Fixkes is a Belgian band from

Stabroek :''Georgetown, Guyana was known as Stabroek prior to 1812.'' Stabroek () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of and Stabroek proper. In 2021, Stabroek had a total population of 18,68 ...

, near

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. The band mixes acoustic pop and

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

in their music. In February 2007, they released their first official single, "Kvraagetaan". The single was a big success in Belgium and reached number 1 in the Belgian

Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization ...

chart.

Band history

In November 2005 Fixkes was formed by Sam and Jan Valkenborgh. The name Fixkes is a nickname that Sam got in his teens. Jan plays the

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, Sam sings and plays

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, he is also the songwriter of the group. The rest of the band's line-up was: Peter Deckers (guitar,

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

), Johan Pauwels (bassguitar) and Bart Palmers (

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

). In January 2007, the band was picked up by the Dutch

Excelsior Recordings Excelsior Recordings is an independent record label located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. History Excelsior was founded by Ferry Roseboom and Frans Hagenaars under the name "Nothing Sucks Like Electrolux", releasing a few limited-run seven inch si ...

. Fixkes released their first single only one month later, in February 2007. The lyrics of "Kvraagetaan" mainly appeal to nostalgic feelings of people in their 30s, who went to primary school in the 1980s (the title is a typical

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

dialect term of that era, which can be roughly translated as "I ask him/her", and refers to a young boy or girl asking another kid to become "engaged", in a

puppy love Puppy love, also known as a crush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and early adolescence. It is an infatuation usually developed by someone's looks and attractiveness at first sight. Such feelings f ...

context). Radio station

Studio Brussel A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial d ...

launched the single as Hotshot. "Kvraagetaan" was released on iTunes reaching number 1 in the Belgian iTunes-charts. In March 2007 it reached number 1 on

remaining on top for a total of 16 weeks breaking the Belgian record for being at the number 1 position. The previous record was 12 weeks. The band has had two more charting hits: "Ongelukkig" again in 2007 reaching number 16 and "Over 't water", the latter a collaboration with

Axelle Red Fabienne Demal (born 15 February 1968), better known by her stage name Axelle Red, is a Belgian singer-songwriter. She has released 11 albums, including '' Sans plus attendre'', '' À Tâtons'', '' Toujours Moi'' and '' Jardin Secret''; she is b ...

reaching number 4.

Discography

Albums

Singles

*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but rather in the bubbling under Ultratip charts.

References

External links

Official website

Myspace
{{Authority control Belgian pop music groups Stabroek