Video Kids
Dutch Euro disco duo with a spacepecker mascot.
Video Kids were a Dutch Euro disco duo active in the mid-1980s, best known for their single "Woodpeckers from Space". The group consisted of Peter Slaghuis and Bianca Bonelli, and their songs were written and produced by the members of Catapult under pseudonyms. They were short-lived, releasing only two albums, yet achieved notable commercial success.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Rijnsaterwoude, Netherlands
- Genre
- Euro disco
- Years active
- 1984–1988
- Label
- Break Records
- Replay Records
- Cat Music & More
Facts from the source article.
History
The members of the Dutch glam rock band Catapult—Aart Mol, Cees Bergman, Erwin van Prehn, Geertjan Hessing, and later Elmer Veerhoff—had hits in the 1970s such as "Let Your Hair Hang Down" and "Teeny Bopper Band". As their popularity waned, they sought to make music in different styles but faced resistance from Dutch radio and television due to their Leiden dialect. Following advice from DJ Willem van Kooten, they began writing and producing for other artists. In 1977 they formed Cat Music in Hazerswoude-Rijndijk, creating Rubberen Robbie and recording as The Monotones, which scored a hit in Germany and the Netherlands with "Mono". In the 1980s they set up a new studio in Rijnsaterwoude, where they wrote for Tower and André Hazes and began producing breakdance, hip hop and Italo disco. After hearing illegal records of Italian dance projects and Hi-NRG artists in a compact disc store owned by Gert van den Bosch, they used electronic instruments to create legal sound-alikes. Using pseudonyms like Adams & Fleisner and Tony Acardi, they formed fictional bands whose members were models and dancers lip-syncing to songs sung by Bergman, Hessing and session performers. These projects included Fantastique, Gazuzu, Polysix, Digital Emotion, and others, released on labels such as Dureco Benelux and Boni Records (via its sublabel Break Records), founded by Van den Bosch and Jan van Nieuwkoop in 1982.
Legacy
"Woodpeckers from Space" has seen numerous covers and remixes over the years, with versions by Café Society in 1985, Doctor Pecker and Aleksandr Kalyanov (as "Karabas-Barabas") in 1986, The Smurfs in 1995, V-Kid in 1999, Evelyn in 2001, Spritneybears in 2003, Cirez D in 2004, and Kidz Hitz Party 2: Back To School in 2007. The song also appeared in a Pingu episode, but that version was later swapped for a Flemish Dutch cover of David Hasselhoff's "Pingu-Dance" by Chris Van Tongelen.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Video Kids active?
Video Kids was active from 1984 to 1988.
Which record labels has Video Kids released music on?
Video Kids has released music on Break Records, Replay Records and Cat Music & More.
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