info

The Ex : short bio

Since their start in 1979 The Ex has developed over the years into a melting-pot of divergent musical styles: noise, rock, jazz, improvisation, and ethnic music have been interweaved under one unique umbrella: "Ex-music". Discordant, highly rhythmic guitars, the rolling, almost African drumming style, and the intense delivery of the often ironic lyrics give the music of The Ex its special character.

So far, in almost 32 years, The Ex has played more than 1500 concerts all over Europe, Northern America and Africa, and made some 25 CD-albums. Never pigeon-holed into one of pop music's corny corners, The Ex is continuously in development, and always open for new ideas and collaborations with people of all kinds, people who's spirit inspires and appeals to the group. The main principle remains; to make music with heart and soul, out of reach of commercial trends or expectations. The consequent independent approach of the group and the manner in which they organize their concerts and release and distribute their records themselves, sets a significant example for the alternative music circuit.

It's 2011 now, and they're still going strong, and forward, in every possible direction.

Current lineup...

TERRIE HESSELS - guitar, baritone guitar
ARNOLD DE BOER - vocals, guitar, sampler
ANDY MOOR - guitar, baritone guitar
KATHERINA BORNEFELD - drums, vocals

The Ex : CV

• Founded in mid 1979. Ever since independent in their own management [Stichting Ex] and own record label [Ex Records]
• To date over 1500 performances and some 25 albums.
• Concerts in North America, Russia, Canada, Ethiopia, and nearly all of Europe.
• Worked with a.o. Tom Cora [USA], Brader Musiki [Kurdistan], Lanaya [Mali], Jan Mulder, Kamagurka + Herr Seele [Belgium], Chumbawamba [England], Fugazi [USA], Sonic Youth [USA], Djibril Diabate [Mali] , Konono No. 1 [Congo], Mohammed Jimmy Mohammed [Ethiopia], Getatchew Mekuria [Ethiopia], Anne-James Chaton [France], Jaap Blonk, Instant Composers Pool, Han Bennink, Ab Baars, Wolter Wierbos, Theatergroep d'Electrique, Magpie Dance Company, Tortoise [USA], Tsehaytu Beraki [Eritrea], Mats Gustafsson [Sweden], Ken Vandermark [USA], Roy Paci [Italy]
• Winner BV Popprijs 1991
• Sub-labels: Unsounds [improvised music + modern composition], Terp [improvised music and African], Zea [grind-popmusic]

