EKSEPTION Neder Prog Rock Netherlands

In the late 1960s and into the 1970s, a unique thread emerged from the Netherlands – Ekseption. They took the high-drama architecture of classical music and wired it straight into the energy of rock, landing in that sweet spot where “concert hall” meets “amp hum.” The result wasn’t polite fusion; it was big, brash, and weirdly catchy.

Origins and Influences

Ekseption started in 1967 in Haarlem, built around trumpeter Rein van den Broek, who remained the one constant presence across the band’s changing line-ups. Keyboardist Rick van der Linden joined in 1969 and quickly became the dominant musical director, steering the band hard toward “classical rock” after being inspired by groups like The Nice. That’s the moment Ekseption’s signature identity really clicked.

The best-known early line-up around the 1969 breakthrough included Rein van den Broek (trumpet/flugelhorn), Rick van der Linden (keyboards), Cor Dekker (bass), and drummer Peter de Leeuwe (with later early-70s drum changes as the band evolved). The sax/flute chair also shifted early: Rob Kruisman was there in 1969, and Dick Remelink took over after that, keeping the reed-and-flute color in the mix.

Transforming the Classics

Ekseption’s approach was revolutionary for mainstream audiences: they reworked classical themes into rock frameworks without stripping away the melody. Their adaptation of Beethoven’s Fifth (“The 5th”) became a major hit in 1969, and their take on Bach’s “Air” also charted strongly in the Netherlands. They weren’t just quoting composers; they were rebuilding the material with keyboards up front, brass cutting through the mix, and a rhythm section pushing everything forward.

This concept hit big. Their 1969 self-titled debut set the template, and the follow-up album “Beggar Julia’s Time Trip” (also 1969) even won a Dutch Edison Award. Across the early run, Ekseption moved serious units: multiple early albums earned gold status, which is pretty wild for a band whose main hobby was turning classical motifs into rock ammunition.

Beyond the Classics

While the classical reworks made the headlines, Ekseption didn’t live on one trick forever. Their albums typically mixed reinterpreted classical pieces with other material, and later periods leaned further into original compositions and jazzier directions. After major internal shifts in the mid-1970s, the band’s sound changed noticeably, and Ekseption went through breakups, offshoot projects, and reunions before finally winding down by the late 1980s.

Ekseption had plenty of line-up changes, so the fairest way to talk about a "core" is to focus on the classic hit-and-album era around 1969 to 1972, when their classical-rock crossover identity really locked in.

Rein van den Broek (trumpet, flugelhorn): The constant presence across Ekseption's long, shifting history. His brass lines gave the band its unmistakable bite and drama, cutting through the rock instrumentation like a spotlight.

Rick van der Linden (keyboards): The conservatory-trained architect who brought the big classical ideas into a rock framework once he joined in 1969. Hammond/organ storms, virtuoso piano runs, and audacious arrangements were his signature fingerprints.

Cor Dekker (bass): The anchor. His bass work kept the floor from collapsing under all those tempo turns, dynamic jumps, and classical detours.

Peter de Leeuwe (drums, vocals): A key early drummer in the band’s best-known early period (not a continuous 1970s mainstay). His playing pushed the music forward with punchy, progressive energy when he was in the line-up.

Rob Kruisman (saxophones, flute, vocals): Important on the 1969 debut-era line-up, adding a jazz-colored voice to the band’s sound, but he left in 1969 and wasn’t part of the continuing 1970s core.

Dick Remelink (saxophone, flute): Replaced Rob Kruisman after 1969, keeping the reed/flute colors in the band as Ekseption moved into the early 1970s.

Huib van Kampen (guitar, tenor sax): Part of the 1969 personnel, filling out the rock-side muscle and adding another horn voice when needed.

Musical Synergy

Ekseption worked because it wasn’t "classical music with a drum kit" or "rock with fancy quotes." The punch came from the friction: van der Linden's big keyboard architecture, van den Broek's brass authority, and a rhythm section strong enough to keep it all from turning into polite conservatory homework.

With sax/flute colors shifting between Kruisman (early 1969) and Remelink (after 1969), the band could lean jazzy, dramatic, or straight-up bombastic depending on the arrangement. That flexibility is basically the whole trick: they made highbrow themes behave badly in public.