Mixtape 47 - Heckler

Here is the 47th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Swiss hardcore punk trio Heckler.

Mixtape 46 - MoE

Here is the 46th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Oslo trio MoE.

Mixtape 44 - Überyou

Here is the 44th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Zurich punks Überyou.

Mixtape 36 - Sadist (Boston)

Here is the 36th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Boston punks Sadist.

Rumah Api: A Love Story

[This was written last year for an issue of Punkcaroba Zine. I was waiting for the issue to come out before posting it here for posterity's sake; but in light of last night's raid on Rumah Api, and the ensuing arrest of several of my friends, I decided to put it online now. I hope Man, Wan Hazril and the rest get out soon.]

A lot of people assume that I have some deep love for the local scene because I write about it on my blog. The truth is, I’m one of those people who are compelled to write about themselves and their surroundings, and I just happen to find myself here. Coming to Malaysia basically meant losing everything and everyone that was important to me. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate this place with an unbridled passion.

Sarjan Hassan release show with ESRARR, Speedwitches, and Tinnitux @Rumah Api

Shortly after returning from New York, I got a message asking if I was back in Malaysia and would be going to Sarjan Hassan's release show at Rumah Api. [In reality, few people actually noticed I was gone until pictures from MDF started popping up on Facebook.] Rumah Api is a mixed bag in the middle of the year; with Ramadan coming up, there are few shows to look forward to, leaving a scene that's content to wait out the fasting month. But even when there are regular shows I don't often feel like I'm missing out. I mean, how many more times do I need to see the same 5 or 6 bands playing the same 5 or 6 songs? I'm better off staying home and working on my own music.

Mixtape 21: Mob 47

Mixtape 21: Mob 47 by Dreams Of Consciousness on Mixcloud

Here is the 21st installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Swedish hardcore legends Mob 47.

Mixtape 19: S.E.A. Sludge

Mixtape 19: SEA Sludge by Dreams Of Consciousness on Mixcloud

Here is the 19th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, focusing on sludge/doom metal bands from South East Asia, and featuring an interview with Malaysian sludge band Gaur. I sat down with the whole band at Rumah Api at the end of February to talk about their history, their upcoming release, and their thoughts on what separates "sludge punk" from "doom metal".

Osmantikos Interview

Osmantikos are a long-running Malaysian crust band, a staple of the local scene who epitomize the dark hardcore sound that's becoming increasingly popular. I find them endearing for their lack of pretension - made evident by the fact that they're comfortable playing shows in whatever they happen to be wearing that day, dad hats and all. With a new split release and their first Japanese tour eminent, it seemed like a good time to sit down with them and talk about their past, present, and future.

Scooping the bottom of the barrel: Optimalinjia Fest

"Scraping the bottom of the barrel" is a questionable metaphor. "Scooping" is more apt; you don't have to reach too deep or look too long to find mediocre grind, metal or hardcore bands. They throw their lack of talent and ambition at you cheerfully, shamelessly. Most bands who form, record, and play shows probably shouldn't have bothered.

Mixtape 17: Ladies Night

Mixtape 17: Ladies Night by Dreams Of Consciousness on Mixcloud

Here is the 17th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview I did with Nenett of XRDM and "Djent" Jia of Naratu and Perimeter Breach. I conducted the interview at the end of 2014 while Chaos in Rumah Api 2 was going on, but the idea for this podcast has been germinating since I saw Exkoriator at my very first visit to Rumah Api. Since then I've seen more female-fronted bands, both local and foreign, in that space than anywhere else I've lived. It seemed like a subject worth its own episode even if some of these bands have appeared on the podcast multiple times before. [Coincidentally, an issue of Shock & Awe with the exact same theme came out the same week-end as our interview...what are you going to do?]

Chaos in Rumah Api 2

With a dozen Russians, almost as many Australians, and twice as many Indonesians in attendance, Chaos in Rumah Api is officially an international fest.