Special performances

• 1980. Festival of Fools - Amsterdam
• 1981. Anti Fascist Festival - Bologna, Italy
• 1987. Carrot Festival - Warsaw, Poland
• 1988. Carrot Festival - Budapest, Hungary
• 1989. Dissonanten - Rotterdam [+ Guests]
• 1990. Noorderslag - Groningen
• 1991. October Meeting - Bimhuis, Amsterdam
• 1992. Noorderslag - Groningen
• 1992. Taktlos - Bern / Basel / Zurich, Switzerland [+ Tom Cora]
• 1992. Quinzaine du Violoncelle - Montreal, Canada [+ Tom Cora]
• 1993. Mimi - France [+ Tom Cora]
• 1993. Konfrontationen - Nickelsdorf, Austria [+ Tom Cora]
• 1993. STEIM Festival - Amsterdam [+ Tom Cora]
• 1993. Musique Action - Nancy, France [+ Tom Cora]
• 1994. Rock Vilnius - Vilnius, Lithuania
• 1998. Musique Actuelle - Victoriaville, Canada
• 1998. Jazz Festival - Moers, Germany [+ ICP]
• 1998. Jazz à Mulhouse - Mulhouse, France
• 1998. Lowlands - Flevopolder
• 1999. Konfrontationen - Nickelsdorf, Austria
• 2000. Holland Festival - Amsterdam
• 2001. All Tomorrow's Parties - Hastings, England
• 2001. Jazz à Mulhouse - Mulhouse, France [Ex Orkest]
• 2001. Jazz Saalfelden - Saalfelden, Austria [Ex Orkest]
• 2001. Eurotrialog - Mikulov, Czech Republic [Ex Orkest]
• 2001. Unlimited XV - Wels, Austria
• 2002. Taktlos - Basel / Zurich, Switzerland
• 2002. All Tomorrow's Parties - Hastings, England
• 2003. Musique Action - Nancy, France
• 2003. Dour Festival - Dour, Belgium
• 2003. Cinema Texas - Austin, USA
• 2003. Unlimited XVII - Wels, Austria
• 2004. Euro Sonic - Groningen
• 2004. Zuid Nederlands Jazz Festival - Eindhoven
• 2004. Musique de Création - Jonquière, Canada
• 2004. Musique Actuelle - Victoriaville, Canada
• 2004. Zomer Jazz Fiets Tour - Groningen
• 2005. Ear We Are - Biel, Switzerland
• 2005. Cross Linx - Utrecht
• 2005. SKIF Festival - St Petersburg, Russia
• 2005. Printemps de Bourges - France
• 2005. Jazz Festival Moers - Moers, Germany [+ ICP + Getatchew Mekuria]
• 2005. Over Het IJ Festival - Amsterdam [+ d'Electrique]
• 2005. Nuits Européennes - Strasbourg, France
• 2006. Banlieues Bleues - Paris, France [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2006. Furia Sound - Cergy-Pontoise, France
• 2006. Fusion Festival - Lärz, Germany
• 2006. Roskilde Festival - Roskilde, Denmark
• 2006. InMusic festival - Zagreb, Croatia
• 2006. Konfrontationen festival - Nickelsdorf, Austria
• 2006. NPAI festival - Parthenay, France
• 2006. 25 Years of Touch And Go Festival - Chicago, USA
• 2006. Fête de l'Humanité - La Courneuve, France
• 2006. Kosmopolis festival - Barcelona, Spain
• 2006. Densities festival - Woëvres Suresnes, France
• 2007. Alliance Française festival - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2007. CD/Cassette Presentation - Hager Fekir Theater, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2007. Son d'Hiver Festival - Paris, France [+ Tortoise]
• 2007. Perspektives festival - Västerås, Sweden
• 2007. Tanned Tin Festival - Castellon, Spain
• 2007. Transmusicales festival - Rennes, France [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2007. Africolor Festival - Paris, France [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2008. Taktlos festival - Zurich, Switzerland [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2008. Tribu Festival - Dijon, France [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2008. Terra Trema Festival - Cherbourg, France [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2008. Lincoln Center Out of Doors - New York, USA [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2008. Millennium Park - Chicago, USA [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2008. Jazz a la Villette Festival - Paris, France [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2008. Unlimited Festival, Wels - Austria [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2009. Angelica Festival, Bologna - Italy [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2009. Druga Godba Festival - Ljubljana, Slovenia [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2009. Fiesta Sete - France [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2009. Big Chill Festvival - Ledbury, England [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2009. Guelph Jazz Festival - Canada [+ Getatchew Mekuria + Guests]
• 2010. Big Ears Festival - Knoxville Tenessee, USA
• 2010. Irtijal Festival - Beirut, Lebanon
• 2010. Jazz Festival - Lublin, Poland [+ Brass Unbound]
• 2010. Donau Festival - Krems, Austria
• 2010. Jazz Cerkno - Slovenia
• 2010. Ring Ring Festival - Belgrade, Serbia
• 2010. Les Escales Festival - St. Nazaire, France
• 2010. Isole Che Parlano Festival - Palau, Sardinia, Italy
• 2010. All Tomorow's Parties - Minehead, England
• 2011. Rotterdam Filmfestival
• 2011. Skif Festival - St. Petersburg, Russia
• 2011. Festival Musique Actuelle - Victoriaville, Canada [+ Brass Unbound]

