Front 242 Frequently Asked Questions version 2.23

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This is the 242 FAQ.

   -------------- Acknowledgements ----------------

If you know anything of interest that should be in this Q/A list, get your fingers on that keyboard and send it to . After I have checked the info, I insert it in the FAQ and you get a honourable mention alongside the info, between [brackets]. I don't put your email on display.

This faq can be found at http://242.herrebout.com/242faq.html

Revisions are made when I have the time and are not tracked. This is what you get, here and now.

   In case you discover a broken link in this page, here is what to do.
    1. Mention the Q number
    2. Mention the full url that's broken (cut-and-paste should do the trick)
    3. Send both.
  Thank you.

---------------------- End Ack --------------------

FOR <YOU>

[Q1]When did Front 242 take off?
[Q2]What are the names of the members of Front 242?
[Q3]Where can I find Front 242 sites on the web, pressreviews etc.?
[Q4]Are there Front 242 MP3 files available?
[Q5]Where can I find a full discography?
[Q6]What are they up to now?
[Q7]What is the best place to find records, bootlegs, rare stuff?
[Q8]Is there an official fanclub?
[Q8bis]What happened to the Active and Passive fanclub membership that started in 1992?
[Q9]What gear do they use?
[Q10]What happened to [Q10]?
[Q11]Is there a mailing list?
[Q11bis]Can I unsub-scribe?
[Q12]How many versions are there of Re:Boot?
[Q13]What side projects are Front 242's members currently involved in?
[Q14]What about the Art Corporation?
[Q15]Are they (Front 242) Gods?
[Q16]What does the name Front 242 mean?
[Q17]What is it with the eggs in the Headhunter video?
[Q18]What is it about these numbers in the Up Evil and Off albums?
[Q19]How did they get this Fascist thing attached to their name?
[Q20]How many records have they sold in total?
[Q21]Art & Strategy?
[Q22]Do they have kids?
[Q23]Why do they wear sunglasses on stage? Heavy lights?
[Q24]Why is Patrick playing Roland gear on stage now?
[Q25]If they started in 1981, did they use any samplers then?
[Q26]In what films, commercials or radio spots was Front 242's music used?
[Q27]Where did they sample?
[Q28]What's at the end of the Tyranny For <You> CD?
[Q29]Where can I find remixes for Front 242 songs on the web?
[Q30]Can I contact these guys over the net?
[Q31]How come every live song that 242 does is always different. For example.. if I hear "Headhunter" live on one day, and then see them in concert the next day, it will be changed around?
[Q32]What kind of recognition were they awarded, being pioneers, this not always being the most ideal position.
[Q33]Where is RRE and where are Sony in this (Re:Boot) story?
[Q34]In Until Death (Us Do Part), towards the end of the song, it sounds as if J-L is spelling something?
[Q35]What is "1, 1, 20, 29" a reference to, from the song Circling Overland?
[Q36]I'm a real ass so i don't get to understanding the Evil Off tracklist?
[Q37]Who contributed vocals to the track 'Born to Breathe' available on the "Angels vs. Animals" remix album?"
[Q38]What means the sentence "I NOSTRI SOGNI SONO SEMPRE PRESENTI" in the lyrics to "Work 01"?
[Q39]Are there some funny stories from gigs?
[Q40]Who's the preacher in Welcome to Paradise? What's the story?
[Q41]Are there some computer programs, demos or something with any F242 elements?
[Q42]From which groups were they remixed?
[Q43]What 242 goodies are out there?
[Q44]Did 99Kowalski sing whole "cage" scream from "Animal" or is it looped?
[Q45]After the 'Evil' records, there have been numerous rumours about a Front split-up. What's it all about?
[Q46]Who is this 'Mrs van de Veer' on "Operating Tracks"?
[Q47]What do the initials G.V.D.T. (song from the album Geography) stand for?
[Q48]Evil Off - has it or has it not the voice of Jean-Luc De Meyer?
[Q49]Funny remixes, spoofs, anything?
[Q50]Kristin '99' Kowalski and 242?
 

