When I was a child, way back in the seventies, the number of musical genres wasn't as ridiculous as it is today. Back then, there was classical music, jazz, blues, pop and rock/hard rock. Electronic music was still in its infancy, although several interesting albums had already been released, albums I would discover much later. Same thing with metal, that term wasn't as common as it is today. My journey into music began with rock, before the genre gained the prepositions of 'psychedelic', 'noise,' grunge', 'progressive' or 'post'. It was all rock. Here are fifteen rock songs that shaped my musical adventures.

When you play an album for the very first time, you usually start with the first song. Well, the first record I ever spinned was a compilation named '14 Internationale Hits'. The first song was 'Reach Out, I'll Be There' by Gloria Gaynor. I remember not being very fond of that one (although today I find it a lot better than that horrible 'First Be A Woman' thing). But the second song "rocked" my world. Here was a gloomy tune with an immersive rhythm and intense outbursts. 'Kill Me (Ce Soir)' was released a year after I was born, but it shaped my journey into the darker side of music.

From the same compilation, immediately after Golden Earring, came another Dutch band. Their straightforward rock song 'Wheelchair Groupie' quickly became one of my all time favorites. That drive, that guitar riff. I was sold. It might also be notable that my fascination with music started with Dutch bands.  The Dutch would continue to be a constant in my musical adventures. Because of them, I was able to for a decent idea about how music should sound. 

Where that compilation became my introduction into music, my brother further developed it. For a while I copied everything he did, including his taste in music. One day, I asked him who released a song where the vocalist says "we miss you kiss the lovecats" (remember, I was ten or so). My brother said that there was no such song, on which I decided to write it myself. Only later The Cure would become one of my favorite acts, apparently driving me into making music myself.

In the end, my brother introduced me to several bands, including Iron Maiden, The Pixies and Lemonheads, but The Cure and Sisters Of Mercy would by far become my favorites in those early days. My predilection for dark music formed early, and years later I plunged into the gothic scene, discovering so many awesome tunes. Six years after first hearing 'Alice', I tried to play it on my own very first guitar. 'Alice' sparked a lifetime of music making, not restricted to the guitar  (and not very successful but that never seemed to stop me).

My brother first introduced me to alternative music, but three of his friends ultimately lured me in. Jan, Mario and Bruno got me acquainted to new wave, progressive rock and punk. For a while I often visited any of these three and borrowed some records to copy them on tape. The Ramones blasted so much energy into my life that I immediately adored them. That "1 2 3 4" thing is legendary. Strangely, my adventures is punk began and ended with The Ramones. Even now, I can't find a band that satisfies my punk needs like The Ramones did.

By now, you should have noticed that I don't always pick the big hits. No 'When The Lady Smiles', no 'Lullaby', no 'Temple Of Love'... For some reason, my path has always been a bit different. Take Pink Floyd for example. Today, I realize that 'Dark Side Of The Moon' and 'Wish You Were Here' are two of the most important albums in music history. However, back then, 'The Wall' was the album that introduced me to them, again provided by one of my brother's friends. 'Mother' is probably one of the most beautiful songs they wrote after 'Wish You Were Here'.

In the late eighties, my musical preferences started shifting towards the extreme. My cd-player spent hours and hours of spinning Metallica, Anthrax, Sepultura and Overkill. At the same time, I started going to concerts and festivals and thàt turned everything around. Not only did I become interested in more styles of music, I also started loving and respecting Belgian acts. Sweater was one of them, and their concert in Genk caused me to buy my very first band shirt on a concert. I had a few, store bought but this one started an obsession.

When I wrote that The Ramones began and ended my adventures is punk, I lied a little. On the other hand, I never really considered The Paranoiacs to be a punk band. Yes, their music was simple and yes, people called them "The Belgian Ramones" but for me they were just a rock band, and a damn good one too. Although I stopped following them after their 1992 album 'ThirTeen', I still consider their old albums favorites.

In my stubborn metal era, I despised everything that was Flemish. Flemish music was something for "stupid idiots" who watch 'Tien Om Te Zien' or go to folk fairs. But then this guy popped up, winning Humo's Rock Rally and releasing this gem in 1992. Luc De Vos is a legend in this country and with good reason too. His success caused the art of Flemish music to become interesting again. 

