Maurice Engelen – SIDE-LINE

Lords Of Acid announce ‘Make Acid Great Again’ tour with Praga Khan (for the last time)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 06:24:16 +0000

Lords Of Acid, now featuring the new vocalist Gigi Ricci, are set to embark on a tour across North America with their ‘Make Acid Great Again’ tour together with Praga Khan. The upcoming Lords of Acid tour, starting on April 26 in the US and including several dates in Canada, marks the band’s return to the stage after the cancellation of their previous tour due to the global pandemic.

In a reaction the band says: “This tour embodies our resilience and dedication to our fans as we eagerly look forward to reconnecting with our audience and delivering unforgettable performances. It is a testament to the timeless power of music to inspire and unite, and we are greatly anticipating embarking on this journey together, spreading joy, excitement, and an unbridled spirit of creativity wherever our music takes us.”

Praga Khan (Maurice Engelen) and co-composer Oliver Adams are set to kick off each night of the tour. For Praga Khan as a band it will be the last time you will be able to catch them live.

Maurice Engelen explains: “As the opening act of the Lords of Acid tour, I will be performing for the last time in the USA. Two years ago, I bid farewell with a memorable series of sold-out concerts in Belgium. Now, for the final time, I will be performing our songs with my musical partner, Oliver Adams, in the USA and Canada. After 35 years of touring all over the world, I have decided to retire completely from live concerts as Praga Khan. On the MAGA tour, Oliver Adams and I will be performing some of our classics, as well as songs from the legendary Mortal Kombat album, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. This promises to be an unforgettable evening in honor of our legacy and the iconic Mortal Kombat soundtrack.”

The “Make Acid Great Again” tour will kick off on April 26, 2024 in Pomona, CA before hitting the Las Vegas Sick New World festival, then will traverse major cities across the country, including New York, San Francisco, Orlando, and Chicago. Tickets for the “Make Acid Great Again” tour are on sale now.

Lords Of Acid ‘Make Acid Great Again’ tour with Praga Khan

04/26 – The Glass House Concert Hall – Pomona, CA
04/27 – Sick New World Festival – Las Vegas, NV
04/28 – The Nile Theater – Mesa, AZ
04/30 – Meow Wolf – Santa Fe, AZ
05/01 – Lowbrow – El Paso, TX
05/02 – Vibes Event Center – San Antonio, TX
05/03 – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall – Dallas, TX
05/04 – Last Concert Café – Houston, TX
05/06 – Chelsea’s Live – Baton Rouge, LA
05/08 – The Abbey – Orlando, FL
05/09 – Culture Room – Fort Lauderdale, FL
05/10 – Orpheum Tampa – Tampa, FL
05/11 – Masquerade Hell – Atlanta, GA
05/12 – The Underground at the Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
05/14 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
05/15 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
05/16 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA
05/17 – Racket – New York, NY
05/18 – S.A.T. – Montreal, QC
05/19 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON
05/21 – The Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI
05/22 – The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN
05/23 – The Rave II – Milwaukee, WI
05/24 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
05/25 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
05/28 – Reelworks – Denver, CO
05/29 – Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT
05/30 – Neurolux – Boise, ID
05/31 – Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR
06/01 – The Showbox – Seattle, WA
06/02 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
06/04 – Wow Hall – Eugene, OR
06/05 – Goldfield Trading Post – Roseville, CA
06/06 – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
06/07 – Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA

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 legendary Belgian label Antler is coming back to life and immediately announces new releases

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 13:55:25 +0000

The legendary Belgian label Antler returns. Pioneering in the 80s and 90s and an absolute vanguard in the world of post-punk, cold- and new wave, EBM, electro… a series of albums and compilations from the extensive Antler archives are now being re-released. Following the earlier released remastered version of the double album of the Limburg Cold Wavers Siglo XX, a first compilation of tracks from the early period of the label: “Antler Records – Early Years Vol. 1” is now following.

