Ancienne Belgique

Registration is obligatory and can be organised via info@abconcerts.be Please mention ‘Prince’ in the subject line. Also clearly state the number of persons with whom you will be attending...

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Registration is obligatory and can be organised via info@abconcerts.be Please mention ‘Prince’ in the subject line. Also clearly state the number of persons with whom you will be attending.
Please note: there is a maximum capacity of 50 people. So be quick. Huis 23, Steenstraat 23, 1000 Brussel.

Prince - Sign “☮” the Times, 1987, Paisley Park Records, 80 min. introduction by Stijn
The magnum opus of an artist at his peak!
In the mid 80's of last century you couldn't imagine the charts without Prince in them, after firing his band The Revolution (with whom he'd made the albums Around The World, Purple Rain and Parade) he released his first 'solo album' in early ’87: Sign “☮” the Times. Although Sign “☮” the Times wasn't intended to be a concept album yet it exudes a certain unity and allows you to hear a socially-critical and more personal Prince for the first time. Even 25 years later, the album still scores highly in many top-album charts (rightly so too) and many of the themes the album touches upon on are still relevant. The ideal album to open the series Huis 33 1/3.
The listening session will be introduced by Prince-adept and huge fan Stijn.
On the same evening, in the AB's Main Hall, there will be a concert by fDeluxe (which contains the likes of Eric Leeds and Sussanah Melvoin who both worked on Sign “☮” the Times). Afterwards, Stijn will be giving an aftershow concert in the ABClub where he'll be doing his thing with a heap of - less evident - Prince covers.
Basically: a special evening about the purple grandmaster and thus a must for all the Prince-lovers out there!
 
Huis 33 1/3 – Album Listening Sessions
The idea behind Huis 33 1/3 is as simple as can be: music lovers gathering to listen to a 'classic' album - uninterrupted and in the most ideal circumstances possible (technically, surroundings,..) - always introduced by an adept of the album in question.
The intention of this new series is to offer an alternative to the manner in which the musical experience has evolved over recent years. By listening to strongly compressed MP3s, YouTube films, or to sites like Spotify, with small earphones or via laptop speakers we miss out on essential elements of the music, often without realising it. Many albums were created as an artwork in themselves and so deserve to be listened to in their entirety. A great deal of attention was often paid to obtaining the best possible sound quality, the artwork, the order of the songs, the mood of the songs and the ‘story’ the artist wanted to involve the listener in. In many cases, no effort was spared to record the albums in the best studios, in order to make use of the best sounding mixing tables, microphones, pre-amps, compressors, reverbs,  etc... All of this is completely destroyed in a few mouse-clicks.
During the Huis 33 1/3 sessions we will listen to an album in its entirety – without interruption and with the best possible technical means – and in that way attempt to experience the album in the way originally intended when it was recorded, mastered and released.