dEUS Podcast #27: 89 hours in the life of a dEUS, part II or: the return.

5 08 2010

This one is quite different.
This one is based on Mauro.
Huuuuuuuuuum…musicians, we do know them, right ?
And what they do. Create, Play, Tour, Rehearse, Record.
Drink sometimes. Laugh most of the time.
Even go to museums…when they feel like it.
Play again. Tour again. And Laugh again.
But you’ll never (except Tomy in a Manu Riche movie) see them on a bike.
Strangely. The nice people in Vienna had bikes ready for us…32 people in the traveling party.
Ultima Vez on tour it was, this time. Well…25 were taken, used and abused (by dancers, techs…), 7 stayed untouched.
Yeap you got it…6 musicians and… ???
Guess guess…

I was lucky to be part of one of Mauro’s many collaborations, again.
This time with Wim Vandekeybus.
I kind of knew him.
We’re from the same city.
We share the same bars.
But ĂŤ never expected to meet such a creative and vivid mind.
No rest (for the best).
Amazing.
He, to put it simply, never stops.
Keeps looking and searching for new ideas…and talents.
Reminded me of somebody else I know…Tomy B…maybe !

Mauro created the soundtrack for Wim’s last creation: Nieuw Zwart.
They toured together. For almost a year.
And I’ve been told it’s not over yet. Far from it even.
(This is not what you’ll see here. What you see here first happened a few years ago, based on an improvisation that took place @ the Ancienne Belgique venue in Brussels).
But that’s not gonna be before 2012 or something.
Because, until then, Mauro will be full time busy with dEUS. Until… ???

They are now @ the VP studio. They now have a producer.
And he has already done some damn fine work with them in the past.
Producing, if you ask me, one of dEUS’ finest albums to date.
Ooooohhh yeahhhh…
Shuuuut…
We all have different dEUS finest… that’s (also) what makes them so special, innit ?
So… Patience.
Wait. Hear. Discover. And decide for yourself.

But, in the meantime, and above all, thanks again Portugal for the amazing welcome you gave us, in lovely Porto, a few weeks ago.
Again, and again, and again: Portugal, YOU ROCK.
See you in 2011.
With a new album to celebrate.
And thanks to Mauro for…well…being himself I guess.

Cheers, as he would probably say.

See you soon.
Vp.

 
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dEUS @ OLT Rivierenhof, Antwerp, Belgium Tuesday July 6th 2010

20 07 2010

Hey Hey Hey, welcome back.
How are you doing ?
It’s been a while …damn it…but we’re back.
With a bright future, I’d say.
Oh yeah.
Anyway.
If you live in Belgium, you must have heard the news: dEUS gave a free gig, in their home town, Antwerp, a few days ago.
In one of the cutest, nicest places the country has to offer. Hidden in the middle of a beautiful park. Where nature is at its best. And so are the humans. We know the influence of surroundings to human spirit. It is a pleasure to play at such an open air festival.
If only they were all like this one.
And a bit of a secret place as well…known by locals only…and music lovers.
Nice nice niiiiiiiiice.

About 2000 VIP’s showed up.
A last minute treat.
The word was spread on Friday.
The password to let you in was: MESSI.
Yeap, you heard me: no one had to pay a penny to come and enjoy the show.
Why ?
Well, some people say it was a warm up gig for the few festivals dEUS will play this summer.
Other people say it was an excuse to have a gigantic party, with dear and beloved friends.
Some others…
I’ll tell you why.
No.
You’ll find out why.
At the very end of this movie is the answer…the celebration.
The reason why.
The proud father.
And if you still believe in Saint Nicolas…it’s even better.
Don’t we all?

See you soon,
And enjoy the beautiful summer we have.
Right here. Right now.

Take care.
And it’s great to be back.

Vp.

Bonus: a StuBru report of dEUS at the OLT Rivierenhof in Antwerp:
note: our own podcast video is a little bit further down below.

 
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dEUS during / after Pukkelpop 2009

6 10 2009

Sorry for the delay dear readers. And thank you for your patience.
Took me some time, this time…but I had to feed the fishes…or something.

