WUDDUP WUDDUP OBSESSIONERS + DISKOTEERS REGION WIDE!yerps. it is true. for our 2nd installation of DIALOGUE, OS is very honoured and proud to present to you; DANGERDISKO! The duo's unique and eclectic sounds, heavily influenced by Daft Punk, JUSTICE and Anoraak, just to name a few, has played a very important role in evolving the nightlife and EDM scene in KL. RoboTron 5000's eclectic taste in new wave and indie dance combined with Shaheed Naz's dirty disco and nosebleed electro has made DANGERDISKO a name you will almost certainly remember.
I caught up with the guys from DANGERDISKO and managed to squeeze them for a DIALOGUE session and also a couple of exclusive mixsets! yerps. that's right. DANGERDISKO's EXCLUSIVE OBSESSIONSYNDROME MIXSETS! so, go ahead and download 'em mixsets [links at the end of the interview] and while you wait, let us follow what RoboTron 5000 [R] & Shaheed Naz [S] has to say about DANGERDISKO, life, music and all the things that revolves around it.
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OS: Tell our readers a little about DANGERDISKO and how you guys came about?
R: Well, Shaheed and I were neighbourhood friends and we were sort of rivals to start off with. Both were struggling bedroom DJ geeks but later on, after we finally hung out, we found out that we both shared the same interests and tastes in music and everything sort of clicked into place from there on. We both were in bands (and still are) and were committed to the underground rock music scene but we wanted to do something totally of out the norm. We had separate DJing careers circa 2001 – 2005. But in 2005, we formed ‘They Came From Mars’, and started spinning and producing breakbeats, 2 step garage and drum n bass. Everything came by so fast. We were the finalists of the Heineken Thirst 2006 competition; we were signed on instantly with an independent label and released a few singles, locally and internationally. But after some legal struggle with the label, we decided to bury the group and the name. We finally formed a new duo and armed ourselves with a fresh new dynamic, hence DANGERDISKO was born.
S: We were sitting in OU Burger King and the name suddenly popped out!
OS: Describe your sound in three words.
R: Robo Disco Sex!
S: Dirty, Sexy, Pumped
OS: What genres of music and artists did you listen to growing up? And what kind of music do you listen during your free time?
R: I listened to a lot of stuff growing up, good music like The Beatles, Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. My dad was the 70’s psychedelic rock and funk junkie. But my mom was the 80’s freak. She taught me a lot of new wave stuff like The Cure, A-HA and Depeche Mode and opened my doors to the first prototype sounds of EDM. That should explain my never ending obsession with new wave. What do I listen to in my free time? I just listen to anything that’s good.
S: Well I am versatile when it comes to music. I started listening to electronic music since I was in high school and the genre that triggered my music passion was and still is, is Drum & Bass. Since then I’ve been exploring EDM deeper in search of my true sound and the search has led me directly into dirty basslines. For me to push into Drum & Bass is really quite a challenge here in Malaysia so inevitably Fidget, Electro and Dubstep is the way to go. On the other hand, for those moments of inspiration, I meditate myself with some good, soothing music like Lounge, Chillout and Nu-Jazz.
OS: Who or what has been the biggest influences in your life as a DJ/producer? Any current favourites to recommend? All-time favourite track/s?
R: Daft Punk. We accept nothing less.
S: For Drum & Bass it’ll be Concord Dawn and for 4/4 beats it’ll be Trentemoller and Laidback Luke.
OS: What tracks are you listening to at the moment?
R: MSTRKRFT feat. John Legend – Heartbreaker
S: The whole Trentemoller singles collection.
OS: What have been up to lately and what can we expect from you over the next couple of months?
R: We just finished our first leg of the DANGERDISKO Indonesia Tour. It was fucking crazy. Indonesians REALLY know how to party. They are simply awesome. I had the best time of my life there. We’re hoping to go back there by the year end and hopefully continue the tour in Thailand, Singapore and the Phillipines. We’re also currently planning a monthly event here in KL. We’re collaborating with Nazkimo; one of KL’s finest electroklash DJs around and we’re hoping to kick start a new wave of independent electroklash shows. It’s going to be similar to an underground indie gig, but at a clubbing scale. Art, music, fashion and independent spirit, all under one roof. And best of all, it’s free. Can you imagine that? Also on the side, we’ve been producing some of our own material and we’re currently remixing some local artistes’ tracks. We’re also on the verge of releasing our debut EP soon, so stay tuned for that!