Special projects

• 1980, October. First foreign tour in Germany
• 1983. 4 singles box "Dignity Of Labor", about the loss of a paper mill in Wormer
• 1986. Double-single/photobook "1936, The Spanish Revolution"
• 1987. Festival organization Plezante Aangelegenheid issue 1, Amsterdam
• 1987, March. Eastblock Tour [Poland, Jugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia]
• 1989, October. First USA Tour
• 1990. Festival organization Plezante Aangelegenheid, Amsterdam
• 1990, March. Tour USSR
• 1991. Two monthly 7" singles project, six editions
• 1995. Music and dance project in collaboration with It's All Too Beautiful Amsterdam Dance Workshop
• 1995. Festival organization Plezante Aangelegenheid II, Amsterdam
• 1997. Composition for NPS Jazz Marathon, Groningen
• 1998. Empty Bottle Chicago impro night
• 1999. Organization Ver20jaardagsfeest festival, Amsterdam
• 2000. Big band Ex Orkest / Composition, Holland Festival
• 2001. Curating Unlimited XV festival, Wels, Austria
• 2002. The Ex + Han Bennink pioneer-tour through Northern Ethiopia
• 2004. International cooperation project with Ethiopian Azmaris
• 2004. The Ex + Han Bennink tour through Southern Ethiopia
• 2004. Organization 25 Years of The Ex festival, Paradiso, Amsterdam
• 2004. Organization 25 Years of The Ex Convoy Tour, France
• 2004. Curating A Beautiful Frenzy festival, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium
• 2005. Curating stage at the Moers Jazzfestival, Germany
• 2005. A Clockwork Orange musical theater collaboration d'Electrique
• 2007. Release 10,000 cassettes in Ethiopia, presentation concert Addis Abeba
• 2007. A Clockwork Orange musical theater collaboration d'Electrique [reprise]
• 2008, May. The Ex presents in Ethiopia Part 1. New pop music with Zea
• 2008. Curating 3 nights Instant Chavirés, Paris
• 2008. Curating 3 nights Music Action Festival, Nancy
• 2009, February. The Ex presents in Ethiopia Part 2. Electronica with Silent Block
• 2009, December. The Ex presents in Ethiopia Part 3. Saxophones with a.o. Ab Baars, Ken Vandermark, Paal Nilssen-Love and Amsterdam Winds
• 2010, January. UK Tour The Ex + Brass Unbound [Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark, Roy Paci, Wolter Wierbos]
• 2010, September. Curating an evening at the Incubate Festival, Tilburg in September
• 2010, December. New Years Eve Party, Bimhuis
• 2011, February. The Ex presents in Ethiopia Part 4. Free the Jazz! with o.a.Mats Gustafsson, Paal Nilssen-Love + Ethiopian guests
• 2011. Curation Pavilion Stage, Roskilde Festival, Denmark

On TV and in print

• 1983. The Ex Hotel in Suburbia [VPRO TV: Program-item]
• 1989. The Ex in the USA [IKON TV, Jan-Karel Lameer: travelogue]
• 1989. Martin Sprouse - "Threat By Example" [Chapter: Into The Gravy]
• 1994. John Corbett - "Extended Play" [Chapter: Live Free Or Try ...]
• 1996. Wolfgang Star Neck - "Cyber Tribe-vision" [chapter: Das Ist Die Medium Massage]
• 1996. Jeroen Vedder - "Het Gejuich Was Massaal!"
• 1998. Kevin Whitehead - "New Dutch Swing" [Chapter: Third Generation]
• 2000. Ex Orchestra at the Holland Festival [NOS TV, Paradiso Life: concert]
• 2004. Nationaal Pop Instituut - "NL op Tour" [Chapter: The Ex in Ethiopia]
• 2006. Fred de Vries - "Club Risiko" [Chapter: Amsterdam - Risks And Jokes]
• 2009. John Robb - "Death to Trad Rock" [Chapter 16]