The old cliche about the supposed difficulty involved in naming five famous Belgians has always said more about the ignorance of Britain to its continental neighbours than any lack of accomplishment on the part of Flanders and Wallonia. Jokes about The Singing Nun and Plastic Bertrand are still common currency on this side of the channel but Belgium's contribution to continental pop, particularly in the field of dance music, has been phenomenal.

Half the country may speak Dutch and the other half French, with separate charts for each region, but that hasn't hindered the development of a music scene distinct from either of its counterparts across the border. Although divided by language, Belgium gives every indication of being united by dry humour and a willingness to embrace new sounds which, in combination, have kept it in Europe's pop elite for five decades. Here are 10 clips, from chanson to hip-hop, that show the country at its sparkling best.

Jacques Brel – Amsterdam (1964)

Despite being one of the most electrifying performers of his era, Jacques Brel is perversely better known in the English-speaking world through covers of his songs. Perhaps the greatest marker of his genius is how many legendary stars have fallen short in their attempts to replicate his work. From David Bowie to Scott Walker, many of pop's most iconic voices have sounded bloodless next to the searing source material. With the same eye for visceral detail as a Frans Snyders painting, Amsterdam's tale of sailors on shore leave glistens with sweat and other bodily fluids.

Adamo – Inch Allah (1967)

The modern pop-chanson of singers such as Lara Fabian remains one of Belgium's biggest exports but nobody has ever been able to replicate the extraordinary commercial success of Sicilian-born Salvatore Adamo – almost unknown in the UK despite selling a reported 100m records worldwide. Conceived as a plea for reconciliation after the Six Day War, at a time when most of Europe's floppy-haired troubadours were preoccupied with Vietnam, Inch Allah was as powerful a ballad as the 60s peace movement delivered. As it was widely banned throughout the Middle East for being perceived as too sympathetic to Israel, the effectiveness of its message was presumably limited.

Telex – Moskow Discow (1979)

In comparison to its nearest neighbours, Belgium played a relatively minor role in the first waves of punk and disco but acts such as Telex and Snowy Red helped pioneer the early synth-pop movement that fused the bare-essentials discipline of the former with the dancefloor readiness of the latter. Where Gary Numan had studied seriousness and Giorgio Moroder sleek leather and chrome perfectionism, Telex offered a very Belgian deadpan humour. Although most famous for being the first group to deliberately try to come last at Eurovision, an effort foiled by a rogue 10 points from Portugal, their finest three minutes can be found on 1979's superb single Moscow Discow.

Lio – Sage Comme Une Image (1980)

Even though Telex's commercial appeal was limited, their protege Lio gave Belgium a superstar to rival any France had to offer. Having played the bratty teenager on novelty electro hit Le Banana Split, she switched to sophisticated disco-pop for the sparkling Sage Comme Une Image, warning potential suitors that she was as flawless and unapproachable as the glossy pictures on record sleeves. Currently a judge on Belgium's version of The Voice, which seems a little unfair given that we're lumbered with Jessie J, she remains popular across Francophone Europe. Her younger sister, the equally wonderful Helena Noguerra, sings with Nouvelle Vague.

The Honeymoon Killers – Decollage (1982)

With Brussels home to Crammed Discs, one of the most exciting independent record labels in Europe, Belgium's rock scene has always had more to boast about than pale copies of US trends in the mould of dEUS and K's Choice. There are few better examples than the Honeymoon Killers – a band whose combination of indie pop, jazz and African influences echoed the pioneering spirit of Talking Heads without ever lapsing into imitation. Decollage, from their outstanding debut album Les Tueurs De La Lune De Miel, has the slinky, sinister elegance of a panther.

Front 242 – Take One (1984)

The common thread running through acts as varied as Rammstein and Lady Gaga, EBM merged the industrial noise of Throbbing Gristle with austere German electro to form an aggressive new style perfectly suited to raves in burnt-out Mitteleuropean warehouses or, at a push, goth night at the Camden Palace. The genre's founding fathers Front 242, who borrowed the term "electronic body music" from Kraftwerk's Ralf Hütter to describe their innovative 1984 album No Comment, have a strong claim to being the most influential Belgians since Brel. Pulsing single Take One captured them at their early peak.

Clouseau – Daar Gaat Ze (1990)

Given how few bands from the Netherlands seem prepared to sing in Dutch, it shouldn't come as an enormous surprise to find that Flemish performers also tend to favour English over the native language of Flanders. One of the most successful exceptions has been Clouseau who have been a standard bearer for Vlaams-pop for more than 25 years with gentle MOR hits such as the beguiling Daar Gaat Ze. The group incurred the wrath of the far-right Flemish separatist movement by releasing bilingual unity anthem Leve België during a period of elevated political tension that would see the country go 18 months without an officially elected government.

Pleasure Game – Le Dormeur (1991)

Influenced by acid house and the industrial electro of Front 242, the new beat style that became the country's trademark in the late 80s offered a darker, harder alternative to the Italian-inspired Euro dance that dominated the rest of the continent. In contrast to the dated schoolboy smut of more celebrated compatriots Lords of Acid, a group better suited to suburban fetish conventions and creepy fan-made anime tribute videos than contemporary club play, the early hits of the exceptional Pleasure Game sound as fresh as they did in 1991. Booming single Le Dormeur sits alongside Technotronic's timeless Pump Up the Jam as one of the greatest dance records Belgium, and Europe, has ever produced.

Lasgo – Something (2001)

Driven more by a standard musical formula than by personality, European trance acts have a tendency to blend into one indistinguishable mass in the minds of many pop fans. It's perfectly possible to be familiar with the songs without knowing the names of the artists or to be familiar with the names of the artists without realising what an enormous percentage of them come from Belgium. From Milk Inc to Ian van Dahl, maudlin vocals and rudimentary synth arpeggios have been the country's primary route into the British charts for more than 10 years. Lasgo's stirring Something, although firmly adhering to the template, packs more of an emotional punch than most of its competitors put together.

Baloji – Tout Ceci Ne Vous Rendra Pas Le Congo (2007)

Belgium's rule of Congo was marked by such brutal inhumanity it even managed to draw the disapproval of the British, and the legacy of the colonial era is still being played out in the war-torn African state today. Nobody is better placed to explore the complicated relationship between the two countries than Belgium's large Congolese diaspora. Arguing that a mixture of internal division and international exploitation has left the nation of his birth as plagued by horror as it was under King Leopold, Antwerp rapper Baloji brings a righteous fire to the astonishing Tout Ceci Ne Vous Rendra Pas Le Congo. An established star in Belgium and gaining attention internationally, he plays Gilles Peterson's Traction festival in London on 14 July and his first headline UK shows in November.