[Q1] When did Front 242 take off?
A1. Officially, Daniel B. (who had a band called 'Prothese', collaborating on compilation LP's) started with Dirk Bergen some kind of synth/guitar duo in 1981. A first version of "Body To Body" is released on "Principles". In March 1982, Patrick and Jean-Luc (together known as 'Under Viewer', an underground band) join them to record U-Men. Richard (who was into Tranik Ind.) is present but not yet a full member of the group, which he becomes in 1983, the year Geography is released. [Rock This Town special issue 1991]

[Q2] What are the names of the members of Front 242?
A2.

[Q3] Where can I find Front 242 sites on the web, pressreviews etc.?
A3.

OFFICIAL SITE

http://www.front242.com
 

FANPAGES

http://surf.to/front242 with news, history, rare tracks, stuff. (what is this gator popup doin' here?)

http://www.dhennin.com/front242 this site has lots of interviews and also a full biography - very good

http://www.hbci.com/~zeph242/242/ has discography, pics and lots of useful info

http://www6.ewebcity.com/dfence/ has the rants242 HQ

http://home.earthlink.net/~incycle/front242.html has pics, quotes, links, spoofs and kicks

http://dir.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Artists/By_Genre/Industrial/Industrial_Dance/Front_242/ 242 at Yahoo

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/front242 242 club at Yahoo

http://www.red-team.de/ A German site to surely check out !

http://users.skynet.be/Evil.E/ Evil.E's nice discography page

http://members.xoom.com/andre242/242bws/ Brazilian 242 site

http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Styles/Industrial/Artists/Front_242 242 at Open Directory

http://www.waste.org/~terje/front242/ the first one, very complete, incl. graphics and lyrics.

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Network/2420 Target's site

http://tinpan.fortunecity.com/agnetha/831/front242/index.html

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/6934/frontmenu.html Front in Peru

http://www.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/~johann/front242/fmain.html

http://home.swipnet.se/~w-58377/concerts/242/index.html

http://tinpan.fortunecity.com/agnetha/261/bands/front242.htm pics from TF<Y>

http://photo.herrebout.com/ has a lots of Re:Boot pics from few Belgian concerts

http://www.front242.de a German 242 site with guestbooks, card service etc.

http://tinpan.fortunecity.com/agnetha/831/front242/index.html

http://www.inmove.de/review/front/front98.htm has some pics about the 1998 tour

http://www.angelfire.com/co/front242/  has lots of info and some sound snippets

http://home.wxs.nl/~edwinp/front242/front242.html a dutch 242 page

http://www.msu.edu/user/sebenic2/ some pics

http://users.swing.be/alain.w/index.html a Belgian site

http://www1.tu-chemnitz.de/~jea/foto/gerrit/front/front.htm pics about Re:Boot

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/9538/Front_242/Front_242.htm from the Autobahn lyrics project

http://www.pi.net/~edwinp/front242/front242.html the Dutch 242 site

http://www.obscure.org/~vlad/lyrics/front.242.html some lyrics

http://members.xoom.com/newfangled/242links.html

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Underground/6326/ Brazilian 242 site

http://www.fortunecity.com/campus/student/484/front.html

http://www.megs.com/neworld/sf6.htm some pics from Re:Boot

http://www.spaceports.com/~bell/front242/index.html

http://www.front242.ru a Russian 242 site.

http://tinpan.fortunecity.com/agnetha/831/front242/lyrics/index.html 242 lyrics

http://www.efd.lth.se/~d93jp/industrial/lyrics.html  a few lyrics

http://www.energy-rekords.se/Pictures/242pictures/242pics.html a 242 pic

http://w1.896.telia.com/~u89603071/skivtexter.htm more lyrics

http://www.kaihawaii.de/f.html some industrial-esque bands

http://www.oingo.com/topic/183/183903.html

http://www.torget.se/users/s/Synth/front242.htm looks like a bingo

http://users.skynet.be/swerquin/f242.htm Belgian page, also about other EBM bands

http://front242bws.cjb.net/ Brazilian 242 page

"http://users.skynet..be/phicarly/Front242.htm A pictures page, you can even order professional prints of the pics presented

http://www.punishyourmachine.com/

 

INTERVIEWS & PRESSREVIEWS

http://www.chaindlk.net/interviews/speedtribe/speedtribe.php3

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~robw/front242.html interview with Patric C.

http://www.sonic-boom.com/interview/front.242.interview.html interview with Patrick C.

