A Bold Choice

More Than Just A Career

Pursuing music in Malaysia is a bold move. Pursuing music for the sake of art is an even bolder move. The Malaysian music industry is a small one and the artistes that do experience significant success are the ones who are signed to major labels that cater to mass market appeal. It also means sacrifices, taking risks, and a constant juggling of a soul-sucking day job and life as a musician; Fuad of Kyoto Protocol works in an asset management firm by day, frequently gigging as soon as it’s close of play; Paperplane Pursuit’s John had to give up his career as a doctor to be a full-time musician; Yuna studied law, but took the risk of pursuing music instead; and so forth.

It’s not just them though. There are a plethora of local acts that take the same arduous route, focusing on obscure genres but still excelling in their respect. Guinness Amplify is more than aware of that very fact. The touring gig series has a venerable lineup of local acts – some known, some unknown – that speaks volume of the bold ethos of musicians.

They Will Kill Us All:

More Than The Sacrifices They Make

Navigating the music industry as independent artistes is not without trials and tribulations. After an EP and a debut full-length album, and years in the industry, They Will Kill Us All still takes every experience as a learning curve. Edwin Raj, vocalist and frontman, likens traversing through the Malaysian music industry to sci-fi space travel.

“We are like intergalactic nomads, we don’t belong to any federation. The scene is what we make of it.” And what they make of it is stellar.

With their distinct sound and relentless work ethic, They Will Kill Us All has amassed a strong fanbase that has rocketed their music careers into greater frontiers, sharing the stage with established stars for both local and international music festivals.

But of course, attaining commercial recognition and success with limited resources means paying the necessary price. If you are acquainted with the band’s body of work (if not, you’re missing out big time), you will notice that they never hold back on production value. It is evident that art is the driving force behind They Will Kill Us All’s success – and contrary to popular belief, creating great art that is both visually appetising and musically addictive isn’t always as cheap as artistes make it out to be. To achieve their creative vision, members have to buckle down and work other jobs just to ensure they can optimise their art in all directions.

Everything the band creates is paid for from their own pockets. This means utilising other skills besides their musicality to gain financial stability – these day jobs are in scattered and varied fields that include media, banking, retail, and even running a quaint little coffee shop in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail named Quartet.

“For now, we fund everything on our own. The basic system is that the gains from shows and merchandise go back into recording and development of new ideas,” says Edwin.

They Will Kill Us All’s commitment to creating music for the sake of art has not only gained them the success they deserve, it has also given their music a life of its own; a life that wins the hearts of their listeners and belies the band’s namesake.

Dash:

More Than Just One Name

DASH is made up of Darren Ashley (vocals), Eugene Goh (keys), Isaac Ravi (guitar), Wei-Meing Wong (guitar) and Ryan Lee (drums). If they all look familiar, it’s because they are also active in other prominent bands in the local scene. And you probably recognise the frontman as a solo act – hell, DASH is really Darren Ashley’s name abbreviated.

It would be a mistake to think the band is only just about him though. DASH’s uniqueness comes from their individualism. The band consists of five members that all make up an important element that defines their music. Each member contributes his personal touch onto a larger collage, which then culminates into an addictive and catchy song, as you may already know.

“We are all our own people, and we have our own influences, our own personalities. What you see in DASH is an amalgamation of all of us,” says Ryan Lee, drummer of the five-piece band.

Their ability to seamlessly blend not only their personalities but also the many genres that define them personally is what makes DASH’s sound so worth your while. Wei-Ming thoroughly appreciates each member’s individual influences. “It is a really good thing that we individually get our influences from all sorts of music. That way when we brainstorm together, something very unique is birthed.”

With a mix of synth vibes and organic live sounds, DASH creates a soothing yet electrifying genre of music that you can’t help but put on repeat. This originality stems from their working process, with each member playing a pivotal role to their overall sound.

“Someone starts with a hook, and everyone jumps on it. Or someone has an entire song idea, and we all add some extra flavour to it,” informs Wei-Ming. This method is what lends to the madness in DASH’s sound – and that madness is a calculated one that works.

Halfway Kings:

More Than Friends And/Or Foes

Hailing for the humble city of Seremban, Halfway Kings consist of Adeline and Joachim, friends (or foes) that come together to create a powerful sound that summons primal emotions out of their listeners. With Joachim’s dirty blues guitars and Adeline’s sweet serenades, Halfway Kings delivers balanced and hearty music served on a platter of lyricism.

The Negeri Sembilan natives are able to touch the very core of your emotions simply because they themselves are in tune with their own nature. They merely adhere to what their soul wants and when paper touches pad, or when finger touches fret, magic is made.

“To a certain extent, we adhere to our own true nature a lot more than most of the bands I know. We just try to do what feels right and what we want to express a lot more,” shares Adeline.

But writing songs isn’t always fine and dandy for this duo as both members are very adamant as to where they want their music to go.

“It’s like two trains going headlong at each other,” says Joachim. “…Sometimes they align, and ‘Oh, it’s a song!’ but other times it’s an absolute train wreck.” When the planets do align, though, a sort of magic is struck and the music that comes forth is almost effortless. Halfway Kings have been able to ride this wave for long enough as they are both diligent workers. Joachim believes that consistency is key in surviving the odds.

““The thing is, you have to keep making material, or you can be a dormant band for ten years with one crappy album.”

We have definitely not seen the last of Halfway Kings, and their tenacity can be summed up with one sentence spoken by Adeline; “If you sing a song, you’d better believe in it; if you’re gonna play music, you’d better be sincere about it or just get off the stage.”

More Than Just Music

These bands continue to spread their brand of music throughout the nation and across boarders despite the obstacles they face. When asked why they do what they do, all answers seem to point to one word; art. Art for the sake of making art.

It isn’t an easy task to uphold art yet survive in a capitalistic world. But these bands do, and they do with style and grace. Their commitment to creating music for the sake of art has not only gained them the success they deserve, it has also given their music a life of its own; a life that wins the hearts of their listeners. This is truly music made of more.

Along with Kyoto Protocol, Paperplane Pursuit, Jumero, The Marquee, OJ Law, An Honest Mistake, Bihzu, Froya, Tempered Mental, Nick Davis, and The Endleaves, They Will Kill Us All, DASH, and Halfway Kings complete the lineup of the Guinness Amplify shows happening throughout Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, and Penang. From September to October, and for more information see below.