After a hiatus of ten years, Luc Van Acker (Front 242, Ministry, Revolting Cocks, Arbeit Adelt! et al.) returns with a new single called »It’s Been a While«. He plans to release a single every month until a full album will be out at the end of 2025. »It’s Been a While« comes with two remixes, one by US producer Ken Marshall, known for his video game work and his contribution to Linkin Park, the other by fellow EBM pioneer Dirk Da Davo, who gave us an interview.
skug: Why did Luc Van Acker ask you to make a remix of his come-back single »It’s Been a While«?
Dirk Da Davo: I’ve known Luc for a while now. There were years of silence, which I thought was a shame, until I suddenly got his message out of nowhere: »Would you be interested in making a remix for me?« I respect Luc enormously and I had my answer ready in five seconds: »Of course. It would be a pleasure!«
Did he have special demands or suggestions for this remix, or did he let you do what you wanted?
He didn’t give me a deadline, which put me in a comfort zone. He also didn’t have any special demands. »Do your thing«, was his only message. So Luc just let me do what I wanted.
»It’s Been a While« has been compared to Talking Heads in a review I read. Can you agree with that?
I don’t know. Luc has a strong identity of his own. To me it sounds more like Luc Van Acker who is and remains himself.
There is also a second remix by Ken Marshall. Have you heard it? What do you think of it?
I can certainly identify with that remix. It is also very good, but it is closer to the original in my opinion.
Luc Van Acker currently lives in the Ardennes, and you live in Spain. Why did you both leave Flanders? Did you stay in touch? Do you consider him a friend or a colleague?
Why did Luc move to the Ardennes? No idea, you should ask him yourself… For me Luc is a combination of a friend and a colleague. And I am also a fan. He was on stage with us as a guest for a few tracks during the Neon Judgement farewell tour in 2015, including Ancienne Belgique in Brussels and Pukkelpop. As for myself, I have had an inexplicable bond with Spain since I was a child. I just feel better there. That probably has a lot to do with the mild climate and the somewhat more relaxed mentality as well. When I was 14, people asked me what I wanted to be or do later on. My answer was always: I want to be a musician and live in Spain. It certainly wasn’t easy to achieve that, but I did it!
What are you currently working on? Do you sometimes come to Belgium to play concerts?
I am busy with my Neon Electronics project and currently also with solo recordings under my own name Dirk Da Davo. Neon Electronics has been inactive for a long time after Covid. The energy had gone out of it throughout its history until we received an invitation last year to play at festivals in Barcelona (Ombra) and Madrid (Darkmad). That was more or less the restart after four years of silence. The concerts were a great success, which raised motivation again. I do the project together with Glenn Keteleer (Radical G) and bassist Pieter-Jan Theunis. In January we played the support concert for the farewell tour of Front 242 and in August we will play in Lokeren with Neon Electronics. And in October there is a concert in Northern France. We are also working on a new single. I have a digital label so we basically have everything in our own hands and can do our own thing. I will also release a solo track towards the end of April accompanied by two remixes. One by Formshift and one by Mass Formation Audio. So I am still quite busy.