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/6031/front242.html interview with Jean-Luc De Meyer

http://www.chaoscontrol.com/archives/front242.html  interview

http://www.chaoscontrol.com/current/Front%20242/index.html interview

http://members.xoom.com/HilpeaTonttu/Front242/242inter.htm Finnish site with a 242 interview

http://www.splendidezine.com/reviews/aug-3-98/front.html 242 at splendid e-zines Re:Boot review

http://www.lastsigh.com/profiles/profile_frontpage.htm Lastsigh magazine about 242

http://www.aracnet.com/~jester/interview/front.242.interview.html reboot review

http://www.industrial-music.com/ib/reviews3/front2421.htm live code review

http://www.chaoscontrol.com/current/Front 242/index.html a re:boot review

http://www.anti.matter.com/front242.html up evil interview

http://www.demon.co.uk/cybase23/f242/242int.html re:boot interview + concert review

http://westnet.westnet.com/consumable/1998/03.04/revfront.html Mut@ge.Mix@ge review

http://www.move-x.be/9810/nl_int1.htm a very good dutch interview

http://www.srd.d.se/snurr/snurrdf/front242.html Swedish review

http://daily.stanford.org/Daily97-98/intermission/INT8-6-98/music/INTfront06.html re:boot review

http://www.wrath.de/cdf.html a few reviews in German

http://www.splendidezine.com/reviews/aug-3-98/front.html a review of Front 242's CD, Re:Boot (Live)

http://www.darkstarorg.demon.co.uk/aint1.htm  Patrick Codenys Re:Boot Tour, London, November 1999

http://www.homepages.de/endemann@dialup.nacamar.de/front242.html Inside FRONT 242 :an interview with Jean Luc De Meyer by: Jorge C. Galban

http://westnet.com/consumable/1998/03.04/revfront.html REVIEW: Front 242, Mut@ge.Mix@ge

http://www.infaction.8m.com/242review.html Front 242 with Project Pitchfork and Crocodile Shop at Irving Plaza, August 12th, 1998

http://crimson-dragon.com/music/TT_242_Pitchfork.html Front 242 August 1, 1998 Baton Rouge, LA

http://www.notam.uio.no/~percf/puls/album/teknologisk/front_242.htm Norwegian review!
 

BIOS & RESUMES

http://houbi.simplenet.com/belpop/groups/front242.htm  at the Belgian POP & Rock archives

http://ubl.com/ubl_artist.asp?artistid=001059 at UBL.COM

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?UID=1:44:55|PM&p=amg&sql=B13004 at AMG

http://www.aversion.com/bands/front242

http://www.metropolis-records.com/?artists/front242.html at Metropolis records

http://ebm.sikkim.cz/archiv/242.html czech 242 page

http://imusic.com/showcase/modern/front242.html at imusic.com

http://www.aversion.com/bands/histories.cfm?directory=front242
 

BROKEN LINKS

http://www.hallucinet.com/virtual/front_242.html has some scanned covers

http://home5.swipnet.se/~w-58377/gallery.html has pics of the Front by Front tour 1989

http://www.flash.net/~ceagle/front242/

http://industrial.onego.ru/f/front_242/ *again* Russian reviews - looks cool :)
 

note that some of these sites are in a webring - though broken at various places

[Q4] Are there Front 242 MP3 files available?
A4. There used to be, until some record company forced the guy to close the archive. So, for now, open your eyes if you like to find some. There are some bootlegs from the Re:Boot concerts on the web but you could also trade tapes (or CDR) with other people (eg. on the mailing list). Through Napster et al. you can also find some. Other useful urls are:

[Q5] Where can I find a full discography?
A5.

