Archive for November, 2009

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Hypptunes Rock The World 9 Band Search – Ipoh
Friday, November 27th, 2009

We’ll be heading straight to Ipoh after the Penang round. Come join us this Sunday, 29th November 2009, 12pm-6pm at Houz, Ipoh to witness who will win a spot to perform at this year’s Rock The World!

Here are the bands scheduled to rock our socks off in Ipoh!

As Ashes Fall

As Ashes Fall

Bactrim

Bactrim

Black Territory

Black Territory

Dongazz

Dongazz

Kill My Bride

Kill My Bride

Maiya

Maiya

My 2nd Juliet

My 2nd Juliet

Silent Migration

Silent Migration

Siren

Siren

The Tunelari

The Tunelari

Mustard

Mustard

Mazdoo City

Mazdoo City

Also joining are Dichi Michi and Green Power!

As we already have 14 bands performing in Ipoh, we won’t be accepting any walk-ins on the day of the event due to time constraint. Thanks to all the bands who have registered and good luck for the show!

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Tokyo Blue’s Debut Album Launch
Friday, November 27th, 2009

TOKYO BLUE ALBUM LAUNCH, OCTOBER 8 2009, GROOVE JUNCTION

Remember we had a short feature on these guys a few entries back? We were waiting for them to release their debut album, and now it’s officially out! Wanting to capture the live feel, ‘The Naked Soul’ was recorded fully live, giving listeners a taste of the band’s raw expressions of their feelings and of course, their music. Yeah, it is so raw that they didn’t mind letting go of the little hick-ups here and there in some of the recordings. They even eagerly asked everyone to look out for the mistakes. “We’re not ashamed of it. That’s the point,” Josh added, which got the crowd laughing and cheering. But judging from their complex rhythms and juxtaposed melodies we’ve been grooving to so far, we’re guessing it’s really not an easy task.

The launch was a modest one, where the band played 2 sets with an intimate Q&A session in between. After a mind-blowing opening set, showcasing songs from the album, they took a break to let the crowd get to know them better. Answering a question from the audience, Hiro explained that tolerance for each other’s ideas and musicianship is important and that’s exactly how they go about writing songs as a band. Check out the album and you can see that each of them acts as a composer.  When asked about future plans, the band showed keen interest in performing at different music festivals around Malaysia and overseas as well, particularly Jazz Festivals. Now here comes the most popular question at all Q&A sessions – ‘What is the genre of your music?’ According to Hiro, due to their habit of doing whatever they want to their music, some have labeled their music as ‘indie-jazz’. Some have also called them ‘jazz-rockers’…probably from Josh’s mad drumming and love for nu-metal. But hey, call it what you want, bottom line is, their music is the shizz.

They started their 2nd set with full-blown attitude, with Hiro, Ywenna and Josh being in their best elements. Probably more comfortable and relaxed this time around, they jokingly provoked each other on stage with solos and what not. There was also a song dedicated to Hiro’s mum, entitled ‘Kokoro’ which happens to be her favourite, and one for his dad too, called ‘Simple Man’, the finale of the night. That night Tokyo Blue was just at the top of their class. With their effortless playing, elegant showmanship and fun-loving attitude on and off stage, you can take my word that these guys are definitely gonna go places.

We have videos of the whole event here, so enjoy!

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Hypptunes Rock The World 9 Band Search – Penang
Friday, November 27th, 2009

Hey everyone! We’re heading north this week for the next round of Hypptunes RTW 9 Band Search. Come and join us as we check out some cool Penang rockers this Saturday, 28th November 2009, 12pm-5pm…here are the bands who have been selected:

Marble

Marble

O-Two

O-Two

The Four Twenty

The Four Twenty

The Last Son

The Last Son

Predicate Not Defined

Predicate Not Defined

And last but not least, Slippin’ and Slidin’

The show is totally free so come and support your friends and find out who will perform at Hypptunes Rock The World 9! Show us how you Penangites rock it out!

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Winners for Hypptunes RTW9 Band Search @ Melaka and JB!
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

The Hypptunes team and the boys from Fatboys were in Melaka and JB last weekend to kick off the Hypptunes Rock The World 9 Band Search. Our first stop was at Aloha Pub & Bistro, Melaka. It was a nice and windy day in Melaka that Saturday and although it was drizzling, we were happy to see 17 bands (half of which were KL bands who drove all the way to Melaka to perform!) all geared up to take on the challenge.

