Lou and the Hollywood Bananas - why have I never heard of them, especially as I love Kid Creole? Unfortunately, the Bananas are no match for the Coconuts, but it's a a brilliant name anyway. The clip from Top of the Pops is a reminder that 1979 wasn't all about Blondie, Gary Numan and 2 Tone here in the UK. I guess Que Tal America was a hit on the jazz funk scene of the time although I don't have the inside knowledge to confirm this. Finally, at a perilous time when Trump seems hell bent on transforming America into an all white nation, with Nigel Farage and the Reform Party set to follow suit here in the UK if they win the next election as predicted, can I just applaud you for your focus on the cross pollination so essential to the development of disco and other forms of music. It's a reminder that music and indeed history, is a great melting pot of influences which the racists will not erase however hard they try.
You’ll love next week’s episode, the final one of the first season, when I cover Kid Creole & the Coconuts 😁.
Cross-pollination really is one of the most important forces in (music) history, Paul, and I’m glad I can do my small part to help get that message across. We’re living in dark times, I agree, and as a historian it’s frustrating to see people repeating the same mistakes as, say, 90 years ago.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Paul. Have a great weekend!
This was fantastic, Pe! I loved learning more about Belgium, not least the fact that Magritte was actually Belgian (I had ignorantly, like many others, always assumed he was French). I knew Disco Samba but I didn't know Qué Tal America. I loved how the Brazilian and South American rythms can coexist so well with Belgian idiosyncrasy. A very informative and entertaining piece, as always!
Haha… thanks, Andy. Did you know “Disco Samba” from your youth in Argentina? I couldn’t find any info on whether it was a hit in South America, only that Mexico story mentioned in one of the interviews.
Thanks for reading, sharing, and reacting. As always, I really appreciate your support. Have a great weekend, my friend!
Thank you, Pe! Yes, from my youth in Argentina. I didn't know it was called Disco Samba but I recognised it straightaway upon watching the video in your post. They play it (or at least used to play it when in the 90s when I was a kid) mostly at parties. People in general over there tend (or tended) to sing that bit "pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe" even in conversation as a metaphor for "party" (in a family context mostly, kinda like at a wedding or so).
It's all in Spanish and not sure how much you understand but you can run it through Google/DeepL or I can help you translate it if you're interested. The author basically says she remembers the song from when she was a kid and she was trying to google it but all she could remember was the "pe pe pe pe pe pe" bit. Some word choices she makes made me realise she is from the south cone of South America but I wasn't sure exactly where. I checked some of her other blog entries and it would seem she's from (or at least based in) Lima (Peru). The song might be more widespread than we would think, but because it was mostly played at weddings and celebrations, no one really seemed bothered enough to check or learn the name of the song 😅 Now thanks to your expertise, we do! Takes the whole "stories of artists you know and those you think you don't" to a whole new level. You rock, Pe!
Just read it, how funny! It instantly took me back to my days working in a record shop in Antwerp, when people would walk up to the counter and start singing the song they were looking for. I have a very low threshold for second-hand embarrassment, so I always wanted to run and hide, even if it meant crawling under the carpet 😁.
Imagine the pressure of trying to identify the right track: you want to be friendly and helpful, but most (if not all) of them had no singing talent whatsoever, which made it… challenging 😂
It was hilarious to read that she used the same kind of “sing-your-way-to-the-answer” method to find the song, and that she eventually discovered it was by a “Brazilian” band 😂.
So funny, and a perfect confirmation of what I was writing about Belgium and Belgians around the globe.
Why does it not surprise me that you have a very low threshold for second-hand embarrassement? 🤣 I almost spat the water I was drinking 😉 I can totally imagine how bizarre it must be to have to help someone find a record when all they can do is sing (badly) a little bit of the (distorted) melody 🤣🤣 Now next time I'm at a wedding in Argentina and this song starts playing, I'll be like "did you know this is by the Belgian band Two Man Sound? Oh, you didn't know?! Why don't you subscribe to The Twelve Inch to find out more? 😉"
This is exactly the kind of info I live for 😁 And it’s given me an idea for a collab in the new year, I’ll give it some more thought. I’ll check out the link; my Spanish won’t be good enough, but I can run it through a translator.
I knew it was big because Lou Deprijck once joked in an interview that he’d go to Jorge Ben’s house every year with a fat royalty check. Since he composed some/most of the songs they used, I imagine it was a very happy annual meeting for both of them. 😂
I'm glad it brought you joy and inspiration! Would love to collab with you again. Most of the info I can provide is anecdotal but I can also help translate/decipher research material if needed. Most Argentinians my age or older will associate the "pe pe pe pe pe pe" bit with the dancing moment at a wedding. It's a classic! It's even used ironically sometimes, like, a mother would say to kids who are relaxing instead of doing homework "It's all pe pe pe pe pe pe pe for you guys, isn't it?". It really is embedded into Argentinian 90s culture.
