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Profile
Hennie Bekker is an award winning, multi-platinum selling musician whose
eclectic career spans decades, continents, generations and genres. Best known for his New
Age sound on the SolitudesTM, Kaleidoscope and
Tranquility album series, he was also a creative force behind BKS, one of Canada's most
successful techno/dance bands.
African Roots
Bekker was raised in Mufulira, a Zambian copper mining town 10 miles south
of the Congo border. In those early years, he was captivated by the symphonic sounds of
the African wilderness, the haunting harmonies of tribal chanting and the rhythmic
dialogue of drummers communicating between camps at sundown. He is a self-taught pianist
who had his professional debut at age 15, spending the next decade performing with various
bands throughout Zambia, Zaire, Zimbabwe and Kenya. His success as a fusion-jazz musician
and band leader elevated him to become the musical director for one of South Africa's
largest record companies. Here, he added scores of film, television, radio and commercial
music to his list of career accomplishments.
London Calling
Bekker brought his musical skills to London, England, where he, along with
producer Emil Zoghby, arranged, conducted and produced albums for such notable artists as
Freddie Cole, Magna Carta and Stanley Black.
Oh Canada
In 1987, Bekker emigrated to Canada where he concentrated on commercial
work and recorded over twenty instrumental albums for stock-music companies. This
experience led him to SolitudesTM, where he composed
ambient melodies to compliment Dan Gibson's nature sounds. The two collaborated on the
first fourteen Exploring Nature With Music albums, a highly successful series that has
sold gold, platinum, double platinum and triple platinum volumes.
Serenity Now
Having established himself as a top Easy Listening composer, Bekker went on
to compose, arrange and produce a solo series of soothing, meditative, nature inspired
albums. In the Kaleidoscope and Tranquility series, he applied his signature style to
original songs that captured the essence of a mood, memory or season as well as
interpretations of familiar classics, carols and lullabies. His renowned African
Tapestries series pays homage to his homeland, an expedition of World music interwoven
with sounds from his roots.
Rave Reviews
Bekker's versatility is demonstrated by his innovative techno work with the
band BKS, which produced a string of progressive hits popular in the contemporary club
scene. Collaborating with Greg Kavanagh and Chris Sheppard, Bekker and his electronic
wizardry struck a chord with DJ's and the youth market as they toured North America and
climbed the Billboard dance charts. Among other accolades, BKS's Astroplane won the 1997
Juno award for best dance recording.
Towards 2000
Bekker is a master of musical technology, using the full resources of his
state-of-the-art studio to blend, stretch, layer and enhance his core sounds. He is a
prolific professional who is constantly creating, exploring and recording auditory
portraits that captivate a wide audience. Be it a solo or collaborative effort, an
original or interpretive piece, a conventional or inventive track, Bekker's artistry will
continue to inspire. |
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