Now and then ArtistCongratz likes a colorful refreshing trip down memory lane. Preferably on crossroads where different music generations inspire each other.
This actual refresh of an extra colorful iconic Antwerp based band from the seventies embodies such a vibe like no other could.
As yours truly their driving force today, Björn Eriksson jr., also happened to be a toddler in the seventies. Back then, his father Karl Eriksson, the original guitar player, pulled his strings alongside Gowie Meeusen, Ben Bervoets, Bo Spaenc and Gene Bervoets. Their In your face punk would turn out to be legendary.
Discover stories featuring two generations of Plastik Bags, chatting with both Gene and Björn.
Gene: Björn did all the remastering. It’s his project now actually…but I can only guess what he experienced as a toddler listening to us (laughs).
Björn: Although I have a great beard myself now, (Gene laughs) My father looks younger than I do. (Laughs)
“Teaming up with some Plastik Bags”
Björn: I can still remember seeing some concerts as a small child. The original bandmembers definitely had some fascination for plastic bags. They used to dress up in them, that’s all I can remember. I think there was this roadie, a good friend, who came up with the idea to hang a couple of 💯 plastic bags on the ceiling during the concerts.
Gene: We all wore them at the time.
AC: You’d have to have model like features to show them off…
Gene: Not all of us do I guess (laughs)
AC: Ageless music and charisma could also do the trick 😉 Do all ages come to the concerts nowadays ?
Björn: We did a release concert of the new album in Antwerp. For a lot of old fans of course but also very young people really seem to like it.
Gene: There is some kind of punk revival going on at the moment…it appeals to young people because there is a lot of energy in it. When I listen to the radio, I hear a lot of “low profile music”, while punk is really “in your face”.
I think that youngsters are surprised that older people also used to think that people in their fifties or sixties were practically not able to walk anymore 😉
That’s actually the spirit of the Plastic Bags pioneers: We’re still in our twenties 🙂
Have a field day at ArtistCongratz ! Inside a legendary studio.
Did you know that one of our most sollicited Belgian record studio’s is owned and directed by Patrick Hamilton in the lovely town of Bruges? Join us following heartbeats of music industry, blogging and vlogging on holy production-ground.
Patrick in his studio (picture by Jan Dharthet)
Over the years (nineties and nillies), Patricks studio became the center of attention for a lot of national artists. That is still very much the case to this day.
But the bigger picture lay ahead. Patricks ability and talent to also lift up music talent worldwide did not go unnoticed.
His international career as a producer took off about a decade ago.
Patrick: I had a manager in Nashville. It kind of bothered him that I was never available because of numerous national projects. But once I came across some major international A & R-folks on a yacht in the south of France, I quickly left my Flemish way of thinking. The time had come to leave my comfort zone.
The first international artist I came across was Mark Masri. When he was nominated the Juno Award for Best album in Canada, Universal England seemed interested. I thought they were signing the artist I produced, but actually it was me who ended up working with one of the biggest names in the UK.
Considered an almost unreachable star, Katherine Jenkins would become one of the first to perform the new anthem “God save the King”. So you can imagine I was honoured to be able to work with her.
Working with Katherine
I studied classical music at the conservatory in Ghent, so technically I was able to do arrangements for big orchestra. Although I had never done it before, I felt I could do it.
Honoured as “Officer of the British Empire” Katherine Jenkins is a neo classic cross-over singer, who’s style can be compared to Andrea Bocelli’s. She has her own television program on BBC, called “Songs of Praise”.
In December Patrick was invited to perform with her, his quatre mains-compagnon Nel Swerts & Sir Cliff Richard in the Royal Albert Hall in London.
With his « 4-mains-companion » Nel Swerts 🎹🎹
AC: How often are you in your studio? Patrick: During COVID, I was here all the time. Just a few days before the lockdown, I had finished an album with Katherine. I needed a vacation because of the hard work but it turned out to be a holiday of two years. Literally locked into my studio, I could have layed down and got depressed. But that’s not really my nature. So I took it as an opportunity.
There was nothing else to do. I started with some solo piano music.
AC: Some extra time as a gift for your inspiration and development as a songwriter?
Patrick: I think it was a twist of fate. Into a new world. Suddenly I found myself to be an artist you can find on Spotify. Before I was a producer. You could find a lot of my music but not my name. That has changed during Corona.
AC: Should a producer not be considered as an artist as well?Patrick: Combining producing and songwriting opens the door to all kinds of connections.
But you are right, the producer is definitely part of the artistic process of an artist. How the songs are born, how you’re colouring them as a producer, is like picturing a painting.
You have all the ingredients but then you have to combine them in all the right ways. There are so many different ones to approach a production. You might want it to sound big, like music played in a hall. Or very intimate in a small room. Both require very different approaches.
Overall mine is to follow your guts. Trying to make the best production possible. That’s how I say see it.
AC: Pushing all the right buttons you showed us on the tour trough your studio. (Soon to be published on our TikTok-account)
Patrick is quite happy working in the shades. Iworked with so many famous people that can’t walk on the streets. Recognition has two meanings. You can get bothered that people recognise your face. Them being aware of your work is so much more important.
