The death has been announced of Peter Renkens, frontman of the iconic Belgian newbeat band the Confetti’s. During the Eighties the band conquered the world with their hit “The Sound of C”. Renkens died at the age of 55.
Peter was a barman in the Confetti’s disco in Brasschaat (Antwerp) in the Eighties. The song and video clip were initially meant as a promotional stunt for the discotheque, but the New Beat creation took the band to the top of the charts.
New beat is a Belgian electronic dance music genre that fuses elements of new wave, hi-NRG, EBM and hip hop. It flourished in Western Europe during the late-1980s.
“It was phenomenal the way Peter fronted the song” says producer Dominic Sas. “It had been recorded in a bedroom, but in the disco, it got everybody dancing. 165,000 records were sold in Belgium in no time”.
“The Sound of C” was also an international success with half a million copies being sold in France. Across the globe a million records were sold.
The band had further success with “C in China”, “C’day” and “Put ‘m Up”. The Confetti’s also toured the globe but split up in 1992. Singer Peter opted for a life outside the limelight. From an early age he had suffered psychological issues. The cause of his death has not been made public.