Technotronic was a Belgian electronic music project formed in 1987 by Jo Bogaert, who gained popularity in Europe as a solo artist with various new beat projects, including Acts of Madmen and Nux Nemo. Together with rapper Manuela Kamosi, he produced the single "Pump Up the Jam", which was originally an instrumental released under the name The Pro 24s. Based on Farley Jackmaster Funk's "The Acid Life", this instrumental initially included vocal samples from Eddie Murphy's "Delirious" live set from 1983 and was months later replaced by newer music, along with lyrics from Kamosi prior to the song's international release in September 1989. With Bogaert adopting the name Thomas De Quincey, a front for the act was put together, utilizing Congolese-born fashion model Felly Kilingi who was presented as the group's rapper, appearing on the single's cover art and in the music video.
Arjen Anthony Lucassen is a Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. Lucassen started his career in 1980 as the guitarist and backing vocalist of Dutch band Bodine as Iron Anthony, before joining Vengeance in 1984. After eight years he left the band, wanting to go into a more progressive direction, and released two years later an unsuccessful solo album entitled Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy under the nickname Anthony.
"Suzanne" is a song written by Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen in the 1960s. First published as a poem in 1966, it was recorded as a song by Judy Collins in the same year, and Cohen performed it as his debut single, from his 1967 album Songs of Leonard Cohen. Many other artists have recorded versions, and it has become one of the most covered songs in Cohen's catalogue. In 2021, it was ranked at No. 284 on Rolling Stone's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Twarres is a folk/pop band from Wergea in the Netherlands who perform songs in both English and their native Frisian language. Their songs are primarily lush, harmonic vocal pop with a focus on acoustic instrumentation such as pianos and violins. Their debut single "Wêr bisto" won the audience's award at the 1999 Frisian Song Contest. The band has one platinum certified album and single respectively.
Nicole Seibert, known professionally as Nicole, is a German singer, songwriter, musician and producer. In 1982, she became the first German representative to win the Eurovision Song Contest. She has released more than 25 studio albums and 80 singles, some of which she performed and recorded in, among other languages, English, Dutch, and French. She wrote the music and lyrics for some of her recordings.
Anouk Schemmekes, professionally known by the mononym Anouk, is a Dutch singer and songwriter. After her 1997 breakthrough rock single Nobody's Wife, she had hit records in the Dutch and Belgian charts. Many of her albums topped the Dutch album charts; most of them going Platinum and several debuting in the number 1 position. Her most famous singles include: R U Kiddin' Me, Michel, Girl, Lost, Modern World, Three Days in a Row, Birds, and Woman.
"Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life" is a song written by Michael Cleveland, sung by American group Indeep, and released as a single in 1982 by Sound of New York and Becket Records. It features vocals from Réjane "Reggie" Magloire and Rose Marie Ramsey. The track appears as the third track of the namesake album released in 1983.
"Wooden Heart" is a pop song recorded by Elvis Presley. The composition is based on a German folk song "Muss i denn" and it was featured in the 1960 Elvis Presley film G.I. Blues. The song was a hit single for Presley in the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 1 for six weeks in March and April 1961.
"Net als toen" is a love song written in Dutch by Willy van Hemert, composed by Guus Jansen and performed by Corry Brokken in 1957 as the Netherlands' entry and runaway winner of the pan-European Eurovision Song Contest, which gained other versions and popularity in several countries.
De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig is a Dutch hip hop and R&B group based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, renowned for their musical approach of irreverent, humorous lyrics and electronic beats. Their humorous style is characterised by their frequent use of word play, lyrical flirting with languages other than Dutch and the propagating of neologisms, such as "Watskeburt?!".
The Netherlands women's national water polo team is the national team of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was one of the leading teams in the world during the 1980s and 1990s. More recently they claimed the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The team is governed by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Zwembond (KNZB).
"Ne me quitte pas" is a 1959 song by Belgian singer-songwriter Jacques Brel. It has been covered in the original French by many artists and has also been translated into and performed in many other languages. A well-known adaptation, with English lyrics by Rod McKuen, is "If You Go Away".
Solo is the musical outfit of Dutch musicians Michiel Flamman and Simon Gitsels. The duo released two albums, of which the latest Solopeople was the biggest success. The album released on label Excelsior Recordings spawned a Dutch top 20 hit with Come Back To Me.
"Trojan Horse" is the fifth single by the Dutch girl group Luv', released in autumn 1978 by Philips/Phonogram Records. This million-seller appears on some editions of the group's debut album, With Luv' (1978), and was a successful hit record in a large part of continental Europe, Israel, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Argentina and New Zealand. It was a minor hit in Australia and Canada.
Willst du mit mir gehn is a studio album by German pop singer Nena, released in 2005. It's a two-CD set, with the first CD recorded in studio and the second in jam sessions on Majorca. The album reached No. 2 in Germany, while the single "Liebe ist" reached No. 1. The other singles were title track and "Lass mich".
"Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann" is a 1984 song by Nena written by band members Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen and Carlo Karges. It was a commercial success in Europe. Released initially as a single, it was included on Nena's 1985 album Feuer und Flamme. Many variations and covers of the song have appeared, including samples and foreign language versions, most notably the English language "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime". Its various incarnations have charted over a 37-year period and in three different languages.
Nena were a German Neue Deutsche Welle band formed in West Berlin in 1981. In 1983 and 1984, their German-language song "99 Luftballons" reached number one in the singles charts of countries around the world.
Laurens van Rooyen is a Dutch pianist and composer. He is known for his cooperation in the theater with Herman van Veen. He composed many pieces for the piano and wrote the score for several Dutch films. He wrote two books on his experiences as a musician.
Janieck van de Polder, better known by his stage name Janieck Devy or just the mononym Janieck, is a Dutch singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Pluk in the 2004 film Tow Truck Pluck and the single "Reality" by Lost Frequencies, in which he took the melody, guitar, vocals and lyrics into account.
Babette van Veen is a Dutch actress and singer. She is known for her role as Linda Dekker in the soap opera Goede tijden, slechte tijden.
