AG PLASTE - JETZT ODER NICHT LP (PRE-ORDER)

AG Plaste – Jetzt oder Nicht (Now or Not)

“Chemie gibt Brot – Wohlstand – Schönheit” (“Chemistry brings bread – prosperity – beauty”) – what was proclaimed at the 1958 chemistry conference in Leuna need not be wrong today. AG Plaste, at any rate, picks up this thread of Meladur and spins it into vinyl. Some may find its entertainment value more appealing than its political content, although the latter is hardly difficult to grasp. But the idea of a punk rock collective came with a certain obligation: to have more than one song in the repertoire. With Jetzt oder Nicht, this first-rate Volkskunstkollektiv (folk-art collective) finally sheds its worn-out costume as a permanent support act. Blended into the compound: Vertical rage, horizontal toothache and aching knees, plus a diagonal shot of gude Energie (good energy). So why don’t you smile?

“Früher nur für wer viel hatte. Heut’ kaum besser als auf Platte” they sing in Berliner Freiheit (Berlin Freedom) and within this modular system of radical vinyl fizz, another seven songs snap firmly into place, all driven by a love for the beat and plenty of revolutions per minute. The good news: there’s room for long legs in the Multicar, too.

Afterwards, well-disposed listeners may arrive at the same verdict as the advice magazine Kultur im Heim (Culture in the Home) did in 1966: “Sollten Sie in einigen freien Minuten einmal darüber nachdenken, wie viele Dinge des heutigen täglichen Bedarfs aus Plasten bestehen, dann werden Sie bemerken, wie fest und umfangreich die Plaste von unserem Leben Besitz ergriffen haben.” (“Should you ever spend a few spare minutes considering how many objects of everyday use are made of plastics, you will notice just how firmly and extensively plastics have taken possession of our lives.”) AG Plaste only wants what’s best for us.

- Moritz Kalvelage