Praga Khan

Maurice Joseph Francois Engelen (born 7 January 1959), known by his stage name Praga Khan,^[1] is a Belgian techno and, originally, new beat musician. Khan is considered one of the leading pioneers of the Belgian originated new beat/rave/hardcore electronic dance music scene. Khan has also contributed to the theatrical scene with his musical collaborations in The Next Dimension and Code Red.

Overview

In the late 1980s, he teamed up with Jade 4U (Nikkie van Lierop) and Olivier Adams to form the Lords of Acid (also known under various pseudonyms such as Channel X, Digital Orgasm and MNO).^[3] Khan's most famous solo work was "Injected with a Poison" (1992). The single "Free Your Body / Injected with a Poison", by Praga Khan featuring Jade 4U, reach #16 in the UK top40. "Rave Alert" also reach the charts (#39).

In the same year, Channel X's "Rave the Rhythm" was included in the soundtrack for Basic Instinct, after director Paul Verhoeven had by chance heard the track in a New York City disco during the shooting. After this, other tracks were included into other movies, including Sliver, Virtuosity, Strange Days and Bad Lieutenant. He also composed the soundtrack for the video game, Mortal Kombat, with Olivier Adams as The Immortals.^[4]

With the release of the CD 21st Century Skin in 1999, Khan became a major music act in his home country, with singles such as "Breakfast in Vegas", "Luv U Still" (Pragamatic) and "Lonely". The album sold more than 25,000 copies. This earned him a place at Rock Werchter, where he performed live.

At the end of 1999, Khan performed in the United States for the first time (as an opener for Lords of Acid, with the same musicians), and they released the album Mutant Funk in the same year. The album rapidly climbed the charts spending two weeks at No. 2 in the Belgian album chart. The band performed at Werchter again, this time as headliners on the big stage of the first day. They were the first Belgian band to achieve this. The album was a success including hits like "Power of the Flower," "Sayonara Greetings" and "Love."

Praga Khan also appeared as a judge on X Factor.

In June 2010, Khan announced that the Lords of Acid project would be touring the US during July and August 2010, bringing along their friends, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, for what was being billed as the "Sextreme Ball".^[5] Although the Lords of Acid had indicated that there was a dispute over the ownership of some of their "official" websites, Khan began using his personal and professional social media accounts, to help raise awareness of the tour.

January 2013 marks the return of Khan with a new album Soulsplitter and a concert at Ancienne Belgique (with support by Psy'Aviah) to celebrate their 25 years on stage.

Praga Khan announced via his Twitter that his 10th album MindSnatcher would be released on March 31, 2015,^[6][7][8][9] but the album was delayed due to the re-establishment of Praga Khan's second studio. The new album was renamed MindGames is now to be released on October 27th, 2016.^[10]

Discography

Praga Khan Studio albums

• A Spoonful of Miracle (1993)
• Conquers Your Love (1996)
• Pragamatic (1998)
• Twenty First Century Skin (1999)
• Mutant Funk (2000)
• Freakazoids (2002)
• Electric Religion (2004)
• Soundscraper (2006)
• Soulsplitter (2013)
• MindGames (2016)

Other Works

Praga Khan has recorded material with Olivier Adams and Nikkie Van Lierop (Jade 4U) frequently simultaneously. These names include, but are not limited to, Digital Orgasm, The Immortals, Lords of Acid and MNO.

References

External links

• Praga Khan website
• Praga Khan Dutch website