May 23, 2008

Electrico Gets Deeper and Darker with Latest Album, We Satellites

By Menreet Kaur

Coming from one of the tiniest nations in Asia, Singapore, Electrico has come a long way with their music over the past six years. They may be one member down, but they are still master-whizzes in making damn good love in new waves with their latest album, We Satellites.

Electrico has been at the forefront of the Asian music scene, constantly changing perceptions of Asians to have faith in locally-produced music with their crazily original sound arrangements and molting hot vocals. It is bands like Electrico who have the unrivalled ability to make a dramatic statement against the influx of western-influenced music.

MTV Asia catches up with lead singer/guitarist David Tan to find out how the band has matured with former guitarist Daniel Sassoon's departure, what is in store for us with their album We Satellites and whether the Asian music scene has what it takes to propel to greater heights in the near future.

MTV Asia: What can we expect with your upcoming album, We Satellites?

David Tan: Well, I think that with all our albums so far we tried to do something different every time and every year we get to experience much more music. Whenever we tour or play tours we meet more bands and it's a culmination of all the experiences that we had. Also, now that we are a four piece, the dynamics of our music has changed quite a bit as well. It's slightly darker, but our roots are still very much into melodies so it's still going to be very melodic though it is a darker album. I think the songs also have stronger messages this time round. We've actually gone to record in proper sound stations with grand pianos, live horns, stuff that we've never done before so it's going to be very exciting.

MTV Asia: What inspired that title for the album?

David: We figured that we wanted to have a theme running though the whole album this time that we felt strongly for. Basically, the theme "We Satellites" is about how all of us at the end of the day are observers of our surroundings. We can either choose to ignore what is going on around or we can sit down and observe just like satellites do as they circle the planet. We thought that would be a cool analogy for what we are trying to communicate.

MTV Asia: Being one of the few successful bands in Singapore, do you guys have a lot of pressure put on you to make it big internationally?

David: Most of the pressure comes from ourselves, just to succeed for ourselves and for the local music scene. A lot of why we do is because we want to continue to push the local music scene through our success and at least give the local scene something to aim for, or even the regional scene something to aim for as we try to be one of the few artistes to break through internationally. Unfortunately, the only way you tend to get recognition in Asia, is if you make it big internationally.

MTV Asia: Do you then see a prospective growth rate for the Asian music scene?

David: Definitely! I think the future is in local music. If you listen to the radio now, everything is coming out from the west, especially the top 40 music, all sounds the same! I'm not saying that it's bad music, there are some really good stuff out there, but a lot of it just sounds the same. I think people are, at some point in time, going to get bored of it and as you can see in recent years, rock music has really made a comeback and I think the local music scene in the respective countries in Asia are growing and I think it's just a matter of time before it is a force to be reckoned with and we want to be there at the forefront of it, where it happens.

MTV Asia: What would be the typical celebration that Electrico will throw with a successful album run?

David: Oh man, I think the celebration never ends! Maybe we'll throw a barbeque with lots of booze. We'll probably just have a long-drawn year of partying and we are looking to throw a big celebration once this album is done. This one is special because this is the one we've put most work into it and we really had to go through a lot of hardship to see this album through and to become what we hope for it to become. Having lost a member and pushing ourselves to come up with new stuff that's fresh and different from the last album and stay true to ourselves. We've really put in a lot of hard work in the album and it's not just the time, but emotionally as well.

MTV Asia: How do you think the band has differed now with Daniel (Guitarist) gone?

David: I think Daniel's departure has forced us to communicate a lot more because now that he is gone, our roles have changed and we can't expect to play, write or perform music that is meant for a five-piece. A lot of music that we did, we had to go rearrange again because he left mid-way through the production of the album. Yeah, I feel that communication amongst band members is key and it has made us grow even stronger as a family. In terms of relationships I think we are a lot closer and in terms of a band I think we're more professional and more mature. I think the music that is going to come out of this album is going to reflect all of that. We're definitely much tighter now. People may be worried about what's going to happen just because we lost the guitarist, it is sad that he's gone but in a way I think there have been a lot of really positive things that have come out of it. We sound more cohesive, in my opinion.

MTV Asia: Do you guys still see yourselves doing this in your mid-thirties with family responsibilities and the likes in tow?

David: When we first started taking the band seriously, we all told ourselves we'll do an album just for the heck of it, because at that point we thought there was no future in it but I think it's been six years already. If we were to succumb to it, we would have already done so. I think the music is never going to end, we are going to continue to make music. The reason why we want to continue doing this is that we want to push the scene to a point where Asians will see that music is actually a viable career. We want to try and lead by example. It is the passion that moves us, not the money.

MTV Asia: What are the goals that Electrico wishes to accomplish in 5 years time?

David: Well, I think if there was a book written about local music, we want to have a huge chapter in it - or at least be on the cover. [Laughs] But seriously, we want to be known as the band that made a huge difference.

MTV Asia: Speaking of making a difference, you guys have undertaken Audible Hearts as the charity organization of your choice…any particular reason for that choice?

David: The HPB [Health Promotion Board] approached us to do a song for the Mental Health Campaign for Audible Hearts and we thought that was a great opportunity for us to do a song and make a difference in terms of directly trying to address a problem. There was a fan who wrote to us and said that our music helped them out through a really hard time. Since we are now in the position where people actually do listen to our songs and we can make a difference then why not? That's why we decided to do the song, "Everybody's Here".

MTV Asia: Being the lead singer of the band, how do you keep your voice in good shape? Mariah Carey has got humidifiers around her bed, any similar antics?

David: [Laughs] No, I surround myself with stress. I don't have any particular thing I do for my voice. I have started to learn things about how the human voice works and I was coached by this lovely lady from Australia who also coached for Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, so she was giving me a lot of pointers about how the voice works and that really helped me to understand how to use it properly and not damage it. [Laughs] But I have no fancy humidifier, or throat spray or Tongkat Ali ginseng herbal remedy. I just try to keep my voice hydrated and warm up before I sing and use my voice correctly.

MTV Asia: Being a resident hot shot band in this part of Asia, any words of advice for the upcoming band wannabes?

David: Yeah, at the end of the day being in Asia it's tougher to be a band and make it. But all the more so, that should spur you on more. It all boils down to how much you want it and what you are willing to do for it. At the end of the day, it boils down to passion and never doubting yourself and not letting anyone tell you otherwise. You must believe in yourself and always push forward because it is definitely hard work. A lot of people do not realize the amount of hard work that has to go into it for you to actually become successful and the amount of disappointments you have to face before you actually get somewhere. A lot of bands just break up the moment there is one hurdle but that just means that they don't want it bad enough.