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EXEK’S NEW TAPE IS THE PERFECT MIX OF DUB AND KRAUTY NO WAVE

The ex-Slug Guts and Martyr Privates project nail a cold and clinical sound.

EXEK's dubby no wave is perfectly suited for the cold of a Melbourne winter. Grey and bleak but not without it’s charms. So none of the four-piece are originally from Melbourne but their clinical and detached compositions make for a good soundtrack on a walk up Swanston Street in August.

Vocalist and guitarist Albert Wolski, originally from Sydney (the other members are from Brisbane and New Zealand), used to play in the Nevada Strange and Slug Guts. He thinks the bands coldness could be explained by the recording process, “Nothing is done live. It's all edits and overdubs. Overdubs over dubs." The result is ambient and synthy post punk not unlike PiL, Swell Maps or Beak.

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EXEK have just released a limited edition four-track cassette on newish Sydney label Time /\ Space and have plans for a debut LP soon.

We catch up with Albert to find out more.

Noisey: “Replicate” like the other tracks on the cassette has a heavy dub feel. Do you listen to much dub?

Albert Wolski: Yeah of course, but just like everyone else I listen to a lot of genres, it's just that dub finds it's way into my songwriting and production. Today I listened to Purcell and then the Richard D James album. I can't make music like those dudes but I can write a deep and repetitive bass line.

The vocals are detached and distant that suits the feel to the song.

It was originally called “Replicant” but I wanted to avoid being some Blade Runner fan band. The music is repetitive. The lyrics reflect that repitition and sum up my views of modern society. But it sounds boring and so do I when I try to deconstruct it. These aren't new views by any means. Krautrock which has been a major influence on EXEK, amongst many other genres, has expressed a fascination with manufactured landscapes. There's beauty, but there's also trash.

EXEK’s four song tape is out now on Time /\ Space.

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