HEFTIG!

So why did I sell my collection of rare Dutch punk? Well, simply because it wasn't worthy of being called a collection anymore. You can call something a "collection" when it's... not necessarily complete, but when it's a good cross-section of whatever you collect. I used to have a good Dutch punk collection, about 10 or 15 years ago. Then I started selling records when I needed money, bit by bit. I had no idea this stuff was/ would become highly collectable, so lots of records (BVD/ Tits/ Tandstickorshocks/ Filth/ GodsHeartAttack/ Vopos/ Pandemonium etc. etc.) went away for about $5 each (if I was lucky), after a couple of years leaving me with not even a severely amputated collection, more like a couple of amputated limbs rotting away in a box in the attic. So that's why I sold the limbs as well. Now these days Holland is one of the most collectable countries in early punk; I'm amazed at the prices some records fetch that I never even liked that much... It's gotta be rarity. Zmiv's Banzai EP from 1982, basically the first Dutch hardcore release, is super rare which may account for the unbelievable prices they pay for it (and I got), but this also happens to be a great record! Zmiv described themselves as "heftig" (translation: "heavy" or "violent"), as opposed to "softies" like the Ex. They even devised a system by which to measure "heftig"-ness: count the number of studs on your leather jacket, divide it by 100, and you have your Heftigness number! (I remember they averaged about 9.) Nowadays, the word "heftig" has entered the Dutch vocabulary as a synonym for "cool", but it all started with this bunch of heavy punks from some backwoods part of Holland, who - when not counting their studs - wrote some remarkably intelligent and catchy songs. I might add this is probably the only metal-influenced punk record that I like, ever. This stuff is recently rereleased on LP by the cool Noise and Distortion records. I won't post the entire EP, just buy the LP!

Zmiv - Fame
Zmiv - Beware
Zmiv - Alive
Zmiv - Why