Signal Aout 42

Born in Belgium in the early 1980s, Signal Aout 42 took shape in 1981 around Jacky Meurisse, Damien Vandamme and Luc Vandamme, initially as an improvisational project combining sound collages, mechanical rhythms and industrial atmospheres. Signal Aout 42 later moved toward a more structured songwriting approach where EBM, industrial electronics, new beat, techno, acid and touches of trance intersected, producing a dry, danceable and often dark sound. After the first maxi singles “Pleasure and Crime” and “Girls of Vlaanderen” in 1986, the project released Pro Patria in 1989, then Contrast in 1990 and Conviction in 1993, a period during which Jacky Meurisse also developed several parallel works linked to the Belgian electronic scene. A compilation, Immortal Collection 1983–1995, appeared in 1995 before a long hiatus. Signal Aout 42 resumed activity in the 2000s, now centered on Jacky Meurisse, with Transformation in 2007, Vae Victis in 2010, Inspiration in 2013, Insurrection in 2019 and Ex+Voto in 2023. On stage, Signal Aout 42 reappeared at events such as BimFest in Belgium and Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Germany, continuing a trajectory between historical EBM culture and the more techno-oriented evolutions of European electronic music.