Pornostroika Dadaifi – ‘Εξουσιαζόμενοι από τον Φόβο’: Political Rock!

Today we have something special… The Pornostroika Dadaifi have returned and with them they bring a new album. The record, titled ‘Εξουσιαζόμενοι από τον Φόβο’, is a collection of the band's songs, meant to take you on a trip to a parallel universe.

Cyberpunk with political references

To begin with, starting from the style, Pornostroika Dadaifi deal with the style of Cyberpunk. “Cyberpunk” is mainly a visual and literary genre, and this particular music could be anything that shows synergies with the core themes of technology, industry, alternative culture, dysfunctional society and governmental decisions. As we understand, we're talking about a style with plenty of electronic music elements and subject matter with a political backdrop.

The band itself started in 1999 in Lesvos (Greece). The members' aim was – and still is – to produce music of revenge. Revenge against the ills of society and everyday life. Even though they are a deeply politicized band, their music isn't aimed at making money or fame. According to the members, the goal is to stand against the music culture of the established order, a fact evident in ‘Εξουσιαζόμενοι από τον Φόβο’.

Member of ZAM

The band is a proud member of ZAM (Zero Artist Movement). To understand more properly the music surrounding ZAM, though, we need to look into its influences. Futurism, Dadaism, N.S.K. (Laibach's Art Collective), Berlot Brecht, W. Burroughs, Soviet Realism, fantastical horror cinema, are some of them.

So far the band has released three albums influenced by the punk and noise movement. At the same time, two new, closely affiliated groups were formed:Pornostroika 2η γενιά” from Rethymno, andSolitary People”, both with an electronic sound. ZAM emerged out of these three.

The core members all these years are Λυκάνθρωπος on vocals and lyrics, and Λαμπρόσαυρος on music. To date they have released a total of 10 self-released cds.

Their journey

In the winter of '03 the band moves to Heraklion, Crete.

They take part in the compilations "Outlaw Collection ZAM 1" and "Outlaw Collection ZAM 2. Dadaifi's next albums are more electronic-industrial, a characteristic example being "Λυκόφως Των Πορνοκρατόρων” (2004). 

In '06 they release the cd "Οι Πόλεις Της Κόκκινης Νύχτας" (a reference to Burroughs' work) and the following year they take part in the compilation "Keoma Collection ZAM 3″.

In '07 they release the cd titled "Λυκάνθρωποι Vs Μινόταυρων”.

In '08 they put out yet another d.i.y. cd titled "The Underground Reigns Supreme” (a sonic combination of dada with metal and electronic sound) and in ’11 they release the cd “Pornotroika-‘Ερωτας Στα Χρόνια Της Πορνείας” in an industrial-punk and dadacore style.

In ’12 they released the cd “Brechtiada 99-12″ which contained the group's musical settings of Brecht's poems, which were scattered throughout their discography.

In 2014 they release the Weimar Helldisco in the same style as their previous work. In 2016 they release “Η ανατολή του Μινωταύρου” (in which Hail Spirit Noir participate on one track).

In terms of music and lyrics

The ‘Εξουσιαζόμενοι από τον Φόβο’ contains musical settings of the band's old songs. Tracks like ‘Ο Θανατος δε θα έχει Εξουσία’ existed on the album ‘Λυκόφως των Πορνοκρατόρων’ from 2004. Beyond the old ones, there are also some new tracks like ‘Σιδερένια Φτέρνα’ (based on Jack London's poem), ‘Εξουσιαζόμενοι από τον Φόβο’ and ‘Εμείς’ (based on We by Zamyatin).

The musical arrangement in the band's songs has many elements. Bits of electronic music, melodies from guitars and keyboards, and all of it seen through the lens of a psychedelic sound that makes you trip out. The tracks spread across many styles, even reggae. On top of all that, the intensity of the music is high with plenty of shifts, while in some tracks natural drums are also used (like the ‘Ρομπότ’).

But the highlight is the lyrics. Carrying deep political and social content, the way they're delivered in the songs is through spoken word. The vocals in the tracks don't follow melodic lines, but instead find fertile ground to unfold their manifesto.

Editor's Choice: ‘Ο Θάνατος δεν θα έχει Εξουσία’

One of the strongest tracks on the album is ‘Ο Θάνατος δεν θα έχει Εξουσία’. The song proves the band's power both musically and lyrically. Being one of the old tracks re-recorded for the new album, we can say that as time passes and it seems to mature, it just keeps getting better. To understand how much the track has evolved, let's listen to its original version.

A musical, political journey

The Pornostroika Dadaifi are one of the bands that deal exclusively with political subject matter. That's what makes their music special, since it aims to expose society and everyday life and put us on paths of reflection. We could judge the album both from a musical standpoint and from the perspective of a radical poetry collection. In ‘Εξουσιαζόμενοι από τον Φόβο’ the members Παναγιώτης Ξηρουχάκης and Μανόλης Zωγραφάκης try to present us their own view on politics and Greece. Also participating on the album were PREEMPTIVE STRIKE0.1(INDUSTRIAL ),HAIL SPIRIT NOIR (ΒLACK METAL), DEGENERATED SEQUENCES (INDUSTRIAL) and PHOPHYX (ELECTRO). It's worth getting a taste of a style and a subject matter that many artists seem to steer clear of.

You can find the band's discography here.