Fixkes is a Belgian band from

Stabroek Stabroek () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of and Stabroek proper. In 2021, Stabroek had a total population of 18,680. The total area is 21.51 km². In 2008 Stabroek cele ...

, near

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. The band mixes acoustic pop and rap in their music. In February 2007, the band released their first official single, "Kvraagetaan". The single was a big success in Belgium and reached number 1 in the Belgian

Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created in 1995 on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organiz ...

chart.

Band history

In November 2005 Fixkes was formed by Sam and Jan Valkenborgh. The name Fixkes is a nickname that Sam got in his teens. Jan plays the

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

, Sam sings and plays

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, he is also the songwriter of the group. The rest of the band's line-up was: Peter Deckers (guitar,

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

), Johan Pauwels (bassguitar) and Bart Palmers (

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

). In January 2007, the band was picked up by the Dutch

Excelsior Recordings Excelsior Recordings is an independent record label located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The label has over 400 releases. History Excelsior was founded by Ferry Roseboom and Frans Hagenaars under the name "Nothing Sucks Like Electrolux", releasi ...

. Fixkes released their first single only one month later, in February 2007. The lyrics of "Kvraagetaan" mainly appeal to nostalgic feelings of people in their 30s, who went to primary school in the 1980s (the title is a typical Flemish dialect term of that era, which can be roughly translated as "I ask him/her", and refers to a young boy or girl asking another kid to become "engaged", in a

puppy love Puppy love, also known as a crush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and early adolescence. It is an infatuation usually developed by one's looks and attractiveness at first sight. It is named for its r ...

context). Radio station Studio Brussel launched the single as Hotshot. "Kvraagetaan" was released on iTunes reaching number 1 in the Belgian iTunes-charts. In March 2007 it reached number 1 on

remaining on top for a total of 16 weeks breaking the Belgian record for being at the number 1 position. The previous record was 12 weeks. The band has had two more charting hits: "Ongelukkig" again in 2007 reaching number 16 and "Over 't water", the latter a collaboration with

Axelle Red Fabienne Demal (born 15 February 1968), better known by her stage name Axelle Red, is a Belgian singer-songwriter. She has released 12 albums, including ''Sans plus attendre'', ''À Tâtons'', ''Toujours Moi'' and ''Jardin Secret''. She is best ...

reaching number 4.

Discography

Albums

Singles

*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.

References

External links

Official website

Myspace
{{Authority control Belgian pop music groups Musical groups established in 2005 Dutch-language musical groups from Belgium Stabroek