Divan & the House of Quoi

THE VAMPIRE TAPES - Track by track

To be around you (2006) 

» A song I recorded in 2006, when Divan was the name of my band. With my fellow musicians Dago, Ward, Sigert and Wouter, we played a few years together and recorded 1 EP in 2004. Sweet memories! Afterwards, we started working on new songs, like this poprock'ish 'To be around you', a song about knowing you have to leave someone although you love him deeply. 

The do's & don'ts of dating Dorian Gray (2009) 

» When I studied at the Rockacademy in Tilburg, The Netherlands (from 2001 'til 2006), I met producers Tom van der Heijden and Niels Hahn. We combined our love for electro, synths, fuzzy guitars and electronics to start The Go Go Prophecy. Managed by Wendy Vanleeuw, the band played several clubs and festivals, like Suikerrock, Amsterdam Dance Festival, 10 Days Off, several obscure places in Wallonia and La Fleche d'Or in Paris. This particular song was a demo, making quirky jokes about the obsessions for eternal beauty, named after the well known novel 'The picture of Dorian Gray' by icon Oscar Wilde. 

Despite the facts (1997) 

» The oldest song on The Vampire Tapes is this 1997 demo. During my teenage years, I wrote a lot of poetry and songs to find a place for my sadness. Art was - and still is - my companion through the darkest hours. The death of my father when I was a kid became a recurring theme in my teenage writings. You hear some kind of resignation in my teenage voice, a feeling I cherished throughout the rest of my life. 

Welcome 'round my bonfire (1999) 

» Written on piano, later turned into this demo in my student house in Ghent, Belgium, in 1999. With my friend Servaas Bingé on electric guitar. 'Welcome 'round my bonfire' later became the title of a live album I recorded in 2001. It's a song about coming together, about love being shared. Kinda hippie, I guess. Kinda what I needed back then (and maybe I still do...). 

It takes a lot of drinks (2001) 

» Taken from that live album, this song about drinking alcohol sounds a little cabaret esque. Funny detail: I didn't drink any alcohol back then, so the whole vibe was made up by observation. 

Cool to have you here (2006) 

» The band Divan often used this song to start a concert, welcoming all who showed up. The lyrics are playful and a bit suggestive. When I found this demo, it reminded me what a great group of musicians I had to play my songs with. All of them still play music, on a professional level. 

Original Sin (2008) 

» A cover of one of my favorite songs, 'Original Sin' by INXS. It worked perfectly during live concerts, so we decided to make a recording of it, which stayed on the shelf for more than a decade, until now. Niels and Tom did some great instrumental and producing work, as always. One day, we should do a little reunion. Go back to that barn in the harbor of Harlem or that cabin in the woods around Tilburg, stay there to write and record without a notion of time. Who knows... 

I love you 50-50 (2004) 

» Together with my longtime friend Gerhardt (check out his music on Spotify!), I played this song early in the morning at the Radio 2 studio in my hometown Ghent, promoting some concerts Gerhardt and I were about to play in the following days. I think it's still a catchy song. Maybe we should make a 2022 version of it, what do you think, G.?  

My hurricane of love (2001) 

» Recorded live in 2001, this ballad described quite literally my first time being in love. I was sixteen, in the South of France, with the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. The knowledge he was straight couldn't stop the things I felt, the fact that he kissed me didn't help to think rationally... The inevitable end was a mixture of feelings. Gratitude for the adventures we had, tears for what was never to come back. Still love to sing this song live.  

Muse me, amuse me (2004) 

» For years, this was the closing song of my live sets, solo or as a band. '"Love songs for straight guys, chapter 57..." I teased him with this song, covering it with details only he understands.  

Glittering (2004) 

» Taken from the 2004 Divan EP 'Take me home', this song is about comfort, about making peace with how things are.