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the movers and shakers
01 02
Behind
the
Bands
— In an industry better
known for its oversized
egos and ruthless
corporate executives,
the actual players on the
fi eld – the promoters,
booking agents, press
offi cers, music critics,
radio DJ’s and managers -
are often overlooked, and
underappreciated. We
thought it was about time
to rectify the balance so
started digging deep to
bring you the country’s
music industry’s puppet
masters.
Writer Nick Amies
Photography Erwin Borms
34 — THE THIRD WORD
For many outside of Belgium, the revelation
that this small European kingdom of 10.5
million people has anything resembling a
music industry may come as something of a
surprise. The discovery that it is actually a
fountain of creativity and talent will probably
add shock to that. Incomprehensible as
it may seem, even a large section of Belgian
society is unaware of the burgeoning musical
movement its little nation plays unwitting
host to. All of which makes the movers, shakers,
Svengalis and kingmakers behind the
scenes an even more shadowy group.
These are the people who push the buttons
and pull the strings; who cadge, cajole
and convince the other players in the game
to give their band a chance or to put a name
out into the Belgian ether. They are the hidden
faces of the scene, toiling behind the
stardom not only against international indifference
but often opposition from within
their own borders. They share a common
goal and yet competition between them is
sometimes fi erce.
As befi tting a covert centre of operations,
the offi ces of 62TV Records is an unassuming
terraced house in a quiet back street of Brussels’
commune of Anderlecht. Without being
privy to its existence, one would walk past in
ignorance, blissfully unaware that the rise of
Belgian legends dEUS and current pulse raisers
Girls in Hawaii was masterminded behind
its shabby façade. Inside, 62TV shares
space and staff with distributing and producing
powerhouse Bang!, forging a partnership
which has gone on to become one of the most
infl uential in Belgian music.
Wherever you go and whoever you speak
to in the Belgian music industry, the name of
Pierre van Braekel's
Top 5
dEUS. Worst Case Scenario
Arno. Charlatan
Millionaire. Outside the Simian Flock
Les Snuls. Bien Entendu
De Portables. Girls Beware
Pierre Van Braekel will eventually crop up.
The boss of 62TV and founder of the Nada
booking agency has been a major industry
player for the past eleven years. Alongside
co-founder Philippe Decoster, van Braekel
has been instrumental in sculpting the Belgian
rock musical landscape. “Philippe and
I started off booking bands in Belgium but
soon found that when these bands got big,
they went off and started working with
larger companies,” he says. “It didn’t take us
long to realise that something was wrong so
we started up a management and recording
business and joined with Bang to create a
complete record company.”
" The whole galaxy of Bang!
has defi nitely grown
to play a huge role in the
Belgian music industry "
Thierry Coljon
Van Braekel, a former musician and communications
graduate, delved into his past
and dug up a few names which he hoped
would help get his fl edgling empire off the
ground. “At university, I interviewed a few
up-and-coming young guys in the business
as part of my thesis,” he recalls. “When we
started out here, I looked them up and people
like Thierry Coljon at Le Soir were then
making their mark.”
Coljon, now Le Soir’s music editor and
chief critic, acknowledges the impact of contacts
made in those early days. “The whole