[Q6] What are they up to now?
A6. We had 'Still & Raw' and Pulse as the latest EP/album and 242 is poking up here and there for a performance. Also the side projects MorF and Speed Tribe pop up once in a while. There's a re-release of Geography with unreleased material from Alfa Matrix. Richard 23 and Patrick C surface here and there (internationally) with their Coder23 DJ set. So no: they're not dead. Yes you are, shut up. Well I can't bring him with me if he's not dead. But he will be soon. I'm not dead. Well I'm sorry but he needs to be dead for me to pick him up. Boing. OK, he's dead.

[Q7] What is the best place to find records, bootlegs, rare stuff?
A7. You can try specialised record stores, although you won't find that much there. Venues where (secondhand) records and CD's are sold (like Vinylla Fair in Belgium), are a good way. You can also try several internet (2nd hand) record stores. Or (on request), ask on rants (see Q11) if you want to trade, exchange, sell, organise a scam scam for ;-) bootlegs. See also online auction sites and 2nd hand web record stores (lots to be found through (for example) ebay..

[Q8] Is there an official fanclub?
A8. Yes: It's called Transmission 242. Write to P.O.BOX 1613 // B1000 BRUSSELS // BELGIUM EUROPE. At this time, it's only an address for ordering merchandise, CD's, etc. They will soon have a shop on http://www.front242.com [IRONY].

[Q8bis] What happened to the Active and Passive fanclub membership that started in 1992?
A8bis. They were 86'ed due to lack of funds (mostly advertising and wholesale) and lack of 242 information. This was established by Thierry (Patrick's brother) and Francoise (the lady who works at Transmission). [Mike Ramirez]

[Q9] What gear do they use?
A9. While most of the information below is obsolete, it might give one a good impression of what they used or still use.
In 1991, the setup was as follows: [Rock This Town special issue 1991]

[Q10]What happened to [Q10]?
A10. It was sucked up by a big furry bunny!

[Q11] Is there a mailing list?
Q11. OK, there have been some changes lately - the original [242RANTS] mailinglist was stopped for obscure reasons. Fortunately 2 new lists were born at eGroups but then yahoo bought eGroups and now, point your browser at:

Yahoogroups... right blabla zeoidjioergouijer.

The specific mailinglists are at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rants242 or rants242@yahoogroups.com - an English speaking community 'all 'bout 242.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/work242 or work242@yahoogroups.com - a French speaking 242 community.

You can apply at these urls. And if you do, please don't whine. Don't post a reply to every damn message that you feel you should agree to. Rants is supposed to be a community, a forum for people that like 242 et al. You can talk about anything, it doesn't have to be 242 or even EBM or industrial. But please keep it decent. Lots of people have lots of different views. They all have the right to express their particular view. And when you don't agree you can start a healthy discussion, no problem. But please don't reply to messages that are intended to start a flame or that are insulting in any kind of way. Just push the delete button on your email client. That's far more than they deserve. Be good, be constructive!

[Q11bis] Can I unsub-scribe?
A11bis. Yes: go to the same page you (were) sub-scribed from instead of bothering the mailing list.

[Q12] How many versions are there of Re:Boot?
A12. For Europe, Zoth Ommog released three CD's and one LP. The CD's contain 13 (CD ZOT 242), 14 (CD ZOT 242-L; plus Punish your machine) and 15 tracks (CD ZOT 242-Z). The LP version contains all 15 tracks on 2 disks (Vinyl ZOT 242). There's also a version on MD (Minidisc) available, limited to 500 ex. The American market got 14 tracks from Metropolis on the standard version and 15 tracks on the limited. Each time, the bonus track is 'Motion'. Energy Records from Sweden released 2 CD's, both with all 15 tracks (ERCD 242) and (ERCD 242L) limited in digipack.[Marco Coninx]. There's an Italian version, "FRONT 242: Re:Boot '98 (Italian version including 3 extratracks)" (MHCD036 - CD) on Minus Habens Records, which has Punish Your Machine, Motion and a (second) exclusive version of Religion. [Ivan Iusco] And finally, a UK release was done by Iris Light Records. It has the 15 Tracks of the CD ZOT 242-Z.

