MANILA, Philippines – electric, the Singapore pop rock band, performed at Jam 88.3’s Fifth Jam Musicfest last May 15, along with the Philippines’ own Chicosci, Imago, Pedicab, The Dawn, Razorback, Kamikazee and Rico Blanco.Electrico’s early hit was “Runaway,” which was fun and catchy. “Faces,” one of the tracks from “We Satellites,” their latest album, is melancholic and reflective, a sign of the band’s new maturity.
Electrico’s discography is a wild mix of unadulterated music, introspection, sensitivity and eloquence. Previously known as Electric Company, then Electric Co., and now known simply as Electrico, the band was formed in 1996 and was initially composed of David Tan (vocals and guitars), Desmond Goh (bass), and William Lim Jr.(drums). In 2003, Amanda Ling (keyboards) and Daniel Sassoon (guitars) joined the band. Five years later, Sassoon left the band and Electrico became the quartet that we know today. Prior to “We Satellites,” Electrico had released “So Much More Inside” (2004) and “Hip City” (2006). Their big gigs include the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Texas in 2007, the MTV Asia Awards in Genting, Malaysia in August 2008, the Adidas 60th Anniversary House Party last February, and most recently, the Kaiser Chiefs concert in Fort Canning Park, Singapore and the Singapore International Film Festival Silver Screen Awards. They are expected to play during Singapore’s National Day, where they will debut a song that they have written especially for the event. This, according to front man David Tan, is easily their “biggest and most meaningful gig, combined.” Electrico has been nominated for the MTV Asia Awards twice, in 2005 and in 2008. In addition, David Tan was awarded Young Composer of the Year at the 13th annual Composers & Authors Society of Singapore or Compass. With their musical pedigree, talent and passion for music, it is no wonder that the Philippine music scene has noticed this impressive band. Their single, “Love in New Wave” shot to number one on the NU 107 chart, and their songs currently have airplay on NU 107 and on Jam 88.3. Saturday Super sits down with the quartet for a rare interview. What drew you to music? David Tan (DT): I’ve loved it for as long as I can remember. My grandfather was a violin teacher, my dad a radio DJ, and my brother an avid ABBA fan... it was fate...What’s life without music?
Desmond Goh (DG): I was so drawn to the beautiful melody of a Taiwanese music video I listened to when I was in my teens. That was when I decided to enter the world of music.
William Lim Jr. (WLJ): I guess it’s the passion passed down to me from my family. My dad’s a singer, guitarist and pianist. I could play everything like my dad. He used to be in the music scene back in the ’60s.
Amanda Ling (AL): Music is in my blood, I believe I was born to do this. How would you describe your music?
DG: Rock music.
WLJ: Rock with soul and energy.
AL: Soulful alternative rock.
DT: Yeah, I’m with them on that one.
DG: Basically, it’s just rock music. Alternative rock music.
DT: Spontaneous... (pauses) Okay. Spontaneous, melodic, soulful rock n’ roll. Who are your musical influences?
DT: Wow. Too many to name. Um, I think all of us have very similar and also very different tastes.
Are there any specific artists or bands?
DG: Well, we listen to a lot of Radiohead.
DT: The Beatles also. Led Zeppelin...I like Led Zeppelin a lot.
DG: A lot of new bands like the Cinematics.
DT: Coldplay.
DG: Yeah, Coldplay.
DT: I really like Coldplay.
DG: And lots more.
DT: There’s too many.
DG: I’d have to go to my iPod. (pretends to turn an iPod’s wheel) What inspires your music?
