Sembang Soda Episode 5: Loque (MonoloQue)

WHO doesn’t know Loque? From his days in to leading the contemporary creative tour de force, MonoloQue, Loque has been a significant figure in the local music scene.

Despite all that success (and all the book publication and film scores), Loque has remained a humble art practitioner at heart; his passion shining through in his enthusiasm for the music he loves and the heroes he admire. Recently, he and his band collaborated with Malique and Lan for the Malaysian SEA Games for the song Tunjuk Belang, and it truly is a great listen! It is coloured with some of the most beautiful sounds of Malaysia, from Bornean undertones to the spirit of rock and hip hop.

MonoLoque’s latest LP, Jangan Puja Sampai Kecewa (our review) is so far the most comprehensive synthesis of all of Loque’s influences, ranging from more experimental ambience to the Nusantara vibe he’s known for. The question is: what exactly are his influences?

To find out, we do a little time traveling by talking to Loque and find out what made him the person he is today. Whatever you feel about Loque and his work, his encyclopedic love for all things music will take you on a really cool ride. If you wanna talk about grunge, punk rock and Dondang Sayang all in one conversation, what better man to banter with than this former member of Butterfingers and eternal lover of P. Ramlee?

So take off your tengkolok or tanjak, make yourself comfortable, and check out our latest episode of Sembang Soda!

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Part 1: Self-discovery in the US, the meaning of  ‘Nusantara’, & his ex-girlfriend

Find out how Loque overcame his writer’s block by going to the US and basically resetting himself from zero. He also shares some funny and lighthearted moments too! It’s more than just talking, as Loque demonstrates on his guitar what is distinct about the ‘Nusantara’ sound and the genius of Allahyarham, Tan Sri P. Ramlee.

Quotes:

-“There was a time when the band (Butterfingers) wasn’t doing good during the punya era. Kononnya masa tu all the rock gods dah hancur”

-“Purists or haters will always be there. Zaman internet, zaman tok kadok. They will always be there”

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References:

1) (11:36)
2) (11:59)
3) (12:20)
4) (12:40)
5) (13:10)
6) (13:52)
7) (14:23)
8) (21:20)

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Part 2: Nirvana, meeting Emmett, & kerohanian

In this part we talk a little bit about Loque’s favourite albums, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers song that bonded him and Emmett (who would eventually become Butterfingers) in a distant past where you can’t simply Google for tabs to songs you want to learn.

Quotes:

– “I mean I like the [P. Ramlee] hits jugak, tapi boring gila dengar orang cakap  “P. Ramlee? Oh yeah! Getaran Jiwa! It’s like “Kurt Cobain? Oh, Smells Like Teen Spirit!”

– *points to Nirvana’s album, Nevermind* “This is the birth of Loque”

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References:
1) (1:05)
2) (1:29)
3) (2:39)
4) (3:50)
5) (3:55) (link is a cover by Khahar Hamid)
6) (4:24)
7) (5:28)
8) (5:30) (Song featured is Interstellar Overdrive. A song by Pink Floyd when Syd Barrett was still in the band. It was also featured in Dr. Strange (2016))
9) (6:08)
10) (6:28)
11) (guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers) (7:31)
12) (7:41)
13) (8:09) (A song from Stadium Arcadium’s, RHCP’s 9th studio album
14) (8:46)
15) (9:41)
16) (10:12)
17) (11:12)
18) (11:20)
19) (12:11)
20) (13:28)
21) (13:29)
22) (13:40)
23) (14:27)
24) Jangan Puja Sampai Kecewa – MonoloQue (15:06)
25) (15:21)
26) (15:52)
27) (18:04)
28) RINGGIT- (End Intro)

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Sembang Soda is made possible by our amazing friends from TAPAUtv. Go to www.monoloque.com and buy yourself their latest album, Jangan Puja Sampai Kecewa. Whatever the title suggests, this album is so far from ‘mengecewakan’. You can also check out his latest song with Tomok, !