Kiezgesöx/Shock Troops – Ey! Die Platte!

Contra Records

 

Originally released by one of Berlin’s finest record stores VoPo Records (now Dodo Beach), the split LP by Kiezgesöx and Shock Troops! Initially released in 1995, this slab of East-German Oi! and punk history is resurrected by Contra Records in 2022 because the label felt that this record never got the attention it deserved. Now – 27 years(!) later – it’s time to set that record straight!

 

Contra Records also refers to other bands from that era and area such as Loikaemie, Volxsturm and Bierpatrioten, and it’s true – I indeed have records from all those bands in my collection, while I never heard of Kiezgesöx before and I never really bothered to dig into Shock Troop’s history when I received their “Perfektion” CD at one point in time. All my bad though, because “Ey! Die Platte!” is actually a scorching record fans of German Oi! and punk will love!

 

And you know what the best part is? All fourteen songs have been re-mastered! Sounding better than ever before, Kiezgesöx’ guitarist Ronny Smail (who later played in in The Shocks and is currently active in Suspect Parts) originally recorded, mixed and mastered this LP, and now made sure they’re sounding the part nearly three decades later, without losing that classic and gritty East-German sound – love it!

 

But not just the sound has been upgraded, both the sleeve and the vinyl these sounds are on have been updated as well. The sleeve – or all lay-outs in general – honor the original pressing but in an alternative colorway, while the vinyl now comes on either standard black wax (400 copies), blue/black marbled vinyl (200 copies) or on a shimmering gold plate which is limited to just a 100 copies total! Cool stuff!