S: We’re also currently busy releasing our mixtapes online and you can download them all for free at our blog.
OS: How have you seen your popularity grow over the past year?
R: We’ve been getting much love from DANGERDISKOTEERS from all over the South East Asia region: Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Singapore and Bangkok, which was actually a feat we never though could be possible a year ago. Emails have been pouring in from as far as Europe and the States and we really love the whole blog circle thing that’s been going on for us. Bloggers make up 75% of our supporters and they are a very supportive bunch. A lot has happened in the past year, we’ve went on from unknowns to notorious unknowns, jumped from one residency to another, partied in countless of events, opened for a number of awesome international DJs, birthed the RUNWAY THUNDER and the ELECTRIC PLAYGROUND series and did our first debut international tour. Man, 2008 -2009 has been awesome.
OS: Over the next few years, how do you see technology revolutionizing Electronic Dance Music, and how if in any way has technology revolutionized your music?
R: Leaps in technology has made it easier for an average Joe DJ to sound like Tiesto, and it has helped us tremendously to sound more professional. But like any other vices, it does have its cons. The process of being a DJ is so simple these days, almost anyone could just download a copy of Virtual DJ and claim to be a DJ. In other words, the birth of the hordes of posers definitely pisses me off.
S: One thing I can say is that in the future EVERYBODY can produce music.
OS: At this point in your career, would you rather have 1,000 people buy your latest track, or 100,000 listen to it for free?
R: 100,000 people listening to it for free. If I wanted to make money in Malaysia, I’d be a politician.
S: Well we will allocate our ‘stock’ tracks and our free-for-all tracks. At least we’ll get something out of our hardship of working on the tracks for weeks straight without sleep
OS: Which party had the most impact for you as DJ?
R: That’s a tricky question. For me personally, it has to be the days when we were in Frangipani. Those were struggling days, but we had a world of fun. Oh, and the RUNWAY THUNDER nights. Models + Fashionistas + Electroklash formula is a no brainer. It never fails!
S: Jakarta!!
OS: What do you like the most being DANGERDISKO?
R: Nobody knows who we really are. They just love us for the music and recognise us for the brand. That is simply the best part of being in DANGERDISKO.
S: The discovery of each other’s passion; the dirty sound from myself and the 80’s stab attacks from Robotron 5000.
OS: What do you think of the Malaysian electronic music scene?
R: To be perfectly frank, the Malaysian electronic music scene is a slow blossoming flower, but we are catching up at our own pace. The mainstream nightlife scene in KL is easily backdated by 3-4 years but there is still hope. There are literally hundreds of great new DJs and acts out there, visibly unknown to the mainstream crowd but the scene is controlled by outdated scene extremist bastards who are bent on destroying any fresh new idea or sound. The solution? Wait for them to die, unfortunately.
S: Not many are musically educated here Malaysia. There are too many divisions of listeners and of course the majority (commercial music) always wins. In this industry, to be successful, you got to kiss a lot of asses.
OS: Where do you see DANGERDISKO in the next 5 years?
R: We hope our sound would still be fresh in 5 years time. We do not want to stand in the way of the future generation to blossom. If our sound is no longer relevant, we would throw in the towels, inevitably. Every DJ has an expiry date. It takes nobility to embrace that fact.
OS: In your own words define music.
R: Music is an art form sought to express the inner depths of human emotions. But that statement could only be applied to good music. I have no words for crappy music.
S: Music is the medium that connects life to your heart.
OS: Last words to all OBSESSIONSYNDROME readers and fellow DANGERDISKOTEERS.
R: The fate of the local nightlife scene is in your hands. Support your local acts and venues that actually give opportunities to said acts and read more fantastic indie music blogs such as OBSESSIONSYNDROME. There’s more to the internet than just Facebook, David Guetta and porn, kids!
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well said, DANGERDISKO! all of us here at OBSESSSIONSYNDROME will support you all the way. go give them massive lovin!
DANGERDISKO'S BLOG & FACEBOOK.
in the mean time, let us indulge in these collections eclectic musical tastes presented to you in the form of EXCLUSIVE MIXSETS. personally, i think both mixsets are BANGIN! but that's just me. so why don't you take a listen and tell us what YOU think. ENJOY!
DANGERous Obsession
by Robotron 5000
Machete DISKO Syndrome
by Shaheed Naz
GO GO DANGERDISKOTEERS!