Roland Beelen: “For almost half a century, Antler has been my life, my love, and my soul. I founded Antler Records more than 40 years ago. In the early days, I was not only chasing my own dreams, but those of many new and groundbreaking bands in Belgium in an exciting new world of music and an emerging music scene. After the collaboration with Maurice Engelen, there was no turning back. Our label has broken barriers in many different genres with our joint forces, from dark electro, EBM, pop, dance and techno, singer-songwriter to even reggae. It’s now 2023 and I’m proud to put parts of this legacy back in the spotlight with a series of releases and reissues. After more than 40 years, Antler will come back to life and bring joy to all fans who have cherished the label over the years.”

The history of Antler

Neue Sachlichkeit and their single “Ice/Painless Rage” was the last release on Roland Beelen’s Kleo Label and came out in 1981. It also became the first release on the Antler label founded after a meeting in café De Knoet in Aarschot with Maurice Engelen. Kleo Records became Antler Records and both gentlemen entered into a collaboration that would last until 2005. Beelen had a serious accident and withdrew from the music biz in 2005, Engelen continued with Praga Khan and Lords of Acid.

In 1995, Antler (by then transformed into Antler-Subway Records) entered into a collaboration with EMI Records. The legendary Belgian alternative-new wave catalog was supplemented with a series of striking and still current and unforgettable Belpop hits in 2023. From 1995 onwards, even more Belgian and international hits were scored and millions of records and CDs were sold, including Black Uhuru, 2 Fabiola, Kate Ryan, Milk Inc, Lasgo, Ian van Dahl, but also Praga Khan, Lords of Acid and in Belgium Leopold 3)

With the disappearance of EMI Records and EMI Music, the label was swept under the rug, archives were lost and Antler eventually ended up at Warner Music via Universal after wanderings.

Starman Records acquired the right from Warner Music in 2022 to use the name Antler and Antler-Subway again to breathe new life into the more than 40-year-old label. Two compilations (vinyl only) with the rarest and long-lost tracks from the early Antler period were compiled by Lieven De Ridder (Walhalla Records) with the greatest care and remastered by Pieter De Wagter. The first of these: “Antler Records – Early Years Vol. 1” will be released on January 5, 2024.

The logo has now a very sustainable green colour.

Siglo XX returns as well, more or less

Also to be re-released on Antler will be the Siglo XX “Double album” which is the last album of the Limburg coldwave band that appeared on the Antler label. The release is the result of the last artistic collaboration between Roland Beelen and Siglo XX in the mid-1980s. The record is considered a masterpiece and numerous renowned artists from the then Belgo-Manchester Scene collaborated on it.

Siglo XX “Double album”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Lords Of Acid to release ‘Beyond Booze’ compilation in May

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 13:32:21 +0000

Out on May 20th is the Lords of Acid compilation “Beyond Booze” featuring singles, remixes and other tracks as you can see below.

Lords of Acid is a Belgian/American electronic music group led by musician Maurice Engelen. They debuted with the new beat single “I Sit on Acid” in 1988 and then in 1991 launched their debut album “Lust”. Their second album “Voodoo-U” (1994) features a more industrial sound. This was followed by “Our Little Secret” (1997), a b-side compilation titled “Heaven Is an Orgasm” (1998), and a remix album titled “Expand Your Head” (1999). In 2000 they released a more rock-influenced fourth album titled “Farstucker” and in 2003, after being in the business for fifteen years, released a greatest hits album called “Greatest T*ts”.

A new EP, “Little Mighty Rabbit”, got a September 2011 release followed by their fifth album “Deep Chills” in April 2012. In 2018, Lords of Acid released their sixth album “Pretty in Kink”.

