Ancienne Belgique

Music for life 2011 is the last one in a amazing row. It started as an adventure in 2006 in Leuven and has developed itself each year into an enormous success and solidarity around X-mas. Studio Bruss...

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Music for life 2011 is the last one in a amazing row. It started as an adventure in 2006 in Leuven and has developed itself each year into an enormous success and solidarity around X-mas. Studio Brussels want to conclude in style in 3 cities: Leuven, Ghent, Antwerp, as from 17 up to 23 December. 2 Days before the starting Music For life 2011 a Music For Life Benefit already takes place in AB in Brussels, initiated by www.people4.be and the AB.
4 fantastic Belgian Bands & Discobar Galaxie (after-party) have confirmed their booking. They play as a benefit for you and the money goes directly to Music For life 2011. Each euro spend counts double: you enjoy a great musical evening and party and your money is contributing to a good cause, Music For life 2011.

Absynthe Minded. Since dEUS, Zita Swoon and the inevitable “Godfather” Arno arrived on the scene, Belgium has, as everyone knows, established itself as the hub of European rock on the old continent. Like their cinema - which despite the very modest size of the country can inextricably engage us in its improbable road movies - Belgian rockers have always displayed a gift for constructing and freely exploring vast sonic spaces, with the horizon their only limit. It is almost as if the proximity of the English coast plays a part.
Bert Ostyn is the guy with the Rubik's Cube on the cover of Absynthe Minded, a fourth album that rather miraculously sums up the group’s progress and fascinating palette of sounds - from folk rock to Gypsy swing via indie rock and quasi-noise ambiences. At his side, Jan Duthoy (piano, Hammond organ), Sergej Van Bouwel (double bass), Renaud Ghilbert (violin) and Jakob Nachtergaele (drums) play expertly on their devilishly vintage instruments to weave musical climates that are mainly acoustic, but can also turn stormy or bring a delicious jazz front sweeping in, taking the form of a guitar solo.
In a relatively short time, Absynthe Minded acquired something of a reputation, and not only in the bars they tirelessly toured (as their name might suggest). “My Heroics, Part One” (Bert insists on the irony of the title), voted best song of the decade by Flemish radio station Studio Brussel, and which is included as a bonus track on the new album for those who missed the previous episodes.  In 2010 their album immediately won the quintet four Belgian Music Industry Awards in January, including best album, best single (for "Envoi") and best alternative-rock group. They are now recording & mixing their new album in Paris which will be released in 2012. They already sold out the AB and we are really excited that they are headlining this benefit in the AB.

Mintzkov, 10 years went by since Mintzkov won first prize in Belgium‟s most prestigious battle of the bands Humo’s Rock Rally. They were still called Mintzkov Luna at that point. In the course of the noughties the fivesome managed to carve out their own unique musical niche. Mintzkov‟s output consists of tuneful pop ditties that are tailor-made for the radio. Careful listeners will notice however that there are lots of strange things going on beneath the surface. Despite the commanding presence of wiry guitars and whimsical time signatures, the songs tend to come out catchy as hell. This explains why Mintzkov‟s music is equally appreciated outside of their native Belgium.
In Mintzkov‟s bible every album released has to be remarkably different from the previous one and the latest „Rising Sun, Setting Sun‟ is no exception to the rule. The band‟s aim was to open up the music a little more and to reach out for a more streamlined and a more dancefloor orientated sound. Within that context, the role of keyboard player Pascal Oorts has become more prominent. “What we were after was a little more movement within the songs”, the singer offers. “Or rather: a different kind of movement.” Another of Mintzkov‟s principal assets is the gorgeous-sounding harmony of Bosschaerts' singing with bass player Lies Lorquet. Philip Bosschaerts‟ lyrics are no linear stories. Instead you could compare them to a carefully woven tapestry of images and metaphors: “I used to be a painter, but these days I‟m no longer using canvas. I prefer painting with words and look for the visual qualities in verbal language”, the singer says. But as you listen to „Rising Sun, Setting Sun‟, it does not take long before certain themes start rising to the surface. Bosschaerts, who recently celebrated his thirtieth birthday, seems to be obsessed with the passing of time and crossing borders, geographical or otherwise. This time there is also a huge amount of acceptance and resignation in the songs. “There are things in life you can do nothing about, so you‟d better not waste any time or energy trying. Just go with the flow. Maybe it‟s a part of us growing older, but these days we are totally at peace with what we do. Mintzkov is about the way we express ourselves. The band reflects who we are, take it or leave it.”

Teddiedrum. Meet Dijf and Jason from Teddiedrum. Their sleeping pattern and civil status might be different, but these two lads do share more than an immaculately groomed moustache! Today, best friends Dijf and Jason tap into their childhood memories of Knightrider episodes, Jan Hammer's Miami Vice theme, Belgium's new beat craze and Synthesizer Greatest compilation cassettes when they hammer it out in their homestudio.  When speaking about their music, Dijf and Jason resort to phrases like 'dreamy without being fluffy', 'mystical without going all Jim Morrison-esque' and 'something wave something'. Essentially, Teddiedrum pack their breezy, off-kilter synthpop with some unexpected punches. They don't fray from the experimental but never take their eye of the melody. According to Dijf and Jason, it's the drumsound that dictates the song. Their collection of toys (including the Yamaha DX7, Casio MG-500, Commodore 64  and the DG20 MIDI guitar) are stuffed with custom, pre-recorded hits, kicks and homemade synth patches. According to Texas chillwave band Neon Indian, who've Teddiedrum supported, they have 'the coolest set-up ever', and Soulwax were so impressed by the boys' fresh sound that they invited the pair on their SoulwaX-mas extravaganza. Now in the AB. Check “Miami” and “Odd Lovers” on You Tube. 

Jim Cole. Jimmy Colman, a young singer songwriter from Geraardsbergen, appeared in the spotlights  over the last couple of years surrounded by an exquisite band. The fresh sounding “Someday Charlotte” was an instant Belpop Classic. `When love is not enough’, the new album, was recorded on analogue tapes in the oldest Belgian music recording studio. This led to a deep warm, true soul sound. Jim Cole is excelling in mixing ingredients as old soul, funk and tight R&B to a unique proper style and a contemporary sound. Soul in Flanders!: it does exist.
 
Discobar Galaxie closes this benefit with an extra-ordinary after-party. DJ Loveboat  (Adriaan Van den Hoof), DJ Lars Capaldi and DJ Bobby Ewing will perform on ABs’ Main stage and cheer up once again the audience; for over a decade they excel in setting crowds on fire. Music styles at Discobar Galaxie go beyond all genre limits; mixes are astonishing, out of time, trendy & surprising & that all at once. They yearly perform on Marktrock, Laundry Day and Tomorrowland, but also in the Joe Piler Saloon at Rock Werchter. After a lot of years Discobar Galaxie is still going strong and they still play whatever the hell they like. From the largest festival to this benefit for Music For Life in the AB, these lords will make you move. Damn right!