Stromae, a Belgian-Rwandese musician, currently based in Brussels, and rocking my iTunes playlist to the moon and back is one of the most talented artists I’ve discovered yet. Born Paul Van Haver to a Rwandese father and Belgian mother, he cultivated an affinity for drums and percussion instruments at an early age, turning rapper and eventually Technotronica/house mastermind.
With numerous nominations for best Dutch-Belgian Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards and Best Dance Album at the European Border Breakers Awards in 2010, I’m literally itching to see where this artist goes next. Describing his music as new beat, Stromae has become the genre’s new poster child, shunning the conventional while still remaining hugely popular. Even his biography reads, “[his] rejection of trends, has become a trend in itself.”
According to unverified sources, new beat was invented in a Belgian nightclub, where it’s claimed the DJ played a song called “Flesh” by A Split Second at a slower speed and higher pitch.This style became an underground success in Belgium and throughout Europe during the 1980s and 90s, setting itself apart with slow and heavy beats, repetitive electronically created tones and some additional bits and pieces of text (especially from TV shows, movies or other songs).
Some famous artists and groups from this genre include Confetti’s, A-Split Second,Lords of Acid, Major Problem and lots more (I’m loving their names).
After listening to some of Stromae’s predecessors, I’m glad that his style is as colourful and variant as it is, especially with tracks like “Bienvenue chez moi” and “Te Quiero.” Furthermore, his juxtaposition of utterly danceable rhythms with sharp French lyrics that highlight issues from love and life to violence and abuse is beyond my comprehension.I can only imagine what his music must be like for French speakers who understand every nuance made with the choice of words he uses.
That being said, it’s amazing to discover new music and the various places it draws its influences from. It’s a wonderful learning experience that opens your mind and feeds your aesthetic curiosity.
His biography reads, “The art of Stromae is like an image, based on the depth of field and composition.” This is exactly what drew me to his music and has kept me fascinated with it for this long. His work has amazing depth and once you go beyond the language and genre barriers and understand just how intricate and intuitive his creation of music is, you then begin to appreciate it in a whole different light.
Image courtesy of Flickr
SIM & TAO 