DG: When we write our music...For the melodies, for example, it’s a very collaborative effort. And for the lyrics, it’s always David for the lyrics. And he...I guess he writes it all from experience. (feigns an innocent look)
DT: Yes, they have no say whatsoever. (the rest of the band laughs)
So you write the songs and you don’t let them see it? (laughs)
DT: No. Yeah. Um, usually I make it quick. We’re gonna record vocals, quick, quick, quick. But uh...(turns to the rest of the band) But uh, that’s science fiction. (the rest of the band laughs) What inspires our music is usually other music. Because it’s usually after we tour, or you know, play in another country, or have a new batch of CDs that we put and hear on our headphones, that we get inspired. Because there’s so much music out there, and there’s so many different vibes in music and music is so infinite that, you know, after a while, you’ve no choice but to want to explore a new sound. And it really depends on what we’re listening to at the time. It could be not just music but stuff that happens, or just a feeling you have. Sometimes it could just be something really spontaneous, it just happens in the studio and we manage to capture it. What was it like playing for Jam 88.3’s Musicfest?
DT: It was awesome. We’ve been wanting to come to the Philippines and play for a very long time ever since our first fan mail came maybe about three years ago. And then, “Love in New Wave” went to No. 1. We were really surprised. That basically gave us no excuse not to come. It’s great. And now that we’re here we realized that Filipinos do actually, some of them really do like our music and it feels good to be able to let people from here appreciate our music because, I mean, the Philippine scene is so vibrant and it’s so rockin’ and it’s an honor to be here. So we’re very happy to be able to come and play. I’ve read that you’ve collaborated with Rivermaya before (on Electrico’s second album, “Hip City,” on a track entitled “All The World”) on your second album. So how did that help you prepare for the Musicfest?
DT: Rivermaya was like a window to the Philippines for us. They’re such nice people and they make great music and it just made us want to come here even more. After performing in the Jam 88.3 Musicfest and seeing other Filipino artists, is there a particular individual or group you’d love to work with and why?
DT: Archipelago is one band that we saw.
AL: After Jam, we had another set in Club Dredd. After us, was Archipelago, and we were totally blown away.
DT: Very good band.
AL: Really good band.
DT: I would actually like to do a song with Rico (Blanco). I was talking to him backstage and now he’s gone solo and I think he’s just an amazing musician, a talented songwriter, and a nice guy. So I would definitely love to do something with him if that could happen. How is the Philippine music scene different from the Singaporean music scene?
DT: I think first and foremost, fans here know how to be fanatical, which is an awesome thing. DT: Yeah, they know how to be fanatical. They get behind the bands. It’s such a respected scene and Filipinos are so passionate about their music and they’re not afraid to show it. Singaporeans tend to be a bit more reserved. But the younger generation of kids now in Singapore are a lot more fanatical, a lot more passionate, so that’s good for the future of Singapore’s scene. Here, there’s a whole infrastructure. Bands here are respected enough to endorse products, you know, and they become huge stars.
DG: Hopefully, we can do one for, I don’t know, man...Shangri-La Hotel or something.
DT: (sings in a high-pitched, operatic kind of voice while pretending to play the guitar) Shangri-Laaa!
AL: I would have to say that the fans here are really sweet. There was a girl yesterday during sound check and she just asked if she could take our pictures. Then there’s just this girl who came up to me and she just passed me a present. And I’m like, “Wow!”
So you’ve just released your latest album, “We Satellites.” What was the concept behind the album?
DT: (puts down his coffee cup) Wow. This is the one that I’ve memorized, ha ha. Okay, the whole album’s a journey. It’s meant to be listened to from start to end without taking a break. The whole story behind “We Satellites” is just to highlight the fact that all of us are kind of observers of what goes on around us, and a lot of us tend to take it for granted, you know? Things happen but we don’t act upon it. We don’t make a difference when we can, sometimes.
This all came about like two years ago, when there was a lot of natural disasters—the earthquake, the cyclone, and the tsunami. Those are things that happened and kind of, like, shed a spotlight on people and how they behave in times of need. So sometimes, we can either be observers of what’s going on and not do anything about it, or do something about it. So I likened it to the fact that we are satellites, just floating around, observing the Earth, and it’s up to you whether you want to do something about it or not. “We Satellites,” Electrico’s third album, in now available in the Philippines. Log on to www.electricomusic.com or www.myspace.com/electricomusic. To see their music videos, log on to http://www.youtube.com/user/electricomusic. |
