Creating musical magic — from Belgium to Inishbofin
Philippe Robrecht was relaxing at home on Inishbofin a couple of weeks ago when he started getting calls and texts from his native Belgium.
The 55-year-old, who’d settled in Bofin with his wife Leen in 2017, was astonished to learn that a song he’d recorded in the early 1990s had featured in a popular talent show in his homeland.
Not only that, but the song, Magie/Magic, then went to number one in the streaming charts there.
This talent show features new interpretation of old songs and these cover versions often hit the charts, he explains. But on this occasion, it was Philippe’s original recording – which had first charted in 1993 – that reached Number 1. The cover version charted too, reaching Number 3.
Philippe, who runs a recording studio and a B&B on Inishbofin, was famous in Belgium in the 1990s, recording nine successful albums with his pop band and gigging extensively. He shared a touring agent with bands including the Levellers and the Pogues.
He’s not sure why his version of Magi went to Number 1 now, but thinks maybe it struck a chord with young people, while there are also lots of fans from the 1990s who “enjoy my music and put a value on the lyrics”. The original was an expensive production, featuring the London Symphony Orchestra and was included on his debut album which sold 25,000 copies.
Whatever the reason, he’s happy, although he’s never cultivated fan clubs.
“I didn’t do recruiting. I hated it.”
Philippe would simply let people know when he’d released an album and after that, it was their choice whether to buy it or not. That’s something he still does today – his latest album, 2020, contains 11 new songs and 11 older ones, including Magi, all with new arrangements.
There’s been a great reaction in Belgium to Magi’s newfound success and he’s done some press and radio there.
“I enjoyed it,” he says with a laugh, adding that sometimes the least work yields the greatest rewards.
“I spend months working on an album, creating songs, rehearsing them, recording them in studio and, on occasion, you might be delighted with the result. This time, I did nothing. It was all because of a cover version.”
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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