Two Man Sound
Encyclopedia
Two Man Sound was a Belgian
pop
trio
of the 1970s. Their style combined the disco
music typical of the era with samba
and bossa nova
. Their signature hits
were "Charlie Brown" and a Latin track called "Disco Samba". Charlie Brown was a success in Belgium
and Italy
but never broke the United Kingdom
. The medley "Disco Samba" became a huge European hit in the early 1980s, with repeated hit-listings in euro-charts from 1983 through 1986. The samba song "Que Tal America" became an 'underground disco anthem' in North America
.
s and songwriter
s who penned the international hit "Ça plane pour moi
" for fellow Belgian Plastic Bertrand
. Deprijck, who was also producer on "Ça plane pour moi", appeared under numerous other pseudonym
s during his career; finding fame in several European countries for his work with Lou and the Hollywood Bananas who produced the minor 1978 ska
hit, "Kingston, Kingston". Two Man Sound's 1979 track "Que Tal America" was a minor hit (#46) in the UK Singles Chart
.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
of the 1970s. Their style combined the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music typical of the era with samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
and bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
. Their signature hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
were "Charlie Brown" and a Latin track called "Disco Samba". Charlie Brown was a success in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
but never broke the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The medley "Disco Samba" became a huge European hit in the early 1980s, with repeated hit-listings in euro-charts from 1983 through 1986. The samba song "Que Tal America" became an 'underground disco anthem' in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Other projects
Band members Lacomblez and Deprijck were also record producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s who penned the international hit "Ça plane pour moi
Ça plane pour moi
"'" is a punk rock song by Plastic Bertrand, although the voice on the original recordings is of producer Lou Deprijck. It was issued as a single in December 1977. The song was composed by Yvan Lacomblez and produced by Lou Deprijck. "Jet Boy, Jet Girl", an adaptation recorded in November 1977 by...
" for fellow Belgian Plastic Bertrand
Plastic Bertrand
Plastic Bertrand is a Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor and television presenter, best known for the 1977 international hit single "Ça plane pour moi".-Early life and bands:...
. Deprijck, who was also producer on "Ça plane pour moi", appeared under numerous other pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s during his career; finding fame in several European countries for his work with Lou and the Hollywood Bananas who produced the minor 1978 ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
hit, "Kingston, Kingston". Two Man Sound's 1979 track "Que Tal America" was a minor hit (#46) in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Group members
- Lou DeprijckLou DeprijckLou Deprijck is a Belgian singer and music producer born in 1946 in Lessines, Wallonia. He was a major figure in the Belgian pop scene of the 1970s and 1980s, with more than 20 million copies of his compositions sold worldwide...
- Sylvain Vanholmen formerly of the Wallace Collection (band)Wallace Collection (band)Wallace Collection was a Belgian pop rock group active in the late 1960s and early 1970s.Wallace Collection was formed from the ashes of a group called Sylvester's Team, three of which began playing under the name 16th Century along with bassist Christian Jannsens and two members of the Belgian...
- Yvan Lacomblez, often known by the nickname 'Pipou'
Discography
- 1972 - Rubo Negro (Pink Elephant)
- 1973 - Vini Vini (Pink Elephant)
- 1976 - Charlie Brown (WeaWeaThe Wea were a Miami-Illinois-speaking tribe originally located in western Indiana, closely related to the Miami. The name Wea is used today as the a shortened version of their many recorded names...
) - 1977 - Oye Come Va (Wea)
- 1978 - Disco Samba (Vogue) distributed by JDC RecordsJDC RecordsJDC Records was an important record distributor during the golden years of dance music . It was originally located in San Pedro, California and owned by Jim and Dale Callon The company name came from their initials, JDC. They distributed world-wide and carried many independent labels...
- 1979 - Que Tal America
- 1980 - Two Man Sound (Vogue)
- 1990 - The Best of... (CD, Ariola RecordsAriola RecordsAriola Records is a German record label. As of the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of BMG which in turn has since become a part of the international media conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment...
)