Style: Obsessed

The passions that drive Belgium’s most stylish musicians.
photography, styling, and words by Ulrike Biets

The Romantic: Mathias “Kurt” Wille
Shirt and amulet of his own design

Mathias, drummer in the band 1982, is deeply in love with Kelly… even though that’s not his girlfriend’s real name. To express their love for each other, the couple came up with the romantic alter-egos Kurt and Kelly. When “Kurt” is on tour, he wears his Kelly amulet nonstop, as well as the Kelly t-shirt he designed.

The Hunter: Jean Biche
Falke underwear

Jean Baptiste Biche grew up in a family of hunters, developing a fascination with deer and antlers. His fascination turned into an obsession when he became Jean Biche (French for John Deer), a multidisciplinary artist famous for his performances, DJ sets, and the very extravagant Club Claudine parties he organizes. He is pictured at his apartment with a piece from his collection of deer heads and skulls—they sometimes scare the hell out of him, especially the real ones.

The Animal Lover: Vive La Fête’s Els Pynoo
Filha De Isis blouse, Karl Lagerfeld jersey, Diesel pants, Puma shoes

Els Pynoo, vocalist of the band Vive La Fête, has surrounded herself with so many animals that her house could actually be a farm. The kitchen door is always open so her animals can go in and out as they please. Cats and dogs are always around, the swans visit in the evening, and even the pig and the pony hang out inside. Actually, the pony shit in the kitchen while we were taking this picture!

The Acolyte: Patrick Ouchene
BC Ethic shirt, vintage 1950s JC Penney jacket

Patrick Ouchene from Runnin’ Wild calls himself the Priest of Rockabilly. He’s got the look and the attitude, plays the music, and digs girls in stockings. He tours from school to school, preaching and teaching rockabilly. This year he was even sent to the Eurovision Song Contest to represent Belgium!

The Queen of Kitsch: Anita Lixel
Girls From Omsk dress; model’s own accessories, shoes, and stockings

Anita is obsessed with teen pop and everything kitsch. She loves High School Musical. She adores Hannah Montana and looks up to the Britneys, Cristinas, and Katys of the world. Hell, she even has her own Kylie Minogue-style talk show. We’re not sure how serious she is about all this, but Anita gives the word “wrong” a whole new dimension.

The Rascal: Daan
Zara jacket, American Stock shirt?

Daan is obsessed with climbing things. Don’t let this man out of your sight when there’s something tall around. Daytime or night, sunshine or rain, sober or completely wasted, he will ascend whenever he gets the chance. He’s had some nasty falls, and his obsession has gotten him in trouble a few times, but he has mostly good memories. His best climb ever? “Crawling on top of a stage, holding slippery bars with 20-year-old nicotine deposits on them, to see Depeche Mode perform beneath me.”

The Daredevil: Captain Catastrophy
Hanes sweater, all other clothes from Damaged Vintage

Captain Catastrophy of El Guapo Stuntteam is probably the only stuntman on this planet who is also in a band. He is passionate about everything stunt-related, but fire is his true obsession. He likes to feel the toasty breath of flames on his body. On and off stage, this man has lit himself on fire more than 700 times, turning almost the same amount of suits into ashes. He wears Hugo Boss underwear underneath—the best guarantee nothing will ever go wrong.

The Bookworm: Das Pop’s Bent van Looy
Le Mont St-Michel pullover, Levi’s Blue jeans, American Apparel socks

When Das Pop frontman Bent sees anything more than four letters long, he needs to read it. He reads everything that catches his eye: the ingredients on Cornflakes boxes, the advertising panels at bus stops, even the instructions on the coffee machine. Bent only feels comfortable when he is surrounded by letters. He is at his best when reading a good book, but in case of an emergency, a dull magazine will do.

Calvertron vs. Itchy Feet “Dwarf Porn (Magik Johnson Remix)”

The teaming of UK electro-house heads Clavertron and Itchy Feet has birthed something perfectly fitting for the Chicago-based Potty Mouth label, a hyperactive and foul-mouthed club pleaser they’ve dubbed “Dwarf Porn.” On his remix, New Zealand’s Magik Johnson has paired his own bass-heavy dance beats with the “weird night gone worse” vocal assault, making a track that sounds something like Major Lazer presents The Streets.

Dwarf Porn (Magik Johnson Remix)

Joakim Milky Ways

Given that its creator initially made a name for himself as a purveyor of lighthearted French electro-disco, it’s certainly unexpected that the first eight minutes or so of Milky Ways are reminscent of no one so much as Sonic Youth. At that point in the album, a manic splattering of drums finally dissolves into vocodered disco, yet it doesn’t signal a return to business as usual. Seemingly operating with a philosophy of “have fun and do whatever you find interesting,” Joakim Bouaziz and his live band delightfully renege on a stated plan to create a succinct, direct album in favor of wide-eyed eclecticism and idiosyncrasy—at times his creations recall artists as disparate as The Cure, Syd Barrett, Talking Heads, Daft Punk, and The Modernist. Pleasingly playful.

Modeselektor Tours N. America

After wishing us a joyful Geburtstag and giving their mothers a shout out, Berlin-based production juggernauts Modeselektor will be putting more moves on us with their forthcoming DJ mix for the Body Language series to be released this October on Get Physical. Later that month, the next-level techno team will bring its “riotous, bass-heavy affair” back to North American clubs for a tour that seems all too brief. Tour dates are listed below.

