Ghinzu
Encyclopedia
Ghinzu is an alternative rock
band founded in 1999 in Brussels
, Belgium.
, was released in February 2004 in Belgium. Things started to take off for Ghinzu at that time, with a sold out gig at the Ancienne Belgique
in Brussels
with fellow bands Girls in Hawaii
and Sharko
and an album release in France, Switzerland, Germany and Scandinavia in September. Blow was a success, especially in Belgium and France where the single "Do You Read Me?" became a hit. In June 2005, Ghinzu sold out the mythic Olympia
music hall in Paris, followed by concerts around Europe. They also played with Iggy & The Stooges in a Festival in France, Iggy Pop
telling them after their gig: "You guys rock!". In the end, about 100,000 copies of Blow
were sold across Europe.
In November 2005, due to popular demand, their first album was re-issued with a different tracklisting.
In 2006, the band wrote and recorded the soundtrack for the movie Irina Palm
(directed by Sam Garbarski and starring Marianne Faithfull
) which received a critical success at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2007. More collaborations with cinema were to follow. In 2006, their song "Blow" was used as closing track for the movie Ex Drummer
, by Koen Mortier (based on a novel by Belgian writer Herman Brusselmans
). Ghinzu songs also appear in Sky Fighters and Dikkenek.
Their song "The Dragster-Wave" from the album Blow
, was used over the end credits of the 2008 movie Taken
, as well as featuring in the film's trailer. The movie was a success in America and around the world, which allowed Ghinzu to reach a wider audience.
, was released on March 30, 2009 in Benelux
, France
and Switzerland
. Mirror Mirror has been recorded during the previous two years in an office building in Brussels
. It was then mixed in London
by Klaxons
and Libertines collaborator Nick Terry. Musically, the record has a wider and more direct sound than Blow. It also takes a more operatic rock approach, sometimes gathering together several songs into one same musical movement (as with "Mother Allegra", "Mirror Mirror" and "The Dream Maker" or with the three final tunes of the album).
The band started to tour Europe
in spring 2009, playing several dates in France
with Placebo
as well as big summer festivals such as Rock Werchter
, Eurockéennes
and Paleo Festival
. In October 2009, Ghinzu played at Le Zénith in Paris for the first time and in February 2010, the band played Forest National
, the biggest venue in their hometown of Brussels
. The band also opened for Muse
in Nijmegen, Netherlands, during their Stadium Summer Tour, on June 19, 2010.
Mirror Mirror
was then released internationally during summer 2010. On December 6, 2010, an EP of remixes
of songs on Mirror Mirror was digitally released under the name The Mirror Mirror Remix EP.
On March 2, 2011, John Stargasm announced on his twitter
account that Ghinzu was working on a new album. A couple of dates in France have been booked for spring.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band founded in 1999 in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium.
Electronic Jacuzzi (2000)
The band released its first album, Electronic Jacuzzi in late 2000 on their own label Dragoon. Their sound is a kind of noisy rock, supported by a big and groovy rhythmic and some electronic touches while their subject matters are, among others, sex, partying, and drugs. The album was only released in Belgium and sold enough at least to make another one.Blow (2004-2008)
Their second LP, BlowBlow (Ghinzu album)
Blow is the second album by Belgian rock group Ghinzu released in 2004. It features the single, "Do You Read Me?", and the song "The Dragster Wave" which was used in the 2008 film Taken and is included in its original soundtrack....
, was released in February 2004 in Belgium. Things started to take off for Ghinzu at that time, with a sold out gig at the Ancienne Belgique
Ancienne Belgique
The Ancienne Belgique is a concert hall for contemporary music in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the historic heart of Brussels, it is one the leading concert venues in Belgium, hosting a wide variety of international and local acts.-The venue:...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
with fellow bands Girls in Hawaii
Girls in Hawaii
-History:In 2000, Antoine Wielemans and Lionel Vancauwenberghe began recording songs on an 8 track-recorder, and a few months later they formed the band by recruiting their brothers: Denis Wielemans and Brice Vancauwenberghe, and two friends: Christophe Léonard and Daniel Offermann.In May 2002 they...
and Sharko
Sharko
Sharko is a Belgian indie pop-rock band formed by David Bartholomé in 1997.Sharko released its first album, Feuded in 1999, on the indie Belgian label BANG! The album has also been released in France and Holland and received a very positive press coverage...
and an album release in France, Switzerland, Germany and Scandinavia in September. Blow was a success, especially in Belgium and France where the single "Do You Read Me?" became a hit. In June 2005, Ghinzu sold out the mythic Olympia
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
music hall in Paris, followed by concerts around Europe. They also played with Iggy & The Stooges in a Festival in France, Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
telling them after their gig: "You guys rock!". In the end, about 100,000 copies of Blow
Blow (Ghinzu album)
Blow is the second album by Belgian rock group Ghinzu released in 2004. It features the single, "Do You Read Me?", and the song "The Dragster Wave" which was used in the 2008 film Taken and is included in its original soundtrack....
were sold across Europe.
In November 2005, due to popular demand, their first album was re-issued with a different tracklisting.
In 2006, the band wrote and recorded the soundtrack for the movie Irina Palm
Irina Palm
Irina Palm is a tragicomedy film starring Marianne Faithfull and Miki Manojlović. It is a co-production of five countries . The film premiered, to great acclaim, at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival...
(directed by Sam Garbarski and starring Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
) which received a critical success at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2007. More collaborations with cinema were to follow. In 2006, their song "Blow" was used as closing track for the movie Ex Drummer
Ex Drummer
Ex Drummer is a 2007 Flemish film directed by Koen Mortier. It is based on the book by Herman Brusselmans of the same name.- Plot :In Ostend three handicapped musicians are looking for a drummer for their band, consisting entirely of disabled people. They want to perform only one time at a music...
