped performing live with our electronic 80s cover band MEN VERSUS MACHINE.  Regarding NEBULA-H (EBM), there are no future plans.

Meanwhile I started an electro pop project with a female singer mainly focusing on indie/danceable tracks.  So far we are still working behind the scenes, a full album in the future is our goal though.  But let’s get back to NEVEL. The general idea was to stop making music for a while, to focus on other things. As I became a father of two children there was less time to be creative in my home studio. But blood is thicker than water. During walks with my kids I started recording environmental sounds with a small field recorder. As I got inspired by these captures I came up with the idea to produce some ambient tracks. I didn’t aim to release this material at all. At a certain moment I got triggered by an advert of a local exhibition inviting regional artists to expose and perform. My application was approved and a few months later I performed a few of my tracks live during this exhibition

I accompanied these ambient tracks with a slide show of pictures I took during my nature walks. I was surprised to get more bookings and performed live a few more times. I uploaded my tracks to Soundcloud because some people asked for it. I got a reaction from Dimitri Idunno (Wool-E Discs) and we kept in touch during the years. In 2019 a record deal was settled. 

Q: Your album “The Hageland” is a kind of conceptual work. What is the concept all about and how did you finally proceed to compose the songs? 

Bart: The Hageland is a real existing region situated between the Belgian cities of Leuven and Diest.  It’s a particularly attractive hilly landscape. Hiking in this region will surprise you with many varied landscapes, such as plains, hills and lush forests. All tracks are named after streets and places in The Hageland. As stated before, I started composing ambient tracks, but as I am a big The Orb fan, I wanted to create my own Orb track, without being a clone of course. The result was the track “Schoonbergen”. In the end not really an Orby-track. During the process of composing this track I imported the captured field recordings into various samplers and synthesizers (Padshop Pro from Steinberg is one my favorites) and I discovered I could use these nature sounds as pads and leads to create melodies. 

During the years I collected a whole library of field recordings which I used in every track. Most of the time you can’t even recognize the original sounds, the real power of sampling at its best.

Q: “The Hageland” features a selection of previously self-released songs, which have been reworked and remastered. Tell us a bit more about the origin of these songs and the release of a double disc?

Bart:The self-released tracks were only available during the live performances. A very limited CD-R edition though. As a matter of fact I started this project in 2011. Most of the tracks were produced on an old pc, using Cubase SX.  “Dunberg”, “Tafelbos” and “Stort” are the most recent tracks. I realized if I really wanted to reach that higher level of producing I had to improve my recording and producing skills. As I watched and read a lot of tutorials online I got confused several times because of conflicting explanations. Finally I decided to update my studio. I bought a new PC, new software and I registered for a training course ‘mixing and mastering’ in Leuven. This lead into mixing and mastering my DCD “The Hageland”.

As I met Dimitri a few times during concerts he asked me to compile a CD with my best tracks. I forwarded him two CD’s instead of one: a more up tempo, 4/4 kick driven CD and the ambient/experimental oriented one, stating I couldn’t choose which CD was the most interesting one to release.  I was totally flabbergasted when Dimitri told me he wanted to release a double CD. I am even more startled about the fact a few artists got in touch with me to mix and master their album as well, which is a nice bonus of course.

Q: “The Hageland” indeed features two different parts. I must say that the first disc entitled “The Hike” is not totally fitting with the conceptual series of Wool-E Discs (cf. “Belgian NeuMusik”) which is mainly focalized on ‘ambient’ music. Can you give us more details about it?

Bart: I’ve never made music to fit into the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series, this was Dimitri’s choice.  Actually I think I do fit with this series because of my ambient CD “The Cooldown”, but also because of the Kraut and experimental elements in the uptempo CD “The Hike”.  On top of that, every track holds field recordings, natural sounds which have surrounded me during the years. And without wanting to be a critic, the word ‘ambient’ is derived from the Latin ‘ambire’, which means ‘surround’, ‘circulate’… So, yeah, I am really pleased to be part of the “Belgian NeuMusik”-series. 

Q: I’m fascinated by such a concept, but I’m wondering how people living in the Hageland might recognize the streets, places and hills you’ve been inspired with? What’s the importance/impact of the visual artwork to fully understand the concept and goal of the work?