Ha ha… Hum Hum Festivals… So many good memories. Of loads of them. From the teenage kicks aka puberty and bleeding ears to the professional mayhem that can occur during a quick change-over (you’ve got 15 minutes (to fame ?), boys, always shouts the big man from the left stage corner…wearing shorts), to the greatest musical experiences and accidental discoveries that can happily and accidently take place. That’s why we’ve got ears, don’t we ? And taste. And why we are there, to put it simply. From truly disgusting food to improvised BBQ with other musicians (and tents burning, by the way) to never ending talks and laughs with many other from out-of-space(s) band members. And more, if there’s affinity. Still is, if you stay open. And use and abuse of your social skills. So many festivals travelled. Experienced. Tasted. And sometimes approved. With or without dEUS. Muddy it used to be. Still is in the UK though. But everywhere else ? It has become so well organized. An event, they call it.

dEUS did a lot of them a couple of years ago. And even more so over the last decade. Countless ones.
Let’s get back to their one and only holy gig during their sabbatical live year 2009 … – GIGS, sorry : Yes, they played twice, two nights in a row in the comfy of the Marquee, 2 completely different sets, about 28 songs were played…-by the way who has ever played 28 songs in a festival I ask myself ?…Except The Ramones, of course. Maybe. And Mauro, I guess, but that must have been at some kind of arty festival. Probably. And the Buzzcocks. And. And. No, not Adam and the Ants. They didn’t even have enough songs I guess.

Stop it. Rewind.

So our very own little d’s did it in style I dare say. And write. A few friends joined them on the first night. Credits are…there, somewhere, if you look through this… and finally deserve it. Old songs and new songs were played. Mashed up, as another famous Belgian band would say.
The second night was more direction intimacy. When songs truly matter. Where deep meets high.
Both nights, were, objectively, soulful, powerful, sexy, clever, sharp…and groovy. If you ask me.
Both nights were with extra musicians and forces on stage. A gorgeous feminine choir of four joined the party. And a multi-instrumentalist added his touches and sometimes personal views on the existing music. Printed them even. Credits, are also available. If you dig for it not so deep down. Here, somewhere, again.

I honestly think, after those two nights, that very few other bands can offer so many great tunes, different tastes, different shapes, different feelings, different approaches, different cleverness, different grooves, different melodies, and….evolving talent …other than dEUS.
Of course a few others are on my A-list, and luckily. Otherwise it would be very gloomy.
No names. Everybody has rights to the secret gardens.
And it’s great to play a home match. Twice. You know, between friends, new and old ones kind of feeling.

But I also think that dEUS needs new horizons. To expand them. New audiences to play their music to. New challenges. New history. And affinities.
From now on when I think of festivals, and dEUS, I think, for instance, of Coachella, Lollapalooza, Big day Out, Rock in Rio, Summer Sonic, Fuji Rock, Tomorrows Parties, Finch …countless others, an endless list. Katmandu would also do. Hong Kong too. Vostock would, and Ushuaia too.

Name it dear readers. And interested/ing human beings.
They’re your countries. And powers.
Read it. Share it. Peer it.
Knock on promoters doors.
And make it happen.

We would love to. You would be delighted. I swear to gOD.
Let it be. We’ll be your proud guests.
Let’s shake the planet. In 2010. Or 2011.
We let you decide.
As long as we meet.
And finally greet.

Thanks Pukkelpop. Thanks to all the artists involved.
Thank you.
And hope to see you all soon.
Somewhere on our still blue and beautiful planet.
But let them work for a while. In the confines of their studio. In the confines of their lives and their Art.
Music is a virus.
And let the end of Oasis not be an excuse.
We’ve got much better in present history.

Take care.

Vp.

 
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dEUS before Pukkelpop

20 08 2009

U should know something: One of my Favorite games is …to Fell off the floor, man.
If you take it easy, if you Slow down. And wait until the passion arises. As the Dark sets in. All the beautiful memories back to the << when Nothing really ends >> days come back to life. Might even have a new one. On their own.
I’m sure you know. You’ve been there. You do finally touch the sky, and climb on the set of the horizon.
Then, only then my dearest Morticiachair, you might get to the true meaning of the Magic hour. The I gave love moment that it is.
Indeed, Sun Ra might have created it. Or was it: Oh, your God ? Because even the Roses are enjoying an internal Pocket revolution when the sun comes down. I swear it’s true. I’ve been told the story by my old mistress: Magdalena. She never lied to me. And has never been like everybody else. I mean, you know, the Everybody’s weird feeling one might get during some If you don’t get what you want moments we’ve all had to go through in different situations.
Let’s see who goes down first must have thought the Architect that created the Turnpike, when the sun came back. With a vengeance. It seems that he didn’t really get the Instant street that was passing him by a few hours before. And created a motorway instead. At a very Bad timing it was. To say the least.
Did he have too much Suds and soda, or did he Serpentine through some serious Mexican fever ? One thing is sure: he had no Paper bones.
He was made of flesh.
He’s never been a Smoker’s reflect… or lost in translation.
His favorite sentence wasn’t it, if I remember right:
Do you know What we talk about (when we talk about love)?

