Other than uploading pix for y’all fancy happy party people, I’ll be postin’ never-before-seen interviews with Essential bands from our beloved, ravin’ Dance Punk scene. Some may not adhere to the (admittedly not-so-strict) mold of a Dance Punk band. Like The Fridays here. These Ampang boys have been around since before the ‘Indie’ became a bad word. I met ‘em during my salad days at (the now defunct) Think.com (a cooler big brotha to Junk, IMHO hehe). And they’ve proven their mettle as able POP-smiths and…as March’s DPP had shown – could make us dance too. Acap, the band’s frontman is one of the few articulate vocalists from the scene. Obviously enamored with anything 80’s this dude can definitely school me (and anyone else) where the 80s is concerned. Below is a rather insightful interview conducted via ym (typos and errata intact! :p ):
Ashraff Jamil: yes bro
malinkyrobot: guess who’s gonna interview u guys
Ashraff Jamil: whats the deal
Ashraff Jamil: you? malinkyrobot: yeah
malinkyrobot: so send me ur best hi res 1 MB pic
Ashraff Jamil: ok
Ashraff Jamil: alright, when’s the latest i send one in?
Ashraff Jamil: i can send*
malinkyrobot: this sunday? Ashraff Jamil: ok
Ashraff Jamil: i’ll send one in by sunday
malinkyrobot: so tell me how u guys got together
Ashraff Jamil: me and yan and chey (guitarist and drummer) have been playing since we were in school, I think 1999 malinkyrobot: whch school was dat
Ashraff Jamil: SMK Bukit Indah, Ampang malinkyrobot: and initially u guys were playing……..nirvana covers? Ashraff Jamil: no
Ashraff Jamil: we actually never got around to playing covers
Ashraff Jamil: mainly because we couldn’t
Ashraff Jamil: but we’d say “screw covers, listen to our original stuff”
Ashraff Jamil: haha
Ashraff Jamil: which wasn’t much
Ashraff Jamil: and wasn’t that good anyway’
malinkyrobot: ahhh aite
Ashraff Jamil: it was different back then, ppl wanted to play Limp Bizkit and stuff…and the stuff we had were Gin Blossoms and Better Than Ezra derivatives
Ashraff Jamil: this lineup never had a name, and went thru numerous changes in every aspect imaginable (sound, personnel etc) until 2003 I think
malinkyrobot: so is ur fascination with morrisey shared by ur bandmates?
Ashraff Jamil: we all listen to the smiths
Ashraff Jamil: i can categoricallly say that each and every one of us has held that band very close to our hearts at one point or another
Ashraff Jamil: only that I have taken them the most seriously, I think
malinkyrobot: so ur onstage mannerisms are extensions of that morrisey worship?
Ashraff Jamil: not really though
Ashraff Jamil: the mannerisms arent graceful enough to be an extension of Moz malinkyrobot: heheh
Ashraff Jamil: it is mainly a mixture of punk rock and various great frontwomen out there malinkyrobot: frontwomen,,.. interesting
Ashraff Jamil: you bet hehehe malinkyrobot: anyone u find particularly attached to?
Ashraff Jamil: the band has always had this tinge of femininity, which is something I don’t really get
Ashraff Jamil: but I think is caused by the girl groups we listened to growing up malinkyrobot: femininity…..androgyny….isnt that part of rock n roll?
Ashraff Jamil: i always liked natalie merchant of 10000 Maniacs
Ashraff Jamil: class act with great vocals malinkyrobot: ahhh….she’s cool when she went solo too
malinkyrobot: who else populate ur/bands list
Ashraff Jamil: and riot grrl bands
Ashraff Jamil: i think that makes up the mannerism parts Ashraff Jamil: bands list Ashraff Jamil: all time or right now? malinkyrobot: both
Ashraff Jamil: hmmm
Ashraff Jamil: the smiths, velvet underground, cake, sonic youth, rhcp, cat empire, spice girls
malinkyrobot: all time or right now
Ashraff Jamil: those are all time
malinkyrobot: ahhh
malinkyrobot: right now?
