A lot of my high school friends from Tasmania went mad on Facebook the other day because the Vengaboys will be performing there as part of their Australian tour! International (and even Australian) acts rarely make it to Tasmania when touring the rest of Australia, probably because it’s got quite a small population. As so many of my friends demonstrated in their frenzy to buy tickets, there is a certain nostalgia for the pop/dance act that was big in the 90s. I wonder how many of them are aware that the Vengaboys are a Dutch act? I certainly wasn’t, until my Dutch boyfriend enlightened me. In fact, I was surprised by how many songs and groups from the 90s that I listened to (and listen to now), also hail from the Netherlands.
Boom Boom Boom Boom
My favourite song by the Vengaboys when I was in high school was definitely ‘Boom Boom Boom Boom’. I had taped it off Rage (a Saturday morning music video channel) onto one of my mix cassettes (this was back in the days of cassettes!) and would often listen to it in the car. I was so naive, it was only recently when re-watching this music video that I realised it was all about prostitutes! Of course, that wouldn’t turn many heads in the Netherlands, but considering I was watching and singing along to this when I was about 14 I can’t believe I didn’t notice how suggestive this music video is!
Originally from Rotterdam, the Vengaboys are classed as Eurodance and were created by Dutch producers Danski and Delmundo. They recruited singer Kim Sasabone for their music videos; she is the only member of the lineup that hasn’t changed. Check Wikipedia for the list of all the members and when they were in the group. ‘We Like to Party’ is the first single that gained international recognition in 1998. Other well-known singles that I am sure my friends back home are looking forward to seeing and hearing live include ‘Boom Boom Boom Boom’, of course, as well as ‘We’re Going to Ibiza’, ‘Kiss (When the Sun Don’t Shine)’ and ‘Shalala Lala’.
But one track I doubt my Tassie friends will get to hear is this special song that they performed with Coen and Sander (two Dutch radio DJs) for the Coen and Sander Fest at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam earlier this year. This special German-themed event is held every February and is kind of like a winter Oktoberfest. The track was called ‘Supergeil’ which in German translates to “super-fun” but in Dutch means “Super-Horny”! It’s actually quite a catchy song, even if you don’t know what all the words mean!
Here is a live version, the sound isn’t great but the outfits are (as always) pretty crazy!
After this conversation, Dennis started sharing other music videos with me, most of which I recognised but again, previously had no idea they were Dutch artists! If you like 90s pop and dance music like the Vengaboys, you might also enjoy this trip down memory lane:
T-Spoon from Amsterdam
I had no idea this old song was Dutch. Maybe they want to have sex on a beach because there are so few beaches in the Netherlands?
2 Unlimited from Amsterdam
This second one by 2 Unlimited always reminds me of the film “Bring it On” and the dance with ‘spirit fingers’!
DJ Tiësto from Breda
As Dennis told me, a LOT of the world’s top DJs are Dutch, and I remember absolutely loving this track in the 90s by Tiësto.
Afrojack and Eva Simons from Spijkenisse and Amsterdam
More modern artists Afrojack (from Spijkenisse) and Eva Simons (Amsterdam) have also been making it big internationally. You may have heard Eva Simons on ‘This is Love’ by will.i.am.
Carice Van Houten from Leiderdorp
You probably know Carice Van Houten from her role as Melisandre, the Red Woman on ‘Game of Thrones’ but did you know she is Dutch? Whenever Dennis says ‘the night is dark and full of terrors’ he sounds just like her (except, you know, masculine)! Incidentally, Michiel Huisman who plays the second version of Daario Naharis is also Dutch.
Carice Van Houten is a singer as well as an actress, releasing a pop-rock album called “See You on the Ice” in 2012. I think it’s funny that her album is about ice and now she plays a role that’s all about fire! The album doesn’t seem to have been a huge hit, but there are some catchy tracks on it.
Let me know if there are any other awesome Dutch music acts I’ve forgotten about, and happy listening! 🙂
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