Gorki was not the only one who made Flemish music interesting again. The early nineties saw several bands pop up on charts and on festivals, including De Mens and the big breakthrough of Belgian Asociality. For me personally, it was always a battle between Gorki and Noordkaap (or Monza or Meuris, whatever Stijn Meuris likes to call his band). Today, I think Gorki wins but Meuris still made a massive impact on my musical history.

Those early nineties showcased an explosion of bands, festivals, genres and favorites. In 1993, Rock Werchter turned out to be the best festival ever (up until then...). Headlined by Metallica , Neil Young and Lenny Kravitz and also billing Faith No More and Sonic Youth, this was a festival never to be forgotten. However, as good as that festival was in its entirety, the most fun I had there was when The Levellers blasted this gem through the speakers. 

Again, I'm not picking their greatest hits, I'm pinking the most important song. This one goes out to Tim, a friend from back in the days who I spent a lot of hours on festivals with. We had some great times and we experienced tonnes of bands together. Red Hot Chili Peppers were his favorite band back then, and 'The Greeting Song' is still one of my favorites, along with 'Breaking The Girl' from the same album. 

For millions of people, Nirvana is the absolute pinnacle of alternative music. For me, caused by an absolutely chaotic concert at Pukkelpop in 1991, they have always been a so-so band. They became world famous mere weeks after that gig but by then I was so drenched in rock and metal that Nirvana was just one of the few. But then came Dave's own project, Foo Fighters. That energy, that intensity. I never understood why Tiamat played metal festivals and Foo Fighters didn't. Then again, Grohl rocks!

Speaking about the thin line between rock and metal, here is Therapy? I saw them live at Rock Herk and then three times in a row in Werchter and I must say, the Rock Herk show is still one of the best ones I have ever seen. I was pummeled by the sheer energy of a young Therapy? And even today, when this or many of their other songs appear on my playlist, I go into party mode.

And since I mentioned some of my friends in this article, let me end with a fun story about this masterpiece by Ween. I know this song since it was released in 1994 but suddenly it popped up about a year ago when Marc asked me to play it on YouTube. Bart, another friend of mine was here and immediately adored the song. The same happened with Wouter, who quickly learned to play it on the guitar. It's great to see how one song can bring people together, from jazz fans, over reggae, punk and ska fans to metalheads. That's what good music does...

We already reached the end of this article, or at least the fifteen songs limit I restrict myself to. Of course, rock music goes a lot further than these fifteen songs but we can't extend these lists into eternity. So the only proper solution is keep on writing these Rerooting articles and find tiny variations on the rock theme. Next time, we might take a look at the experimental and progressive scene, but then again, we might also just make up a list of reggae songs.


​Serge

Let me start this edition of 'Rerooting' by mentioning that 'post-rock' is quite a vague term. Apparently, the term comes from an article about Bark Psychosis' album Hex, published in the March 1994 issue of Mojo magazine. The author claimed that this music used rock instruments for non-rock purposes. Over the years, the term gained an own identity, usually coined by long compositions, massive soundscapes and the absence of vocals. To me personally, the term arrived long after I started listening to some of these bands. So my vision on post-rock might differ, which will probably result in some surprising entrants on this list. But, just so you know, when the term was first penned down, I was already twenty years old and I had been wandering in the beautiful world of instrumental rock music for a while.

Dutch progressive masterminds Kong are pretty much never described as a post-rock band but they do answer to all the characteristics: no vocals, rock instruments in a non-rock sound, long compositions, soundscapes, electronics and a damn immersive atmosphere. They have been doing this since 1990, released several albums and managed to play on Roadburn, be it on one stage in stead of the usual four-stages set up. Kong is my all time favorite band and every gig is a spectacle. With that in mind, it truly is a surprise and a disappointment that they never got the attention they deserved. 