Yet another superb piece of writing. That tune has always had me wondering beacause it seemed to be a one hit wonder, and yeah i did think it was probably latin american in some way and lazily had never bothered to look.. really appreciated the insight into the Belgian cultural history.. I am a Belgian New Beat fanatic and the TSOB documentary film helped me understand a bit.. stuff like this just explains a bit more. The 'mixing pot' of influences obviously being something Belgium has in common with the UK
Thanks, Bill, that’s such a great compliment. I agree, we really share that same melting pot of influences with the UK. I’ll be bringing more Belgian material next season/next year, and I’m planning at least two pieces connected to New Beat.
Thanks for reading and for taking the time to respond. Have a great weekend!
What a fantastic read. I love how you bring out the sheer improbability of Belgium producing something that felt so authentically Latin that even New York DJs misfiled it. The thread through Lou Deprijck—part surrealist, part hustler, part accidental genius—really gives the whole story its heart.
And the way you frame Belgium’s cultural split, its relationship with France, and Brussels as a musical melting pot genuinely helped me understand why this sound could only have come from that environment. It’s a reminder that dance music often emerges from cross-currents rather than clear lines.
The whole piece feels both celebratory and affectionate, especially in how you reclaim these tracks from being mislabeled as French or Brazilian. It’s a great example of how regional histories can broaden the global picture.
Thanks, Howard. I completely agree about the importance of cross-currents, in a way, that’s exactly what this Substack is all about 😁. And I’m especially happy you described it as “celebratory” and “affectionate,” because that’s genuinely how I feel about every artist and track I cover.
Thanks so much for reading, reacting, and sharing, Howard. Wishing you a great weekend!
Excellent post! I'm looking forward to listening to the mix (as soon as I can find the time). I was hoping to play that Que Tal America remix at my gig Friday, but the evening's sound never veered that direction. Maybe next time!
I agree: a superb piece of writing! Fun, entertaining, amusing, and celebratory. The connections are so interesting, as are your insights. Well done!!
😁 Thanks Todd! Glad you liked it!
Lou and the Hollywood Bananas - why have I never heard of them, especially as I love Kid Creole? Unfortunately, the Bananas are no match for the Coconuts, but it's a a brilliant name anyway. The clip from Top of the Pops is a reminder that 1979 wasn't all about Blondie, Gary Numan and 2 Tone here in the UK. I guess Que Tal America was a hit on the jazz funk scene of the time although I don't have the inside knowledge to confirm this. Finally, at a perilous time when Trump seems hell bent on transforming America into an all white nation, with Nigel Farage and the Reform Party set to follow suit here in the UK if they win the next election as predicted, can I just applaud you for your focus on the cross pollination so essential to the development of disco and other forms of music. It's a reminder that music and indeed history, is a great melting pot of influences which the racists will not erase however hard they try.
You’ll love next week’s episode, the final one of the first season, when I cover Kid Creole & the Coconuts 😁.
Cross-pollination really is one of the most important forces in (music) history, Paul, and I’m glad I can do my small part to help get that message across. We’re living in dark times, I agree, and as a historian it’s frustrating to see people repeating the same mistakes as, say, 90 years ago.
Thanks for reading and reacting, Paul. Have a great weekend!
Don't know this one but I like your mix! It actually sounds pretty contemporary.
It does, doesn’t it? I thought the same thing once it was finished. Thanks for reading, listening, and reacting, Dan! Have a great weekend!
This was fantastic, Pe! I loved learning more about Belgium, not least the fact that Magritte was actually Belgian (I had ignorantly, like many others, always assumed he was French). I knew Disco Samba but I didn't know Qué Tal America. I loved how the Brazilian and South American rythms can coexist so well with Belgian idiosyncrasy. A very informative and entertaining piece, as always!
Haha… thanks, Andy. Did you know “Disco Samba” from your youth in Argentina? I couldn’t find any info on whether it was a hit in South America, only that Mexico story mentioned in one of the interviews.
Thanks for reading, sharing, and reacting. As always, I really appreciate your support. Have a great weekend, my friend!
Thank you, Pe! Yes, from my youth in Argentina. I didn't know it was called Disco Samba but I recognised it straightaway upon watching the video in your post. They play it (or at least used to play it when in the 90s when I was a kid) mostly at parties. People in general over there tend (or tended) to sing that bit "pe pe pe pe pe pe pe pe" even in conversation as a metaphor for "party" (in a family context mostly, kinda like at a wedding or so).
