Reunión Julio 2007

Salam.

From Haniff XFM to Haniff ERA, I’m sure there were a lot of changes that I went through during the transition. At the same time, some old habits are hard to die, and in this case, my passion towards local music.

I may be a “newbie” when it comes to the radio world – two years since I made my radio debut on XFM Radio Zon Planet X – but I’m proud to say that I have witnessed a lot of local acts making that transitions from being an “indie” act to a “mainstream” act. Yes, the definition of both categories differs from where you look at or define it. In this context, and for your easier understanding, read it as: XFM = indie; Era = Mainstream.

Before I continue, I just want to make it clear that my intention is to share my thoughts, from my perspective, on how one can make a mark in the industry and how this line many calls as indie and mainstream are most of the time augmented reality. If there’s anything that is worth picking up within this rant of mine, please do. If you see no values in this, skip the pages.

the decision that they want to be heard. Some opted to share their music via the “fringe music” scene, some opted to go mass. Whatever option that one made, the goal is still the same – to be heard. Getting to the goal, is a totally different story and below are some of the examples.

A couple of years ago, Estranged was headlining a gig organised by some friends of mine. No big deal, it was just another gig, by another band. Fast forward a few months, frontman Rich took part in Akademi Fantasia, got into a bit of a reality show dramas and then eliminated. Unlike other AF alumnis, Rich regrouped with his band, and the band recorded ‘Itu Kamu’. The song was a big hit and suddenly everyone loves Estranged. There were also haters, especially those who questions the band’s credibility, especially on the fact, how can they be called and indie band when the frontman took part in a mega mainstream reality talent show. Well, the point here is, Estranged’s music is finally heard by the masses.

Bunkface started out as bunch of boys who love making music. Like all the bands out there, they spent their early days in the jamming studios, unlike many other bands, the boys have knack for writing great sing-a-long hooks and they somehow know the importance of image for a band. One of their tunes ‘Silly Lilly’ was a hit on local English radio stations and soon enough, the band made their TV debut on hitz.TV (Astro Hitz now) talent search competition, Blast Off! Bunkface then were the talk of the scene. Then the band took the brave move of writing their first Malay tune, ‘Situasi’. The song conquered the airwaves. From the talk of the scene, Bunkface is now the talk of the country.

Former Teh Tarik Crew member, Altimet, knows the Malaysian hip hop game unlike others. However, back then if you ask any regular middle- class Malay kid “tahu tak lagu ‘Do That’’ and you’d probably get an “apa

lancau tu” face. Tables were turned when he released strings of Malay

singles, ‘Sayang Sayang’ and ‘Chantek’ the song that gave him his big mainstream break.

His formula, well sort of – catchy chorus mixed with easily digestible tune and lyrics. No, it is not something that he picked off the air, but something that he perfected after years of being an MC and a rapper for that matter. The guy have sealed his place in the mainstream and he’s going to be there for a very long time, not by default, but by being game-smart. He knows what and when to rap, how and where to drop a single.

Going back to early 2000, Joe and Malique had their mainstream break too, but in a very different way compared to Bunkface or Altimet. Too Phat did not rely on a Malay tune to capture the mass audience. What they had was great tunes and lyircs that broke across both the English-speaking and Malay-speaking audiences. In short, their success was on their own terms and not dictated by the market. Too Phat was the benchmark of success for Malaysian hip hop. Yes, they are currently on a indefinite hiatus, but Malique and Joe are still at it, successfully, as solo performer.

For Yuna, Zee Avi and Najwa Latiff, Youtube played a huge factor in their success, both locally and internationally. Truth be told, if you are famous online, chances are the radio stations will play your music. That is radio. A business entity and will play music based on what their listeners wants or like. It’s not that easy though, the social media is a low entry investment, which mean by the seconds, a new “star” is born. It’s so fast, by the time you have a brilliant idea in place, someone else have already uploaded it. While many aspires to break into the mainstream, some chose to stay close to their closely-knitted scene. Nothing wrong with that as it’s a choice that they made.

Speaking of choices, there are obviously different understandings on what “indie” and “mainstream” represents. One can debate until the cows come home and no clear winner will emerge victorious at the end of the day. Again, the point is, to have your music heard, by who, that’s a choice you make but to be determined by which playing field you opted to play.

HQA is a member of rap group The Rebel Scum. About to be kicked out from The Rebel Scum for having sexy Angelina Jolie lips. People smoke him recreationally, some have been caught for possession of him.

#projekbuku

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