, by Koen Mortier (based on a novel by Belgian writer Herman Brusselmans
Herman Brusselmans
Herman Frans Martha Brusselmans is a Flemish novelist, poet, playwright and columnist. He lives in Ghent.Herman Brusselmans studied Dutch and English at the University of Ghent. In his early twenties he was a successful football player. He played for Vigor Hamme and SK Lokeren. He now has his own...
). Ghinzu songs also appear in Sky Fighters and Dikkenek.
Their song "The Dragster-Wave" from the album Blow
Blow (Ghinzu album)
Blow is the second album by Belgian rock group Ghinzu released in 2004. It features the single, "Do You Read Me?", and the song "The Dragster Wave" which was used in the 2008 film Taken and is included in its original soundtrack....
, was used over the end credits of the 2008 movie Taken
Taken (film)
Taken is a 2008 action thriller film produced by Luc Besson, starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, and Famke Janssen. The screenplay is written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, and was directed by Pierre Morel...
, as well as featuring in the film's trailer. The movie was a success in America and around the world, which allowed Ghinzu to reach a wider audience.
Mirror Mirror (2009-Present)
Ghinzu's third album, entitled Mirror MirrorMirror Mirror (Ghinzu album)
Mirror Mirror is the third album by Belgian rock band Ghinzu. It has been released in March 30, 2009 in Belgium , France and Switzerland. The first single from the record was Cold Love for Belgium, while Take It Easy was chosen for France. Mirror Mirror was later released internationally, during...
, was released on March 30, 2009 in Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Mirror Mirror has been recorded during the previous two years in an office building in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. It was then mixed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by Klaxons
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
and Libertines collaborator Nick Terry. Musically, the record has a wider and more direct sound than Blow. It also takes a more operatic rock approach, sometimes gathering together several songs into one same musical movement (as with "Mother Allegra", "Mirror Mirror" and "The Dream Maker" or with the three final tunes of the album).
The band started to tour Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in spring 2009, playing several dates in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
as well as big summer festivals such as Rock Werchter
Rock Werchter
Rock Werchter is a Belgian annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, since 1974. It is one of the five biggest annual rock music festivals in Europe...
, Eurockéennes
Eurockéennes
The Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of France's largest rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving the words rock and européennes , is a festival based in a nature reserve in Malsaucy near Belfort...
and Paleo Festival
Paléo Festival
The Paléo Festival de Nyon, usually just called Paléo, started in a small way in 1976 as the Nyon Folk Festival. It was differently located, near the Lake Geneva and had only two stages. But today it is the second biggest open-air music festival in mainland Europe, after the Sziget Festival. Today...
. In October 2009, Ghinzu played at Le Zénith in Paris for the first time and in February 2010, the band played Forest National
Forest National
Forest National or Vorst Nationaal is a multi-purpose arena in Brussels, Belgium. The arena can hold 8,000 people. It hosts indoor sporting events, as well as music concerts, by a wide variety of music artists....
, the biggest venue in their hometown of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. The band also opened for Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
in Nijmegen, Netherlands, during their Stadium Summer Tour, on June 19, 2010.
Mirror Mirror
Mirror Mirror (Ghinzu album)
Mirror Mirror is the third album by Belgian rock band Ghinzu. It has been released in March 30, 2009 in Belgium , France and Switzerland. The first single from the record was Cold Love for Belgium, while Take It Easy was chosen for France. Mirror Mirror was later released internationally, during...
was then released internationally during summer 2010. On December 6, 2010, an EP of remixes
RemixeS
RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:...
of songs on Mirror Mirror was digitally released under the name The Mirror Mirror Remix EP.
On March 2, 2011, John Stargasm announced on his twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account that Ghinzu was working on a new album. A couple of dates in France have been booked for spring.
Discography
- Electronic Jacuzzi (2000/ Reissued in 2005)
- BlowBlow (Ghinzu album)Blow is the second album by Belgian rock group Ghinzu released in 2004. It features the single, "Do You Read Me?", and the song "The Dragster Wave" which was used in the 2008 film Taken and is included in its original soundtrack....
(2004) - Mirror MirrorMirror Mirror (Ghinzu album)Mirror Mirror is the third album by Belgian rock band Ghinzu. It has been released in March 30, 2009 in Belgium , France and Switzerland. The first single from the record was Cold Love for Belgium, while Take It Easy was chosen for France. Mirror Mirror was later released internationally, during...
(2009)
Charts
| Year | Album | Charts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | BE (FR) |
BE (VL) |
CH | ||
| Electronic Jacuzzi | |||||
| Blow Blow (Ghinzu album) Blow is the second album by Belgian rock group Ghinzu released in 2004. It features the single, "Do You Read Me?", and the song "The Dragster Wave" which was used in the 2008 film Taken and is included in its original soundtrack.... |
|||||
| Mirror Mirror Mirror Mirror (Ghinzu album) Mirror Mirror is the third album by Belgian rock band Ghinzu. It has been released in March 30, 2009 in Belgium , France and Switzerland. The first single from the record was Cold Love for Belgium, while Take It Easy was chosen for France. Mirror Mirror was later released internationally, during... |
|||||
Lineup
- John Israel (also known as John Stargasm) (voice, keyboards), full name John-David Simon Israel
- Mika "Nagazaki" Hasson (bass), full name Michael Salvatore Hasson
- Greg Remy (guitar & Weird things), full name Gregory Philip N. Remy
- Jean Waterlot (guitar, Keys), full name Jean Lucien Louis Waterlot
- Antoine Michel (drums)