Mambo Chillum:
Mambo Chillum is more than one of the beautiful songs that was made by the blueslegend John Borrow Hooker: it is also a fantastic Belgian group that mixes Blues and Mambo to an unique musical cocktail.

Just before the split of Mambo Chillum they produced a full-CD as a beautiful ‘farewell’ present.
A grubby CD full of zumpy blues. Snuffs of jazz and mambo are the pepper and the salt on it.

They already made a promosingle-CD with two numbers: ’Morning Light’, a cheerfully swinging track with a snuff of jazz and a potential summerhit; and ‘Tonight My God’, a rather rough rocknumber, where John Spencer could learn something from. These two songs are written for a public, that does not matter about the lastest fashion or trend.

Musicians: Fred Verhaegen (vocals, harmonium) "Super Bruno" De Groote (guitars) Frederik Van Den Berghe (drums) Kristiaan "Boss" Bosschaerts (bass)

Internationals:
This is an instrumental band, that plays the Jamaican SKA-sound in Belgium as no other band can. In 1998 Internationals modestly began with four members, but they slowly grew into a not-so-modest group of 8 members. It took some time before the eight champions had found each other. ‘Champions’ because the members played or still play in renowned acts as Mambo Chillum, El Tatoo del Tigre, Seatsniffers, Skyblasters and Son de Luxe.
In the traces of the Jamaican heroes of their genre, they bring a very own mix of jazz, R&B and all kinds of exotica, poured with their own SKA groove and played with an infinite enthousiasm.

In the spring of 2001 a new chapter in the history of the Internationals was written. Five numbers were immortalized on their first mini CD 'Fun-kee ara-bee'.
The music of Internationals is just perfect to listen to, as well as to shake your bud. Everywhere the Internationals play, a spontaneous party begins.
Also The Skatalites, the ‘oldest’ group of the genre, dared at that time in the legendary Studio One produce some fierce cries, special effects and other things; while the rhythm section and the blazers imperturbably remain to play. That remains the great attraction of SKA in all its appearances, from The Specials till No Doubt and the several groups that played this music since the 60s.

The Internationals and The Skatalites have a real contrabass player: ‘I have a blues background,’ says Kristiaan 'Boss’ Bosschaerts, ‘and ska is pure blues for me. Just endlessly remaining the same chord. Lovely!’ Bosschaerts is very satisfied with the sound on the cd, and thus also with the production of Tops and Revalk. ‘The recording is done with the computer, almost in one take, with one microphone for the four blazers, as we did at the rehearsal. We rehearsed very well before we started the recording in the studio, and so we were able to record the whole album in one day. The Wizards have connected their analogous equipment by way of a special plug, and added some effects. The new millennium has his rights, but it must remain a living sound, fresh and crispy’.
Just like the music of The Skatalites, when they were young, and in honor of the Jamaican independence they created a whole new genre of music. ‘Ska is the base, but we really want to experiment. With well worked out vocals, with other Caribian and Latin-American rhythms, even with polkas; or in the studio with the machinery of the Wizards. On the stage we also want to use some more effects. Our mixer dares to play a dub, and often I have a small effect machine for the voice.’

At the moment the repertoire of The Internationals consists of about half of covers from The Skatalites ofcourse, but also from the German orchestra leader Bert Kaempfert (as he was an example for The Skatalites), old bluesboogaloos, the theme from Bonanza, and of other popular, sunny tunes from the 50s and 60s.

Musicians: Lieven Declercq: drums Denis Dellaert: guitar Kristiaan Bosschaerts: contrabass Roel Jacobs: tenor sax Hans Schroeven: tenor sax Junior Mthombeni: percussion Luc van Tilborgh: bugel & trombone Dirk Timmermans: trumpet