Antillectual

As if we planned it: in the week that we stream “Kraken Gaat Door!” the anti-squatting law is installed. In the week we stream “Some of My Best Friends Are Meat Eaters” it turns out to be world vegetarian day. Last week we streamed “Chinese Takeover” and Liu Xiaobo (a Chinese political prisoner) wins the Nobel Peace Prize. A decision heavily criticized by Chinese authorities. The Nobel Prize committee responded: “[It is] a message to the world, that while we appreciate very much that China is becoming an economical and political power, with power comes responsibility, and you have to be prepared for and accept criticism and debate.” Sounds familiar …

So what to expect this week? Our stream is a song written (music & words) by our former bass player Yvo, sung by our current bass player Tom. So a good week for lovers of Yvo, Smash the Statues, D-beat-alike music and personal resistance.

Please read on, enjoy the song and feel free to share it with your friends.

Skip to: Special Guest / Lyrics / Liner Notes

Yvo says

Ten years ago Willem and I decided to play some music together. We started the band like  billion other bands start; friends who share the same passion for music and want to make their own music. That decision was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life …

It’s quite hard to explain how I’ve experienced the time in Antillectual. Ten years is a long time and there have been so many beautiful moments. Probably the best thing was that I’ve always had the feeling I could express my thoughts and generate my ideas in the band. Punk has always been a form of resistance to me. Through punk and hardcore I was introduced to radical theories, direct action and DIY ethics. People talked and sang about subjects I could relate to. I saw how average kids like me toke control of their own lives and created autonomous places. I’ve seen endless info-stands at shows, the vegan catering and the DIY zines. I felt comfortable being part of that resistance. I also felt a sense of responsibility. It’s a DIY movement which basically means that everybody is responsible. Nobody is a passive bystander. It means you can book your own show, start your own band and create your own scene. If there’s something you don’t like or you like to see otherwise; do it yourself. This is what the song is about.

Responsibility is something we’ve always felt in the band. Being respectful towards promoters who work their asses of to do a show for our band. Thankful for everyone who’s cooking great vegan meals, and kids who open up their houses to let you stay in their homes. This might sound normal to everyone who reads this. But when I explained to my uncle how the DIY network basically is built upon trust and good faith, he couldn’t believe what he heard.
“So you don’t work with contracts?” No.
“You just trust those people in Italy on their word that they’ll take care of you?” Yes.
“You fly to the other side of the world to go on tour with people you’ve never even met?” Yes.
“You’re nuts.” No.

So those DIY ethics are not so normal in the outside world. In that sense the punk movement is making changes. Antillectual contributes to those changes. Or at least I hope so …

So after ten years, I left the band. Leaving the band was one of those terrible decisions I had to make. The decision was made easier because I had the full support of Willem and Riekus. I’ve always had the feeling they supported me in whatever decision I would make. I thank them for that. I’m really glad Antillectual continues with Tom. This new album sounds amazing and blows me away. Good jobs guys! Keep doing what you’re doing!

Lyrics

We are the poets who scream
Stumble and swear
We are the artists who paint
With black and grey

We shut the fuck up
And let our actions speak
We cheat on life
With five finger discount

This is a personal fight, this fight is personal

We embrace the night with adventure in our eyes
With fire in our hearts
Every silence that we break, every life that we reclaim

We search for the beaches
Beneath the pavement*
We look for the forests
Behind the skyscrapers

Liner Notes

Yvo (our former bass player) wrote this song when he was still in the band. He didn’t mind us playing and even recording the song for this new album. His words:
This is a personal fight. This is a personal song. Not one specific subject to find here, except for my personal interpretation of what I would call: resistance. My resistance against machines destroying what I love. My resistance against the people responsible for those machines.
Resistance doesn’t necessarily mean confrontation, barricades, molotovs and such and so on. Resistance is also the personal decisions I make in everyday life. It means to me creating a world that I find comfortable and worth living for. And this song is about those alternatives: the songs we love to hear, the poems we’re moved by, the paintings that express everything we can’t say in words, the food without chemicals… revolution of everyday life!

* “Beneath the paving stones, the beach!” – popular slogan by the French Situationists in 1968. Original: “Sous les pavés, la plage”

Follow Yvo and his current activities at the Typewriter distro (books!) website and the Eetcafe de Mallemoere (food!) website.
You know those road signs with angry -> smiley faces at the side of road constructions? You can start smiling a little. We are 9 down, 3 to go. Next week a new old song, yet still more up to date than ever. With a lengthy (nerdy?) comment from our producer Nico.