In a way, I was also surprised when people said Tortoise was a post-rock group. The first time I heard someone say that was shortly after I heard bands like Explosions In the Sky and Mogwai. Tortoise was very different, more jazz like. 'Glass Museum' became one of my all-time favorite tracks on the 'Mind The Gap' compilations from music magazine Gonzo Circus. Back then, the term post-rock was unknown to me. I just called it 'instrumental rock' and placed it in a folder with Kong, Ozric Tentacles and Explosions In The Sky. They're still there.

Eventually, the term 'post-rock' finally gained a corner in my musical brain. I read the word in a little booklet, describing all the bands at that year's edition of Pukkelpop. I loved the music, embraced the sound and from that moment on, everything that sounded vaguely like Explosions In The Sky ended up in my post-rock playlist. The last time I witnessed Explosions In The Sky live, I made one of my best life-decisions ever, so yeah, in a way, post-rock can be damn romantic.

Obviously, Godspeed! You Black Emperor deserves a spot on this list. Much like Explosions In The Sky Gy!Be entered my attention span on Pukkelpop (and a few more times after that). In no time, these two bands solidified my love for the genre. Here was a piece that dragged in classical arrangements and sheer beauty. I was stunned by all their performances. In fact, I think it's this band that eventually got me digging deeper into the genre, which makes them responsible for most of the following tracks here.

One of the acts I discovered while trying to find more post-rock, was Australian act Meniscus. Suddenly, I started to understand the word 'rock' again. The 'War Of Currents' album quickly became one of my favorites in the genre as I fell in love with the bass line on 'Room 3327'. The vocal sample by Stephen Hawking is a plus but the groove of this track is amazing. I hope they play this at the upcoming edition of Dunk! Festival. But if not, no worries, the new album is also brilliant.

In time, post-rock became a genre of grandeur, bombast and splendour, at least to me. It seemed like all the bands did their very best to put up a massive sound with complex song structures. Then, out of nowhere came this Berlin based trio. It was at Incubate in the Dutch city of Tilburg. Alice In The Cities showed a whole different side to the genre. Here were uplifting songs, cosy, intimate and just so lovely. There is no better way to describe this than 'lovely'. It's been quiet around this band for a while now, I hope they're up to new stuff...

Belgium's number one answer to the whole post-rock scene immediately became a favorite when I reviewed their album 'Disappearance' in 2015. They blew me away at Trix and at Dunk!Festival. I was so proud of this band, and I still am. So yes, Cecilia::Eyes triggered by newborn interest in this genre and even managed to get me interested in Slowdive. That's true. I knew Slowdive but never gave them any attention until I heard about their influence on Cecilia::Eyes. Strange world, isn't it?

I already knew 65daysofstatic from my first searches in this genre. I had their 'Fall Of Math' album but eventually, 'Prisms' was the song that really pulled me over. The first time I heard it was in a record store in Tilburg. Soon after, I travelled to Leuven to witness them live. Although, I sat down for most of the concert (due to the following act on this list), this track got me off my feet and do a little dance. 

Yes, Australians Sleepmakeswaves were the reason why I sat down at the 65Daysofstatic gig. Why? Well, these guys came up on stage, said "this is the last show of our tour so let's party" and I just went with it. Their show was a blast, one I will not easily forget. Somehow, these blokes managed to turn post-rock into party music, something I never really expected. 

It took me a while to find this track because I did not know the title. In fact, I know very little post-rock titles. There was a time when I learned everything by heart but that has become impossible. Mogwai have always been one of my favorites in this genre but I mostly just lay down, enjoy the gig or the album and forget about everything else. So whenever Mogwai announces a song on stage, my reaction is 'good enough'...

Goosebumps at Dunk! and a breathtaking album that easily reached out best of lists were enough to make me fall in love with the sound of Polish act Spoiwo. Today, still, I feel that this band deserves better, like a place among the big names of the genre.

Another legend and another fantastic concert at Dunk! Festival. Hong-Kong residents Wang Wen have been delivering quality since the very beginning by 'Sweet Home, Go!' remains my favorite album.  

Tiny Fingers entered my mailbox and quickly made me rethink everything I knew about post-rock, again. With loads of live electronics and influences from dubstep, this particular track quickly became one of my favorite party tunes. It's bands like this one that made me glad I started this website.

