The Antwerp music scene

It must be something in the drinking water. In the 90's, an extremely interesting music underground has developped in Antwerp (Belgium) which brought forth such bands as dEUS and Zita Swoon. More recently, other cities have also sprouted talented bands: Ghent (Arid, Soulwax, Das Pop), Brussels (Rumplestitchkin) and Ličge (Zop Hopop), but the centre is still Antwerp.

The fantastic (but also slightly irritating) thing about all these bands is that people from different groups make new groups. For example: Stef Kamil Carlens, formerly with dEUS, has now concentrated on Zita Swoon (formerly Moondog Jr., formerly A Beatband) in which also play Tom Pintens (Flowers for Breakfast, 2000 Monkeys) and Tomas Desmet (Think of One).

The musical styles of all these bands are of course very different, some are poppy, some are jazzy, some are rocky, some are just 'zany', ... but they always share a similar 'sound'. The most general characteristic is experiment: even poppy bands like the Flowers for Breakfast use strange rhythms, vocal effects and instruments. Notable influences on all these bands are Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart and perhaps King Crimson.

This site is dedicated to the band that I like most: Think of One. Unfortunately, they are not as wellknown worldwide as dEUS, Zita Swoon or Soulwax. But perhaps that is what appeals to me: the 'underground' aspect. This band (and its related projects) mix every style they want to, not held back by any constraints. And despite not being very well-known, they are extremely popular as party bands, and when they start playing everybody dances.

Just to show how simple the whole scene is, I copied this family tree off a website about Zita Swoon. Spot the 5 mistakes!