Two Man Sound

Known for their blend of disco and Brazilian music, the Belgian trio Two Man Sound, formed in Brussels in 1971, consists of Lou Deprijck and Sylvain Vanholme (ex-Wallace Collection) on vocals and guitars, and Yvan Lacomblez aka "Pipou" on percussion. After two Latin-oriented albums, Rubo Negro (1972) and Vini Vini (1973), international success came with the next, Charlie Brown (1976), featuring the song of the same name, a discotheque hit that ranked No. 1 in Belgium for five weeks and No. 7 in Germany. After the release of Oye Como Va in 1977, the Disco Samba album included a new European hit, a medley of original tracks by Lou Deprijck and Brazilian classics by Jorge Ben, Edu Lobo, Ary Barroso or Antonio Carlos and Jocafi, which appeared in several European charts ten years later (No. 8 in Belgium). In the U.S., "Capital Tropical" reached No. 11 in the Billboard club charts, while "Que Tal America", also played in discos, reached No. 46 in the U.K. in 1979. The driving force behind this popularity was Lou Deprijck, who had already formed a new band, Lou and the Hollywood Bananas, in 1978, by the time the final Two Man Sound album was released two years later. He also became famous for composing the punk pastiche "Ça plane pour moi" (No. 1 in France and No. 8 in the UK) for Plastic Bertrand, with lyrics by Yvan Lacomblez, which have since been covered by a host of artists. Long before, in 1969, Sylvain Vanholme had contributed to the composition of the Wallace Collection hit "Daydream " (no. 1 in Belgium and no. 3 in France). Numerous Two Man Sound compilations were released after its disbandment, including Disco Samba (The Best Of...) in 1990 and Samba Megamix in 2006. After living in Thailand, Lou Deprijck died in Brussels of septicemia on September 19, 2023, aged 77.