I didn't realise the lyrics are in Portuguese let alone the Belgian connection. I did some quick research now to find out how widespread in Latin America it was, and I found this blog entry: https://wondermeli.wordpress.com/2005/01/03/pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-pe-ripetere-sei-volte/
It's all in Spanish and not sure how much you understand but you can run it through Google/DeepL or I can help you translate it if you're interested. The author basically says she remembers the song from when she was a kid and she was trying to google it but all she could remember was the "pe pe pe pe pe pe" bit. Some word choices she makes made me realise she is from the south cone of South America but I wasn't sure exactly where. I checked some of her other blog entries and it would seem she's from (or at least based in) Lima (Peru). The song might be more widespread than we would think, but because it was mostly played at weddings and celebrations, no one really seemed bothered enough to check or learn the name of the song 😅 Now thanks to your expertise, we do! Takes the whole "stories of artists you know and those you think you don't" to a whole new level. You rock, Pe!
Just read it, how funny! It instantly took me back to my days working in a record shop in Antwerp, when people would walk up to the counter and start singing the song they were looking for. I have a very low threshold for second-hand embarrassment, so I always wanted to run and hide, even if it meant crawling under the carpet 😁.
Imagine the pressure of trying to identify the right track: you want to be friendly and helpful, but most (if not all) of them had no singing talent whatsoever, which made it… challenging 😂
It was hilarious to read that she used the same kind of “sing-your-way-to-the-answer” method to find the song, and that she eventually discovered it was by a “Brazilian” band 😂.
So funny, and a perfect confirmation of what I was writing about Belgium and Belgians around the globe.
Thanks for this, Andy!
Why does it not surprise me that you have a very low threshold for second-hand embarrassement? 🤣 I almost spat the water I was drinking 😉 I can totally imagine how bizarre it must be to have to help someone find a record when all they can do is sing (badly) a little bit of the (distorted) melody 🤣🤣 Now next time I'm at a wedding in Argentina and this song starts playing, I'll be like "did you know this is by the Belgian band Two Man Sound? Oh, you didn't know?! Why don't you subscribe to The Twelve Inch to find out more? 😉"
This is exactly the kind of info I live for 😁 And it’s given me an idea for a collab in the new year, I’ll give it some more thought. I’ll check out the link; my Spanish won’t be good enough, but I can run it through a translator.
I knew it was big because Lou Deprijck once joked in an interview that he’d go to Jorge Ben’s house every year with a fat royalty check. Since he composed some/most of the songs they used, I imagine it was a very happy annual meeting for both of them. 😂
I'm glad it brought you joy and inspiration! Would love to collab with you again. Most of the info I can provide is anecdotal but I can also help translate/decipher research material if needed. Most Argentinians my age or older will associate the "pe pe pe pe pe pe" bit with the dancing moment at a wedding. It's a classic! It's even used ironically sometimes, like, a mother would say to kids who are relaxing instead of doing homework "It's all pe pe pe pe pe pe pe for you guys, isn't it?". It really is embedded into Argentinian 90s culture.
Yet another superb piece of writing. That tune has always had me wondering beacause it seemed to be a one hit wonder, and yeah i did think it was probably latin american in some way and lazily had never bothered to look.. really appreciated the insight into the Belgian cultural history.. I am a Belgian New Beat fanatic and the TSOB documentary film helped me understand a bit.. stuff like this just explains a bit more. The 'mixing pot' of influences obviously being something Belgium has in common with the UK
Thanks, Bill, that’s such a great compliment. I agree, we really share that same melting pot of influences with the UK. I’ll be bringing more Belgian material next season/next year, and I’m planning at least two pieces connected to New Beat.
Thanks for reading and for taking the time to respond. Have a great weekend!
What a fantastic read. I love how you bring out the sheer improbability of Belgium producing something that felt so authentically Latin that even New York DJs misfiled it. The thread through Lou Deprijck—part surrealist, part hustler, part accidental genius—really gives the whole story its heart.
And the way you frame Belgium’s cultural split, its relationship with France, and Brussels as a musical melting pot genuinely helped me understand why this sound could only have come from that environment. It’s a reminder that dance music often emerges from cross-currents rather than clear lines.
The whole piece feels both celebratory and affectionate, especially in how you reclaim these tracks from being mislabeled as French or Brazilian. It’s a great example of how regional histories can broaden the global picture.
Beautifully put together.
Thanks, Howard. I completely agree about the importance of cross-currents, in a way, that’s exactly what this Substack is all about 😁. And I’m especially happy you described it as “celebratory” and “affectionate,” because that’s genuinely how I feel about every artist and track I cover.
Thanks so much for reading, reacting, and sharing, Howard. Wishing you a great weekend!
Excellent post! I'm looking forward to listening to the mix (as soon as I can find the time). I was hoping to play that Que Tal America remix at my gig Friday, but the evening's sound never veered that direction. Maybe next time!