Bild- und Textquelle: huxleysneuewelt.de
Foto: © Mothmeister

Front 242 will stop performing concerts.

It is with a mix of emotions that Front242 announces their last concerts…
On one hand, we sadly close a great adventure of some 40 years amazing feelings shared with our wonderful audience.
On the other hand, we realise that stopping now with a great image and full energy is what everybody would like to remember.
So, don’t miss Front 242 this year, we promise you the most powerful and enjoyable performances.

FRONT 242 – Biography

Front 242’s history starts in 1981 when Daniel B. lays out his ideas on a first single : Body to Body. Patrick Codenys (keyboards) and Jean-Luc De Meyer (vocals) join the band for the first album « Geography » in (1982), followed by Richard 23 (vocalist/stage performer) in 1983.
While developing their own independent recording and graphic units, along with a unique presentation on stage, the band progressively reaches a larger audience in Europe, touring and releasing records of its brand new genre they soon label « Electronic Body Music (aka EBM) ». EBM being a collage and synthesis of music and sounds, recycled from the media or TV, often reflecting or enriched by other artistical disciplines. In 1984 Front 242 sign on the label Wax Trax from Chicago. The EP « Take One » (1984) is their first US release, their success there will be massive.
Gaining experience in large European festivals and US shows from 1985, the band establishes itself as a very powerful live group, and EBM spreads across Europe. The albums « No Comment » (1985), « Official Version » (1987) and « Front By Front » (1988, including HeadHunter and Welcome to Paradise) seal Front 242’s international breakthrough and its status of an innovative and pioneering band.
Front’s vision continues to evolve toward fuller maturity after the acclaimed album « Tyranny For You » (1991). The two next albums, « 06:21:03:11 Up Evil » and « 05:22:09:12 Off » (1993) break through the classical Front formula to bring in new vocalists, live guitars and drums, along with a new producer, Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Sonic Youth). This begins redistributing roles and rules within the group, while retaining the scope of invention and the radical attitude that goes along with Front 242’s music.
During a 4 year hiatus (1993-1997), the band releases the albums « Live Code », recorded during their last world tour, and « Mut@ge – Mix@ge », a compilation album where The Prodigy, The Orb, Underworld, Rico Conning and others propose innovative mixes of Front 242 tracks.
The 4 original members of the band reunite in 1997 and, with German drummer Tim Kroker, start performing live again. Several live albums follow, capturing the energy and reflecting the numerous changes brought in by the versions being performed on stage.
After a long studio absence, the EP « Still & Raw » and the Album « Pulse » come out in 2003. These records, based on aesthetics of the 70’s and 80’s. Here, Front242 re-creates the original sound that was at the center of its art, enriched by 20 years of experience : analogue technologies and vintage machines pulsing into deconstructed tracks where emotion and research are still conveyed by a purely electronic attitude.
Having re-released their backcatalogue in newer, enriched versions, and breaking from the idea that every live campaign must necessarily be preceeded by a new album, Front 242 currently continue playing throughout the world with the same level of intensity, with the same success as ever, followed and cheered by crowds of loyal fans celebrating the band’s uniqueness and renowned integrity.