Again, I don't know any title by these post-rock masterminds and I feel like I really don't need to. God Is An Astronaut is another one of those bands to enjoyed eyes closed, sitting or lying down and travelling through one's own imagination. They have just been announced for Dunk! Festival and guess what I will be doing when they appear on stage?

Last month, Dunk! Records delivered another smasher with Terraformer's 'Mineral' album. 'Mineral' is a post rock album you can bang your head to and it's once again evidence that 2017 is going a Belgian year, certainly in the end-year-lists.

There you go, fifteen tracks I identify as post-rock. I know, you might ask, "where are Mono, Isis, Sigur Ros, Russian Circles?". Well, everybody has to dig his own way into a genre and everyone will define it his own way. Mono is awesome, true. I don't like Sigur Ros, that's also true. Isis and Russian Circles will probably appear on another edition of rerooting, as will many others. Pink Floyd, Cocteau Twins and Slowdive have been named as major influences in the post rock genre but they too will appear on other lists. Besides, we are Merchants Of Air, we like the little guys too :)

Serge

Aah, electronic dance music, metal's natural enemy. Back in the days, many of my friends and colleague-metalheads despised the electronic beats and jolly melodies of house and techno music. While I mostly agreed with them, I did have a few favorites, recorded on a C-90 cassette. Later, at Pukkelpop, I often spent more time in the dance hall and boiler room than in front of the main stage, dancing my ass off. In the end, I started realizing that electronic music had been captivating me just as much as analog music and that more songs remain enjoyable than I previously imagined. So, today, it looked like a good idea to focus an edition of rerooting to electronic dance music and get jiggy again with those old tunes.

In the late eighties two Belgians (Serge Ramaekers & Dominic Sas) took the music industry by storm when they started releasing heaps of songs under loads of monikers. Probably best known for being the producers of songs by Confetti's, Highstreet, T-Spoon and so on, these synth-gurus quickly became a fixed value in the world of new beat. The genre was invented by a DJ who played a 7" on the wrong speed, making it slower and darker. When I discovered new beat, I forgot about rock and metal for a while. Several years later, I started my own little project, which still often produces these old school sounds.

Pretty much a constant on all new beat overview compilations, Snowy Red was already a bit of an outsider before he became a new beat deity . This song was released before the whole craze even started but quickly became an absolute landmark in the Belgian music industry. Like many of his fellow countrymen, including Front 242, Praga Khan/Lords Of Acid and A Split Second, Snowy Red can be seen as a massive influence for the entire EDM scene, or at least the darker regions of it.

Shortly after new beat  faded away, techno started taking over. The majority of the tracks lacked the atmosphere and ingenuity of new beat, gradually making me turn my back to the entire scene. However, in 1993, this little explosion suddenly blasted through the speakers of my stereo while I was looking for a radio-channel. I was hooked immediately. turned up the volume and invited my neighbours to a little dance party. This was different and for me, this was the exact moment when trance was born. 

Another country that seemed to know its way around electronic dance music, was Italy. The first time I heard this song, I was shopping in a toy store with a friend of mine. I was still a metalhead, not very fond of EDM but this one was fun, even though it's probably one of the most silly songs ever to have been produced. In a way, at that moment I decided that dance music was ok as long as it was silly, stupid and fun, or as long as I was drunk, that's also a possibility.

Speaking about silly, for years this one has been my absolute number one as far as retro-techno goes. That pumping bass, that immersive and minimal melody, there had been nothing as danceable as 'James Brown Is Dead'. It was horribly remixed after James Brown actually died and back in the days it was followed by tracks like 'James Brown Is Still Alive' and 'Who The Fuck Is James Brown'. Those were crazy days.

At one point, my then-girlfriend started evolving from Emperor & Cradle Of Filth fan into a eurodance fan. She started taking me to parties, where I had to listen to countless of tracks from Milk Inc, Fiocco, Culture Beat, Haddaway and so on. While most of them didn't meet my musical requirements, a few actually did. Eventually, the whole eurodance/trance/house scene, for me, highlighted in this tune by Belgian act Absolom.