I’d say mystery.

But for the ones who will be there tomorrow at Pukkelpop, I’ve cleared a bit… of a set-list mystery. Right now. Up here.
And a stage and musicians fantasy. If you quick time that is. Right down here. Please.

Don’t be lazy.

And let’s have a blast.
This week-end.
Until time blasts…actually.

Vp.

 
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dEUS Demo Days #2

29 06 2009

dEUS Demo days #2.
And Michael J. died today, by the way.

I don’t really read them in English.
Books that is.
Hum.
Sometimes gossip, architecture, design… comics magazines. TV guides, politician speeches…. Even gloomy scientific tricky news that gets the opportunity to be widely published is good for me. ABCD.
All that beautiful math and senses can be found in, let’s say, Shakespearean love letters. But books ? No. Never. Well, almost never. Don’t ask me why. Maybe I’m just lazy. Maybe I’m scared of losing some true meaning of words. Maybe I’m lefty brainy dead.
Probably.
But I do remember a book I read ages ago. In American -wanna be smart- English. I still know it by heart. Almost. Even though I haven’t physically seen it … since Man created Women, or something.
Don’t shoot me lovely/cute/sexy/clever Ladies. We all know the truth behind this sentence. Ohhh yes.
As I said, I vividly remember a book. gOSH ! One book.
A Henry Rollins book this was.
Get in the Van. And in there, at some point, when you almost called it a day, letting your dreams go by, was a story going something like this :
<< Last night we played Seattle. Show was real good I thought. One of those that leaves me fucked up and incoherent. Before we played, this boy came up to me with this nice looking blond haired girl. He gave me a Magic Marker, lifted her shirt and said, << Sign her >>. I looked at her body. She was very fine, perfectly muscled. I looked in her eyes and asked , << where do you want it ? >> << Where do you want to put it ? >> she replied smiling. I gouged her in the face with the marker. She did not << want it >> there. I moved to her stomach and drew a swastika with the word << fool >> underneath. The boy walked away. She said, << Can I have a hug >>…I said…

Hold it there for a second. Please. The end of the story is not gonna be told. It’s up to you, dear readers. Up to your creative minds and spirits. If you know, great. If you don’t, even better…that means you can imagine what you want the story to be. To become.

What the hell does this have to do with a dEUS podcast do I hear you all say ? Well, I think, that, depending on the ending you have decided to deal with, you might experience a pretty close true << vibe >> of what a musician might feel during a studio recording session. Who will he be ? The mistress, the man, the lady, the wife, the lover, the student, the architect, the whatever.
Or will he just stay true to himself ?
Having had the commonly agreed privilege << for a band's soundguy >> to hear the new dEUS demo stuff let me tell you: they have chosen .They have decided. They dare to stay …themselves.
Whatever that means ha ha ha…

Wait… hear. See… decide. Wait some more… enjoy. Somewhere in 2010 the truth will be revealed. Will it be Henry’s ? Will it be a lady’s dream ? Will it be some cute guy ‘s nightmare?
Let’s just pretend that it will be quite unique…as everything this band has delivered in the past.
Gimme me a match, please.
Or Gimme the heat.
Anything, but an Emir Kusturica gig. Or a white belly. Or a headline spot at a the Vatican city festivalitis arthritis.
For those of you living (and actually not leaving it, yet) around the low countries you know we have a date : Pukkelpop, somewhere end of Augustus. In Belgium. If politicians still don’t mind it to be named that way.
Some truth could be revealed there. Hopefully it will be, and even become a virus. And some past beauties will be unleashed, brought back to life as well. If you’re smart. If…maybe. But if, as seen on TV as they say commonly, Mister Obama himself can catch a fly, I’m sure dEUS can imagine and create new species. Just for the sake of it.

15 years. 15 ways to celebrate. And see through the future. That’s the main thing for artists. That’s why/what they live for. That’s why we love them. Past… present.
Past… present ?
I know that, right now, Tom is dealing with a deadline going through his never ending teen mind: he has been asked to write an article about Michael Jackson’s death last night.
Will it seal some kind of future ?

Hum…wouldn’t bet a horse on it.

Please enjoy demo days # 2…until the end right… ha ha ha… you might see through a (small) lens … A futuroscopic one that is.
Welcome to the future.

Best regards,
And hope this makes any sense to you.
U, tell me, please.

Enjoy.
Thx.

Vp.

 
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