covert art by A.L.
A few months ago, driving with Pierre Vervloesem, the onboard music player spitted one of the most radical cover of Sign of the times from Prince I ever listened. Asking Pierre who it was, he suddenly remembered about the Harakiriad project he took part back in 2005.
Days later, I received a set of the most curious, frantic, thrilling, exhilarating, obnoxious songs I encountered in months! Finally here after all this time for your pleasure!
Harakiriad is the strange dream of one man, Alain VDS aka HK, who self isolated himself for one week in a mini studio, invited girls singers founded via internet and a bunch of musicians ( Pierre Vervloesem, Didier Fontaine, Manu Ribot aka Claude Zac...) encountered via his taxi job. The result is an astonishing piece of obscure and/or really pop songs, with a touch of funk and some abstract sounds.
The words and at times the music itself are a parody of what was happening then in 2005 and tend to depict life and the world with very sad and black humour...
Probably the most humorous lyrics on Off for a long time... Quite typically Belgian, with a splash of British one as well! Enjoy!
A very strange bio:
born 1969 Forces Belges en Allemagne (belgian army)
our hero was born asleep in occupied territory, same year as 'la disparition' by georges perec.
father was a lutherian aircraft- & gaston lagaffe- enthousiast. mother karelian-finn kantele player.
1970s - destroying stereo gear, records sleeves, reel- & cassette-tapes
junior of 3-sis 1-bro : electronics, photography, motorcycles, drawing, nano tech helpdesk.
1st cassette tape : phil manzanera, penguin café , cluster & eno, robert palmer. bittern storm over ulm.
1980s - 1st LP's : king crimson. h17. residents. honeymoon killers.
piper cub student pilot (for a short while)
crossover from manche à balai to manche de guitare
1990s - photography school + meets musicians, becomes taxi driver.
in a high school, meets didier fontaine & christophe goffaux, music freaks (drums & atari cubase studio).
later meets pierre van dormael & nasa na, manu ribot, pierre vervloesem, katmeridou-toutziarakis, syfer-danjou, ..
1999 - drumming on chef d'oeuvre !
2000 - 1st completely finished track
crossover from 'collection de jolis timbres-poste' to 'collection de jolis timbres de voix de chanteuses'
2005 - établit le record du plus long salut militaire à moto sur la chaussée d'ixelles.
2007 - négocie son transfert en tant que chauffeur de taxis bleus aux taxis verts pour 65 000 000 euros
2014 - asleep & kicking. écrit des bio de lui à la 3ème personne
Line Daenen - (flute) rencontrée grace à valentine S
Manu Ribot - aka Claude Zac. once shared a house with Didier Fontaine, alain (HK) VDS, Pierre Vervloesem, Dimitri Damasceno, Koen.
Rita Wallemacq - choral singer, this was her first studio & solo singing experience. rencontrée grace à Didier Van Bunderen.
Delphine Sdika - rencontrée par Emilie Reynaud, Aline Permentier ou Mimi Boudis
Hélène Zanutel - (clarinet) friend of Line D, could be a relative of Jean-Paul Zanutel.
Christophe Goffaux - keyboard & comic book fanatic
- mystère. probablement pour compenser une sorte d'incapacité relationnelle,
remplir un vide idéologique, plonger la belgique dans le chomage, le crime,
la déflation, la fracture sociale.
mais la zikmu est aussi un échec et ça ne pouvait que plaire à PV qui a dit un jour : "le raté est beau".
And some pics of the original cover, lay in and out, members of the recording sessions then and now:
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Manu Ribot - Pierre Vervloesem - HK now
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Pierre then
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Didier Fontaine then
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Manu Ribot then
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Alain VDS aka HK now
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and then
Track listing:
1: Face of Death / Elastomère
2: Appzen Mdehfk
3: Ich Bin ein Bayerischer
4: Valérie
5: Liquide Brun
6: Crétinarium
7: Colargol
8: Electro Cushion
9: Sign
10: Rokon Roll
11: 90's Shit
12: George
13: Ebola
14: Rhodents
And in Bandcamp:
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