Praga Khan
Encyclopedia
Praga Khan is a Belgian
techno
musician
, primarily in the new beat
style.
/ acid house
/ rave
sound, and has contributed to the theatrical scene with his musical collaborations in The Next Dimension and Code Red.
In the late 1980s, he teamed up with Jade 4 U and Olivier Adams to form Lords of Acid
(also known as Digital Orgasm). Praga Khan's most famous solo
work was "Injected with a Poison" (1992).
In the same year, his "Rave the Rhythm" was included in the soundtrack
for Basic Instinct
, after director Paul Verhoeven had by chance heard the track in a New York
disco during the shooting. After this, other tracks were included into other movies, including Sliver
, Virtuosity
, Strange Days
and Bad Lieutenant
. He also composed the soundtrack
for the video game, Mortal Kombat
, with Olivier Adams as The Immortals.
With the release of the CD
21st Century Skin in 1999, Praga Khan became a major music act in his home country, with singles
such as "Breakfast in Vegas", "Luv U Still" and "Lonely". The album sold 25,000 copies. This earned him a place at Rock Werchter
, where they played in the tent.
At the end of 1999, Praga Khan performed in the United States
for the first time (as an opener for Lords of Acid, with the same musicians), and they released the album Mutant Funk in the same year. The album rapidly climbed the charts
spending two weeks at #2 in the Belgian album chart. The band performed at Werchter again, this time as headliners on the big stage of the first day. They were the first Belgian band to achieve this. The album was a success including hits like "Power of the Flower", "Sayonara Greetings" and "Love".
Praga Khan also appeared as a judge on X Factor
.
In June 2010, Praga Khan announced that his Lords of Acid project would be touring the US during July and August 2010, bringing along their friends, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
, for what was being billed as the "Sextreme Ball". Although Lords of Acid had indicated that there was a dispute over the ownership of some of their "official" websites, Praga Khan began using his personal and professional social media accounts, to help raise awareness of the tour.
Other Works
Praga Khan has recorded material using multiple names, frequently simultaneously. These names include, but are not limited to, Lords of Acid
, The Immortals, and Digital Orgasm
.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, primarily in the new beat
New Beat
New Beat is a term that was used in the 1980s to refer to two different genres of electronic dance music. It also refers to an underground 1980s Belgian music style.- Terminology :...
style.
Overview
Praga Khan is one of the pioneers of the new beatNew Beat
New Beat is a term that was used in the 1980s to refer to two different genres of electronic dance music. It also refers to an underground 1980s Belgian music style.- Terminology :...
/ acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
/ rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
sound, and has contributed to the theatrical scene with his musical collaborations in The Next Dimension and Code Red.
In the late 1980s, he teamed up with Jade 4 U and Olivier Adams to form Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid is a Belgian-American post-industrial/techno band, led by musician Praga Khan. They debuted with the controversial new beat single "I Sit on Acid" in 1988...
(also known as Digital Orgasm). Praga Khan's most famous solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
work was "Injected with a Poison" (1992).
In the same year, his "Rave the Rhythm" was included in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct is a 1992 erotic thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, and starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone....
, after director Paul Verhoeven had by chance heard the track in a New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
disco during the shooting. After this, other tracks were included into other movies, including Sliver
Sliver (film)
Sliver is a 1993 film based on the Ira Levin novel of the same name about the mysterious occurrences in a privately owned New York highrise apartment building. Phillip Noyce directed the film, from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas...
, Virtuosity
Virtuosity
Virtuosity is a 1995 techno-thriller film directed by Brett Leonard. The movie tells the story of a virtual villain's successful attempt to escape into the "real world". SID 6.7, the villain program portrayed by Russell Crowe, is eventually transplanted into an android body and escapes...
, Strange Days
Strange Days (film)
Strange Days is a 1995 cyberpunk science fiction film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and produced and co-written by James Cameron and Jay Cocks, starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael Wincott and Vincent D'Onofrio. Despite positive reviews, the film was a...
and Bad Lieutenant
Bad Lieutenant
Bad Lieutenant is a 1992 crime-drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Harvey Keitel as the eponymous "bad lieutenant". The screenplay was written by actress-model Zoë Lund. She also played a small role in the film. Lund had been discovered by Ferrara and had starred in his earlier film, Ms...
. He also composed the soundtrack
Mortal Kombat: The Album
Mortal Kombat: The Album is an album by The Immortals , released in 1994 to accompany the home versions of the video game Mortal Kombat.-Album information:The album featured a techno song for each of the 7 playable characters, as well as Goro, along with two...
for the video game, Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat (video game)
Mortal Kombat is a 1992 fighting-game developed and published by Midway for arcades. In 1993, home versions were released by Acclaim Entertainment. Released in the Fall of 1994, the Microsoft Windows 3.1x version was released by Activision Interactive. It is the first title in the Mortal Kombat...
