About The Band
You could be forgiven if you thought Taiping was boring. A small town in Peninsula Malaysia’s north-western state of Perak, it has a population of 190,000, and many of the people still walk around in sarongs and sandals. But do not simply assign small town characteristics to this critter: for one, it is the wettest town in the country and the place of 49 “first”s including the country’s first port, Anglican church and golf course. And according to Melastik Bintang’s founder and frontman Muhammad Firdaus, there’s actually plenty to do. “[There’s a] night safari, Maxwell Hill, Lake Garden, waterfalls, old buildings and museums,” he says. “There’s nothing really bad about Taiping.”
Firdaus pauses for a bit before quickly adding, “It is just that the town is so congested lately.”
As Melastik Bintang–its current lineup consists of Firdaus, Muhammad Hasril Ibrahim (guitars), Raja Khairi Ehsan (guitars), Abdul Karim Razali (bass) and Zubair (drums)–would have learnt from personal experience, progress can be a little discomforting, but its end results are usually worthwhile. And the indie quintet’s gradual development from an anonymous small town act into a burgeoning one recently signed by Universal Music is the kind of progress that any band wouldn’t mind undergoing periods of discomfort to arrive at.
Like many Malaysian teens of the 90s, Melastik Bintang’s members spent their pimple-popping years weaned on classic Malay rock icons like Search, Wings and Ramli Sarip plus the occasional dabble with Michael Learns to Rock. At the same time, they got right into Taiping’s tiny but close-knit scene, attending shows by the likes of grunge veterans Scandel26 and Freygyle. “[We started] following them to jamming [sessions] and gigs, watching crowds cheer, sing and dance with them,” says Firdaus. “[Soon] we started to feel like having our own band.”
The original group took shape in 2002 but despite being surrounded by emo and hardcore acts, they opted for a mellower brand of indie rock. Indeed, just like their rainy town, many of Melastik Bintang’s songs are bathed in the greyish hues of an overcast day. ‘Adrenalin’, for instance, drizzles jagged guitar lines and moody vocals across a forlorn tale drawn from Firdaus’ own relationship experience. “It’s all about a very loyal guy who thought he was always right, a woman who never appreciated loyalty and someone who claimed to be a friend–a pious-looking guy who swore by the name of God to cover up his wrongdoings,” he says.
In 2003 the band recorded a four-track EP appropriately titled Mendung (“cloudy” in Malay), but it would be two years before they were financially able to release the first 500 copies (all were sold). Then in 2007, Firdaus got an SMS from a representative from Rumpun Records (a local publishing arm distributed by Universal Music), who said he was interested to offer them a two-single contract. The band decided to take the plunge, and recently ‘Adrenalin’ has been made available for mobile downloads, with ‘Di Sini Saja’ set for probable release later in the year.
Yet with the future beyond the contract still hazy, the band has taken things into their own hands in true enterprising fashion. A second EP is set to be released under indie label CoreMedia soon, and a number of gigs have been lined up for 2009. All that might even lead to Taiping becoming a new breeding ground for Malaysian indie. “These few years have seen Taiping developing well,” says Firdaus. “Before this we had to travel to Ipoh to get some things. But not anymore.”
Firdaus pauses for a bit before quickly adding, “It is just that the town is so congested lately.”
As Melastik Bintang–its current lineup consists of Firdaus, Muhammad Hasril Ibrahim (guitars), Raja Khairi Ehsan (guitars), Abdul Karim Razali (bass) and Zubair (drums)–would have learnt from personal experience, progress can be a little discomforting, but its end results are usually worthwhile. And the indie quintet’s gradual development from an anonymous small town act into a burgeoning one recently signed by Universal Music is the kind of progress that any band wouldn’t mind undergoing periods of discomfort to arrive at.
Like many Malaysian teens of the 90s, Melastik Bintang’s members spent their pimple-popping years weaned on classic Malay rock icons like Search, Wings and Ramli Sarip plus the occasional dabble with Michael Learns to Rock. At the same time, they got right into Taiping’s tiny but close-knit scene, attending shows by the likes of grunge veterans Scandel26 and Freygyle. “[We started] following them to jamming [sessions] and gigs, watching crowds cheer, sing and dance with them,” says Firdaus. “[Soon] we started to feel like having our own band.”
The original group took shape in 2002 but despite being surrounded by emo and hardcore acts, they opted for a mellower brand of indie rock. Indeed, just like their rainy town, many of Melastik Bintang’s songs are bathed in the greyish hues of an overcast day. ‘Adrenalin’, for instance, drizzles jagged guitar lines and moody vocals across a forlorn tale drawn from Firdaus’ own relationship experience. “It’s all about a very loyal guy who thought he was always right, a woman who never appreciated loyalty and someone who claimed to be a friend–a pious-looking guy who swore by the name of God to cover up his wrongdoings,” he says.
In 2003 the band recorded a four-track EP appropriately titled Mendung (“cloudy” in Malay), but it would be two years before they were financially able to release the first 500 copies (all were sold). Then in 2007, Firdaus got an SMS from a representative from Rumpun Records (a local publishing arm distributed by Universal Music), who said he was interested to offer them a two-single contract. The band decided to take the plunge, and recently ‘Adrenalin’ has been made available for mobile downloads, with ‘Di Sini Saja’ set for probable release later in the year.
Yet with the future beyond the contract still hazy, the band has taken things into their own hands in true enterprising fashion. A second EP is set to be released under indie label CoreMedia soon, and a number of gigs have been lined up for 2009. All that might even lead to Taiping becoming a new breeding ground for Malaysian indie. “These few years have seen Taiping developing well,” says Firdaus. “Before this we had to travel to Ipoh to get some things. But not anymore.”
Upcoming Shows For Melastik Bintang
Apr 11 2009 8:00P
FESTIVAL RAKAN MUDA AKUSTIKA@BUKIT GANTANG PERAK
Apr 12 2009 8:00P
ALUMNI POLITEKNIK UNGKU OMAR (terbuka utk sume warga malaysia) IPOH
FESTIVAL RAKAN MUDA AKUSTIKA@BUKIT GANTANG PERAK
Apr 12 2009 8:00P
ALUMNI POLITEKNIK UNGKU OMAR (terbuka utk sume warga malaysia) IPOH
Contact: Myspace