The bands in Melaka were really fun to watch. We had bands playing reggae, indie pop, hardcore, pop rock, grunge and modern rock and each band really put on a good show. Apart from witnessing a number of good bands, we saw many promising musicians like the vocalists from Massacre, Kyoto Protocol and Rosevelt and the tiny but energetic guitarist from Proclaim My Victory. We were also brought back to the glorious days of grunge in the early 90’s with Sourtury’s music and image, especially! However, there could only be one winner and the judges collectively chose Melaka’s own Khottal as the winner for this round. Their unique ensemble, lively performance and super catchy songs were just too good to let go for this year’s Rock The World.

After packing our stuff, we drove straight to JB to get our long-awaited rest (and sleep!). The next morning, the team headed to CT Cafe, JB to start getting the place ready for the second round of the band search. We had only 4 JB bands who pre-registered and 3 walk-ins. Nonetheless, all bands showed great showmanship on stage, especially ‘Klabu Asap’ who came in without their own instruments. But mind you, when they got on stage, they impressed everyone with their true punk-rock colours in every aspect – songs, lyrics, image and stage presence! JB has always been known as the ‘rock city’ by many and we actually saw that last Sunday where most of the bands played some serious rocking stuff. After deliberating, the judges decided to bring JB’s metal heads Wynken Delirium, to KL for this year’s Rock The World. They not only displayed a promising performance, but they’re individually good musicians too, and not forgetting, a disciplined group of rockers.

Guest judge Kombat from Kugiran di Tepi Pantai did a special closing performance at both venues. You guys gotta check out his band at this year’s Rock The World cause they play awesome surf-rock music!

If you missed these 2 venues, you can view each band’s performance right here on Hypptunes. We will be uploading the videos real soon, so stay tuned!

Here are the winners:

Melaka winner - Khottal

Melaka winner - Khottal

JB winner - Wynken Delirium

JB winner - Wynken Delirium

More pics coming up on our Facebook page, so look up for www.hypptunes.com.my and become a fan!

We’ll be in QE2, Penang on 28/11 and Houz, Ipoh on 29/11 for the following rounds of Hypptunes Rock The World 9 Band Search. See you guys there real soon!

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Topman Parties with Local Indie Acts
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

TOPMAN PARTY FEATURING LOVESICK AVENUE, KILLEUR CALCULATEUR, COUPLE AND TWINKIES

It was a different sight at Zouk mainroom that Friday, 13th November 09, with youngsters clad in their most fashionable gear arriving as early at 7pm for the Topman Party. They were there to celebrate Topman’s awesome collection and party along with some of KL’s best indie names – Lovesick Avenue, Killeur Calculateur, Couple and DJ-duo Twinkies.

The event started a bit late due to the usual Friday evening traffic but no one seemed bothered by it, probably because there was some interesting people-watching to do. The bands and invited celebrities were dressed head-to-toe in really cool Topman/Topshop items, while other guests came with their own quirky and stunning ensembles. The photographers surely had a good time snapping photos of these people all night long.

Lovesick Avenue started the show with their cheerful sound of indie pop, looking vibrant in their outfit. The crowd was a bit shy to move to their music at this time but they started to warm up when Killeur Calculateur took the stage. These 4 good looking post-punkers, dressed in all-black displayed a performance full of attitude. Next up was KL’s favourite indie rockers, Couple. As usual, they got the crowd singing and dancing (but still a bit shy) to their music. But the spotlight for Couple that night was actually on their guitarist, Ariana who was looking gorgeous in a bustier and harem pants, thanks to Topshop! A totally different look from her usual jeans and t-shirt combination. DJ-duo Twinkies ended the night with a whole lot of groovy stuff, with Arabyrd dancing on the podium and working the crowd like crazy, in her skin-tight leather pants and cropped glitter top.

The performances were good but too bad the sound system didn’t help much in enhancing the bands’ sound. That’s probably why the crowd wasn’t really feeling the music that night. Nonetheless, it was a pretty good effort by Topman, collaborating with local music acts for their events. Those who came with their F3 card were rewarded with a 20% Topman/Topshop voucher and also an exclusive Topman pen drive!

Here are some pics of the bands…

lovesick avenue

lovesick avenue

killeur calculateur

killeur calculateur

couple

couple

twinkies

twinkies

We’ll be posting more pictures soon on our Facebook page (www.hypptunes.com.my), so add us up!

