Hypnos 69

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Hypnos 69
Origin Belgium, 1995
Genre(s) Psychedelic Rock
Years active 1995 - present
Label(s) ElektroHasch Records
Website http://www.hypnos69.be
Members
Steve Houtmeyers, Dave Houtmeyers, Tom Vanlaer, Steven Marx

Hypnos 69 is a Belgian rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic, slightly progressive music. The lyrics are often described as ethereal and philosophical. Musically, Hypnos 69 covers a broad territory from Space Jazz, over Prog influenced hard Psych Rock, to more laid back tunes with a spaced out Pink Floyd edge. They are often linked to the stoner-scene, but these four Belgian guys evade that label by embracing so many different forms of music and taking the best aspects of rock over the past 30 years and refine them into a sound of their own, which just never gets boring. They are extremely gifted musicians with a passion for playing music, who put their soul, their whole being into their performance on stage. When you've visited one of their shows, you'll know they're capable of conjuring up a massive wall of sound whilst keeping a high level of clarity. They manage to appeal to music lovers from different genres, and they always deliver top class rock'n roll. The band recorded several albums, achieving wide recognition with records like "the Eclectic Measure", "The Intrigue of Perception" or "Timeline Traveller".

Contents

[edit] History

The history of Hypnos 69 began at the end of the '80s, when Steve & Dave Houtmeyers played in a political punk orientated band called Massagraf. The band had several line-ups, although Steve and Dave were the only steady members. They released one 7"EP in 1992 and split up the same year. At that time Steve was active with Belgian grindcore pioneers Agathocles and Dave started anarcho punk band Intestinal Disease. Both bands earned huge recognition in their scene and toured all over Europe and South America. By 1994 Steve got fed up with playing the limited musical style of grindcore, which was according to him 'below his musical skills', and decided to quit Agathocles and form his own, more '70s rock orientated band called Starfall. It included Dave Houtmeyers on drums and Tom Vanlaer on bass, and was the very first incarnation of what would later become Hypnos 69. By 1995 after doing some local shows, they changed their name to Hypnos 69, which was appropriately taken from the ancient Greek god of Sleep and Subconsciousness. The number 69 stands for equilibrium and stability; properties that can be retrieved in the marked sound of the band.

Thanks to the cooperation with Orange Factory, Hypnos 69 developed a very powerful live-reputation, which placed them at the top of the contemporary psychedelic rockscene. In 2000 the first Hypnos 69 release on the Belgian RocknRollRadio-recordlabel entitled "Wherever Time has shared it's Trust" on blue 10"EP vinyl was a fact. The first full-length CD appeared also on RocknRollRadio in 2002 entitled "Timeline Traveller" and contains bad ass heavy 70's rock. This CD gave Hypnos 69 a lot of attention from radio stations and magazines from all around the world. The band toured with this CD in Germany, Holland, France and Czech Republic. When the band in 2003 presents their second full CD "Promise of a New Moon" on R³, Steven Marx was introduced into Hypnos' wall of sound. From being a guest musician he rapidly became a part of the live-set and a brand new member of the band. In October 2004 the band decided to make a deal with the German record label ElektroHasch, which was growing rapidly to become one of Germany's biggest psychedelic rock labels. Their third full CD "The Intrigue of Perception", along with a split 10"EP with their German soulmates Colour Haze was released in November 2004. Once again, the band took the best aspects of rock over the past 30 years and refined them into a sound of their own.

In 2006, after extended touring in Scandinavia, Germany, Holland, France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy, the band recorded their biggest achievement entitled "The Eclectic Measure". It’s a concept album that totally fits and is a lot darker then its predecessors, dealing with philosophical issues. "The Eclectic Measure" is a cloudy album filled with mythical references, dark moods and warm arrangements. A melancholic trip to be experienced in its full length. A story about man confronting his inner self and surroundings. Symbolic for this journey is the demon Abraxas, protagonist in Septem Sermones ad Mortuos, based on Basilides of Alexandria, dating from the 2nd century. The artwork by Italian graphic artists Malleus illustrates the concept. By November 2006, Steve decided to put the band on hold, due to some personal issues in the band, but after 6 months he said: "Dum musica est, spes est. The Eclectic Measure, together with Hypnos 69, ended with the song 'Deus Ex Machina'; a well-considered solution has nevertheless not been found, but in this case, never say never again. Hypnos 69 will perform again." In Autumn 2007 Hypnos 69 will tour to promote The Eclectic Measure throughout Europe.

[edit] Recent achievements

Over the past ten years, Hypnos 69 acquired a loyal following wherever they appeared live and one of the band's greatest thrills to date has been the number of venues which immediately request their return and the new fans who instantly fall in love with the band. Their subsequent releases gave them a lot of attention from specialized radio stations and magazines all around the world. Hypnos 69 played hundreds of gigs in Belgium and around, visited some of Europe's finest rock clubs and outdoor & indoor rock festivals including Roadburn 10th Anniversary (013, Tilburg), Swamp Room Mania (München), Swamproom Happening (Hannover), Psychedelic Avengers Festival (Berlin), Stoned from the underground (Erfurt), Sauzipf rocks (Austria). They shared the stage with the likes of Brant Bjork and The Bros, 35007, Dozer, Five Horse Johnson amongst others. The band and musicians were asked to perform with respected musicians such as Ed Mundell (Monster Magnet) and Alfredo Hernandez (QOTSA, Kyuss, Yawning Man). Steve Houtmeyers was recently asked to join California jam band Ten East, which includes Gary Arce (Yawning Man, Sort of Quartet), Greg Ginn (Black Flag) and Bill Stinson (CD6).

[edit] Live instrumentation

  • Hypnos 69 uses merely vintage equipment. Although a lot of people think the band is sponsored by Hiwatt amplification, they're not.
  • Steve uses a 1971 Gibson Custom Les Paul Goldtop Deluxe, Hiwatt DR103 amps + cabs, Carl Martin Drive & Boost, Dunlop Wah, EHX Big Muff π, EBow.
  • Tom uses various basses, Hiwatt DR103 amps + cabs, Moog Taurus, Morley Wah.
  • Steven uses Selmer saxophones, Hiwatt PA203 amp + cabs, Clavia keyboards.
  • Dave uses a Ludwig Amber Vistalite drumkit and Yamaha glockenspiel.

[edit] Discography

  • The Eclectic Measure CD + LP (ElektroHasch 2006/2007) Sonic Rendezvous
  • Timeline Traveller CD (re-release ElektroHasch 2006) Sonic Rendezvous
  • The Intrigue of Perception CD (ElektroHasch 2004) Sonic Rendezvous
  • The Forest of Illusion split 10 inch w/ Colour Haze (ElektroHasch 2004) Sonic Rendezvous
  • Promise of a New Moon CD (RocknRollRadio 2003) Konkurrent
  • Timeline Traveller CD (RocknRollRadio 2002) sold out
  • Where All the Ends Unite 10 inch (RocknRollRadio 2000) sold out

[edit] External links