I've read about the famous Dutch anarchist movements of the 60's (the provos) and 70's (the kabouters) and their original and provocative ideas, but that spirit seems completely alien to the country I've been living in during the last decade. I hear some of the old activists have drifted toward the GroenLinks party, which recently had a great showing in the national elections, becoming the biggest "Left" party in the parliament with 14 seats (out of 150). If so, I'm disappointed. That party has a benign and level-headed profile, but isn't radical at all. I did meet some Dutch anarchists though, when the occupy movement created a rare stirring in this usually politically apathetic country. At some time we were also invited to their squat. Now, I'm not a stranger to squats: I've been in and out a number of political ones in Athens -most notably the (in)famous Villa Amalia- and of course did the obligatory pilgrimage to the Tacheles artists' squat in Berlin when I visited that city. But the Dutch one really surprised me: these people had more rules than the average Greek civil service. It made me realize that ideology is really surface deep, and that it all comes down to personal character and (centuries of) social evolution: it seems that even Dutch anarchists are as fond of structured and regulated life patterns as the rest of their countrymen. We Greeks, on the other hand, are inherently chaotic. For some people the ability to follow rules is a sign of adulthood. For us, it's a kind of mental paralysis. But, anyway, I don't want to dis Dutch comrades (only half joking here: I certainly wouldn't identify myself as an anarchist but I do have some sympathy for their cause). Their heart is in the right place. And, contrary to the often violent and destructive Greek movement, they have actually come up with a lot of creative artistic ideas, some of which can be linked to this group/musical collective from Amsterdam.
Ex have been around since 1979 and have released 20-odd records which are quite difficult to find in Greece, although they have a fan base there (all anarcho-punk bands do). When I moved to The Netherlands I imagined I'd be able to find some of their CD's in any Dutch record store, but that wasn't the case. Apparently most of their albums are self-released and distribution is difficult. Plus, there's always a problem when it comes to such a prolific band: where does one begin? usually it's either a "best of" or the band's undisputed classic. But I'm not aware of any such classic Ex album, and I wasn't able to locate a good compilation for years - until I happened upon "Ex 30" at a used records store in, of all places, Vienna. It turned out to be the best introduction I could ask for: a comprehensive overview of the band's career spanning 30 years and almost as many albums. With an everchanging line-up and (evidently) wide musical taste, Ex could never be described by any label as restrictive as 'punk' as they experiment with jazz, electronic, folk and world music forms. Opening track "Rules" benefits from funky bass a la Gang Of Four, but is otherwise overtly indebted to Crass, just like the next four punk songs ("Blessed Box at the Backseat", "Sucked Out Chucked Out #1", "The Wellknown Soldier", "Bouquet Of Barbed Wire"). "Jack Frost is Innocent" and "White Liverals" signify a move towards the post punk/new wave sounds of The Fall while the rest of disc 1 (covering 1980-1990) continues in the same aggressive style, sometimes incorporating influences from Spanish folk ("Ay Carmela", inspired by the 50th anniversary of the 1936 Spanish Revolution) or Brechtian cabaret ("Lied der Steinklopfer"), sometimes playing straight hardcore ("Headache by Numbers") or featuring wild saxophones ("Shopping Street"). Disc 2 opens with the dramatic "State of Shock" featuring the cinematic cello of Tom Cora. "Hidegen Fújnak A Szelek" is a cover of a Hungarian gypsy song, with female lead vocals and cello. "Stupid Competitions" from a later Tom Cora collaboration shows some jazz and celtic influences, while the great "Huriyet" and "Ethiopia Hagere" take us to the Middle East and Africa, respectively. The rest of disc 2 is quite eclectic running the gamut from avant-garde jazz ("Atoll", "Poor Bob", "Hat Fits The Shoe") to post punk ("Frenzy", "Listen to the Painters") to rap metal ("Former Reporter"). Forget their description as anarcho-punks; you'd be hard pressed to find another band as creative and eclectic as Ex, and this compilation seems to be the perfect place to start.
Ex have been around since 1979 and have released 20-odd records which are quite difficult to find in Greece, although they have a fan base there (all anarcho-punk bands do). When I moved to The Netherlands I imagined I'd be able to find some of their CD's in any Dutch record store, but that wasn't the case. Apparently most of their albums are self-released and distribution is difficult. Plus, there's always a problem when it comes to such a prolific band: where does one begin? usually it's either a "best of" or the band's undisputed classic. But I'm not aware of any such classic Ex album, and I wasn't able to locate a good compilation for years - until I happened upon "Ex 30" at a used records store in, of all places, Vienna. It turned out to be the best introduction I could ask for: a comprehensive overview of the band's career spanning 30 years and almost as many albums. With an everchanging line-up and (evidently) wide musical taste, Ex could never be described by any label as restrictive as 'punk' as they experiment with jazz, electronic, folk and world music forms. Opening track "Rules" benefits from funky bass a la Gang Of Four, but is otherwise overtly indebted to Crass, just like the next four punk songs ("Blessed Box at the Backseat", "Sucked Out Chucked Out #1", "The Wellknown Soldier", "Bouquet Of Barbed Wire"). "Jack Frost is Innocent" and "White Liverals" signify a move towards the post punk/new wave sounds of The Fall while the rest of disc 1 (covering 1980-1990) continues in the same aggressive style, sometimes incorporating influences from Spanish folk ("Ay Carmela", inspired by the 50th anniversary of the 1936 Spanish Revolution) or Brechtian cabaret ("Lied der Steinklopfer"), sometimes playing straight hardcore ("Headache by Numbers") or featuring wild saxophones ("Shopping Street"). Disc 2 opens with the dramatic "State of Shock" featuring the cinematic cello of Tom Cora. "Hidegen Fújnak A Szelek" is a cover of a Hungarian gypsy song, with female lead vocals and cello. "Stupid Competitions" from a later Tom Cora collaboration shows some jazz and celtic influences, while the great "Huriyet" and "Ethiopia Hagere" take us to the Middle East and Africa, respectively. The rest of disc 2 is quite eclectic running the gamut from avant-garde jazz ("Atoll", "Poor Bob", "Hat Fits The Shoe") to post punk ("Frenzy", "Listen to the Painters") to rap metal ("Former Reporter"). Forget their description as anarcho-punks; you'd be hard pressed to find another band as creative and eclectic as Ex, and this compilation seems to be the perfect place to start.
***** for State of Shock, Hidegen Fjnak a Szelek, Ethiopia Hagere
**** for Rules, Blessed Box at the Backseat, The Wellknown Soldier, Bouquet Of Barbed Wire,
Jack Frost is Innocent, White Liverals,Ay Carmela, Shopping Street, The Big Black, Frenzy The Lawn Of The Limp, Huriyet, Listen to the Painters
*** for Sucked Out Chucked Out #1, Gonna Rob the Spermbank, Fire and Ice, Knock, Choice, Rara Rap, State of Freedom, Blah Blah, Der Steinklopfer, Stupid Competitions, Former Reporter, Travel On Poor Bob, If The Hat Fits The Shoe, Time Flies
** for Headache by Numbers, Atoll, Symfonie voor Machines
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