DUNGPEOPLE/RICECOOKER NEWS APRIL 2003
ok peeps,
i'm heading to Australia this Thursday, 17th April. Will be back early
June and there will be an Unclogged show then, those who wanna play do
get in touch.
anyway, about the ricecooker radioshow, things are not looking rosy as
there are problems at the transmitter point in indonesia but lets not
lose hope. I'll keep you people posted on that end. we may resort to
net-radio when i get back. but keep you fingers X-ed.
those who want to write to me do keep in mind that i wouldn't be on the
net at all times like nowadays, so expect delayed replies. will keep
writing the siasah magazine column from there (i hope!).
many wrote asking for dung and damage digital old stuff. lets just say
that we're planning for a run of rereleases when i get back. so don't
twist them knickers just yet.
before i go, here's a bit of news and reviews to share with you people:
GIGS GIGS GIGS
Man Under Zero Effort presents
Freedom From Peaceful Symphony
date: Saturday 19th April 03
time: 2 PM onwards
admission: RM13 + 1 Free Drink
venue: Blue Planet, Jalan P. Ramlee KL
bands: Coffee Shop, Sgt. Weeners Arm, Hygera, Resistol, Under
Seduction, Disgruntled, Elisabelle Tears, Naratu & Man Under Zero Effort
info: motherland@...
Thrash Steady Syndicate & Uda Thrasher Community presents
ThrashFest Attack!
date: Sunday 27th April 2003
time: 1pm onwards
admission: RM12
venue: Coffee Trap Bistro & Party, Permas Jaya, JB
bands: Jahilia, Hudud, Secret7, Mathilda, jeritanXsepi,
makhlokXperosak, XgampangY, fastXgame, Banzai606, domestikXdoktrin
(from Indonesia)
Contact: thrashfest_attack@hotmail
note: not so sure on domestik doktrin playing or not.
For The Kids Charity Concert - Charity concert in aid of Shelter Home.
date: Friday 2nd May 2003
time: 7.00pm - 11.30pm
venue: Pernas Hotel School Restaurant ( Le Plumeria ), Ground Floor,
Kompleks Antarabangsa, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
bands: Tempered Mental, Estranged, Pop Shuvit, Soma, Seven Collar
T-Shirt, W.I.T.T.
ticket: RM25 (inclusive of buffet dinner)
enquiries: Please contact Ernest Wee @ 013-3600802
Indie Music Peace
date: Saturday 3rd May 2003
time: 1pm onwards
venue: Plaza Metro KLANG
entrance: RM15
bands: ELISABELLE TEARS / BATTLEGROUNDS / FREE LOVE / SPUNKY FUNGGY /
LOST IN SINS / MUDDLEFIELD / MUCK / ODDITY / ODIUM / PLAGUE OF
HAPPINESS / SERVANT JAM / THE TAXI / RETEMITNESS / ROOTS RULES
Kargo Rock Fest Ipoh
date: Saturday 10th May 2003
time: 2pm onwards
ticket: RM 15 + soft drink
venue: KARGO DISCOTHEQUE (nearest Ipoh Prade)
bands: Force Vomit (S'pore), My Squared Circle (S'pore),
ElisebelleTears, Muck, Damn Dirty Apes, Floosy, Couple, Pickcell ++
Penang Death Metal gig
date: Sunday 11th May 2003
time: 2pm onwards
admission: RM19 + free cassette (limited)
venue : Amazon Discotheque, Jalan Macalister, Penang
bands: Sil Khannaz, Dark Nirrajim, Hayagriva, Mandatory, Undead,
Samartary
Journey of Soul gig
date: Saturday 31st May 2003
time: 2pm onwards
admission: RM 12
venue: Blue Planet, Jln. P.Ramlee, KL
bands: Dashown, Pickcell, Xs Denied, Infinite Delay, Second Combat,
Afterphysics, F31st, Marching Boots, Channel X, Stupicoopy, Orang Lidi,
Zero Dimension Array
Peace? No More
date: Saturday 31st May 2003
time: 12 noon onwards
admission: RM16
venue : PLAZA METRO KLANG
bands: ACAB / THE MISTER / ROOTS RULES / THE PRIDE / PICKCELL / THE
CURIOUS / PLAGUE OF HAPPINESS / CUSTOM DAISY / MUCK / PLASTIC GANGSTER
/ ODDITY / THE RECRUIT / COMRAD / SPACE GOAT / OUTSIDER
RECENT RELEASES:
Three Circuit Connection - 3-Way Split CD-R
brief: features Cassandra with three tracks plus Custom Daisy and
Nervewreck with two tracks each. Housed in a DVD case with a nice
cover, this is DIY with style. Music-wise this is a bit like a
variation of the Trustkill hi-tech-HC brutality. Heavy, heavy metallic
shine with stop-on-a-dime musicianship etc. Not really my cup of tea
but these bands are very good at what they do. And the production is
good too! Hope to see more of this professional, quality approach in
the DIY scene.
contact: monocollective@...