But once connected with music-executives like Martin Dodd and Ricardo Fernandez, working with Britney Spears and The Back Street Boys among others, Patricks career as a songwriter and producer took an international turn. Holding over 27 million streams (on Spotify only) of his songs combined, this goes way beyond his expectations. Patrick: I was hoping to get one million streams one day (laughs).
Do you feel you have developed your own trade mart as a producer?
Patrick: I hope so, as I mentioned: You can’t put me in one basket. Hopping from genre to genre. But some people recognise kind of a trade mart in my productions. That’s a huge compliment.
Patrick celebrated his 60th birthday with a special concert in Bruges.
And a stunning biography (In Dutch), full of tales like these.
Spring has arrived ! ArtistCongratz’ cue to treat you to some early summer vibes with a Latin-Belgian twist 🇪🇸🇧🇪
This band juggles its way to the hearts of people AND their dancing shoes. 🕺
To captivate a crowd is right up the alley of five stagelovers, who call themselves “Rumbaristas”. Their brandnew album, just a few weeks old, is called “Malabares”, which is Spanish for jugglers.
ArtistCongratz had an inspiring chat with bandmembers Willy Fuego and Roel Poriau at AB-club, right after Rumbaristas swept the audience of their feet in a swirling showcase 🎶🎺🥁🎤
AC: Congratz on the new album! How does it feel to finally share your songs with the world?
Roel: It feels great. The last three years, we put a lot of work and effort in it. During the Covid era, we have been working a long time on all the new songs.
AC: Was it like a benefit of confinement, having more freedom and time to write?
Roel: In a way yes but because we really are a live band, we also missed playing in front of a live audience. Being able to do that now, along with all the good vibes and people dancing to the songs is really a nice reward for all the work on Malabares.
Back then, we had some 20 to 30 tracks ready to record but when we sat together with our producer, some of the tracks turned out to be too dark. Covered in Covid darkness, let’s say.We really want to keep a balance between happy and slightly darker songs. Tonight was all about party though. People dancing on our music is the greatest reward.
RUMBARISTAS 🎶🎼
AC: Playing the songs for the very first time, must be special indeed
Roel: There were a few concerts before this one. Two weeks ago we played in Granada and soon we will also be playing again in Belgium, Serbia and Bulgaria. Probably Holland too…
AC: Maybe some colourful festivals as well, like TAZ or Dranouter…
Roel: By all means, we have a few big ones on our wishlist.Couleur Café and Sfinx are some of the best world music festivals.Hungary’s sziget fesztivál is also very nice.Dranouter, we played before, but we would like to return. Theater Aan Zee? Good idea, this could also be a match with Rumbaristas.
AC: Back to Malabares, which means juggling…With words? Music, genres, each other? (Laughs) Where did the idea come from?
Willy: In Spain the people use the word juggle when they struggle to keep on going. When they cope, the people do “malabares”.
Roel: We also shot an extraordinary video, made by Willy and Joan Garriga. Made in Barcelona, it’s about a mother who also has to juggle to make ends meet. She’s struggling to make a living, for her son too.
AC: Any favouritetracks on the album? Or does that feel like choosing between your babies?
Willy: All the songs capture one particular moment of feelings. Happiness, nostalgia…
“But we do have a special bond with one song in particular, actually. It’s called “La Vida es Bella”In a way, this song has it all.
Willy Fuego
Roel: This was a collaboration with Amparo Sánchez also known as Amparanoia.(ed.note: Amparanoia is the stage name of Spanish singer/guitarist Amparo Sánchez who combines her first name with the word ‘paranoia’. Willy also played in her band for a long time.
A lot of different things come together in that record. It’s danceable, it has a latin vibe, nice rhythm, trumpets…And it contains the melancholy that Willy often has in his songs.
AC: How did you all meet?
Roel: I met Thomas, the trumpet-player, first. I was working with him, for “l’orchestre International du Vetex”Willy was playing with Amparo Sanchez while in Belgium. We did a kind of jam together in Tournai, where her manager lives. The three of us started to play. Which felt really great. Of course we needed a bass player. I invited Thomas, with whom I played in Think Of One before.
About Rumabaristas creative process:
Roel: For this album, we really worked more collectively, but most of the time, Willy will start a song. Sometimes with a rhythm track I already created. Or on his own. Then we start working with that. Looking for the right groove, Tomasino will write the melodies while we come up with lyrics in different languages. Willy has also found a way to leave a lot of things open, so we can fill it in.
Want to catch this band live?
In May Rumbaristas starts touring again.
Rumbaristas, not your typical Belgian band, besides welcomed on stages abroad, they are also breaking through our national language borders. They can be found both on stages in the northern as well as the southern part of Belgium. Gigs in Tournai, Namur (in a monastery) are coming up.
The band succeeds to mesmerize young to older audiences, in different places. Including the iconic AB-club, one of the best venues for sound.
The band also presented their first album here.
Roel: It’s very difficult to find a venue that has all the qualities of AB. Every musician and/or band knows this, good technicians, great acoustics.
Other music temples On Rumbaristas’ wishlist are: Paradiso and Apolo club Barcelona. Spread the word ! And the music of course.
Pictures by Anthony Henry
Backstage at 🆎 Ancienne Belgique, with bandmembers Roel, Willy and their producer (picture by Griet De Blende)
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