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Remember that feeling stepping in a candy store as a kid? The feeling of abundance and hard choices to make... ? A few years ago the people behind Mayway Records had the good fortune of purchasing
a huge collection of cds at the Belgian public service broadcaster VRT. Those cds were sent by labels and artists over the years in hopes of receiving rotation on national radio. In one fell swoop, this batch of CDs gave an extensive overview of the Belgian music landscape between roughly 1990 and 2010.
Mayway Records realised they had to make the most of this opportunity and that is why early this year the label decided to launch the Belgian Nuggets 90s-00s compilation series, collecting obscure Belgian tracks of superior quality dating back to that specific period: forgotten singles, B-sides, album tracks and demos.
In the late 80s and early 90s, home-grown Belgian talent and quality was starting to make some serious waves on the international scene, turning Belgian music into a hallmark of quality. dEUS paved the way for many other Belgian bands so naturally they had to be included on vol. 1 of Belgian Nuggets 90s-00s: B-side 'My Wife Jan' - that killer riff! - truly is a hidden gem. Other names that will ring a bell include Wizards Of Ooze (vocals by Zap Mama's Sabine Kabongo), Elisa Waut (previously unreleased track from 1999), and Daan and Herman Gillis (inventor of the Sherman Filterbank) with their electropop project Volt (1994).
Still, these established artists are just the tip of the iceberg. Wonderful rock songs by Two Russian Cowboys (risen from the ashes of Ugly Papas), SeXmachines (with Danny Mommens from Vive La Fête and - again - dEUS) and tracks by Walloon bands Monsoon and Starving burst from the speakers. The more electronic contributions by Nid & Sancy (sounds like early Chemical Brothers), Airlock (Air anyone...?) and de portables' nine-minute synthpostrock masterpiece 'Haut Gay' also ooze international class. Squeaky clean Britpop is served up by The Beautiful Babies with producer Martin Rushent on backing vocals. Ethereal synthwave by Kolk, while Pop Machine calls to mind the very best of Françoise Hardy and Brigitte Bardot. Peeters & Angst (Aroma Di Amore) and The Same (with Anton Walgrave and Aram Van Ballaert) take more of an arty approach and they do an exemplary job of it. The two closing tracks, Maxon Blewitt's Americana gem 'Mexicali' (Eriksson/Delcroix avant la lettre) and the very atmospheric 'Psychologica' by Gèsman, will rank among the best songs you've never heard.
In addition to a careful track selection, no effort was spared in terms of visuals: the cover photo is courtesy of Magnum photographer Harry Gruyaert whereas Tim Broothaers (a.o. Zeal Records) is responsible for the overall design. Every volume will be released on vinyl (2LP gatefold) and CD (3-panel digisleeve) with detailed liner notes on each track. With Belgian Nuggets 90s-00s it is Mayway Records' ambition to launch a top series of sought after items by music lovers and collectors both in Belgium and abroad. Or like Nid & Sancy say: 'This is what you want, this is what you get!'