 

Mixtape 16: Chaos in Rumah Api 2

Mixtape 16: Chaos in Rumah Api 2 by Dreams Of Consciousness on Mixcloud

Here is the 16th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, focusing on the upcoming DIY punk and metalfest Chaos in Rumah Api 2. I sat down with the organizers Man Beranak (of Sarjan Hassan, xCrimescenex, WHHIRR, and Annihilation Turbo Kids) and Emi Norazalli (of Tools of the Trade and WHHIRR) to talk about last year's installment, the logistics of organizing an international DIY fest in Kuala Lumpur, and what people can expect from this year's fest. My thanks to Man and Emi for taking the time to talk to me. Chaos in Rumah Api 2 Event Page

Mixtape 15: South East Asian Metal Attack II

Mixtape 15: South East Asian Metal Attack II by Dreams Of Consciousness on Mixcloud

Here is the 15th installment of the Dreams of Consciousness podcast, featuring an interview with Tom Banks of the Vietnamese death metal band Disgusted. I met Tom in 2012 when Disgusted played Kuala Lumpur; having been in a band and lived in South East Asia for roughly the same period I've been writing about it for this blog, I wanted to get his perspective on the scene, and what it means to be a metal fan here. Especially important to me were his experiences in Vietnam, a scene that's little known and much overlooked, even in this region.

Chaos in Rumah Api: A Three Day Hardcore Fest in Words and Pics

The elaborate wristband system for the three day festival. I think they gave up on it by the end of day two.

Hell and Hell @ Rumah Api, 10.12.2013

Mixtape 2: Malaysia

The much promised, even much more delayed second DoC Mixtape, this time focusing on bands from Malaysia. My buddy Mike stopped by while I was in Queens and helped me discuss the Malaysian metal scene. 

Kami Ada @ Rumah Api 2.17.2013

Despite proclamations that "Punk Time is Dead," local shows are still struggling to start on time. A small but vocal contingent are pushing for bands and promoters alike to get their act together. I guess I should be optimistic now that more and more people besides me are grumbling about it, but it will remain a problem as long as the bands themselves can't be bothered to show up til hours after the scheduled starting time. Honestly, the only way this gets fixed is if promoters enforced strict set times: Miss your spot, and you don't play. The argument that bands don't show up on time because the audience is also always late is cyclical and pointless; most people come late knowing in advance that the bands won't be playing on time. It's time to break the cycle.

KL Death Devastation 12.29.2012

As much as I enjoy crust, grind, and avant shows, it was nice to finally hesh out at a full-on metal gig at Rumah Api. As pointed out to me by my buddy Metal Mike (president of the Atomicdeath and Sarjan Hassan fanclubs) the show was scheduled to run from "3 pm - Mental Funeral." Malaysia being Malaysia, I took only half of that seriously, showing up close to 8 pm and expecting mental funeral to happen before midnight.

Black Abyss were certainly "on that upside down cross dick," as the vocalist from Pretty Mouth memorably puts it, with multiple satanic symbols painted on their bodies. Not sure if that's really scandalous or blasphemous in a Muslim country [ol' JC is a pretty safe target here in Malaysia, where his followers number less than 10% of the population...just saying.] The plastic bullets on the singer's strap were a pretty good metaphor for the band: looking dangerous isn't the same as actually being dangerous.

If a venue's sound can be accused of prejudice, then Rumah Api's is definitely biased towards grind trios over 5-piece death metal bands. Hellghast from Singapore suffered through a muddy sound drenched with feedback and their guitars cutting out. What was discernable (besides a Vomitory cover) was death metal that's solidly in the old school vein, with hints of Swedish melody. Also noteworthy during their set: Faiz from Atomicdeath headbanging with a tote bag under his arm. Truly a "jejeje" moment.

Sandwiched between local heroes and visiting foreigners, and without a spot of panda makeup on them, there was the possibility that Succubus could have gotten lost in the cracks. With two of their members wearing Merciless shirts, and highlighting a Merciless cover in their set, there's no overthinking who or what they're trying to sound like. They've tightened up considerably since the first time I saw them and, powered by one of the best drummers in the scene, are already drawing a healthy buzz. Not bad for their third show ever.

