From their studio in the village of Tienen, twenty-two miles northeast of Brussels, producers/composers/performers Praga Khan and Oliver Adams, the principals behind D.O., have led the revolution in dance music throughout Europe. Turning techno -distinguished by heavy sequencers, lush vocal parts, and memorable melodic hooks- into the most vibrant and commercial offshoot of the rave scene, typified by all-night dance parties and gourmet drugs. It started in the mid-80s when Praga Khan, then a popular club D.J., picked up on a Belgian innovation. “We were slowing down the song ‘Flesh’ by the band A Split Second from 45 RPM to 33 RPM,” recalls Khan. “The high notes were still there, but the bass was really deep.” Khan was one of the first people in the world to augment music with a drum machine and keyboards, playing one record plus additional music over it. Soon D.J.s across the country were deliberately slowing down records — the craze became known as New Beat. Khan conceived of recording original material in New Beat, and later released a compilation on his own label, Antler-Subway. The album, “New Beat - Take One” hit # 1, becoming one of the best-selling releases in Belgian history and immediately catapulted Khan to a position of prominence in the Belgian music scene. Around that time he met, Jade 4 U, a beautiful aspiring singer. He also got in touch with Oliver Adams, a young extremely talented studiofreak. Soon Praga Khan, Jade 4U and Oliver Adams were partners looking for new worlds to conquer. “The Belgian sound became to common at home,” notes Jade, “but other countries were just picking up on it. It wasn’t strictly for Belgians anymore.” Their music — polyrhythmic, erotic, heavily sampled, and powerfully sung by Khan and Jade — while drawing on the best of industrial and funk — began to hit stride, and D.O. began turning out a string of hit records. Singles like Running out of Time, Moog Eruption, Guilty Of Love and Startouchers were Top 20 hits in the U.K., France, Belgium, Italy, and other European countries, and over the course of three European tours, D.O. has developed a reputation as a phenomenal live band. “When we do a show, we do it right,” says Khan. “When we played Heaven in London, other labels sent their Techno bands to see us to figure out how to do it.” Adds Oliver Adams, “We’re stage animals. Most fans and critics see us as a rock band. Meanwhile, Praga Khan and Oliver Adams can most likely be found back at their Tienen studio, doing what they do best — making hit records. Belgian style. |
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