Tracks included are:

I sit on Acid (Insider is Inside Mix)
The Crablouse, (Ludo’s It’s here to stay Mix)
Rubber Doll (Back Off! The Bith Is Mine!)
Scrood Bi U (Hush’s Scroo All Y’all Mix)
The Power is Mine (In Your Hand Mix)
Hell does exist
Do what you wanna do (DO’s Pain & Pleasure Mix)
Pussy (We want some Mix)
Rough Se (Beltram Whip Mix)
Se* Cam Girl (Need to have Se* right now! Mix)
Am I se*y (Yes Mistress Nikkie, May I have another Mix)
I must increase My Bust (The Lords like ’em large Mix)
Gimme Gimme (Erhan’s the One Mix)
Lover Boy Lover Girl (Beat Me up Mix)
Ma Fille de Joy (Hey Ho! Let’s go Mix)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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‘Click Interview’ with Schicksal: ‘Stop Looking At Your Smartphone And Create Your Own Revolution’!

Inferno Sound Diaries — Sat, 03 Nov 2018 18:00:09 +0000

The ‘older’ electro fans familiar with EBM will probably remind Schicksal. This Belgian solo-project set up by Rudi Huybrechts released one single and noticeable 12” entitled “24 Hours”. This EP got released exactly 30 years ago now and got very enthusiastic reactions. Unfortunately no other official Schicksal release got ever released. This year the Belgian label Walhalla Records, which is devoted to good-old (Belgian) electronics recovered Schicksal from dust. The album “365 Days” got released on vinyl format and features next to the familiar songs from the “24 Hours”-maxi several previously unreleased songs. Schicksal is alive and answered a few questions about this noticeable ‘return’.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Schicksal is one of these ‘forgotten’ electronic projects from the early 80s, which this year released the album “365 Days”. Can you remind us the who’s hiding behind this project and the way you got in touch with electronic music?

Rudi: My real name is Rudi Huybrechts. I was born in 1967 in Hoboken, a town near Antwerp. Imagine Hoboken was at that time as an old industry township with industrial artefacts, such as an old petrochemical abandoned plant, bankrupt shipyard Cockerill and a polluting chemical plant.

As a young kid I was already interested in electronic music. I went to the library to lend LP’s which helped me discover all kinds of music. And that’s where I first heard “Autobahn”. From that point on, nothing was the same anymore. I started discovering bands like D.A.F., Human League, Heaven 17. The release of Front’s “Geography” in 1982 is for me a true landmark. This was the first time where synth music had this kind of aggression, passion and groove. Front 242 used synths in a way which was never done before. And then of course there was the radio show ‘Vrijaf’ by Gust Decoster, every Wednesday afternoon. It is on Vrijaf that I discovered a lot of fantastic ‘Belpop’ and recorded it on lots of C90 tapes.

Q: The 12” “24 Hours” released in 1988 on Antler’s subdivision Subway Records has been your single official release before the album. Back in time Subway Records was devoted to the new-beat scene so what does it evoke to you?

Rudi: For me, the New-Beat period started a lot earlier than many think. During the late 80’s, some DJ’s in Antwerp nightclubs such as ‘Prestige’, ‘Berchem Palace’ and ‘Rudy’s Avant Garde’ in St.Niklaas started pitching songs and playing downtempo dance music. It was a time of decadence, so-called ‘m’as tu vu’ and no rules.

It is a coincidence that “24 hours” was released on Subway. In fact, it was Marc Grouls (resident DJ at Prestige Club) who played “24 hours” for the first time, after some stalking from me! The dancefloor went wild so the day after Marc picked me up at home to sign a contract with Maurice Engelen on the Subway label. In short notice New-Beat became hot, so hot that it became mainstream and unfortunately evolved in the so called ‘Nouga Beat’.

Q: How did it finally happen that the album “365 Days” got released 30 years after “24 Hours”?