Printing up shirts just for their 5 date Malaysian tour was a clear sign that Angelholocaust were excited to be in Malaysia; what's not clear is whether Malaysia was excited in return. The audience's standoffishness was unfortunate, but understandable: strange, dischordant black metal in the vein of Von or Beherit triggers more furrowed brows than banged heads. I can't say what they were doing is my thing; but I also can't say I entirely understood what they were doing. I did buy a shirt though.

Lavatory were the recent recipient of a harsh review in Terrorizer, which took a bat to the band saying they "have little to offer in the way of fresh ideas or interesting, leftfield spins on the music of their heroes." Ouch. While I myself have lost interest in new bands jumping onto the Stockholm bandwagon (I avoid old school fetishism in general), I have to say that Lavatory are nowhere near as bad or generic as that review makes them seem. Mixing Entombed, Dismember and Carcass certainly doesn't seem like much on paper, but they have the songs to back it up. That night, the vocals were reverbed to an unnecessary degree, possibly not just singing about Stranger Aeons but from them as well. They've got the chops and stage presence to make them a big deal in the region, but finding an identity separate from their heroes is in their best interests.

This wasn't the first time Argentinians Infernal Curse played South East Asia; I can't imagine touring the region is either cheap or easy for a band from South America, but being a two piece (with a member of Angelholocaust filling in on bass) certainly eases the logistics of travelling. Their records make them sound like the world's most satan-loving vacuum cleaner, but live (that night at least) they were simple and to the point, with their guitar tone had the hyper compressed tone of early Deicide. Throwing Sepultura's "Antichrist" into their set vindicated my suspicion that South American bands exist in a timewarp oblivious to any metal after 1987. There's an authenticity to Infernal Corpse that's hard to explain; but you don't travel half-way around the world to play primitive black metal unless you live for the stuff. Hope they come back soon.

Not A Fest Vol. II, with Snaggletooth, Last Chaos, Osmantikos, Nuclear Summer and more 11.25.2012

The first Not A Fest back in September had the unlikely distinction of being a local show that actually started on time. Not only did I get to hesh out like there was no tomorrow to bands from Indonesia and Japan, I didn't have to rush to catch the last train and arrived back home before midnight. It was one of life's little victories. Would it happen again this time?

....not a chance. Malaysian Time trumps all. I heard the delay this time around was because one of the opening bands didn't wake up on time. I wish I was making this shit up. If anyone else at Rumah Api was perturbed by this, it wasn't apparent. Most looked content to hang out and kill time with cheap alcohol from the nearby liquor shop. Several distros set up in the duration, and soon the little foyer space had turned into a bustling DIY pasar malam.

The event also served as the release party for the 5th issue of the Shock and Awe zine, the centrepiece of which is an article about the history of KL's punk scene, written by Carburetor Dung's Joe Kidd. I was probably more excited about this than any of the bands. I'd seen little previews of it on Facebook, and it seemed essential to my understanding of this place and its history. Packaged along with the zine was a 4-way split 7" featuring local fixtures Pusher, Sarjan Hassan, Garrison and xCrimescenex. All in all, a recommended purchase for anyone who wants to know more about the Malaysian DIY scene.

When the gig finally did start, it was up to local guys Skitsofrenia to kick it off, which they did by playing D-Beat hardcore in that glorious Swedish style. It's notable that while recent releases from ground zero Göteborg seem intent on subverting the crust punk paradigm (Disfear, Martyrdöd, and Eskatologia), bands in South East Asia still take an almost dogmatic approach to the style. Skitsofrenia's passion and vitriol are commendable; but a little risk taking never hurt anyone.

Singaporeans Vaarallinen are similarly reverent of Scandinavian hardcore, but add an interesting/amusing gimmick that separates them from the rest of the scene: all their lyrics and song titles are in Finnish (as is their name, which translates to "unsafe/dangerous"). Other than that, their crust punk is business as usual, for die hard fans of fast songs and umlauts (though maybe not Umlaut).

