Apotheosis

Techno group from Belgium. They produced their first single, 'O Fortuna', in 1991, which heavily sampled the classical piece 'Carmina Burana' originally composed by Carl Orff. After the song became an underground hit, another Techno act called Fortuna also made their version and both soon entered the club charts in Europe. However, the estate of Carl Orff (who died in 1982) took legal action in court to stop the distribution of the records on the grounds of copyright infringement. Judgment was finallky accorded to the estate. The week the verdict was given (1992), Fortuna featured at #1-position in the Dutch charts "Mega Top 100", while Apotheosis was at #4. Every 12"/CD Single and compilation featuring either Apotheosis or Fortuna versions still on sale were then withdrawn. The only subsisting copies were the ones sold before the verdict, which gave the track a mythical cult status ever since.