Nacht und Nebel were a Belgian new wave band, founded by Patrick Nebel, best known for their hit single " Beats of Love". The group earned four Top 20 hits in Belgium in 1984 and 1985, before disbanding in 1986 due to Nebel's death.

Career

Patrick Nebel was born Patrick Marina Schools on 23 November 1958 in

Merksem Merksem (; former spelling: ''Merxem'') is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It has 44,808 inhabitants as of 2021. History The history of Merksem goes back to Gallo-Roman times. During that perio ...

and formed the band in the early 1980s. The name was a pun on

Nacht und Nebel ''Nacht und Nebel'' (German: ), meaning Night and Fog, was a directive issued by Adolf Hitler on 7 December 1941 targeting political activists and resistance "helpers" in the territories occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II, who were to ...

(

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: "Night and Fog") – the directive designed by

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

which resulted in the kidnapping and

forced disappearance An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...

of most enemies of the

Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. After releasing a four-track EP ''Alcatraz'' in 1981, the band debuted with the album ''Casablanca'' in 1982, which met with good reviews but not a commercial success. The band's next album, ''Beats of Love'', was released in 1983 to positive reviews and featured the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous track that was to become their biggest hit. The single " Beats of Love" reached the Top 3 in Belgium in 1984 and sold 150,000 copies in Belgium and France. Their next single, "Étoile du Nord", was a Top 20 hit in Belgium. It was followed by "Table for Two", a single credited to Patrick Nebel solo, which was only a moderate success. Nacht und Nebel's third and final studio album, ''Victoria 2000'', was released in 1985. It featured the singles "Ready to Dance" and "Victoria 2000" which peaked in the local chart at no. 14 and 12 respectively. Both songs did prove to be a larger success in the clubs. Nebel was greatly

overweight Being overweight or fat is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is especially common where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. , excess weight reached epidemic proportions globally, with mo ...

and was treated in a

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. He was also addicted to alcohol and

prescription drug A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The rea ...

s, and suffered from

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...

. That combination proved fatal and on 15 March 1986 Patrick Nebel died in

Ekeren Ekeren () is a northern district of the municipality of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The suburb celebrated its 850th birthday in 2005; the name of the town was first mentioned in 1155, as "Hecerna". The name possibly originates from ...

. The band subsequently dissolved, but released a compilation in 1986, ''Songs for Ever''.

Discography

Source:

Studio albums

* ''Casablanca'' (1982, Antler) * ''Beats of Love'' (1983, Antler) * ''Victoria 2000'' (1985, Vogue)

Compilations

* ''This Is/This Was'' (1984, Antler) * ''Songs for Ever'' (1986, Antler/Carrere) * ''Essential'' (2005,

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Music Belgium)

Singles

* "Movoco Synthaca" (1982, Laguna) * "Zafari" (1983, Antler) * " Beats of Love" (1983, Antler/Vogue) * "Etoile du Nord" (1984, Antler) * "Ready to Dance" (1985, Antler) * "Victoria 2000" (1985, Vogue)

Band members

* Patrick Marina Nebel (born Patrick Marina Schools) –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

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 ...

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 ...

* Fil Ijzerdraad (born Fil van der Auwera) –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Albano Bentano (born Alban Bentein) –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Patrick Pattyn –

References

{{Authority control 1981 establishments in Belgium 1986 disestablishments in Belgium Belgian new wave musical groups Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1986