The last time I saw xCrimescenex, their set was waylaid by mic problems. This time, with no technical difficulties to hamper them, they were able to build a momentum through slow, sludgy doom before erupting into bursts of manic power violence. With a line-up comprised of Rumah Api regulars (Man and Manusia from Sarjan Hassan among them), it was given that the audience would treat them like local heroes. I did my best to stay off to the side and avoid the carnage as the bodies started flying through the air.

Garrison, as DIY punks playing reggae, were an oddity in the line-up (and possibly the entire scene). I appreciated the change of pace, but even the Bad Brains couldn't sell me on reggae-influenced punk; punk-influenced reggae, it turns out, holds my attention even less. After a few songs I took my leave to try get some writing done outside the venue. I was scribbling down some notes when a young (and very drunk) fan sat next to me to see what I was doing. He made his way up from the southern state of Johor just for Not A Fest. I tried prodding him for his thoughts on the gig, to record what he had to say for posterity's sake; what he did say, unfortunately, was garbled and lost into the ether (which may have been what he was drinking, for all I know).

If nothing else, Garrison's chilled reggae served as the perfect segue between the crusty earlier acts and Nuclear Summer's off-beat post-hardcore. You can see why they were selected as an opening act for Refused's recent Australian tour, as these guys embody everything that's progressive and cerebral about heavy rock right now. Transitioning from upbeat sections, to slow ethereal parts reminiscent of Rosetta (also a recent touring partner), to guitar noodling straight out of Steven Brodsky's playbook, there was a sense of both history and inventiveness to their music that, frankly, is missing from a lot of the local scene. Hope I wasn't the only one paying attention. A perfect set, except maybe they should have headlined.

Looking like three guys who wandered into a punk show on the way back from a fishing trip, Osman Tikos were the most pleasant surprise of the evening. Crust bands aren't in short supply in Malaysia (and certainly not around Rumah Api), but these guys take the style to a new low - I mean that in the best possible way. This aging hesher doesn't know much about punk, but he does know a lot about heavy; and Osman Tikos are fucking heavy. Fast and bass-driven to the brink of incoherence, Osman Tikos sound like Doom and early Bolt Thrower in a duel to see who can wreck your sub-woofers the fastest. Even with my earplugs in, I thought my brain was going to melt.

Touring Aussies Last Chaos, as their name suggests, play blistering anarcho-core (heavily influenced by Finnish/Japanese hardcore, the internet has just informed me), with the occasional rock and roll moment. [In a bizarre coincidence, I saw some of the members last year in Brooklyn when their other band Teargas played there. These dudes get around.] Rumah Api loved it, and crowd and band were in sweaty, crusty heaven ....until a well-meaning attempt by the audience to carry around the vocalist ended with him crashing unceremoniously to the floor. Ouch. [My malaysian friends - if you're going to pick up visiting bands, please DON'T drop them on their heads.] Noticeably irritated, and with his mic chord snapped, he attempted to clear the stage, to little avail. [The tree of anarchy must be refreshed from time to time with broken mics and bruised scalps, as Thomas Jefferson never said.] Kind of a down note for the band to end on, but credit to them for giving the crowd one last song to rage to, even if they couldn't exactly sing along.

I was tempted to call it a night after that, but on the recommendation of Pat from Atomicdeath (a man who clearly knows good metal), I made it a point to stick around for Singapore's Snäggletooth. There's tremendous buzz around them due to a cassette EP that was cleverly promoted, limited to 50 copies and then sold out immediately. I'm happy to say that for once the hype is justified. With Vaarallinen's drummer on deck, their crust-fueled mix of Motörhead (natch) and Venom held few surprises, except for how much I enjoyed it. Their take on black 'n' roll is one of the more straight forward ones I've heard, but also one of the more bludgeoning. They may have ended up headlining this month's Not A Fest more out of happenstance than intent, but they closed out the proceedings in style.

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