Siglo XX

Siglo XX [Special]

Group from Limburg (in fact, they were originally from Genk, the same town as your webmaster) who made gloomy and doomy wave-music all through the eighties. Belgian cold wave band, (Antonio PALERMO, Dirk CHAUVAUX, Erik DRIES and Klaas HOOGERWAARD) active from1979-1989. Their name (which can both be pronounced as Siglo Iks Iks or as Siglo Veinte) stems from an anarchist movement during the Spanish civil war. They were pioneers in independent music (together with bands like Struggler and De Brassers) with their release of a single without a record company "The naked and the death" in 1980. SIGLO XX hail from Genk, a depressed industrial city in Belgium. After the closing of the coal pits, Genk has now a painful present of unemployment, poverty, drug abuse and violence. In that context, there's nothing unusual in a "rock" group stamping their sound with a hard, dark, but also very personal and emotional philosophy.
Their formative years were the years of Punk. And perhaps there you'll find a cause for their headstrong tenacity of doing it in their own way. SIGLO XX refuse to produce music that shys away from looking reality straight in the eye. They've succeeded in imbuing their art with a touch of impressionism that's sadly lacking in a world preferring to whistle only unaffected melodies. SIGLO XX have remained passionate and fascinated, following their own chosen way without losing sleep over fashion or trends. Constantly evolving, the group attracts a growing number of committed fans all over Europe.

In 1980 Siglo XX independantly released their first 7'' single ‘The Naked and the Death’. Things really got rolling two years later with the maxi-single ‘The Art of War’, still a classic and for instance included on a ‘New Wave Club Class.X’ volume. Later they signed to Antler Records which released a few of their albums and maxi’s. Their sound resembled Factory bands like Joy Division and Section 25: cold new wave, with dark basses, moody synths and depressive vocals. Siglo XX sounded probably even rawer than their more famous examples, with sometimes punky guitars. In the mid 80’s a move to Play it Again Sam followed, where three albums
came out. The last was ‘Under A Purple Sky’ in 1989.

SIGLO XX have remained passionate and fascinated, following their own chosen way without losing sleep over fashion or trends. Constantly evolving, the group attracts a growing number of commited fans all over Europe.
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[Discography]

Albums
1982 - The art of war here /or/ here
1983 - Siglo XX
1983 - Dubbel Album
1984 - Some have a laughter
1984 - Live Sides
1985 - Re-release 80-82
2006 - 1980 - 1986

Single's/Ep's
1980 - The Naked And The Death here /or/here
1984 - In The Garden / Silent House
1986 - It's All Over Now
1986 - Till The End Of The Night
1987 - View Of The Weird
1989 - Baby Divine / City In Dust
1989 - Summers Die
2006 - 1980 - 1986 PART-1 /PART-2

Compilations :
1980 - No Big Business
1986 - The Dice Are Rolling
1989 - Antler Tracks 2
1994 - Kult Klassix Vol. 3
1995 - New Wave Club Class-X 5