[Q13] What side projects are/were Front 242's members (currently) involved in?
A13. Jean-Luc De Meyer is now again involved in his own group Cobalt 60 (was terminated, but ressurected, new album should be on its way), is enjoying himself with C-Tec, the former Cyber-Tec, and featured on a Birmingham 6 and Bigod 20 CD's. Richard 23 made the 'Free Tyson Free EP' and has released a rather commercial track called 'Is this love' as 'Latchak'. Daniel B. and Patrick Codenys have their own studio management 'business' and are busy with projects like NUDE and MorF. Male-or-Female 'MorF' released a few albums with strange stuff. They were both working on a project called 'Grisha Zeme' which they have been saying for some years now, will be minimalistic industrial. For now they released some remixes of other bands under that name. But it seemed MorF sucked it all up. Patrick is (was?) supposedly working on a "song-oriented" album with a female singer (circa 1995).
R23 was, in another life, a member of the Revolting Cocks, the indecent weekend passtime band of Al Jourgensen of Ministry. He participated to the album Big sexy land. He also appeared in a Ministry song, "The nature of love".
According to [Norman Narvaja]: <male or female> as an audio/visual collaboration between Daniel B. and music video director Rod Chong, circa 1995. Only a few interactive press kits were sent out regarding it and there were two "performances" in Europe of that project. There is a <male or female> track available on a german compilation called "Future Noir" on a label called Nova Tekk.... It's a sister label to Offbeat records <FLA, Download>. The track is called "Woofer".
Patrick C and Richard 23 have a DJ-set called Coder23 with international performances.

[Q14] What about the Art Corporation?
A14. The ART CORPORATION was established in mid eighties by Dirk Bergen and Geert Alaerts. From the very beginning up till today the computer is their medium and means of expression. Through this medium is squeezed out the collection RIGOR MORTIS suggestion the precariousness/fugacity of beauty, a metamorphosis of the original picture. With JUOTONES the reality of the original photograph is respected although the design is altered for the medium of serigraph. These images perfectly illustrate the evolution and possibilities in the computer graphic industry. The collection MILITARIA (1995-1996) reflects this technical evolution. The basis for the more recent collection INDONESIA are pictures from Indonesia in the twenties and girls in the nineties. For the ART CORPORATION the initial vision is unchanged: simple, catchy graphic art. The CD, produced by Daniel B. is to complement the graphic material. The music invites the spectator to observe more consciously the exhibited art. The attentive watcher-hearer will find a common theme between image and sound. [Transmission 242 August 1997 - Transrelease 02]

[Q15] Are they (Front 242) Gods?
A15. Well, you see, religion is a free issue so everybody should decide for him/herself whether these 4 lads are gods. Fact is, that they represent a certain artistic idea which is their own and which might be appreciated by others. This applies to all bands. So, if you're on the mailing list and keep jabbering about this or that group being the best, being better than or even accusing them of being gods, well please back off. It's personal, stupid!

[Q16] What does the name Front 242 mean?
Q16. It doesn't mean anything. It has nothing to do with the Worldwar II front number 242 or the U.N. Resolution 242 that deals with an issue between Palestina and Israel or... They were just looking for a strong name, which could be easily translated into various languages. [Daniel B. in an MTV interview with the release of 06:21:03:11 Up Evil]. "Patrick said to me once that even if it's totaly random, they wanted to have letters and numbers. So a day Daniel B saw on a box 242 in big letters and they then adopted the number." [Dimitri Della Faille]

[Q17] What is it with the eggs in the Headhunter video?
Q17. Anton Corbijn, the Dutch photographer who directed the clip: "I can't remember exactly why." The group had sent him the music but hadn't read the script in advance. When they were taking the clip, they started to get worried and asked him: "You do know that the title of the song is 'Headhunter', do you?" Nevertheless, they liked it and decided to go along with it for the video. [MTV interview with the release of 06:21:03:11 Up Evil and Rock This Town special issue 1991]

[Q18] What is it about these numbers in the Up Evil and Off albums?
Q18. Just replace the numbers by the according letters of the alphabet and you have the real titles. For more info on certain dubious 242 things, see http://www.front242.com.

