Hypnos 69 (Belgium)

mystic fred wrote: can you add a bit more info - why should this band be included in PA, what makes them Prog? which genre would they fit into etc, also some links/ sound samples would help.

When Steve and Dave Houtmeyers decide in the summer of '94 to found a band with Tom Vanlaer, also the story of a band that would bring new life to the '60s and '70s psychedelic underground rock-scene of today began: HYPNOS 69

The name was appropriatly taken from the ancient Greek god of Sleep and Subconsciousness. The number 69 stands for equilibrium and stability; properties that can be retrieved in the marked sound of the band.

Thanks to the cooperation with Orange Factory, Hypnos 69 developed a very powerful live-reputation, which placed them at the top of the contemporary psychedelic rockscene.

2000: First Hypnos 69 release on the Belgian RocknRollRadio-recordlabel entitled "Wherever Time has shared it's Trust" on blue 10"EP vinyl.

The first full-cd appeared also on RocknRollRadio in 2002 entitled "Timeline Traveller" and contains bad ass heavy 70's rock. This cd gave Hypnos 69 a lot of attention from radiostations and magazines from all around the world. The band toured in Germany, Holland, France and Czech Republic.

When the band in 2003 presents their second full cd "Promise of a New Moon", Steven Marx was introduced into Hypnos' wall of sound. From being a guestmusician he rapidly became a part of the live-set and a brand new member of the band.

In October 2004 the band presents their third full cd "The Intrigue of Perception", along with a split 10"EP with their German soulmates Colour Haze on Elektrohasch Records. Once again, the band took the best aspects of rock over the past 30 years and refined them into a sound of their own.

Over the past years Hypnos 69 acquired a loyal following wherever they appeared live across Europe and one of the band's greatest thrills to date has been the number of venues which immediately requested their return and the new fans who instantly fell in love with the band.

Hypnos 69 played hundreds of gigs in Belgium and around, visited some of Europe's finest rock clubs and outdoor & indoor rock festivals including Roadburn 10th Anniversary (013, Tilburg), Swamp Room Mania (Hamburg), Psychedelic Avengers Festival (Berlin), Stoned from the underground (Erfurt), Sauzpif rocks (Austria).

The band and musicians have been invited to perform with respected musicians as Ed Mundell (Monster Magnet), Gary Arce (The Sort of Quartet, Yawning Man), Alfredo Hernandez (QOTSA, Kyuss, Yawning Man) and Rich Mullins (Karma to Burn, Yearlong Disaster).

New album "The Eclectic Measure" (autumn 2006 on Elektrohasch Records) is the band’s last communal effort, it’s a record that totally fits and it’s a lot darker then its predecessors. Sadly, the release of this album coincided with the temporarely demise of the band, although since the summer of 2007, HYPNOS 69 performs again and have the intention to make more records.

Hypnos 69 is:
Steve Houtmeyers: electric & acoustic guitars, vocals, theremin, space echo
Tom Vanlaer: bass, Moog Taurus, Hammond, Fender Rhodes
Dave Houtmeyers: drums, percussion, timpanis, glockenspiel, KorgMS20, MS50, SQ10
Steven Marx: tenor & bariton saxophone, Fender Rhodes, Hammond, mellotron, clarinet.