Non-Conformity Volume 1 CD
brief: old bands and new bands together in a comp mostly recorded at
the monkey rooms, cheras and also in ipoh. 11 bands in all including
Pusher (who are responsible putting this together), Kuchalana (first
proper recordings, great punk/reggae collision), Disaster Funhouse
(yeah, new tracks from the old masters of old-school hc), the bollocks
(two tracks from the revolution tape), Toxin 99% (very good crispy
pop-punk from the semi-veterans), Freygyle (almost power-pop but
obviously punk-influenced, excellent melodies), LifeIn@venue (hc
straddled between the old-school and the equal vision kind), In-A-Sense
(pretty indie-pop meets pop-punk), Reflection of Life (rawk! brader!
man kidal is here somewhere but it's essentially old-school hc), Angst
(trippy emo-hc?) and a couple of poorly-recorded new songs by my band
Carburetor Dung. Overall this is like a showcase of the "lighter" side
of the local punk scene, which is kinda being swamped by the
crusty/d-beat/spazz bands.
RM12 from Knot Records c/o Ahmad, No. 401, Blok 17, Seksyen 8 40000
Shah Alam, Selangor or contact knot_records@...
Elisebelle Tears - Miracle Happens Once EP CD-R
brief: four tracks, properly-recorded indie-rock/emo tunes from this
actively-gigging band. again, this is not my cuppa tea but this is
orait especially the title track which is very pretty emo. two things
comes to mind when it comes to emo, most of the songs sound similar and
repetitive while the vocalist needs to be quite a singer and ET needs
to work more on these two areas. again, that's may be my prejudice
talking!
contact: elisebelle_tears@... or the_retarded@...
The Show Must Go On.. CD
brief: very pro release. pro-recorded, pro-printed and very
professional DIY CD from this new Singaporean gang. This comp features
all the new breed of Sing-Indie bands which have been kinda swept
underneath the carpet for the last 6 years really. Tiramisu (you saw
them at Unclogged, very good indie-pop with much charismatic
characteristics), The Marilyns (flighty, almost-dreamy indie-pop in
malay! i'm totally out of touch with the Indo-pop thing so I can't make
a comparison but this band could give Flop Poppy a run for their
money!), Serenaide (indie at the noisier brit end, quite psychedelic in
its approach too!), Big Red Moment (one of those are
Smiths/Housemartin-ish twangy-guitar, swaying-frontman pop bands. if
you're into the mid-90s Swedish indie-pop bands (Popundret!), this is
like a new revelation. BEST NEW BAND I'VE HEARD ALL YEAR!), Radium Rags
(the more House of Love dreamy type. another biggie!) and Disco Biscuit
(psychedelic indie-rock meets the more post-grunge grunge approach).
like i said, this is a revelation of sorts. in a way, a return to the
old standards. may well be a new singaporean renaissance. don't miss it!
contact: info@...
site: http://www.soundschemers.com
Goh Lee Kwang - Nerve Center CD
brief: not a CD-R! yeah, for the first time Lee Kwang went pro with
this release. not for the faint-hearted, this is
electronik-improv-avant-garde-noise shit. not the sort of stuff most of
you would stand in a live show context but very compelling when you put
it on while working on the computer, like I always do. Long tracks of
organic found sound and off-key loops. Sometimes hypnotic (A Lie To
Liar) to unsettlingly teeth-grinding (Nerve Center, which is all drone)
to simply lethargic and lazy (Deep). Those who want to challenge their
boring musical taste, get this.
contact: Lee Kwang, 2-4-7, Jalan 3/91, Taman Shamelin perkasa, 56100
Cheras, KL or goh_lee_kwang@...
Couple - Telegrams from the Heart CD-R
brief: quite old this but for documentation sake, here's the brief
review. 6 pretty power-pop tracks from this increasingly masterful and
confident bunch. well loved by the local radio stations i heard but the
gang earned it. this is excellent twee-power-pop mixing them Teenage
Fanclub, Posies nuances with the more immediate Sarah Records amateur
indie-ness. I always have a bit of a problem with the vocals though
especially the harmony parts which would go off-key at certain
important moments! kinda cute but can be grating when you know that
these songs are awesome! Oh, yeah. there are three live tracks with
songs from the old EP.
contact: encik_aidil@...
site: http://www.couple.8k.com
Dirty Dogs - Petualang CD
brief: maybe this the first broken noise release i've ever reviewed?
recorded at home, this is like a better version of Discharge going
metal. I hated metal-area Discharge but I like this. elements of d-beat
punk meets straight ahead metal with Yngwie Malmsteem's guitar moments!
The production is okay but the drums is obviously triggered or coming
from a drum-machine so that's a bit of downer. all in great songs all
in malay (not that you can comprehend it!) but let down by the drum
sound while the home-recording kinda takes away the intensity much
needed for such a recording.
contact: zamzury, 504 Block 4, Section 24 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor or
zam_tdd@...