Ashraff Jamil: right now for me it’d probably be everything but the girl and the kabeedies
Ashraff Jamil: right now for me it’d probably be everything but the girl and the kabeedies
Ashraff Jamil: tracey thorn of everything but the girl is class malinkyrobot: wooo
malinkyrobot: aite malinkyrobot: so these riot grrl bands …… they influence ur onstage antics……and sound?
malinkyrobot: punk…melodic most of the time?
Ashraff Jamil: bands like hole and babes in toyland had this chaotic, unhinged thing about them
Ashraff Jamil: watching these bands onstage was like being near a bomb test site I guess
Ashraff Jamil: we wanted that kind of vibe visually malinkyrobot: they’re that unpredictable
Ashraff Jamil: sound wise malinkyrobot: ahhh Ashraff Jamil: maybe, in our early stuff yeah
malinkyrobot: u mean ear-drum tearing loud malinkyrobot: or relative to song structure, choice of guitar tones
malinkyrobot: ‘unhinged
malinkyrobot: is an interesting talking point
Ashraff Jamil: back then it had to be loud and distortion laden
Ashraff Jamil: but always, always poppy and melodic malinkyrobot: an undercurrent of sweetness exists always in parallel with the gnashing nosie
malinkyrobot: m just writing aloud
malinkyrobot: are u the primary songwriter
Ashraff Jamil: everyone in the band has written with me throughout the 5 years we’ve been playing together
Ashraff Jamil: i’d have a co-writer malinkyrobot: the lyrics….
malinkyrobot: they’re yours mostly arent they
Ashraff Jamil: yeah
Ashraff Jamil: the words are mine, but something someone in the band says, or a funny remark always finds itself in
Ashraff Jamil: but mostly it is mine
malinkyrobot: they’re mostly inspired by?
malinkyrobot: (fill i the blanks)
Ashraff Jamil: feminism, pop culture, life and death
malinkyrobot: attach a song for each theme…..like which song was connected to feminism
Ashraff Jamil: hit her and stars hollow are about feminism, you know, domestic violence and teenage pregnancies and how i feel about it
Ashraff Jamil: retro fashion victims is pop culture
Ashraff Jamil: no think is about God
Ashraff Jamil: it goes on
malinkyrobot: ahhhhh so noted
malinkyrobot: tell me an interesting gig story malinkyrobot: did a groupie proposition u bbackstage
Ashraff Jamil: haha
malinkyrobot: or did u shit in someone’s shoe ala zpelin
Ashraff Jamil: we don’t have groupies malinkyrobot: right malinkyrobot: my experience at think.com is proof to the contrary
malinkyrobot: haha
Ashraff Jamil: hahaha
malinkyrobot: or was it u guys? i wont blame u tho
malinkyrobot: hahah
Ashraff Jamil: nah
Ashraff Jamil: i had a job back then
Ashraff Jamil: no time to be going online flaming ppl
Ashraff Jamil: hahahaha
malinkyrobot: anywho…..moving on…….
malinkyrobot: do u have ur own merch?
Ashraff Jamil: maybe in the near future
Ashraff Jamil: t shirts with pictures of baby jane holzer and AR badul on them
Ashraff Jamil: that’d be cool
Ashraff Jamil: but not now
Ashraff Jamil: so many bands out there don’t have songs written yet and they’ve got dozens of t shirt designs out
Ashraff Jamil: we’d rather keep on writing
Ashraff Jamil: but it’d be fun to have merch, maybe in the near future, like I said
malinkyrobot: u got that right
malinkyrobot: so many bands have fame so fixed in their crosshairs they lose the plot
malinkyrobot: m sure u’d heard me rant bout the bands i’d have to write for junk…….that were second rate
malinkyrobot: dont worry u guys aint one of em hehe
Ashraff Jamil: hahaha
Ashraff Jamil: yeah right
Ashraff Jamil: haha
malinkyrobot: thats y….i’d decided to be proactive……enough with being assigned shit bands
malinkyrobot: i started to suggest bands myself malinkyrobot: hehe malinkyrobot: so…..
