Project E.A.R.: Can You Hear The Music Brewing?

August 02, 2008

Perk your ears up Asia there's a new revolution in town and it's heading your way. Debuting at the 2008 MTV Asia Awards, Project East Asian Revolution or E.A.R. will see musical titans – Pop Shuvit from Malaysia, rockers Saint Loco from Indonesia, Filipino rap metal pioneers Slapshock, Thai super groups Thaitanium and Silksounds as well as hip hop crew Ahli Fiqir from Singapore get together to bring the best of South East Asian culture to the stage.

Between them, they have countless awards, chart-toppers and hundreds of screaming fans throughout the region. Hardly a wet ear in sight, MTV Asia snagged courtside seats for a tête-à-tête with buddies Moots (Pop Shuvit), Way (Thaitanium), Joe (Saint Loco), Jamir (Slapshock) and Dandy (Silksounds) and find out how music, Ramlee Burgers and getting tongues wagging makes their world go around.

The chance to perform at the MTV Asia Awards. What's that like? Are you guys excited or nervous?

Way: I've performed at the awards before so this would be my second time. MTV is a good place to come back to. It's great reaching out to all our Asian fans. There's a lot of responsibility getting on that stage.

Moots: It's my first time and the awards is finally on home ground this year. I'm looking forward to it and excited.

How did the idea for this collaboration come about?

Moots: We've all been working together for a while and we were touring last year together when we just said "you know what, we should just come up with a name for this thing we're doing, this whole collective" and the name E.A.R. just popped up. Then when MTV asked us to do this performance, we were thinking we can't just call it E.A.R. because it would sound really weird so we added 'Project' to it.

You guys are obviously separated by distance, so how does the working process in coming up with the performance and songs go?

Joe: There's something called the Internet and it is an amazing thing.

Jamir: We see each other every other day.

Dandy: We're just two hours away from each other so it's very easy to hop on a train, bus or plane.

Your MTV Asia Awards performance has been much touted as melding five different languages (English, Thai, Bahasa Melayu, Bahasa Indonesia and Tagalog) into one performance? Did you face any obstacles doing that?

Way: Nah... Cos' each person who speaks that language just performs that part. We didn't switch up the languages or anything like that.

The musical stylings of your own bands are rather different with rock and hip hop backgrounds. Did this play a factor in affecting the sound of Project E.A.R.?

Dandy: That is what Project E.A.R. is all about - different music genres between friends who share the same passion.

Moots: You'll see it in the performance at the MTV Asia Awards.

Way: That's the beautiful thing about getting together as a group. It's not only one genre like hip hop or rock but bringing everything in.

When you visit each others' countries, is there something that you've really liked and something that you'd never even want to touch with a ten-foot pole?

Moots: There's this place called Metallica in Manila that I totally love.

Jamir: Yeah, that place has good music.

Moots: They love the Ramlee Burger over here in Malaysia.

Dandy: I'm in love with Genting right now (drawls).

Moots: He's been bitten by the bug.

We're guessing you've had some luck at the casinos then?

Dandy: (Laughs) Yeah, pretty much.

Way: The thing about us is that we all love each others' countries. They all love Thailand and we love Malaysia because we see each other quite often actually.

Moots: It's not like a once a year thing. More like every couple of months.

Joe: They'd be in Indonesia or we'd go to Bangkok as well.

Okay, let's say we had a competition. What item would you pick to best represent your own country that would blow the others away?

Dandy: For Thailand it has to be the elephant.

Way: Yeah, an elephant definitely represents our culture.

Moots: That's a tough one. I'd say Ramlee Burger man.

Jamir: Beaches (the rest start laughing hysterically). Not the kind it sounded like! The Philippines is all about the islands. We've got hundreds of them.

Moots: You know what, I've changed my mind. I would pick Batu Caves because everybody who has ever come down here, big artists or whatever, they have always had good things to say about it.

Way: I haven't been to Batu Caves!

Moots: I haven't gotten around to taking you there yet, sorry. Soon though.

Do you reckon that Project E.A.R. could be big?

Dandy: Everybody is top notch in their country like Thaitanium is the pioneer of hip hop for Thailand.

Way: Moots is the first Malaysian that went big in Asia, touring Japan and he won the AIM for that too.

Moots: We've been in the industry for ten years. Slapshock is the pioneer for rap metal in the Philippines so we did our work and have done our time.

Have you had any freaky fan experiences? Do share...
(Everyone laughs looks at Dandy)

Dandy: I've had one which was really freaky but it's not PG-13!

You know the fans love hearing gossip. If you could start a rumor about yourself, what would it be?

Jamir: We won a million Ringgit.

Moots: I've got a good rumor. Watch out Project E.A.R. will be coming to your country soon.

When I say the letter M, what's the first thing that pops in your head?

Moots: Moots for sure.

Jamir: Manila.

Joe: MTV Asia Awards? (laughs)

Dandy: Malaysia.

Way: (Ponders for a bit) Money! I'm always thinking about money.

Will we be seeing more from Project E.A.R. after the MTV Asia Awards?

Moots: Definitely. First up we will be working on each other's albums. There's our presence there somehow either vocally or musically. Then we're definitely going to have a single.

Project E.A.R. is revolutionary because...

Way: It's kind of like a bridge between cultures, connecting people who are somewhere else and bringing them together. Just showing the world something from South East Asia that would surprise them.

Moots: There's something happening, it's bubbling and coming next.

Joe: We're all independent artists and independently marketed so it's not controlled.

Moots: This is not something from a major label.

Way: We've been to the major labels.

Moots: Yeah, but we opened up our own labels and there are different ways nowadays, different opportunities to make things happen.

What's one thing you're obsessed with at the moment?

Moots: Girls.

Way: Making music. I think we're all just obsessed with music that's why we're starting this revolutionary collaboration. We all share the same passion.

If there's one thing you could say to your fans, what would it be?

All: Open up your ears, Project E.A.R. is coming your way.