Ok this is also another old interview taken in june 2005 that is worth checkin out,its an interview with one of my favourite band from Malaysia, Mass Separation! By the time you read this they have already played Singapore twice and also did an indonesian tour. Their upcoming split 7" with SMG will be out in April this year. Kid and Fahmi also got a new band call Kahroeshi playin dark hc that will be touring indonesia in August this year and also will be doing a split 7" with Pazahora. check them out.
All question answered by Kid.
1.I know mass separation have been around for some time now and you guys went through alot of line up changes,please tell us a brief history of the band?
Started out sometime around 1996 by few high school friends. With the support of our local and overseas DIY Hardcore Punk / Grindcore scenesters, we’ve been playing shows and putting out releases since then.
But we also had been changing line-ups in almost every each release. And now only Boy, our guitarist is left from the Ignorance in Breed Demo line-up. Musically we’ve been evolving around crust, grind, thrash and hardcore. While our lyrics represents our personal angst and socio political views.
You still could find some of our old line-ups in the scene, Yeap now is with Abc Weapons (crust) and Pisschrist (d-beat) in Australia, Aja still playing for Innerfall, Fastgame and Relationsheep (punk rock), Bai still drumming for the grindcore old-timers, Negation and his another grindcore project. Bart will be joining our next recording, again with his ethnic musical instruments.
Our current line ups: Niesa & Kid (vokills), Boy (guitar), Fahmi (bass) and Kia (drums)
2.What really inspire Mass separation's lyrics and music?
I usually wrote about how I feels about things around the scene and my life. Anything that I feel close to that time. Somehow I like to write something that people could relates to and avoid being too personal or absurd. But that’s depends on who’s reading our lyrics, some people would think we’re too political, some would find it hilarious or even stupid. Hopefully some punk kids would become more inspired!
Our music always been around crust, hardcore, thrash and grind. I don’t really know what have been inspiring our music, but we do got influenced by bands or music that we like. But it’s really nothing you could compare. People tend to compare us with big names in the power violence or grindcore scene that we never heard. That’s really freaks us out! We’ll give our best but it might not be enough for you!
3.What do you guys do when you're not playin in the band? any members of mass separation into any activism?
Most of us are working. Boy and Niesa prefer to be free and free lance or part-time works. Besides that we’re all involved with organizing shows (Riang Ria DIY, Extreme Assault Fest, our own label/distro (Propamedia, Symphonic Blast, Little Red Room) and zines (Info Aktif, Oddshelf, Ricecooker). Yes few us do, well it really depends on issues. Let’s see what I can recall. Ok, some of us we’ve been with working on socio-political issues like poverty in KL, environmental issues, anti racist campaigns, freedom for east timor, repression in acheh, local police brutality, free foods to the KL city homeless and needy, awareness campaigns and events on capitalism/globalisation, group discussions on anarchism and other ideologies, workers and women rights, anti war campaign and protest, may day protest, collecting donations for acheh tsunami victims and maybe some more than I can’t remember now. Personally I feel that it’s really important to get involved or at least try contribute anything that you can regarding issues that you feel close to.
live in singapore,pic taken by norman tss
4.How does it feel to be the most hardworking band in malaysia? I understand that most members of mass separation also plays in other bands?what are those bands and what type of music do they play?also tell us about propamedia and symphonic blast?
I don’t think we’re the most hardworking band in Malaysia. I believe there’s lotsa other local bands that way much better and more active than we do? Yeah, most of also play in other bands right now, Kia also playing drums for Nazzaq (death/grind) and Banzai 606 (thrashcore), Boy plays for Fastgame (thrashcore), Quest of Quasar (screamo crust) and Innerfall (hardcore) and I also sings for Fastgame and Quest of Quasar. Fahmi had to quit Reconstruct (grindcore) and Warfare (hardcore punk) after working in KL. Propamedia mainly runs by me and Niesa. We’re just another small DIY Hardcore Punk label and distro. Apart from just DIY music, we’ll be distributing literatures and merchandises. For more info and latest release/distro list, contact us at propamedia@gmail.com. Kia and Tiong (Reconstruct, Tools of The Trade) runs Symphonic Blast now. Their label/distro focused more on releasing, distributing local/international extreme music and also organizing the annual Extreme Assault Festival. Extreme music fans /bands, check out their website at www.symphonicblast.com.
5.Kids in malaysia have to serve national service too?tell us more about that, i know its really different from Singapore,when was it started?