Ashraff Jamil: we always thought that we’ve got nothing to lose
malinkyrobot: pray explain
malinkyrobot: so u regard urselves as underdogs
Ashraff Jamil: so winning the preening war on myspace isnt actually our main agenda
malinkyrobot: dont fit the mold
malinkyrobot: u are left wing
malinkyrobot: non conformists
malinkyrobot: rebels
malinkyrobot: ?
Ashraff Jamil: rebels are cliche
malinkyrobot: yeah
malinkyrobot: so assign an adjective for urself then….u can coin one
Ashraff Jamil: left wing, i have no political preference yet i think
Ashraff Jamil: odd sounds fitting
Ashraff Jamil: the oddest things are often a welcoming, fresh breath of air after a spell of monotony
Ashraff Jamil: velvet was odd
Ashraff Jamil: television was odd
Ashraff Jamil: and these people produced some of the best stuff
Ashraff Jamil: i read somewhere, i don’t remember where, that what is popular isn’t necessarily good
Ashraff Jamil: i stopped glamming up then
Ashraff Jamil: stopped writing for the hit parade
malinkyrobot: well aint that the truth
malinkyrobot: would u object to being featured on popular media, if so offered?
Ashraff Jamil: i wouldn’t really
malinkyrobot: m sure ur hankerin for a sliver of the fame cake now ya
malinkyrobot: after being in the indie trenches for so long
Ashraff Jamil: because you have to understand this, JUST WHO IS USING WHO?
Ashraff Jamil: if popular media takes us, changes our clothes and mentality and sound, that’s shite, they’re using us
malinkyrobot: true dat
Ashraff Jamil: if we go there, and be the same old us, which is 6 ordinary kids from the ampang suburbs not really giving a toss, potentially ruin their show, piss them off, all in a days work, then we’re using them
Ashraff Jamil: which means in other words we pawned popular media
Ashraff Jamil: isnt that a fantasy
Ashraff Jamil: to indulge in
Ashraff Jamil: haha malinkyrobot: ahhhhhh
malinkyrobot: hahah
malinkyrobot: delusional ?
Ashraff Jamil: nah
Ashraff Jamil: the world is delusional
Ashraff Jamil: we’re still pretty much ourselves
Ashraff Jamil: hahaha
malinkyrobot: cool cool
malinkyrobot: u guys arent afraid to b quirky.n kooky in ur compositions….but u skim shy of being inaccessible…..is dat wat u always aim for……a pop undercurrent
Ashraff Jamil: pop isn’t a dirty word malinkyrobot: no it certainly aint
malinkyrobot: johhny rotten actually insist on sex pistol’s pop viability
Ashraff Jamil: we’re essentially a pop band
Ashraff Jamil: a very disturbed and twisted one maybe
Ashraff Jamil: but yea
Ashraff Jamil: one of the main reasons for all this is that the songs go out and are absorbed by people
Ashraff Jamil: that is goes out and touches ppl
Ashraff Jamil: in the least perverted way possible
Ashraff Jamil: hhaha
Ashraff Jamil: how did you feel the first time you listened to new order?
Ashraff Jamil: i remember how i felt when i listened to sgt pepper
Ashraff Jamil: i felt like there was hope because it told me something else was out there
Ashraff Jamil: songs that save your life
Ashraff Jamil: I hope to do this too
Ashraff Jamil: if your stuff in inaccesible, there’s a chance you can’t reach out and save the world through your songs
Ashraff Jamil: if your stuff is*
malinkyrobot: niceeeee
malinkyrobot: d first time i listened to new order’s ceremony…i was informed of the possibilities…..cos i gues i’d always been enchanted by reverb…and that song showed me its achievable
malinkyrobot: it sounds like something not from this earth or plane…..but its achievable
Ashraff Jamil: you have been touched by sumner and co
Ashraff Jamil: its things like this that make it worthwhile
Ashraff Jamil: the songs that saved your life
Ashraff Jamil: the world is cynical but i can’t help but being romantic about things like this
malinkyrobot: there’s nothing wrong with being idealistic man
malinkyrobot: seeing things thru a kaleidescope fashioned from alien fabrics to form something resembling hope
Ashraff Jamil: anyway coming back to the history of the band, the current bassist adib joined in 2003, wan the guitarist
and said the keyboard player joined last year.
