The Art of Noise
From: Spin Magazine - July 1997
By: ANDREW BEAUJON

Belgium's dEUS make a case for disorderly conduct.

WHAT DO the Singing Nun, Jacques Brel, and Jean-Claude Van Damme have in common? They're probably the only Belgians who haven't been in dEUS. These revolving-door art rockers from Antwerp might boast more alumni than the DeVry Institute, but that suits frontman Tom Barman just fine. "Do you know any good bands that are stable?" he asks, straining to make himself heard over the din of caterers backstage before a show in Nice. It's no surprise, then, that newbie member Danny Mommens looks puzzled when I pull out a copy of dEUS's first album. "Probably because he's never seen it before," says guitarist Craig Ward, the band's anomalous Scotsman.

Barman, a former squash star (he was third-ranked in Belgium) and street busker, formed dEUS in 1991 with the idea of bringing splatter-paint noise to the Belge-oisie. Their first effort, Worst Case Scenario, went so far as to sample Frank Zappa on the single "Suds & Soda." And their new LP, the frequently magnificent In a Bar, Under the Sea, was produced by Eric Drew Feldman, former keyboardist for Captain Beefheart's Magic Band and PJ Harvey. One track, "Theme from Turnpike," an eerie imaginary travelogue anchored by a Charles Mingus sample, was turned into a short film by Barman that ended up getting shown last year at European screenings of Trainspotting. "The idea for the video was there before the song," explains Barman, who also directs all the band's videos. "And one day I was playing with the sampler and 'Turnpike' came out. So you see, we just do it and then it falls into place." Concurs Ward, "Accidents should be mentioned."

While later tonight dEUS will eclecticize this 4,000-strong Euro-rena to a pulpy mess - Captain Beefheart never shook the pudding like Barman does onstage - right now, hoisting beers backstage, dEUS's principals aren't sure if their beautiful disaster will ever play in Kalamazoo. "Bands only get as big as they do by serving the lowest common denominator," says Ward. "It's too much of a risk." Barman agrees. "Yes, as generic as Bush is...wait! This is not the type of beer on our rider!"