Praga Khan

Praga Khan (born Maurice Joseph Francois Engelen)^[1] is a Belgian techno and, originally new beat musician. Praga Khan is considered one of the leading pioneers of the Belgian originated new beat/acid house/hardcore electronic dance music scene. Praga Khan has also contributed to the theatrical scene with his musical collaborations in The Next Dimension and Code Red.

Overview

In the late 1980s, he teamed up with Jade 4U (Nikkie van Lierop) and Olivier Adams to form the Lords of Acid (also known under various pseudonyms such as Channel X, Digital Orgasm and MNO).^[2] Praga Khan's most famous solo work was "Injected with a Poison" (1992).

In the same year, Channel X's "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 more than 25,000 copies. This earned him a place at Rock Werchter, where he performed live.

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 the 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 the Lords of Acid had indicated that there was a dispute over the ownership of some of their "official" websites,^{[citation needed]} Praga Khan began using his personal and professional social media accounts, to help raise awareness of the tour.^[5]

January 2013 marks the return of Praga Khan with a new album Soulsplitter and a concert at Ancienne Belgique (with support by Psy'Aviah) to celebrate their 25 years on stage!

Discography

Praga Khan Studio albums

• A Spoonful of Miracle (1993)
• Conquers Your Love (1996)
• Pragamatic (1998)
• Twenty First Century Skin (1999)
• Mutant Funk (2000)
• Freakazoids (2002)
• Electric Religion (2004)
• Soundscraper (2006)
• Soulsplitter (2013)

Other Works

Praga Khan has recorded material with Olivier Adams and Nikkie Van Lierop (Jade 4U) frequently simultaneously. These names include, but are not limited to, Digital Orgasm, The Immortals, Lords of Acid and MNO.

References

External links

• Praga Khan website
• Praga Khan Dutch website