, with Olivier Adams as The Immortals.
With the release of the CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
21st Century Skin in 1999, Praga Khan became a major music act in his home country, with singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
such as "Breakfast in Vegas", "Luv U Still" and "Lonely". The album sold 25,000 copies. This earned him a place at 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...
, where they played in the tent.
At the end of 1999, Praga Khan performed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for the first time (as an opener for Lords of Acid, with the same musicians), and they released the album Mutant Funk in the same year. The album rapidly climbed the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
spending two weeks at #2 in the Belgian album chart. The band performed at Werchter again, this time as headliners on the big stage of the first day. They were the first Belgian band to achieve this. The album was a success including hits like "Power of the Flower", "Sayonara Greetings" and "Love".
Praga Khan also appeared as a judge on X Factor
X Factor (Belgium)
X Factor, the Belgian version of the British show The X Factor that was created by Simon Cowell. The new X Factor series was a postcursor to Idool 2003 / 2004 which features contestants & jury members from both seasons.-Series summary:...
.
In June 2010, Praga Khan announced that his Lords of Acid project would be touring the US during July and August 2010, bringing along their friends, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based out of Chicago, Illinois.-History:...
, for what was being billed as the "Sextreme Ball". Although Lords of Acid had indicated that there was a dispute over the ownership of some of their "official" websites, Praga Khan began using his personal and professional social media accounts, to help raise awareness of the tour.
Discography
Praga Khan Studio albums- A Spoonful of MiracleA Spoonful of MiracleA Spoonful of Miracle is the debut studio album by Praga Khan. It was released in 1993 and is credited as Praga Khan & Jade 4 U. With the exception of the tracks "Give Me Your Lovin'," Flesh & Blood," "I Will Survive," & "Love-Peace-Freedom" all of the songs are featured on his next studio album,...
(1993) - Conquers Your LoveConquers Your LoveConquers Your Love is the second studio album by Praga Khan. It was released in 1996 and featured many songs from his previous album, A Spoonful of Miracle.-Track listing:# "Begin to Move" – 5:08 # "Injected with a Poison" – 5:00...
(1996) - PragamaticPragamaticPragamatic is the third studio album by Praga Khan. It was released in 1998 and featured a new version of Injected with a Poison.The Never Records pressing came packaged with a bonus disc titled [R]ejected Tracks containing four Lords of Acid tracks...
(1998) - Twenty First Century SkinTwenty First Century SkinTwenty First Century Skin is the fourth studio album by Praga Khan. It was released in 1999.-Track listing:# "Breakfast in Vegas" – 6:09 # "Isolation" – 5:41 # "Visions & Imaginations" – 4:15 # "Far Beyond the Sun" – 5:26...
(1999) - Mutant FunkMutant Funk-Track listing:# "The Power of the Flower" – 6:00 # "Love" – 4:29 # "Meditation" – 5:18 # "Keep the Dream Alive" – 5:28 # "Pittsburgh Angel" – 4:52 # "Sayonara Greetings" – 3:55 # "Dreamcatcher" – 4:55 # "Turn Me On" – 3:13 # "Northern Lights" – 6:02...
(2000) - FreakazoidsFreakazoids (Praga Khan album)-Track listing:# "Glamour Girl" – 3:20 # "Visions of Heaven" – 5:08 # "Kinky World" – 3:58 # "Picture This" – 4:57 # "Tausend Sterne" – 4:30 # "Because of You" – 3:38 # "Look Into the Future" – 5:31 # "Freakazoidz" – 2:55 # "No Earthly Connection" – 6:48...
(2002) - Electric ReligionElectric ReligionElectric Religion is the seventh studio album by Praga Khan. It was released in 2004 and also contained two behind the scenes videos from Praga Khan's tours.-Track listing:# "Supermodel" – 3:29 # "Give Me a Reason" – 3:39...
(2004) - SoundscraperSoundscraper-Track listing:# "Heal Me" – 7:30 # "We Fuel Our Own High" – 3:53 # "Pick-Up Truck" – 5:38 # "Right or Wrong" – 4:52 # "Don't U Tell Me" – 4:29 # "Picasso’s Dream" – 6:31 # "Earth & Space" – 3:40 # "United in Love" – 4:39 # "Sweet Angel Ice" – 3:38...
(2006)
Other Works
Praga Khan has recorded material using multiple names, frequently simultaneously. These names include, but are not limited to, Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid is a Belgian-American post-industrial/techno band, led by musician Praga Khan. They debuted with the controversial new beat single "I Sit on Acid" in 1988...
, The Immortals, and Digital Orgasm
Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid is a Belgian-American post-industrial/techno band, led by musician Praga Khan. They debuted with the controversial new beat single "I Sit on Acid" in 1988...
.