As far as live performances are concerned, dance music still has a lot to learn from their colleagues in the rock and metal sector. However, that does not count for Maurice Engelen and his band of jolly beats-mongers. I saw them live at a little festival in the small Belgian town of Lummen, where they headlined after Bloodhound Gang and some other rock bands. However, the energy and intensity of this Praga Khan gig exceeded every expectation. From that moment on, Praga Khan became one of my favorite live-acts.

To me personally, Praga Khan managed to create a bridge between the on average unimaginative house music and alternative techno. That performance at Zwemdokrock opened a lot of new doors, leading to acts like Underworld, Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Headrillaz and even Zion Train. Orbital's 'Satan' was one of the smashers, a track I immediately adored when I heard it live at another festival. This one still gets me off my feet.

Another one of those Belgian dance gurus is CJ Bolland and it's right behind Orbital for a good reason, their song 'Sugar Is Sweeter'. After hearing that, I quickly bought the full-length 'The Analogue Theatre', which also contains the awesome track 'The Prophet'. There it was again, that pumping bass, that hypnotic repetitive nature. My interest in dance music had been raised again, leading me to newer territories.

That new direction included psytrance or Goa-trance, a genre that somehow worked like a drug. For a while, I devoured countless of compilations, all thanks to this one track by Israelis Astral Projection. Eventually, my interest in the genre faded away, as most of the tracks became increasingly similar and unoriginal or simply because I had grown out of it. Yet, this one (and the next) can still get me on the dancefloor (when nobody's watching).

This is the other constant that survived my personal psytrance-extinction. Eat Static, a psychedelic trance side project for former Ozric Tentacles member Merv Pepler has everything that made this genre great, including fierce beats, immersive bass lines, minimal melodies and hypnotic sequencers. For me, those were the glory days of  psytrance.

When one doors closes, another opens. I actually discovered this track on Music 2000, music creating software for the Playstation. To this day, it's one of the few drum & bass tracks I know by name (apart from my own, obviously). In the end, this track became the number one source of inspiration for my own drum & bass escapades but also thought me a thing or two about atmospheric dance music.

Atmosphere has always been a decisive feature in the music I listen to, starting with the very first song I can remember listening to (Golden Earring's 'Ce Soir'). So when I discovered ambient music, I was the happiest person alive (we'll get to that in another edition of 'Rerooting'). Suddenly, in 1990, this delightful little tune popped up, beautifully combining ambient and dance music. After experiencing it live (once again at Pukkelpop I think), I became an Orb fan for life. That was magical.

Some time ago, I started getting interested in dubstep, something which equally quickly faded away. After listening to a heap of tracks, only a few seemed to have enough power to entertain me. Then, this cooperation between Cypress Hill & Rusko suddenly showed up and turned the wrongs into rights. From today's dance scene, this ep is the only one that often appears in my day-to-day playlist and it always wins.

Ok, this one is cheating but I have to because I really wanted to mention both these acts. Both have been influencing my appreciation for electronic dance music. I've always been fond of the Prodigy, even after I suddenly found myself face to face with a furiously screaming Keith (at Pukkelpop), which for a moment scared the shit out of me. I also liked this Pendulum remix which eventually caused me to buy their 'Live At Brixton Academy' album. Both of them rock, and that's pretty rare in the EDM scene.

Serge

Well, time for a new series on Merchants Of Air. I call this one "Rerooting" because I'm going to have a look at all those records that developed my insatiable appetite for new music. Over the past four decades or so, I've been digging into the world of music, looking for different things, other angles, unknown sounds. I've devoured countless of genres and I always seem to have a few favorites. Today, my wife asked me to list a few of my all time favorite death metal songs, which immediately made me go to YouTube and provide her with a decent dose of brutality.

Aah, the Swedes, always ready to kick your butt with something you have never heard before. Formed in 1987, Entombed delivered a heap of blasting songs but this one from their 'Wolverine Blues' album is by far my absolute favorite. The whole album is a gem of skull ripping death metal but you should already know that by now.

I was an Anthrax fan and someone gave me a tape from the thrash gods. On side B, he recorded something he thought I'd like. Oh boy, he was wrong. I hated every single second of that harsh, relentless and painful noise...until I accidentally listened a second time. Suddenly, I was a death metal fan and definitely a Sepultura fan. 'Arise' is still my favorite album but as far as youth sentiment is concerned, 'Mass Hypnosis' and the whole 'Beneath The Remains' album is the shit.

