EXEK are returning to Europe and the UK in May/June 2024! The Australian post-punk outfit will be promoting their latest record ‘The Map and the Territory’ released October 2023 on Foreign Records.
The other reason for the tour is that the band is now ten years old. In that time, EXEK have released six albums, and have toured Japan, the USA, and Europe. Their sound is difficult to pigeon hole due to a wide variety of influences (punk, trip-hop, RnB, dub, kraut, avant-garde), but the general consensus is something in the lineage of The Fall, Happy Mondays, ESG, and PIL.
AUTOR from Vienna are taking Inspirations from the post punk scene of the 80s while trying to establish a unique sound that takes modern Influences of the DIY Scene into consideration. The often cryptical and dadaesque lyrics perform a critique of societal conditions without trying to sound placative.
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EXEK (Melbourne, AUS)
Australian sextet EXEK return with their sixth studio album, The Map and the Territory. Self-recorded throughout 2021 to 2022, frontman Albert Wolski describes it as ‘‘perhaps less ambitious than some previous EXEK releases. In a positive way, obviously’’. Comprising of eight tracks, there is a greater focus on song craftsmanship, where elongated jams play second fiddle to choruses and hooks. These new tracks will translate effectively into a live environment, and are destined to quickly become set favourites. And yes of course, the iconic EXEK album soundmarks remain ever present – dubbed out drums, guitar’s that sound like robot’s from Forbidden Planet, and deep synths that recall The Idiot.
EXEK once again stay true to their trademark recording process – one of endless overdubs, allowing for maximal control whilst editing. Lots and lots of edits. Drummer Chris Stephenson would perform a collection of beats, that would then be sampled, and therefore plant the seed for ideas for songs. Seamstress Requires Regular Breaks might be the best example of this, where fluid jazz-funk drumrolls morph into a rigid post-punk march, and then back again, and then back again. But the funk doesn’t stop there. Welcome to my Alibi and Glow of Good Will pick up where 90’s hip-hop and R&B left off – smooth and sexy and a little bit dangerous. On the flip side of the dynamic spectrum, The Lifeboats and It’s Just a Flesh Wound, Darling sit facing towards the group’s more loud motorik arsenal. On EXEK’s latest offering, both the map and the territory are equally balanced.
Freie Energie Band (Vienna, AT)
Autor (Vienna, AT) ( cancelled )
The old TV is fizzing, the grain of the screen only vaguely perceptible beneath a layer of oozing, viscous fluid. Those who can hold on for a while will get there, the transmission from the underground Viennese music scene tuning in on time and spontaneously. The most beautiful slides, unfolded from the mosaic of post-punk history are pieced together by the quartet called Autor. Angel, Dominik, Hannah and Johny are among the proven faces of the Central European do-it-yourself indie scene, and their palette of bands is uncannily rich: Gomme, Autobahns, Pitva, Parasite Dreams, Raw Deal, Hysterica, Franca Sol, Agit, etc.
They followed up their two year old debut release with the intense Nektar EP tape this spring. And they show that even frequently reused post-punk influences can still reveal pieces of gold, especially when winking towards the Australian indie scene and the 80s. Melancholy delivered with urgency – without unnecessary spasms and mannerist frills. Melancholy, which would easily stand out as the opener of another Killed By Deathrock compilation. (by Judita Císařová)
