Een legendarische Belgische dj die terug is van weggeweest ...

We are happy to announce … the return of Frank De Wulf from the famous B-sides series during the legendary Belgian New Beat days … after many years of silence, he could not resist any longer … music is still a part of who he is and he’s about to release 6 new tracks who still have a certain B-sides feel to them ….

Release date : Tuesday, March 23rd ; Distribution : Bonzai Music Distribution

Available on : Beatport, Itunes, Audio Jelly, Whatpeopleplay, Trackitdown, Amazon, etc ….

Track info :

TheOtherSide : This track started as an experiment with the new software Frank uses, but as sometimes happens, the unexpected combination of nice sounds became a rather simple track with a very familiar feel to it. Some of his friends that heard the track immediately thought that it was their favorite of the new B-sides, so it was quickly decided to add it to the series new release.
CompressionPart2 / ILikeItDirtE : based on the original that really started the whole series, this one is a 'sort of' follow up, with today's more pumping sound possibilities. The sample he uses is something that fits the title, meaning dirty, a bit overdone, compression can sound Dirty but nevertheless powerful and just the way Frank LIKES IT!
Between12and01AM : maybe the more cheesy one of the lot, but nevertheless Frank really wanted this track to be part of the new release. He’s absolutely sure that if played in the right place and in it's full version, it becomes a trancy track that will be stock in your head. Especially the mid part brings it to another level, it lifts the track away from 'just a cheesy' track to a very acceptable dance floor track.
TheWhistleman : Deep, organic, dark, and with a very high light tune on top. It works for Frank, he really likes it and if played late on the evening, it will certainly 'entrance' people...
Wishflower2 : As in the previous B-sides, there were the typical dance tracks, and hits, but also the more emotional or experimental tracks. This one certainly fits in that last category, having a trancy breakbeat, filled with the right emotional synth tones and pads. This track will probably be re-released on the album 'Travel south' coming out this summer.
Expo909 : Pure beats and a techno synth hit is all this one needs, use it to start a new direction in your sets and quickly mix it with your favorite techno tune! Absolutely 'B-sides' material.

Biography :

When releasing new material, and especially when it has been so long as it has with Frank De Wulf 😉 …. you are kind of expected to tell a little bit about yourself. So, here you’ll find a quick overview of his career. You’ll discover how one thing led to another, without getting into too much detail.

You won’t find a list of his work here, if you are more interested in that please check out : http://www.discogs.com/artist/Frank+De+Wulf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or soon the discography page on his web-site. If you are more into the insider info and personal anecdotes, you will soon find regularly updates with (sometimes) juicy stories from his days as a DJ/producer on the ‘by the way I just remembered’ page.

So here we go! Frank was born in 1968 as the youngest of three boys. Of course with 2 older brothers hanging around, he was introduced to all kinds of music, not just the mainstream tracks you heard on the radio.
He must have been about 10 when he started experimenting with tape decks, later he used his father’s 2-track recorder to make longer versions of hit records.
In high school, he got invited by one of his classmates to visit the local radio station. Impressed with their set-up, he asked if he could try mixing on their 2 ‘Technics SL1200 MK2’ turntables. It felt great! From there he got his own radio show called “Seventh Heaven Radio”. With Frank on the turntables and another guy doing the talking, they brought a whole new flavor to the dance hits of that time. By re-editing, remixing and manipulating the tracks, he wanted to create a particular atmosphere for the listeners and give them the idea that they were experiencing a live set from home.

Frank De Wulf was always into music with a strong, original sound & rhythm no matter the genre: from new wave, dance, electro European and American experimental post-punk with Kraftwerk and the Art of Noise as two of his major influences or dare he say “muses”. That fresh, energetic layered electro sound was something he aspired to bring himself, by creating his own music as well as through his work as a DJ.
After a while people started noticing his‘work’ and around 1985, he was asked to do a show by a more ‘dance oriented’ radio station called ‘SIS’.

At the time he was regularly, DJ-ing in 2 of Ghent’s dance café’s. It was an excellent way to practice his skills and since he was still at school, these DJ gigs brought some extra money into his piggy bank … because he was also saving up to buy the Yamaha S7000 sampler and an ATARI 1024 Computer. The new beat movement had just started and he started to feel the need to create music rather than just mix other people’s work more and more. So he started to produce his own tracks and make remixes of existing tracks.

One of his first releases as musician/producer was the 12-inch Acid Rock track with his alter ego band Rhythm Device on Music Man Records. Thanks to Olivier Pieters, resident DJ at the famous night club Boccacio (one of the Belgian clubs where New Beat really took off), he could test run the track. To Frank’s surprise and great relief, the crowd loved it. The track became a big hit, and is now seen as a bit of a classic, or so he’s told.

His work as a DJ gave him the idea to make a record just for DJ’s. He wanted to create a kind of tool for mixing tracks while still keeping the familiar theme going. He started to work on several tracks, but due to a lack of time never really got to finish them. He had a series of beats, mixes and samples from international dance hits and newly created sounds that were not really fit to be released as a-side records. So still eager to release them, he decided to call them The B-Sides. The record went through the roof and he ended up releasing 4 volumes (on Music Man Records) plus remixes of them.

Due to the success of the B-sides, Frank was asked to give live performances as well as do DJ sets all over the world. He traveled around Europe, the States and Australia. It was a remarkable period, he met up with other performers and DJ’s, who where all starting their musical careers, people like Joey Beltram, Moby, Derrick May, Sven Väth. They all shared this great appreciation for each other’s work and Frank really felt that people understood his work. With each new sample or musical idea there was this immense reaction on the dance floor. He really felt that the crowd was on his side, the whole time pushing him on and inspiring him to break new boundaries. During his career, there was also Renaat, the owner of R&S records, who kept him inspired and focused. Renaat’s energy, drive and strong believe in the success of quality dance music had a major influence on Frank’s career.

He decided to start up his own record labels which gave him more creative freedom to release his tracks and do production work for other artists; like remixes for all kinds of artists in and outside the new beat scene like The Shamen & Erasure but also The Orb, Jam & Spoon, Orbital, Biosphere,…

At the end of the nineties Frank felt, he had reached the limits of what he could do with music at that period in time and decided to concentrate on another great love of his: the world of film and post-production.

He founded “GRID” a post-production company specialized in visual effects and motion design for commercials, video clips and films. He kept his musical career going at the back burner doing the odd remix or DJ set. And on a personal level he met his wife Sandra in the year 2000 and in 2003 they became the proud parents of a lovely daughter Ellen.

So there you are… even though Franks work kept him quite busy and was creatively challenging, music is a part of who he is. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he always knew that this time would come. And now, he can no longer ignore this need to make music, this need to create and let the magic flow again. He hopes you will all enjoy the ride!

More info : http://www.frankdewulf.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;