User:Studiomuscle

Studiomuscle is a Belgian platform for music, movies, gigs and absurdities. Since 1992 its motto has been Don’t take anything too seriously, thus connecting with the ninities generation for which irony is the prime form of communication. Studiomuscle has never really departed from that credo.

Studiomuscle is a collaboration between Wio D’hespeel, Hans Gruyaert, Jürgen Deblonde, Bert Lafontaine and Hendrik Dacquin. The first four make pop/post-rock music with de portables, the latter shoots and mixes videos that go well with de portables stage performances.

Occasionally studiomuscle organizes entertaining shows in Belgium and come together to make movies about death, chocolates and star wars.

History of studiomuscle

Studiomuscle was founded in 1992 by Wio D’hespeel’s bedroom in Bruges. Inspired by tape-labels such as Rotten Windmill, Schrimper and Blackbean and Placenta, Wio released an unacounted number of lo-fi tapes on a the world.

The first tape was a noisy, chaotic compilation of low fun and other sentimental artforms, a semi-legendary band, descended from the weirdnolandbouwers, a truly legendary band which line-up included members of de portables and Köhn. The tape also included the anouncement for a Michael Jackson tribute tape. It still hasn’t been released.

What followed were tapes by Wio himself (26 songs), Wio’s sister Lobke (Gush), Jürgen Deblonde aka Köhn aka Ed Nölbed (the legendary very rare Ajjenol Tape) and a Europe vs. North America tape compilation, a collaboration with Cactus Gum Recordings, now better know as Foxy Digitalis.

After a well-deserved break Wio found new energy, revitalized passion and together with Hans, Hendrik and Jürgen he started getting studiomuscle together again. Studiomuscle decided to go multimedia: a website, movie productions, small cd-r releases and gatherings in Bruges, aptly called studiomuscle Soupers.

That was two years and a half of great fun to see so many good bands play live, the special acts (from circus clowns over priests, hookers and a giant mussel called Olivier) and self-made amateur star wars parodies. Köhn, wio, kleine wöhnen, autopilot (played 3 times!), benjamin franklin, jullander and even the legendary Daniel Johnston: they all came to Bruges to play in a very cozy theatre for three men and a horsehead.

During that very productive time, studiomuscle also released the very first tape of de portables (zon i bos), which wasn’t all too surprising since studiomuscle basically was de portables including Hendrik.

When Bert later joined de portables, it was a package deal with studiomuscle, so from then on Bert joined the studiomuscle ranks.

With all members of studiomuscle working and getting children, activities declined but never ceased to exist. At the end of 2004 studiomuscle organized a very successful studiomuscle souper, dedicated to terrorism. A sold-out Frontline hosted upcoming talents Tomàn, Kapotski and the three blind terrorists from Palestina. They also made a 20 minute long epic story about Jack De Bouwer, fighting belgian suicide bombers. Studiomuscle is currently preparing for another studiomuscle souper and have several plans for new movies.