Rudi: It happened because of one man, Lieven De Ridder. There’s a Belgian underground community of people who are dedicated to the electronic scene. They are interested in minimal-synth, New-Beat and music which was played at ‘Liaisons Dangereuses’ (an historic radio show on free radio station SIS). Lieven De Ridder is one of the main influencers in that scene. His knowledge and passion for music, especially synth music, borders on the unbelievable. Lieven is the founder of Walhalla Records, a label that is specialised in releasing vinyl which has only been released on cassette before. Lieven and I got in touch, and started playing on his Radioshow ‘Wave Frequencies’ on Radio Centraal. The first Walhalla record was “Underground Belgian Wave Vol.l 1” featuring 2 Schicksal songs “Time“ and “Saturday”, previously released on the historic “Climax”-tape. Lieven had the idea to release a full album of Schicksal, with previously unreleased material. We got together again and chose representative tracks to cover 30 years.

Q: Back in time “24 Hours” got a very positive response, but how do you look back at the songs featured on it and what has been the impact of this release on your career as artist?

Rudi: The song “24 hours” itself was rather accidentally connected to the New-Beat sound; it was not my intension to create or compose New-Beat. I could have got probably more out of it, but in that time there was no internet. As an 21 year old modest student I was not really interested in the ‘music industry’ and let alone all the merchandising and commerce around it.

Q: So what can you tell us about the songs featured at “365 Days”? When did you compose these tracks and what can you say about the sound, influences, equipment?

Rudi: The A side of “365 Days”, together with “Saturday” on the B-side is from the early days and made with analogue gear. I bought my first synth (with money I earned working as a student) in 1983, at the age of 15. It was a Roland SH-101. It felt like the world got open in front of me… I started compiling the instruments you require as a solo synth-artist; new ones and most second hand instruments. My first drum computer was a Boss DR 55 for example. I am a fan of Roland, especially the TR series. But buying something new meant that other instruments had to be sold. Can you imagine I once sold a TR-909…if only I knew at that time… My favourite configuration was the Roland SH-101, the DR-110 drum computer, the Korg Poly 800 and Boss DSD-2 sampler/delay. Picture yourself, a small bedroom (3 x 2,5m), the gear on the bed because I’d no space, a cassette deck with hifi deck, mixer, microphone and me trying to get control of it all (lol) That’s how many of the Schicksal songs were created. The other songs on “365 days” are more recent. Today I create my songs on PC with Reason and a Nektar midi keyboard. But last year I got a Korg MS-20 (!) as a birthday gift from a good friend and recently I bought a Korg Volca Bass. So I’m back into the analogue gear! The first demos are a fact, but I’m still trying to sync them all together. The pitfall of creating music on computer is that you can lose yourself for hours in looking for that specific sound instead of being creative. For me ‘less is more’.

Q: A lot of things have changed since the late 80s; I’m referring to instruments, recording techniques, music styles, labels, promotion, distribution, media, social media, streaming… Do you feel you’re still living in the same world as 30 years ago and what’s your perception about all these evolutions/changes?

Rudi: Indeed, in 30 years of time, a lot changed! Every change has his advantages and disadvantages. In fact it is much cheaper today to make electronic music than it was in the 80’s. Also the possibilities/sounds/samples are endless. With Facebook and Youtube you have, as an artist, much more opportunities to share your music and find allies. If the internet wouldn’t exist, the “365 Days”-release wouldn’t have been released! On the other hand I today miss some artists who’re experimenting and thinking outside the box. The bulb was not invented by improving the candle if you know what I mean… All MTV and big radio stations play the same EDM-shit, over and over again. Youngsters, stop looking at your smartphone and create your own revolution!

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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Lords Of Acid – Pretty In Kink (CD Album – Metropolis)

Inferno Sound Diaries — Fri, 20 Jul 2018 18:30:31 +0000

Genre/Influences: Industrial-techno, electronic, breakbeats, punk-rock.

Background/Info: Exactly 30 years after their creation and the legendary hit “I Sit On Acid” Belgian techno-phenomenon Lords Of Acid is back. “Pretty In Kink” is the band’s first new album since the rather disappointing “Deep Chills” (2012). Maurice Engelen aka ‘Praga Khan’ and core member Erhan Kurkun have been joined by new singer Marieke Bresseleers.