Oh man, the nineties must have been the most eardrum tormenting decade my mother has ever been through. I played these things loud and this (ahum) beauty was always a part of the playlist. It was also the age when my neck contained the most well-trained muscles in my body, if you know what I mean...

This particular song might be somewhat of a surprise to Napalm Death lovers but it is my absolute favorite of the grandmasters. I know, 'You Suffer' and many others have been some of the most genre definable songs but 'Evolved As One' opened a whole new world for me. Hell, I didn't know metal was allowed to be slow. Imagine discovering this song as a mentally tormented adolescent. What a fucking masterpiece...

Chuck, this one is for you, a massively talented musician and songwriter who died too soon. This 'Spiritual Healing' album was a mind opener for me. Before I discovered this album, death metal was nothing but speed and brutality but Death added a stunning technical aspect to the whole damn thing. They changed tempo more often than I changed underwear. Yes, I was a disturbed teenager...

Yes, 'We Shall Rise' is a world class death metal song but people seem to forget that there was an Arch Enemy before Angela took over vocal duties. I 'member the old Arch Enemy and their bloody awesome 'Burning Bridges' album, which was a melodic and technical masterpiece. Lately, I somewhat lost track of this band but I do admit that this song helped me in forming one or a few musical identities...

More Swedes please!!! I've always adored the thick, muddy sound of Dismember and when 'Indecent and Obscene' came out, I just had to go buy it. Back home (back in those days we had to leave the house to buy albums) I quickly non-stopped the thing and discovered this mesmerizing closer.

In 1994, death metal took an unexpected turn, at least for me. Suddenly, there was Amorphis with their 'Tales From The Thousand Lakes' album and things would never be the same again. Of course, I knew these Fins already and I enjoyed their 'The Karelian Isthmus' album but 'Tales' is nothing short of a masterpiece, dark, melodic, featuring clean vocals along with some of the best grunts in history... 

Just one of the many defining tunes of these American legends, but for me a song that really stands out. In this one, they make technical death metal seem so easy, so effortless and manage to write a bunch of decent songs as well. Hell, I even enjoyed their experimental, techno-inspired work on the loathed 'Illum' album. I mean, still better than 'St Anger', right???

Another bunch of legends and another somewhat slower piece of death metal, maybe I've just always been a doom fan, who knows. Anyway, back in the days, I used to play 'Symphonies of Sickness' really loud every time Jehova's Witnesses were knocking on the door. Yet, somehow, I lost track of Carcass until their magisterial 'Heartwork' album, including this awesome tune.

In my opinion, you cannot be a metal fan without supporting your local scene. I discovered this guys at a gig in a local café and I was immediately sold. Their brutal but melodic death metal was everything I needed at that moment, even more so than bands like At The Gates or Bolt Thrower, which everyone was listening to. Unfortunately, Death's Bride disbanded a few years later, which gave way to the equally awesome Leech 54, also fronted by The Larz Meister!!!

Peter Tägtgren is a genius, coming up with some of the most infectious riffs the world of metal has ever experienced. This song, and the whole 'The Final Chapter' album, have been a constant during my years as an angry adolescent. Sometimes I wonder what is in the water in Sweden, they just keep barking out amazing acts...

At some point in my metal career I was completely hooked on Dutch death metallers Gorefest and their 'Erase' album. Although I wasn't really a fan of the vocal sound, the groovy and in-your-face sound of the album made me play it again and again. Somehow, Gorefest didn't take things to the most extreme levels but focused on creating complex and immersive songs.

This one comes from a compilation I bought ('Death Is Just The Beginning II'). I didn't know Master but this song got me hooked immediately. That flute, the constant pounding tempo. Simply brilliant. 

Coming from that same compilation, which obvisouly was a massive blast in its entirity, comes this dark, haunting piece of death metal by Benediction. To me, this was something different from the usual eardrum-drilling provided by most death metal bands. Once again, this nudged towards the doom scene, and that is probably exactly why I loved this song so much.

Serge