Ghinzu
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Ghinzu is a Belgian
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band founded in 1999 in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
.


Lineup

*John Israel (also known as John Stargasm) (voice, keyboards), full name John-David Simon Israel *Mika "Nagazaki" Hasson (bass), full name Michael Salvatore Hasson *Greg Remy (guitar & Weird things), full name Gregory Philip N. Remy *Jean Waterlot (guitar, Keys), full name Jean Lucien Louis Waterlot *Antoine Michel (drums)


Past members

* Sanderson Poe (upright bass, backing vocals) * Fabrice George (drums) * Kris Dane (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals)


History


''Electronic Jacuzzi'' (2000)

The band released its first album, ''Electronic Jacuzzi'' in late 2000 on their own label Dragoon. Their sound is a kind of noisy rock, supported by a big and groovy rhythmic and some electronic touches while their subject matters are, among others, sex, partying, and drugs. The album was only released in Belgium and sold enough at least to make another one.


''Blow'' (2004-2008)

Their second LP, ''Blow'', was released in February 2004 in Belgium. Things started to take off for Ghinzu at that time, with a sold-out gig at the
Ancienne Belgique The (''AB'') is a concert hall for contemporary music in Brussels, Belgium. Located in the historic heart of Brussels, it is one of the leading concert venues in Belgium, hosting a wide variety of international and local acts. Some 300,000 pe ...
in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
with fellow bands Girls in Hawaii and Sharko and an album release in France, Switzerland, Germany and Scandinavia in September. ''Blow'' was a success, especially in Belgium and France where the single "Do You Read Me?" became a hit. In June 2005, Ghinzu sold out the mythic Olympia music hall in Paris, followed by concerts around Europe. They also played with Iggy & The Stooges in a Festival in France,
Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
telling them after their gig: "You guys rock!". In the end, about 100,000 copies of ''Blow'' were sold across Europe. In November 2005, due to popular demand, their first album was re-issued with a different track listing. In 2006, the band wrote and recorded the soundtrack for the movie '' Irina Palm'' (directed by Sam Garbarski and starring
Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...
) which received a critical success at the
Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
in February 2007. More collaborations with cinema were to follow. In 2006, their song "Blow" was used as closing track for the movie Ex Drummer, by Koen Mortier (based on a novel by Belgian writer
Herman Brusselmans Herman Frans Martha Brusselmans (; born 9 October 1957) is a Belgian novelist, poet, playwright and columnist. He lives in Ghent. He is one of the best-selling authors in Flanders, but controversial at the same time for his profane language and o ...
). Ghinzu songs also appear in Sky Fighters and Dikkenek. Their song "The Dragster-Wave" from the album ''Blow'', was used over the end credits of the 2008 movie '' Taken'', as well as featuring in the film's trailer. The movie was a success in America and around the world, which allowed Ghinzu to reach a wider audience.


''Mirror Mirror'' (2009-Present)

Ghinzu's third album, entitled '' Mirror Mirror'', was released on March 30, 2009, in
Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...
, France and
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. ''Mirror Mirror'' has been recorded during the previous two years in an office building in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
. It was then mixed in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
by
Klaxons Klaxons were an English Rock music, rock band, based in London. Following the release of several Gramophone record, 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick (Klaxons song), Magick ...
and Libertines collaborator Nick Terry. Musically, the record has a wider and more direct sound than ''Blow''. It also takes a more operatic rock approach, sometimes gathering together several songs into one same musical movement (as with "Mother Allegra", "Mirror Mirror" and "The Dream Maker" or with the three final tunes of the album). The band started to tour
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
in spring 2009, playing several dates in France with
Placebo A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...
as well as big summer festivals such as
Rock Werchter Rock Werchter is an annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, Belgium, since 1976 and is a large sized rock music festival. The 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2014 festivals received the Arthur award for ''best festiva ...
,
Eurockéennes The Eurockéennes de Belfort (; ) is one of France's largest rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving ''rock'' (rock music) and ''européennes'' (Europeans), is a festival based in a nature reserve beside Lac de Malsau ...
and Paleo Festival. In October 2009, Ghinzu played at Le Zénith in Paris for the first time and in February 2010, the band played
Forest National Forest National (French language, French) or Vorst Nationaal (Dutch language, Dutch) is a multi-purpose arena located in the municipality of Forest, Belgium, Forest in Brussels, Belgium. The arena can hold more than 8,000 people. It hosts indoo ...
, the biggest venue in their hometown of
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
. The band also opened for
Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
in
Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...
, Netherlands, during their Stadium Summer Tour, on June 19, 2010. ''Mirror Mirror'' was then released internationally during summer 2010. On December 6, 2010, an EP of remixes of songs on ''Mirror Mirror'' was digitally released under the name ''The Mirror Mirror Remix EP''. On March 2, 2011, John Stargasm announced on his
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account that Ghinzu was working on a new album.- John Stargasm Twitter
/ref> A couple of dates in France have been booked for spring.


Discography

* ''Electronic Jacuzzi'' (2000/ Reissued in 2005) * ''Blow'' (2004) * ''Mirror Mirror'' (2009)


Charts


Notes


External links


Official websitewww.myspace.com/ghinzu
{{Authority control Belgian rock music groups Belgian pop music groups Musical groups from Brussels English-language musical groups from Belgium Musical groups established in 1999