Biography
Electronic System served as one of multiple recording identities for Belgian musician Dan Lacksman, who gained lasting recognition as a founding member of the pioneering synth-pop outfit Telex. During the opening years of the 1970s the project issued a string of albums devoted chiefly to instrumental renderings of current pop material, performed on Moog synthesizers together with acoustic guitars and drums. The 1977 release Disco Machine marked a shift toward the emerging space-disco aesthetic.
Born Daniel Pierre Lanckmans in Werl, Germany, in 1950, the artist took up piano at age twelve and soon formed an ensemble with fellow students. After completing secondary school he trained as a recording engineer and secured a position as tape operator at a Brussels studio. In 1970 he purchased an EMS VCS 3 synthesizer and began integrating the instrument into his work. Under the name Dan Lacksman he issued the self-titled 1973 album of whimsical psychedelic folk-pop, while the prior year’s Flamenco Moog, credited to Dan Lacksman Association, presented instrumental versions of “La Bamba” and Gershon Kingsley’s “Popcorn,” the latter newly popularized worldwide by Hot Butter.
Lacksman maintained a steady output of electronic pop instrumentals throughout the decade, most often under the Electronic System banner yet also reissued via such variants as Discotheque Sound and Electronic Butterflies, with considerable overlap in repertoire. After the 1972 debut Coconut, which appeared in multiple editions, came Vol. II in 1973 and Tchip Tchip (Vol. 3) in 1974; the latter contained the fourteen-minute “Skylab,” a gradually unfolding, atmospheric piece that later acquired cult status. Following that album and the aptly titled Hits 74!, Electronic System resurfaced in 1977 with Disco Machine, a wholly synthesized disco album reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder or Space. The record attracted dance-music collectors, and the Chemical Brothers later incorporated one of its tracks into their 2002 single “Star Guitar.”
Electronic System’s final single, “Sweet Whistle,” arrived in 1978, the same year Lacksman helped establish Telex. The group’s first album, Looking for Saint Tropez, appeared in 1979 and yielded the club favorite “Moskow Diskow.” Telex continued recording through the 1980s, exerting influence on new wave, Detroit techno, and the electroclash movement of the early 2000s. Lacksman sustained a busy career as session musician, songwriter, and engineer, collaborating with Thomas Dolby, Sparks, Shirley Bassey, and Étienne Daho. He also explored worldbeat and new-age styles, producing Deep Forest’s multi-million-selling 1992 debut and issuing comparable material under the alias Pangea. Disco Machine was reissued in 2004, while three earlier Lacksman albums, including Vol. II and Tchip Tchip, returned to circulation in 2020.
Born Daniel Pierre Lanckmans in Werl, Germany, in 1950, the artist took up piano at age twelve and soon formed an ensemble with fellow students. After completing secondary school he trained as a recording engineer and secured a position as tape operator at a Brussels studio. In 1970 he purchased an EMS VCS 3 synthesizer and began integrating the instrument into his work. Under the name Dan Lacksman he issued the self-titled 1973 album of whimsical psychedelic folk-pop, while the prior year’s Flamenco Moog, credited to Dan Lacksman Association, presented instrumental versions of “La Bamba” and Gershon Kingsley’s “Popcorn,” the latter newly popularized worldwide by Hot Butter.
Lacksman maintained a steady output of electronic pop instrumentals throughout the decade, most often under the Electronic System banner yet also reissued via such variants as Discotheque Sound and Electronic Butterflies, with considerable overlap in repertoire. After the 1972 debut Coconut, which appeared in multiple editions, came Vol. II in 1973 and Tchip Tchip (Vol. 3) in 1974; the latter contained the fourteen-minute “Skylab,” a gradually unfolding, atmospheric piece that later acquired cult status. Following that album and the aptly titled Hits 74!, Electronic System resurfaced in 1977 with Disco Machine, a wholly synthesized disco album reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder or Space. The record attracted dance-music collectors, and the Chemical Brothers later incorporated one of its tracks into their 2002 single “Star Guitar.”
Electronic System’s final single, “Sweet Whistle,” arrived in 1978, the same year Lacksman helped establish Telex. The group’s first album, Looking for Saint Tropez, appeared in 1979 and yielded the club favorite “Moskow Diskow.” Telex continued recording through the 1980s, exerting influence on new wave, Detroit techno, and the electroclash movement of the early 2000s. Lacksman sustained a busy career as session musician, songwriter, and engineer, collaborating with Thomas Dolby, Sparks, Shirley Bassey, and Étienne Daho. He also explored worldbeat and new-age styles, producing Deep Forest’s multi-million-selling 1992 debut and issuing comparable material under the alias Pangea. Disco Machine was reissued in 2004, while three earlier Lacksman albums, including Vol. II and Tchip Tchip, returned to circulation in 2020.
Albums
Singles