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AUBURN
Friday, November 20th, 2009
Auburn

Auburn

Formed in 2005, Auburn is a progressive/alt-rock band with Izuan on lead vocals and guitars, Izzat on bass and Stephanie on drums. Stating The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Silverchair and The Mars Volta among their influences, Auburn sounds amazingly full for a 3-piece band, thanks to Izuan’s impressive guitar work which is complimented with Steph’s adventurous drumming and Izzat’s tasteful bass playing.

Auburn released their album ‘Karya’ in 2005 and was involved in a couple of compilation albums like ‘Ciplak The Movie OST’ (2006), ‘Support Your Local Acts’ (2007) and ‘Radio Rosak: Permulaan Baru’ (2009). They are currently working on their latest release ‘The Altruist/Si Altruist’. Their music has received many praises from music critics of various publications.

To date, the band has performed for many notable shows such as French band Utopian’s Mini Tour in 2007, Rock The World 7, Urbanscapes 2008, Jelajah Radio Rosak 2009 and an acoustic showcase alongside OAG at Istana Budaya in 2009. Always giving their audience a show to remember, you better not miss their slot at this year’s Rock The World because Auburn really has a lot to offer. Make sure you check them out!

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SKUDAP SKUDIP
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Skudap Skudip

Skudap Skudip

Skudap Skudip hails from Klang and was formed in 2004. Calling their sound ‘The New Third Wave of Ska with Malaysian Flavour’, the band is known by many for their fun and energetic charisma on stage.  Their songs are a mixture of ska, punk, rock and reggae and are always fun to dance and sing-along to.

To date, Skudap Skudip has released an EP ‘Mengapa Kenapa?’ in 2008 and their debut album ‘Bukan Sudu Bukan Sudip’ was released in July 2009. Currently, their single ‘Skalala’ is heavily played on local radio station X FM.

Ever since they started out, the band has been gigging very actively, playing close to a hundred shows so far. Some significant ones include the ROTTW Soundstage 2007 where they emerged 4th Place, X-Gig Extended, KL Indie Fest 2, OAG Merdayka Tour and Fly FM Campur Chart Goes Live.

Check them out for a ’skanking’ good time at Hypptunes Rock The World 9!

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MOHD JAYZUAN
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Mohd Jayzuan

Mohd Jayzuan

Mohd Jayzuan is a singer/songwriter who’s also the frontman of indie rock band ‘Free Love’. Famous for his raw-sounding blend of free pop and indie rock, he has been around in the local independent music scene not only as an active performer but as a gig organizer too. To date, Jayzuan has released a couple of tracks like ‘When You’re Around’, ‘It’s Alright Baby’ and the most popular one being ‘Gadis Elektrik’.

Jayzuan will be performing at the Chill Out Stage as well as at the Indie Stage with his band, Free Love. So if you’re looking forward to some laid-back indie rock sounds at the concert, look out for his slots and be sure to sing along!

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DISAGREE
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Disagree

Disagree

Disagree is actually the brainchild of Zahid (lead vocals and guitars) and Hamka (drums), way back in 1995 when they were still in high school. In their early days, together with Aziz (bass) and Ashroff (guitars) the band released the  ‘Homemade Jam Demo’, which received massive positive feedback and was also voted most popular and groundbreaking demo by various magazines.  Later in 2004, the band released their first album, ‘At The End of the Day’ which has sold more than 12,000 copies now. Not only did this album produced hit singles like ‘Crumbs’, ‘Suicide Note’ and ‘Scarecrow Adam’, but ‘Crumbs’ also received major airplay on MTV Asia.

Recently, after 3 years of recording and revising their brand new sound along with David replacing Ashroff as the new guitarist, Disagree finally released their sophomore album ‘To Prevent the Earth from Moving with You’. The album reflects a more mature side of the band and is packed with more melodious tunes. Check out their single ‘Osaka’ and other songs like ‘Haley’ and ‘The Tiniest Moment’ and you’ll surely know what we mean.

With a bunch of major shows under their belt like Rock The World 2-6, Anugerah Era, Hotlink on Tour, Fat Ant Music Festival and Singapore’s Power 98 Birthday Bash to name a few, Disagree is certainly an act not to be missed at this year’s Rock The World. Make sure you don’t miss their comeback!

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Hip Trip Nov #2: Invading Tokyo Blue!
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Tokyo Blue, left to right - Ywenna, Hiro and Josh

Tokyo Blue, left to right - Ywenna, Hiro and Josh

They may look intimidating on stage with their fantastic musicianship, but do they carry the same persona off-stage? Hypptunes had the opportunity to raid the minds of these 3 bright young things that make up Tokyo Blue. Find out who likes who better, who’s the better flirt and loads more!