10/29/09 – US Denver Blue Bird
10/30/09 – MX Guanajuato Cerventino Festival
10/31/09 – US Los Angeles The Shrine
11/01/09 – US El Paso Club 101
11/02/09 – MX Guadelajara Teatro Estudio Cavaret
11/04/09 – CA Toronto Mod Club
11/05/09 – US Washington DC 9:30 Club
11/06/09 – US Chicago Congress Theatre
11/07/09 – US New York Music Hall of Williamsburg

First Listen: Schlachthofbronx “Mad Instrument”

Schlachthofbronx hooked up XLR8R, and all those who peruse its website, with this new jam hand picked off their forthcoming eponymous debut album. “Mad Instrument” is an upbeat exhibition of the Munich outfit’s capacity for dousing below-the-equator beats with high-octane German precision.

Shlachthofbronx is available in stores Sept. 18.

08 Mad Instrument

DJ Vadim Tours US

On the heels of U Can’t Learn Imaginashun, DJ Vadim hits the road once again for a US tour (with one Canadian date), starting Saturday. If you can’t make it to a show, there’s plenty to hear about his new record over at XLR8R TV.

September 19 Spirit Bar, Nelson, BC
September 20 Wild Buffalo, Bellingham, WA
September 22 Nectar Lounge, Seattle, WA
September 23 Holoscene, Portland, OR
September 26 & 27 Earthdance Festival, Laytonville, CA
September 29 Winston’s Beach Club, San Diego, CA
October 1 Granada Theater, Dallas, TX
October 6 Jupiter Bar & Grill, Tuscaloosa, AL
October 7 Exit/In, Nashville, TN
October 8 The Valarium, Knoxville, TN
October 9 The 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
October 10 Neighborhood Theater, Charlotte, NC

Podcast 104: Move D Live in Portugal

Veteran house DJ and producer David Moufang, better known as Move D, is a hard man to pin down, so when he offered up a portion of a recent live set for the XLR8R Podcast, we jumped at the opportunity. Recorded over the summer at Plano B in Portugal, this set features the Heidelberg, Germany native weaving his way between cuts both classic and cutting edge, which isn’t exactly surprising given the wealth of knowledge he recently dropped in our Five Star feature. After more than 15 years in the DJ game, Move D could survive on reputation alone, but the man remains firmly rooted in the underground.

If you like what you hear, you may want to consider heading up to Seattle at the end of this month to check out a rare Move D appearance in North America—he’ll be taking part in the Decibel Festival alongside dozens of other top-shelf electronic acts, such as Mala, Benga, Caspa, Mary Anne Hobbs, Martyn, Daedelus, Gaslamp Killer, Nosaj Thing, Alter Ego, The Wighnomy Brothers, Lusine, and many more.

01 Kerri Chandler “Hexadecimal” (Deeply Rooted House)
02 Moodymanc “Snore” (Dessous)
03 Rockford Inc. “Mina’s Theme” (Roots)
04 Robert Dietz “Witness” (Running Back)
05 Motor City Drum Ensemble “Feel the Love” (Four Roses)
06 Levon Vincent “Games Dub” (Underground Quality)
07 Radio Slave “RJ” (Running Back)
08 Moodymanc “Next Song” (Dessous)
09 Solomun & Jackmate “Factory” (Phil E)
10 Marcel Dettmann “Corebox” (Marcel Dettmann)
11 The Parkwalker “Degeneration” (Nowar)
12 Tyree Cooper & Eric D. Clark “Stuph” (Adapter)
13 Joe R. Lewis “Dub. My Own (Larry Heard Remix)” (Target)
14 Fingers Inc. feat. Chuck Roberts “My House” (Desire)

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Podcast_Mix_2009_09_17

Tempo No Tempo “The Rat (Part One)”

Borrowing equally from dissonant, late-’90s DC punk and more contemporary takes on sprawling indie rock, Tempo No Tempo‘s “The Rat (Part One)” bounces between tense rhythms and the pitter-patter of relaxed backbeats before resting permanently in tapestries of delayed guitar and crashing cymbals. The trio may wear their influences on their collective sleeve, but it’s refreshing to hear this stripped-down and visceral sound coming from the fertile San Francisco underground.

01 The Rat (Part One)

Tyondai Braxton Central Market

One of four masterminds behind genre-bending powerhouse Battles, Tyondai Braxton has written and composed a modern take on classical arrangements on his sophomore solo album. Less focused on noise and loop pedals than its predecessor, Central Market instead relies on live instrumentation provided by Braxton and his conduction of the Wordless Music Orchestra. Compositions like lighthearted album starter “Opening Bell” and epic centerpiece “Platinum Rows” sound like futuristic renditions of Peter and the Wolf, and the darker “J. City” might be the first time Braxton’s vocals have been the least bit intelligible. Central Market eventually takes a dive into sinister territory, playing with more electronics and rock instruments and sounding something like the next movement in Battles’ discography.

Listen: “Uffe’s Woodshop”

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Tiefschwarz “Trust (feat. Seth Troxler)”

Chunky handclaps, a marimba-like melody line, and some deep, deep kicks are what make this recent collaboration between Tiefschwarz and Seth Troxler really move. Though Troxler’s spoken vocals are a bit dubious, Tiefschwarz’s production skills are in top form, bringing much more funkiness to his grooves than in recent productions.

Trust (feat. Seth Troxler)

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