[Q19] How did they get this Fascist thing attached to their name?
A19. Journalists who misunderstood their performances. Read below the official disclaimer;
"The group Front 242 would like to reaffirm that its members are totally opposed to any extreme right-wing ideas, doctrines or ideologies. Front 242 refuse to be associated with fascism, nazism or neo-nazism or any other anti-democratic, extremist tendency of whatever leaning. Front 242 claim their right to freedom of artistic expression and week to explore the moral grounds of their surroundings and our world with integrity and dignity. Points taken out of context can often be misleading; the editing of statement band-members have made in the past and the misinformation presented by certain journalists have contributed to the formation of an untrue and biased image of Front 242. Such intellectually dishonest practices have, amongst other things, lead to concerts being cancelled and damaged the reputation of the band."

And here's some personal comments from guys from 242:
"Yes, especially with HUMO! The last trick we had to cope with was when they sent a journalist to our opening concert in London. It was sold out for two thousand people. That chap was in our lounge acting really strange, saying how brilliant we were and so on. But during the concert he was completely drunk. He camped the whole gig at the bar! Afterwards his review was full of shit about the gig. HUMO has always something to say about what we are doing! They even once wrote that we were wearing "SS" signs! It was "242", so they can't even read in a decent way! I don't know if that was Serge Simonaert, but anyway he had splendid initials for it: SS! (laughs)"
and
"In fact, and honestly I don't know any neo-nazi that knows how to handle instruments like we do! They are just too stupid for that! (laughs) But I do find it rather strange they keep on publishing such a crap. We haven't worn any army cloths since the late eighties! I think it's just their way of rejecting each kind of music they don't know shit about!"
[Interview "Jean-Luc De Meyer: Inside Front 242" by B.V. of Frontstage]

[Q20] How many records have they sold in total?
A20. Whilst that is the least of anyones interest, it's rumoured that up to this time, they must be over 4 million sold records.

[Q21] Art & Strategy?
Q21. Art & Strategy was founded in 1992 to do the artwork around the Front 242 music. There were also a couple of exhibitions in Chicago and New York under that name and an art book with an exclusive CD. Secondly, it is also the name of their own studio in Aarschot.

[Q22] Do they have kids? Are they married? Do they go to church? Are they Cat/alco-holic? Do they sometimes swim naked in ponds?
A22. Yes. All of that and more! PS Jean-Luc likes watching the mice that populate his appartment

[Q23] Why do they wear sunglasses on stage? Heavy lights?
A23. The thing (joke?) behind this was that whilst wearing sunglasses on stage, they couldn't be recognized on the street, without them. As they say, they've always hated the Hollywood stardom and this is their way of disguising themselves. Other stars put on sunglasses to be left alone, they put them off. Other sources say that it was to hide them being human, keeping the music cold. [Sam 213]

[Q24] Why is Patrick playing Roland gear on stage now?
A24. Well, Roland did something they almost never do: sponsoring a band. But 242 seemed important enough to be used as a promotional tool. Not only that Patrick is playing on a Roland keyboard, the Roland V-drums are also on stage. So just see the Re:Boot tour as a huge promotion for these (new) Roland goodies.

[Q25] If they started in 1981, did they use any samplers then?
A25. In those early days, samplers were either hand made by 'electro-engineers' or dreadfully limited and very expensive. In the early years, sampling was done by manipulating tapes, as was the habit in most studio's (eg. Commando Mix, No Shuffle, ...). It's only with Official Version that they started using samplers, notably the Emulator II, which Patrick got from his parents when they won the lottery. They wanted to buy him a car instead...
From an interview with JLDM: "The song GVDT, from the Geography album, uses what is now known as a sample that says "What's wrong?" followed by the sound of rewinding audio tape. Then the sample is heard again. Was a tape recorder used as an early kind of sampler?" JL: "Exactly. We used our first real sampler about two years later."