1. If Tokyo Blue was a name of a drink, what would it taste like?

JOSH: Neon Gas

HIRO: Red wine

YWENNA: 100plus? gas-y, quench the thirst, but more minerals! plus it can recharge your body?

2. Who would be the first to jump out of a building if the fire alarm goes off?

JOSH: Me (Because I’m Chuck Norris)

HIRO: Josh. He’s done it before. lol

YWENNA: Hiro, cuz he’s more aware of earthquakes and fire, I would most probably still be sleeping and getting all my important stuff

3. What are your guilty pleasures?

JOSH: Alcohol and Kylie Minogue

HIRO: Spacing out at a “mamak place” on an off day?

YWENNA: Muahahaha * laughing at Josh…erm… ? Armpit hair and eye brow plucking session

4. What was the worst pick-up line you’ve ever given to a girl/guy? Come on guys, spill!

JOSH: “Ah, there you are, I was looking for you..” Problem is it was the wrong girl? But hey..it actually worked! HAHA! Yes it’s still the worst though.

HIRO: “Excuse me, does this bus go to KLCC?”

YWENNA: hmmmmm… stare and stare, “Have we met before” — oh well, im not good at this, SERIOUSLY

5. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received about yourself?

JOSH: “You make the best Maggi I’ve ever tasted”

HIRO: “You Chinese or Malay?”

YWENNA: “You look like you’re 12 years old!” whooooohoooooo

6. If you know you were going to die in an hour, how would you spend that last hour of your life?

JOSH: Skydiving probably

HIRO: Josh, be serious la

YWENNA: Spend time with my loved ones?

7. Josh, I heard that you’re the vending machine of jokes. What’s your favourite so far? Where do your ideas come from? Hiro and Ywenna, what’s your favourite?

JOSH: Fav joke for now – ‘Why is a mosquito better than a fly: The mosquito can fly?but the fly cannot mosquito!’ Ideas: Google and wonderful cousins from Sarawak

HIRO: What’s the similarity between XXX and a vacuum cleaner?  —-they both suck…..so bad..

YWENNA: If an aeroplane went inside Batu Cave, where will it come out? -  It will come out in the HEADLINES

8. Say the three of you are in a sinking ship, and you can only save one person, who would it be?

JOSH: Hiro, because in the end Ywenna will save us all! HAHA

HIRO: well Ywenna can’t swim. Josh can’t die. So Ywenna la.

YWENNA: Hiro, because, even without us, Josh has a lot of friends/SLAVES who he can boss around?

9. Choose 3 kinds of food and beverages that you would bring with you to an isolated island.

JOSH: Tiger beer to drink, Maggi to eat, and chocolates to bribe the local animals.

HIRO: Nando’s, Subway, Heineken?

YWENNA: Indomee, 100 plus, and kimchi

10. What would be the 3 crucial items in your survival kit?

JOSH: Water bottle, knife, solar powered music player.

HIRO: Bass, amp and a cable.

YWENNA: A multi-purpose knife set, AK-47, and my glasses. eh, josh! its not water bottle for you, but beer bottlesssss?

First thing that comes to mind…

1. Red

JOSH: Moon

HIRO: Hot chili peppers?

YWENNA: Wine

2. Sharp

JOSH: Electronics

HIRO: KLCC

YWENNA: Nose? ? ?

3. Loose

JOSH: Strings

HIRO: Groove

YWENNA: Hair ? ? ?

4. Wet

JOSH: Reverb

HIRO: um..

YWENNA: Floor

5. Tight

JOSH: As a rats *ss.(musically) HAHAH im being honest.

HIRO: Alamak

YWENNA: *ss?

6. Internet or Cable TV?

JOSH: Internet

HIRO: What’s cable tv?

YWENNA: Internet, who watch TV these days??

7. Sun or Moon?

JOSH: Moon?

HIRO: Moon

YWENNA: Moon

8. Kim Kardashian or Megan Fox?

JOSH: err…Megan Fox

HIRO: Kim Kardashian?

YWENNA: Kim kardashian

9. Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp?

JOSH: Johnny Depp!

HIRO: Brad Pitt

YWENNA: Brad Pitt?

10. Nasi Lemak or Tom Yam?

JOSH: Nasi lemak?

HIRO: Tom Yam

YWENNA: I can eat tom yam everyday!?

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