Bart: Just listening to the music, people won’t recognize the streets and places at all. During live performances I tell the audience about the origins of the tracks while projecting pictures. I also talk about the way I create my own sounds by using field recordings. I also sample and manipulate found objects (such as stones, branches and leaves) which I use as live instruments during these gigs. The combination of all these elements make the NEVEL concept quite clear.  Some locals even consider my music as ‘road music’ because they like listening to it while cruising in our region. For the artwork of the album I worked together with a local photographer called Rudi Wuyts. I am really happy with this collaboration. Rudi succeeded in collecting together all the NEVEL elements in one, naturally manipulated picture: of course the trees and mist. Above that, this picture captures the whole mood of the album which is slightly dark, melancholic and mysterious. As a bonus, inside the CD, you can discover a few more pictures which beautifully illustrate the charm of the region where I live.

Q: The visual aspect of the work brings me to the live performances of Nevel, which I think are in constant evolution. How do you look back at your live experiences so far and what might we expect from further live performances and new songs?

Bart: So far I have performed in totally dark settings to let the visuals reach their full benefit. I have worked together with a guitarist. All these gigs were quite ambient oriented. Now I am ready to hit the road with a total electronic, both ambient and danceable live set up, using ABLETON LIVE, a live controller and synths, supported by new visuals. The visuals will be a combination of pictures illustrating the Hageland surroundings combined with trippy and hypnotizing effects. The first upcoming performance will be 31^st  October 2019, somewhere in The Hageland.  It will be a Halloween night totally hosted by NEVEL: a live performance and a DJ set afterwards. A rather small, but very cozy venue booked me.

There is already some interest from a Scandinavian promoter to book me for another gig. More info if I will get a final confirmation of course. Hopefully some other promoters will show some interest too now. NEVEL’s music is constantly evolving. At the moment I am producing some very melancholic, danceable, organic deep house tunes. A couple tracks from my album are being remixed by some interesting Belgian artists (upcoming release later this year) and a NEVEL tech-house remix of “Holleweg” will be released digitally somewhere in October. 

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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The recently released “Eleven Grinding Songs”, the debut album by Lederman / De Meyer is one of the best EBM releases which have been released this year so far. Lederman / De Meyer is the brand new project between 2 electronic music legends Jean-Marc Lederman and Jean-Luc De Meyer.

“Eleven Grinding Songs” is released in 4 versions. Besides the regular CD album (available here), there is also the 2CD set (with an 11-track bonus disc with 4 exclusive additional songs plus 7 remixes or alternative versions) (available here) and a deluxe download (available here) plus also a black vinyl edition (including a carton sleeve CD edition with the same track-list) (available here).

Side-Line decided to go to the roots of the project together with Jean-Marc Lederman. In today’s article we talk with Jean-Marc Lederman how he got involved with Front 242 in the early 90’s.

Jean-Marc: “I was working at Play It Again Sam at the time (1990) and Front 242 approached me to become their office manager. They had set up their basis of operation in a villa in Aarschot, near Leuven, and needed someone to coordinate most non-creative things like handling communication with the label, acting as a smooth connecting rod with their touring agent and being a helping hand with whatever they were doing at the time.

Front 242 has always been very self-depending and they were doing a lot by themselves with Daniel handling most of the artwork with an Amiga or later on a (back then) very expensive Apple Quadra 800 for the covers of the Tyranny era.

Front 242 was signed on Sony USA at the time and things were very busy with the American label manager and the US representative of PIAS. Things were happening all the time and the pressure was strong (when you are successful, everyone wants a part of you) but the band was very focused.

One of the most ambitious thing we did at the time was the decor for the 1991 Tyranny Tour: it was going to be a large structure designed on two levels, a cross between a submarine deck and an industrial tower, painted by Jean-Luc De Meyer’s brother Marc. It wasn’t easy to transport but it was spectacular.

One of the aspect of the work was also to coordinate the remixes asked to outside bands and it was always a pleasure to get in touch with these remixers and hear them say how much they liked Front’s work: The Prodigy were especially enthusiast. One who wasn’t at all was William Orbit who refused several time to remix a track.

One moment was quite embarassing for me: Front was playing at Pukkelpop and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) was going to play guitar on one song but somehow I didn’t know which song it would be and Tom was besides me on the side and was looking at me for the cue, cue that I couldn’t give to him as I didn’t know what song he had to play: that went on for quite a few songs and Tom started to be wary… Eventually Richard looked at us and gave Tom the signal to come on…”

And this is the decor as it was used.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The American art collective The Residents will be playing live in Belgium on November 8 at the Depot in Leuven.

We have 5 tickets to give away, the only thing you need to do is hit ‘yes I want a ticket’ and we’ll add you to the lottery to win one of 5 tickets. Make sure to enter before November 2nd when we’ll draw the winners!

The Residents are best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, “Meet the Residents” (1974), the group has released over 60 albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, and ten DVDs.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

side-line.com