[Q26] In what films, commercials or radio spots was Front 242's music used?
A26.

[Q27] Where did they sample?
A27. See the sample sources page. Take a look at http://www.sloth.org/samples/samples.html. or for a direct link go here

[Q28] What's at the end of the Tyranny For <You> CD?
A28. "There is some confusion over what is at the end of Front 242's album TYRANNY FOR YOU. According to Transmission 242 originally, the songs were called simply 'Bonus Track I' and 'Bonus Track II'. However, upon further prodding, they replied that the pieces do have titles. The first one is called 'Hard Rock'. The second one, according to the letter received, is called 'Trigger 3'. However, it is believed that this is a misprint, and instead it should be called 'Trigger 1', because the band had released a (longer) song also called 'Trigger 3' on one of their TRAGEDY remix EPs." [from the The Industrial FAQ, periodically published on the following newsgroups: rec.music.industrial, rec.music.info, news.answers, rec.answers]

[Q29] Where can I find remixes for Front 242 songs on the web?
A29.

[Q30] Can I contact these guys over the net?
A30. No, they're not technologically impaired. But could you imagine how many e-mail they would get from throughout the world if their e-mail adresses would be made public. You can always go through the fanclub or the website. But mind you: they're very busy people and have very little time to answer the next wave of questions like 'when will there be a new album' etc.
If you ask kindly on the mailing list, you might get the e-mail for Kristin '99' Kowalski, the chick from Evil Off (no, not the one on the cover).

[Q31] How come every live song that 242 does is always different. For example.. if I hear "Headhunter" live on one day, and then see them in concert the next day, it will be changed around?
A31. 242 is known for having a powerful live show, and one of these interesting reasons is that Daniel B. (at the soundboard) likes to screw around with the songs a bit. You can hear him always fiddling around with the vocal sampler and adding samples/sequences and deleting them. This is all done from a Powerbook that Daniel runs during the show. [Mike Ramirez]

[Q32] What kind of recognition were they awarded, being pioneers, this not always being the most ideal position.
A32.

[Q33] Where is RRE and where are Sony in this (Re:Boot) story?
A33. As for Sony, it seemed they (the white collars at Sony) couldn't cope with the artistic freedom front members needed. As for RRE, Red Rhino Europe, a subsidiary of PIAS (Play It Again Sam), there must be a dispute with PIAS about money they didn't get. [Daniel B. in Side-Line nr. 23]

[Q34] In Until Death (Us Do Part), towards the end of the song, it sounds as if J-L is spelling something?
A34. L-O-C-K space T-H-E space D-O-O-R space F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

[Q35] What is "1, 1, 20, 29" a reference to, from the song Circling Overland?
A35. The date on which the song takes place.

[Q36] I'm a real ass so i don't get to understanding the Evil Off tracklist?
A36. Ok, it's really simple: the first three songs are on the first line, divided by a slash.

[Q37] Who contributed vocals to the track 'Born to Breathe' available on the "Angels vs. Animals" remix album?"
A37. Eran Westwood, a New York based musician and studio technician. He formed the group Spill with 99 Kowalski and John Dubbs and came to record a project in the Front 242 studios but never released anything of that. They did vocals for Evil Off and Angels vs. Animals.

[Q38] What means the sentence "I NOSTRI SOGNI SONO SEMPRE PRESENTI" in the lyrics to "Work 01"?
A38. It means "Our dreams are always present" [Ivan Iusco]

[Q39] Are there some funny stories?
A39.

[Q40] Who's the preacher in Welcome to Paradise? What's the story?
A40. It's Farrell Griswold, he also appears on 'Angst' from Official Version. Take a look at the Sample Sources page at Q27 to see all the copycats that sampled from the same source. There is some confusion about this, cause other sources say it's tele-evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who had to ask forgiveness en plein public for obscene behaviour with a prostitute, only few months after the release of the song 'Welcome to Paradise'. [from the Humo Interview of 25 November 1997 by Gert van Nieuwenhove]

[Q41] Are there some computer programs, demos or something with any F242 elements?
A41.