Color My Iris - Ending Harmony CD
Four emo songs on a pro-cd from an emo band. when i say "emo", this not
the punk-laden type like Embrace or Rites of Spring or even the more
quirky, unpredictable nature the great Cap'n Jazz. This is more of
normal indie-rock/pop. very mellow and down in most parts (some almost
on the Julee Cruise stillness!). Very good songs though but then again
like i said before, they can be too much on the repetitive side. maybe
you'll dig this right after being dumped by your partner or something.
i'm at the happiest moment in me life, so this sounds a bit alien to me.
contact: colormyiris@...
site: http://colormyiris.tk
This Body Broken - This Body Broken CD-R
brief: a more energetic, heavy-riffing and much better of the local emo
bands i've heard. this CD-R features four tracks and they are all great
soaring edgy-pop with the mellower punk/hc edge. Maybe i'm biased
because it's more spirited? anyway, this is a good band in the making.
do check 'em out.
contact: thisbodybroken@...
site: http://thisbodybroken.cjb.net
The Coffeeshop - Spilled Coffee CD-R
brief: a new power-pop band right upon the couple turf of twee pop
highway. songwise, it's quite traditional motown-songwriting,
hook-filled school. very doo-wop in some areas too! but doo-wop again
needs good harmonic singing and The Coffeeshop attempted to scale the
heights but kinda fell short there. 7 songs with charming pop-punk in
bits.
contact: tcoffeeshop@...
site: htto://tcoffeeshop.cjb.net
Intoxicated - Outtro CD
brief: got this when i went to see their last gig together recently,
which was good really. kinda sad to see 'em go, not when there's so
much dearth of good, happy and uncomplicated bands around, let alone a
female one. very well recorded apart from the rhythm guitar which kinda
buried in parts. 10 tracks in all, mining the surfy garage-punk bits
here and there and loadsa chirpy, cutie-pie Shonen Knife-y moments. My
fave song here is Simple Life, which is, well, simple and brightly lit
and no fuss. One of the best local releases this year, no doubt. I bet
EMI/Postive Tone badly wish the band's still under their control now.
Fare the well!
contact: catcadet@...
Bollok Wok 2 tape
brief: well, i've just got this today and my cassette-player is fucked,
so no reviews here just a mention. this is the second in the series
which documents the Terengganu scene from time to time. Pro-duplicated
cassettes with full-colour covers and all but i can't say much about
the sound as i haven't heard it yet. the bands are jellybelly, Foes,
Dully Dog, kasih Sayang, The Farouks, Emily Died Yesterday, Valencia,
GlepoGeliGeliGelemanGedinGedinGale (!) and Sleepy Jeremy.
this is just amazing actually. first remind yourselves that Terengganu
is under the strict, fundamentalist grip of PAS right? second, these
bands struggle to play live and the only way they can do that is to do
small gigs at a rehearsal studio or very rare outings in Dungun and
Kerteh. Yet the scene thrives! I do hope them KL gig organisers would
be more "peka" to these bands! Call them up to play la!! Another reason
why you must go out and buy this pronto is because Terngganu is MY
TOWN! Guane gamok?
contact: kalangcatmagik@... or ronindistro@...
site: http://trgscene.cjb.net
RECENT ZINES:
Seni Sastera Mencari Arah
Ke Mana Selepas Reformasi
brief: two "selebaran" (booklet, zines) from Fathi Aris Omar who used
to write for malaysiakini.com. both in malay and very well thought out
and put across but i haven't got the time to really sit down with both.
will do so on the plane. do check them out though.
contact: faomar@... or faomar3@...
Manifesto #01
brief: first issue of the malay zine on the local arts scene and
political issues from the view points of the people involved in the
Universiti Bangsar Utama's brand of young grassroots / students
arts-politico activism. 8-pages of A4, xeroxed. Pretty intense, sexy
and funny! very localised and in context with our country and thus way
better than most so called politico-punk zines around!
contact: editormanifesto@...
DRSA #6 / Narrator #4 split-issue
brief: about 5-month old but still a nice, massive issue on 54 pages A4
xeroxed. loadsa stuff. too much to mention. just grap a copy la!
contact: drsa76@... or makanan_percuma@...
Diriku Untuk Dijual #1
80-page A5 - featuring Jahilia, Amebix, MetJack, HellNation, Czech Rep
scene report etc.
RM4 from Mohd Zaki, A3-7-5, Cyberia Condominium, Jalan Multimedia 63000
CyberJaya, Selangor
email: loserxhead@...
OTHERS:
Fast Youth Records
here's a punk label in Jakarta looking for distributors for their
release. those interested, do contact "yoga kid" <ilovencs@...>
or <fastyouthrecords@...>
snail mail: Fast Youth Records P.O BOX 9367 JKT 13093 INDONESIA
---------------
alrighty then,
have a good one people!! whatever its is...
cheers!
Joe
DUNGPEOPLE:
http://dungpeople.sevcom.com
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