This DVD by French filmmaker Stephane Jourdain documents practices by Dutch punk band The Ex and Ethiopian sax wonder Gétatchèw Mèkurya mixed with concert performances from the Banlieues Bleues Festival in Paris.
After their start in 1979, The Ex developed into a melting pot of divergent musical styles: noise, rock, jazz, improvisation, and ethnic music have been interwoven under one unique umbrella they call "Ex-music." Discordant, highly rhythmic guitars and a rolling African drumming style give the music of The Ex its special character. In 27 years The Ex have played 1,250 concerts all over the world, and released over 20 albums. Never pigeonholed into one of pop music's corny corners, The Ex is always open to new ideas and collaborations with musicians of all kinds. Their main principle remains: to make music with heart and soul, out of reach of commercial trends or expectations. Already well known from Ethiopiques volume 14, Gétatchèw Mèkurya is Ethiopia's most revered jazz saxophonist.

"Buda Records' mind-expanding Ethiopiques series--23 discs strong and counting--is a treasure trove of strange and wonderful music, none more so than that contained on Negus of Ethiopian Sax, which is devoted to tenor saxophonist Gétatchèw Mèkurya and his shellela music. Unless you've already had the good fortune to encounter Ethiopiques, it's probably safe to say you won't have heard anything like it ever before. And almost as safe to predict you will be transfixed, transported and hooked." -- All About Jazz

"When The Ex formed in 1979, the band was more a name spray-painted on the walls of the Netherlands than an actual musical endeavor ... The Ex made swift musical progress, though, and by the time they made their first recordings in 1980, four songs that comprised the self-released 7" All Corpses Smell the Same, they were a sturdy, rhythmic unit with a good sense of dynamics. It was the start of a prolific run that's now gone on for 27 years, putting them just behind The Fall for extended high achievement by a punk band." -- Pitchfork

"One of the most striking volumes of this great series--a special edition of Ethiopiques that focuses on the mad saxophone work of Gétatchèw Mèkurya ... making for a sound that's almost like some of Pat Patrick's work for Sun Ra, but with a decidedly more ethnic feel." -- Dusty Grooves [Ethiopiques 14]