[Q42] From which groups were they remixed?
A42. The Orb, J.G. Thirwell, KMFDM, The Prodigy, Rico Conning, Underworld, Space Frog, Apoptygma Berzerk, Funker Vogt, Aqualite, Frontline Assembly, Suspicious, Xingu Hil, Haujobb, Empirion, Leaether Strip, Substanz T, Beefcake, Resistance D., The Gallan Pixs, Noisex, Doug Laurent [Freddy Krueger], D'n'F, Talla 2XLC, [Peak], Project-X, Childrin Within (to be found on the Golden Master edition of Headhunter 2000), Mike & B (on the Bonzai Records version of Headhunter 2000), Razormaid (made the Welcome To... Headhunter remix, released on Anniversary 6.5 and a remix of Rhythm Of Time by Warren Sanford, released on Razormaid 10.5), Mike Wertheim for Twitch Records (remix of Religion, released on Twitch CD#8) [Marco Coninx], "Mike's & B's Generator Mix" by Dirk M.I.K.E. Dierickx & DJ Marnix B. This mix is on the Headhunter release from Lighting Records. [Dhennin], Blind Vision, Birmingham6 / Filter Section (released on the Cyberlab 2.0 from SideLine).[Henrik Jensen]
A lot of the remixes go back to Headhunter, which is a pity. There's a lot more good material from 242 available to put in the blender.

[Q43]What 242 goodies are out there?
A43.


[Q44] Did 99Kowalski sing whole "cage" scream from "Animal" or is it looped?
A44. It's a loop and a delay. [Patrick Codenys, thanks to Susan Jekarl]

[Q45] After the 'Evil' records, there have been numerous rumours about a Front split-up. What's it all about?
A45. As a matter of fact nobody ever left the band F242.... In 1993, Jean-Luc DeMeyer (singer-lyricist) got a lot of sentimental problems and his writing was not easy. We asked the Pauly Brothers to help on some lyrics. The Pauly Bros. played in a Belgian band called "Parade Ground" (a JoyDivisionesque kind of band) [Patrick Codenys, thanks to Susan Jekarl]
Also, on an early 242 song 'Don't Crash', the lyrics were written by Valerie Steele. All other words (post Geography) are by J-L.

[Q46]Who is this 'Mrs van de Veer' on "Operating Tracks"?
A46. It is the name of a woman in the movie "Wolves" who inspired the lyrics of the track. [Jean-Luc Demeyer, from an interview by Julien]

[Q47]What do the initials G.V.D.T. (song from the album Geography) stand for?
A47. Guido Van Den Troost, the first one to have aired one of our tracks on the radio... [Jean-Luc Demeyer, from an interview by Julien]

[Q48]Evil Off - has it or has it not the voice of Jean-Luc Demeyer?
A48. "I didn't do anything on Off. But, there are some remix from Up Evil, you may find in some places my voice remixed... I've only listened to this album one time, when it was released." [Jean-Luc Demeyer, thanks to Julien]

[Q49]Funny remixes, spoofs, anything?
A49. You can find some spoofs of 242 lyrics at http://home.earthlink.net/~incycle/identitycrisis.html/interests/front242rantsong.html (temporarily down)

Or check out who acquired the 242 lads souls'.

There's a nice Jean-Luc page at http://listen.to/my.own.material. Thanks to Cristian Colliander  

[Q48]Kristin '99' Kowalski and 242?
A50. As the story goes, Kristin Kowalski and Eran Westwood, both members of the New York based band 'Spill', were at the Art & Strategy studio's at the 'Evil Off' composing era (to produce their own album, which never got released, anyway). 242 used both their voices on Evil Off. Kowalski brings the songs she did with 242 live on stage, sometimes. Thank you [Seth Popham]