Klinik

Belgian pioneers of ebm and minimalist electro-industrial. Also known as The Klinik. See also Dive, Sonar, Monolith.

In 1985, Verhaeghen joined forces with two other bands, Absolute Body Control (with Dirk Ivens and Eric van Wonterghem), and "The Maniacs" (Sandy Nys) to form one "super group" Absolute Controlled Clinical Maniacs. This rather unwieldy name was soon dropped in favour of the shorter name "The Klinik". Nys soon left the band to form Hybryds, followed in 1987 by van Wonterghem, leaving The Klinik as the "classic" duo of Dirk Ivens and Marc Verhaeghen.

The Klinik soon made a name for themselves with their cold and harsh ebm sound and their live shows, where both Ivens and Verhaeghen performed with their heads wrapped in gauze, wearing long black leather coats. Ivens' hissing vocals and minimalist lyrics were complemented by Verhaeghen's synthesizer skills and distorted trombone playing (the latter giving the music a slightly feverish sound). This however, did not last forever; after Time, an album neither member was fully pleased with, musical differences became too great, and they decided to go their separate ways.

Ivens concentrated on his own project Dive, and Verhaeghen continued as Klinik; sometimes as a solo project, sometimes with various other members. Recently, Klinik is a Verhaeghen solo project, making mostly instrumental dark ambient techno.

Most Klinik members have also been active outside the band. Ivens has been in bands such as Absolute Body Control, Dive, Sonar, and Blok 57; Eric van Wonterghem played with Ivens in Absolute Body Control, and has later been part of or collaborating with bands such as Insekt, Monolith, Dive and Sonar. Sandy Nys formed Hybryds around his departure in 1986, a project which is still active.

Verhaeghen has been involved in several projects outside Klinik, including Noise Unit (with Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly), D.Sign (with Philippe and Eliane Fichot of Die Form), X10 (with Niki Mono, Marc Ickx of A Split Second and Vidna Obmana), and Para (with his own wife Sabine Voss).

Ivens and Verhaeghen briefly reunited for a few concerts in 2003/2004, one of which was released as a CD in September 2004.

Klinik is also a finnish christian rock band.