The Ex

Emerging from the squat movements of Amsterdam and Wormer, The Ex formed in 1979 in the Netherlands and initially operated in a tense punk rock register, close to anarcho-punk and post-punk, before gradually opening their music to no wave, free jazz, improvisation and folk influences from various traditions. Centered on the angular guitars of Terrie Hessels and later Andy Moor, Katherina Bornefeld’s drums and, after the departure of long-time singer G.W. Sok in 2009, the vocals of Arnold de Boer, The Ex built a dry, rhythmic and often dissonant sound tied to lyrics about social and political relations. After early releases such as Disturbing Domestic Peace (1980), History Is What’s Happening (1982) and Dignity of Labour (1983), The Ex founded their label Ex Records in 1988 and broadened their scope with Joggers and Smoggers (1989) and collaborations with Tom Cora on Scrabbling at the Lock (1991) and And the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders (1993). Active as a quartet both on DIY punk stages and in improvised music circles, The Ex have also worked with Tortoise, Sonic Youth and Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria, while albums such as Starters Alternators (1998), Dizzy Spells (2001), Turn (2004) and 27 passports (2018) continued this evolution.