Content: The album features 12 songs, which quickly sounds like a move back to the roots. Is it because of the rather disappointing previous album or just an intentional move to go back to early Lords Of Acid music, but “Pretty In Kink” sounds old-styled. Industrial-techno with some punk on top is the essence of this work. The good-old breakbeats have been recovered from dust while the lyrical content and global image of the band remains pretty sexy and provocative.

“Pretty In Kink” sounds pretty diversified. There’s a song featuring Spanish male vocals while there’s also a rapper featured on another cut and a very personal interpretation of the “James Bond” song “Goldfinger”. Lords Of Acid are back with the best exponents from the past.

+ + + : This is an album you’re going to like or not. Some will say it’s just an easy and cheap emulation from their early and successful sound formula, but I think it’s just a good album featuring several cool songs. It clearly has a retro-touch, which mainly comes through in the techno arrangements, but here still is this power and ‘punk’ attitude. I also have to say a word about the new vocalist who’s a real talented artist. Her timbre of voice sometimes reminds me to Jade 4U. This album gets us back to early industrial-techno music, but also to early Prodigy and Praga Khan.

– – – : Innovation is far to find and we might expect a bit more creativity from a band that doesn’t release new stuff on regular basis. And the good-old Lords Of Acid remains much better and visionary than this “Pretty In Kink”.

Conclusion: In times of recycling, even Lords Of Acid are re-using good-old ingredients, which have made them famous. It’s not original although I like this work. I must be nostalgic!

Best songs: “So Goddamn Good”, “My Demons Are Inside”, “Break Me”, “What The Fuck”, “Goldfinger”, “Ma Fille De Joie”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www .lordsofacid .com / www .facebook .com /lordsofacid

Label: www .metropolis –records .com / www .facebook .com /MetropolisRecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

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Lors Of Acid return with ‘Pretty in kink’ album (also on vinyl)

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 08:52:49 +0000

The Belgian cult act Lords of Acid returns with an all new album, “Pretty In Kink”. The new album features the new singer Marieke Bresseleers next to Praga Khan and longtime collaborator Erhan Kurkun.

You can pre-order the album now, either on CD (available here) or on vinyl (available here).

The band finished the album in last December says Maurice Engelen aka Praga Khan: “We know the wait can be frustrating but our focus is on delivering a premium quality product that will be worth the wait!” Engelen took in the meantime also some time off to mary his girlfriend Inja Van Gastel who is also a member of the band.

Here’s a glimpse of Marieke Bresseleers.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Lords of Acid best of ‘Smoking Hot’ gets May release in North America

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 19:30:25 +0000

Out by mid-May is a best of Lords of Acid titled “Smoking Hot”. The 11 tracks on the album were picked by Maurice Engelen (aka Praga Khan) and were taken from the 5 studio albums the project released so far, including from the project’s last album “Deep Chills” (2012). It’s not the first time the band sees a bed of released, in 2003, after being in the business for 15 years, they released a greatest hits album called “Greatest T*ts”.

The tracks included are 01. Voodoo U, 02. Rover Take Over, 03. Sole Sucker, 04. She And Mr. Jones, 05. Lover, 06. Most Wonderful Girl, 07. Hot Magma, 08. Fingerlicking Good, 09. Sexbomb, 10. Drowning In Ecstacy, 11. Stripper.

“Smoking Hot” can be pre-ordered right now.

The Belgian / American post-industrial/techno act Lords of Acid debuted with the controversial new beat single “I Sit on Acid” in 1988. Back then the band consisted of Jade 4U, Praga Khan and Olivier Adams. Their debut album “Lust” (1991) and the videos from the singles went mainstream due to the outrageously sexual lyrics and sound samples.

In October 2013, Lords of Acid announced on their social media accounts that a new album was in the works. No news since.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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