Yes, started few years back, Malaysia also has a sort of National Service called Program Khidmat Negara. Selected 18 years old boys and girls now have to go through few months of ‘brainwashing’ camps before continuing their studies or life. Mainly is about pushing down blind loyalty, patriotism and nationalism into these youth throats. Pardon me because I never been to one, but for me it’s is something like boy/girl scouts but it’s just plain stupid. Very unlike Singapore, it got nothing much to do with defending or helping you, family and friends in case of emergencies vice versa.
6.Please give us a brief discography of mass separation's releases and also your upcoming releases?
OK let here goes our discography:
Discography (1996-2005):
1. Ignorance in Breed, demo cassette - Black Seed
2. Split with Cripple Bastard, cassette - ALP Tapes
3. Split with Unholy Grave, cd - Do Not Consume, Grind Malaya, ENA
4. Destroy All Borders, compilation 7" - Where’s Your Anger
5. Split with Atrocious Madness, cd - Voice Production Asia
6. Split with Kontrovers, 7" - Putrid Filth Conspiracy & Instigate
7. Split with Dregs of Humanity, 7" - Nuclear BBQ
8. Feed Your Conscience, cassette - No Action Taken, Propamedia, Ungrateful Bastards, Voice Production Asia
9. SE Asia Thrash Detonation, compilation 7" - 625
10. Tak Mau Lagi, 7" & cassette - Where’s Your Anger, Meconium, Skeletor, No Action Taken, Propamedia, Ungrateful Bastards, Voice Production Asia
11. Battered and Bloodied in Bangkok, cd - Elephant Eye
12. Tak Mau Lagi, 3" cd - Homegrown
13. Split with Selfmadegod 7" & cassette - Uberpiss, Bullwhip
Our upcoming releases:
In the works:
Discography cd, 4 Ways international split and a 6 Ways Asian grindcore split.
7.When are you guys gonna tour the world? ehe, since you guys has done tons of split releases with great bands abroad.So playing singapore soon?
Hope that we could do that soon! Having lotsa releases doesn’t mean that you could book a tour anytime you want. Demisor and My Precious played in Japan before. Utarid gonna tour Europe sometime in July. Second Combat and Eleven just got back from Indonesia. While us still struggling to book a show in Singapore! We’re looking forward to work out any overseas tour, anyone could us help out?
8.So what are your views on the current southeast asian hcpunk scene nowadays? name some of your favourite bands from your area and also from around the region?
DIY South East Asian Hc Punk scenes took shape a little bit late but its positively growing right now. We can see lotsa bands, shows, zines, labels/distros popping up everywhere. And on the political side of our scenes, things like collectives, food not bombs, action groups like wise also seem to be more matured and realistic. What we should do now is to get more organized and linked to each other scenes. Not only within SE Asia but also with other regions! It’s cool to know every happenings and to collect every records from US, Sweden and Japan scenes, there’s totally nothing wrong about that! But what do you know about your own neighborhood? Are you doing something to support your local scene?
It’s really impossible to list everyone down here, so I wrote some hardcore punk and metal bands that came through my mind now!
Malaysia: Banzai 606, Nuisance Drilled, Sarjan Hassan, Damokis, Hasrat, Middle Enemy, Nazzaq, Negation, Parkinson, Perpetual, Radiata, Nyiblorong, Suara Anak Muda, Anti Protokol, Holokrust, Skullkrusher, Apparatus, Relationsheep, Self Made God, Sickness, Sharon Stoned, Tools Of The Trade.
Thailand: Phlan, License To Kill, Heretic Angels, Failure Trace, Lacerate.
Singapore: Secret 7, Jahilia, Recover, Under Attack, Social Integration, Hudud, Fallen World, Rememories, Elegy For Eulisza, Subtle Revenge, Flesh Disgorged, Wartornation, Bile Puscess, Hen, Kliwon, Demisor, Eyesore, Protest, Insurecction, Volition, Demilitarize.
Indonesia: Domestik Doktrin, Raja Singa, Cryptical Death, Relationshit, Mortal Combat, Dirty Mouth, Atret, Extreme Decay, Forgotten, Siksakubur.
Philippines: ADA, Feud, Beauty of Doubt, Standfast, Crustration, Dissent Noise, Eskapo.
9.Ok im closing this interview.So what can we expect from Mass separation in the future? any last words?
Million thanks to you Hafiz for sparing us some space here and distributing our promo cd-rs. Since we’re back on track now, we’ll be putting out more release, new merchandises, and a huge backdrop banner for shows and upload a new website. Hello to all our friends in Singapore! We want to play in Singapore, please!
We can be reached at:
Kid/Niesa, 28-01-15 Flat DBKL, Gombak Fasa 2, Gombak Setia, 53100 Kuala Lumpur.
mass_separation@hotmail.com / www.myspace.com/masseparation
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