Ozark Henry is the project of Piet Goddaer. This musician from Kortrijk, son of celebrated classical composer Norbert Goddaer, was the singer/rapper of the group Word before Ozark Henry. Despite a lot of gigs, the group never managed to get a record deal (the only release is a track “Henry Men-She” on “Debuutrock 1995”) and died a subsequent silent death. At home in his living room, Goddaer and his friend Filip Tanghe, were also busy fiddling with computers and synthesizers. A few of these experiments landed on the table of record firm Method (Double T) that offered the group a contract.
The debut became “I’m seeking something that has already found me”, in 1996. The record was recorded in the “Ozark Henry Living Room”, but was produced in the Synsound studio’s by another electronic guru: Telex-man Dan Lacksman. The result was a multi-layered cd that was received well in the press. The originality of the music was proven by the multitude of comparisons that were found to classify it in the press: Tricky, Scott Walker, The The, Soul Coughing, Bowie, John Zorn, Frank Zappa, Moby, Gavin Friday (perhaps nowadays Dead Man Ray would also have been mentioned …)
In Knack, Jan Delvaux reviewed the record as follows : “Ozark Heny fits in the series of clever belgian recyclists (dEUS, Evil Superstars, Vaya Con Dios …) that surprise the world more and more often. The mission of this duo is situated in dance-related areas, although the apparent traces of rap, acid jazz, jungle, triphop and techno are nothing but a vague first coating. On top of this come strange noises and very complicated song-structures full of surprising twists and turns.