FRONT 242 may be the musical wave of the 90s.

Belgian electro-pop group
pushes the right buttons

BELGIAN ELECTRO-POP
pushes up the pulse; a suc-
cessful “girl group’’ puts
out a greatest hits package
just in time for Christmas.

Front 242 — Front By Front, Ner
twerk/Capitol Records 1988

Sharing the urban dissatisfaction
of rap musicians, this Belgian elec-
tro-pop ensembie draws its in-
spiration from the steei girder
jungle. A penchant for dealing in
noggin-whacking rhythms pep-
pered with sampled sound bites is
also shared, but unlike their rapp-
ing distant cousins, these syn-
thesizer-technocrats strip the ver-
bal output down to sharply
minimal proportions. Brought
together in Brussels in 1983, as

part of an electronics-based anti-
rock movement, the band loosely
falls in to step with bands like
Yellow or DAF.

MICHAEL
BECKER

music reviewer

There’s nothing new to the
practice of capitalizing on the
emotionally neutral sound of men
working micro-chip-hearted
tnachines in order to express
discordant:2. It’s just that these’
guys do it so relentlessly well.

The sound for the 1990s? It’s ag-
gressive and it speaks to a world
peopled by digitally-harmonized

CAPILANO MALL

935 MARINE PRIVE, NORTH VANCOUVER.

Special Ends Dec. 31. ‘88

ren NORTH VANCOUVER ONLY

SIRLUINER

button pushers. Some are already
submitting to it in the dying days
of 1988, on darkened dance
floors, heeding the Front 242
command: im Rhythmus Bleiben!

Bananarama — The Greatest Hits
Collection, London Records/
PolyGram 1988

The Brit-bimbettes were
recognized this year in the
Guiness Book Of Records as being
the most successful British girl
group ever. That the manikins
have made a very gocd living
churning out insipidly damp
regurgitations of other people's
hits is also a matter of record. Can
a Kylie Minogue greatest hits
package be that far behind?

Musical fur balls all.

984-O211

21 - Wednesday, December 7, 1983 - North Shore News

Arts in Action returns

THE NORTH Vancouver Recre-
ation Commission is hosting the
second annual Arts in Action per-
forming arts revue at Centennial
Theatre, Dec. 8.

“it's a wonderful opportunity
for rec centre participants to strut
their ctyff toa friendc family and
the general public...’’ says

Lonsdale programmer Joyce Parkin.

Included in the program are a
variety of dance forms including
folk, creative, jazz, tap, ballroom
and ballet, and the Showtime
Tappers will also appear. ;

Tickets available at Lonsdale
Recreation Centre. Phone 988-
6166 for details.

Artist shows watercolors

DEEP COVE artist Ross Munro is
showing his watercolors at the
North Vancouver
municipal hall.

district

\

West Van

Lunch Monday-Friday
5 11:00-3pm

Mikel Guild - Guitar
Stan Johnson - Base
hris Sigersson - Piano

ev Sole,

RESTAURANT

235 - 15th Street,

La Bell

Dinner Monday-Saturday |

The 20-piece exhibit is on
display until Jan. 10. Munro
recently showed 45 of his land-
scape watercolors in Vancouver.

926-6861 F

5:50-11pm §