In Belgium 2006 Journal Part Three

Ok, after a long and exciting first day of travel and then a nap outside on the porch in the cold, we finally made it inside the house, laid down what luggage we did have, and had a well deserved sleep. Later in the evening I awoke feeling much better. Bart informed me that there was food in the fridge and also that we should get to Clues by 8:30 to do the sound check for Marvin's vocal performance. Firstly, I enjoyed a little personnel pizza cooked in the oven and then I started getting everything sorted for the FPR presentation. With the tasty pizza in my stomach and music on my mind we set out for another dusk till dawn soiree.

Let's stop right there for now and let me push you forward into the future. I'd like to take this time to talk about last night and to weave in a few details about some more of the exciting events I have encountered while on this particular journey. In order for you to understand "last night" and its events as well as other events you'll have to be introduced to some new people and places. Let's see, how to start?...

The first Saturday I was in Belgium I played in Ghent at Club Decadance. (I'll give a semi detailed account of this affair later in the journal) After my set I was sitting at the back bar with Marvin discussing what we did right and what we did wrong when an interesting chap sat down next to me and introduced himself as "Marcos Salon". He explained that he felt compelled to speak to me because of the quality of my set, and Marvin's performance. He gave me a basic history of himself explaining how he had worked for R&S records for 12 years, been responsible for the first Belgian "New Beat" record, and currently owned a recording studio in Ghent. None of this was said with any boasting or exaggeration, it was just delivered as facts like reading from a textbook or listening to a wise man that truly had experienced extraordinary things during his life. Our discussion whent on till dawn and ranged in topics from Detroit, to electronic music, politics, technology and software, and even just general chit chat. He invited me and anyone else I conspired with to join him at the recording studio, suggesting we could put our heads together musically. I accepted and we arranged to meet the following week.

The following Wednesday Marvin and I caught a ride with Bart's nephew to Ghent. He was able to drop us at Music Man, the premier record store in the city, where we were set to meet up with Marcos, eventually continuing on to the studio. When Marcos arrived he introduced another interesting Belgian named "Sandro", the other owner of the studio. Marvin, Marcos, Sandro, and I set off for our first collaboration in the country.

I have really no way of putting a good description of the studio into words. I guess I should start by explaining a bit about Ghent in which, I think will help project an image into your head. The studio sits in the center of the city and the majority of the center of the city was constructed in medieval times. Most churches and structures that reside centrally where built from the 10th to the 14th century. One of the church's on the river, "Jerard de Duival Steen" which translates "Stone from the Devil" or basically "The church of the Devil" is one of the most sinister looking churches I've ever laid eyes on. For a man who is completely and utterly terrified by all churches this particular church felt warm and inviting. I took some time to get a picture of myself next to the church smiling and throwing up the horns. The studio is located several blocks past the church in this amazing area.

We entered thru an automatic door that opens up into a very large parking garage with floors and walls made of stone. Once into the parking garage you have to pass thru a long and dark driveway made of stone and brick, wide enough for a car to drive down. On the left we proceeded thru a large wooden door into a dark stairwell. The stairwell was completely cement and stone and led down two flights of steps into the basement. When we crossed the threshold into the studio It was like entering a strange dream. The studio was a single elongated chamber shaped like a giant cement tube that had been cut in half. The dead center of the ceiling was no more then 8 feet in height and the outer edges curved down to the floor. From front to back I would say the room is 25 to 30 feet in length and one tiny 1" x 1" window resided on the back wall. Sitting slightly off center to the left was a large desk and rack with a computer, two viewing monitors, a pair of studio monitors, several keyboards, turntables, a mic booth for recording vocals, guitars, basses, records, percussion instruments, and other various odds and ends for creating music or creating atmosphere. Connected to the right-hand wall three tiny lights controlled by a dimmer along with one lava lamp centered behind the desk, illuminated the room. I was in heaven. My worship of "Jerard de Duival Steen" was paying off.

Our collaboration worked out very well and we planned to meet again on Saturday (25/3) night. Saturday night also happens to be the "last night" mentioned above. Last night began by going back into the studio and working very hard with very good results. Around 1:00 am we left the studio to go over to Marco's freind's living space to attend a party she was having to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday. They had required our attendance along with a request for a DJ set. I was told before hand that this space was really incredible and was definitely one of a kind. What I was told was dead on point. I could not believe how unbelievably amazing the space was. To enter the actual living area of the house you had to pass thru a large black metal door and down a long hallway I'm guessing was about 30 yards in length. Once down the hallway you entered thru another large door into the living room. The building was an old office that the owner bought for 30,000 euro and converted into a house. From what I am told, the old office was in shambles and therefore worth very little money, but you would have never been able to tell by looking at it in its current condition. I'll try to explain the house as best I can.

The house is a square with a garden or courtyard in the center. The rooms were built within the square, basically you had three connecting parts of the square that are composed of a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The 4th section of the square was the hallway that led from the street back into the house. Every room, minus the bathroom, had large glass windows and doors that led to the courtyard. In the courtyard were flowers and a tree, a small table and chairs, a heated Jacuzzi, and was illuminated by white christmas lights and candles. The whole thing from top to bottom, inside and outside, was extremely beautiful. One of the bedrooms, the master I'm guessing, was the entire opposite side of the hallway.

The event mostly took place in the living room and kitchen. Including Marvin, Marcos, Sandro, and myself around 35 to 40 people attended the party. There was a DJ rig with two Belgian DJs playing old disco, a table packed with tasty food, and a fridge full of Hoegaarden and champagne. I ate, drank, mingled and danced, and then when the time came I played my records. I played a great set filled with disco, soul, rock, and pop that never really climbed over 115 bpms. I closed the decks and the party out at 8:00 am Sunday morning with Stevie's "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" and Nick Drake's "One Of These Things First". I had a great time from beginning to end. Bart was playing at a party in a town half-way between Deinze and Ghent so it was decided we would meet him a Decadance at around 8:30 am to catch a ride home. By 9:30 am we were back in our beds in Deinze.

To be continued...