Ashraff Jamil: can’t forget these people malinkyrobot: sure thing
malinkyrobot: are they on ym now?
malinkyrobot: lets get them in the interview too
Ashraff Jamil: no
Ashraff Jamil: they’re not here
malinkyrobot: is it ok if i quote u on behalf of the band?
Ashraff Jamil: i msg-ed em
Ashraff Jamil: ok
Ashraff Jamil: it’s ok
malinkyrobot: i can quote em second hand
malinkyrobot: form u
malinkyrobot: in d manner illustrated by u just now malinkyrobot: ‘my guitarist said’
Ashraff Jamil: they always pressure me to talk in most situations anyway
malinkyrobot: ahh
malinkyrobot: ok
malinkyrobot: passive agrresive folks ey
Ashraff Jamil: ok
Ashraff Jamil: cool
malinkyrobot: tell me bout ur gear
Ashraff Jamil: gear
Ashraff Jamil: hmm
Ashraff Jamil: i don’t have any specific gear malinkyrobot: wat guitar do u use…..ur guitarist’s ur bassist’s
Ashraff Jamil: yan uses a 2008 Squier Duo Sonic with the KORG AX3000 effects processor malinkyrobot: ahhh
malinkyrobot: how much does the korg processor go for do u reckon
Ashraff Jamil: 700 when on sale i think
malinkyrobot: seriouslay
malinkyrobot: how many efx are there?
Ashraff Jamil: not sure
malinkyrobot: 700 is kinda cheap tho
Ashraff Jamil: but it turns into fookin UFO
Ashraff Jamil: when at full force
malinkyrobot: its one of those grey, rectangular affairs with little black pedals rite
Ashraff Jamil: adib uses a Squier Jazz Bass
Ashraff Jamil: yea
Ashraff Jamil: one wah/expression pedal
Ashraff Jamil: and 4 other footswitches
malinkyrobot: so many ppl are using dat
malinkyrobot: including kaos beat, if u can recall from my gig
Ashraff Jamil: yes Ashraff Jamil: the exact same unit
malinkyrobot: m thinking of getting a pod
malinkyrobot: line 6 pod
malinkyrobot: d kidney
malinkyrobot: i havent seen it being fished out much
Ashraff Jamil: thats good
Ashraff Jamil: the pod is good
Ashraff Jamil: lotsa sounds
malinkyrobot: it IZ for recording
Ashraff Jamil: yes
Ashraff Jamil: very handy malinkyrobot: m recording with a line 6 appliance myself malinkyrobot: so i’m comfy with it haha
Ashraff Jamil: said uses a KORG Micro X synthesizer
malinkyrobot: synthesizer malinkyrobot: niceee…
malinkyrobot: d korg…..can it emulate some of the moog stuff?
Ashraff Jamil: sometimes used with a kaoss pad kp3 and sometimes triggering sounds from REASON
Ashraff Jamil: there are a lot of sounds onboard
Ashraff Jamil: i guess you could
Ashraff Jamil: there must be a moog patch somewhere in there
malinkyrobot: reason has aunthentic sounding drum samples
malinkyrobot: drum program as well
Ashraff Jamil: yeaa
Ashraff Jamil: cool stuff malinkyrobot: varying degrees of force
Ashraff Jamil: velocity control
Ashraff Jamil: makes it very human
malinkyrobot: true dat
Ashraff Jamil: wan uses a 2007 Squier Jagmaster with a Rocktron Tsunami chorus stompbox and a Behringer ultra distortion stompbox
malinkyrobot: ahh ok
malinkyrobot: i’ve been salivating over rhode pianos and cruma synths
Ashraff Jamil: prefers Fender twin reverb amps
malinkyrobot: crumar
malinkyrobot: ok
malinkyrobot: wan’s d long haired dude rite
Ashraff Jamil: no the other kid
Ashraff Jamil: the long haired fat one is yan
Ashraff Jamil: wan is the other kid who played bass at your gig
Ashraff Jamil: our real bass player was acting in a play that day
malinkyrobot: ahhhhh
malinkyrobot: aite aite