| Praga Khan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Maurice Joseph Francois Engelen[1] |
| Genres | New beat, techno, acid house, rave, industrial |
| Occupations | Musician, singer, songwriter, composer, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, synthesizers |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | SonicAngel |
| Associated acts | Lords of Acid, Digital Orgasm, Milk Inc., MNO, Channel X, The Immortals, Tom Dice, Alice Avery |
| Website | www.pragakhan.com |
Praga Khan (born Maurice Joseph Francois Engelen)[1] is a Belgian techno musician, primarily in the new beat style.
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Praga Khan is one of the pioneers of the new beat / 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).[2] 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.[3]
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".[4] 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.[5]
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.