documentary in amber

by Lounge Lizard

Photos by Documentary In Amber and Ed The Tech Guy

In recent years, post-rock bands are breeding in the Singapore indie music scene like hamsters in heat. Okay, the genre has not caught on that rampantly. That’s emo-punk. Being one of the early bands which adopted the sound, Documentary In Amber (www.myspace.com/documentaryinamber) has been delving deeper into its own world, crafting epic walls of sound and aural assaults.

Fresh with a self-titled debut EP, the young lads Daniel Lim (guitars), Lek Dakai (guitars), Iliyas Ong (bass) and Daniel Tan (drums) is cornered into an interview by Aging Youth where they share about the EP (which is distributed by Aging Youth Records. Hey!), what keeps them at their game and talk about life in the ghettos.

Documentary In Amber kicked off as a project for Daniel Lim a couple of years back. How did you gather the motley crew?

Daniel Lim : If memory serves me right, I started posting for band mates on the local music forums in the middle of 2004. Initially, I hardly had any replies to my posts; nobody seemed to know what I was talking about. With some luck, ex-guitarist, JX replied and we got the ball rolling from there.

Dakai : About a year and a half ago I shamelessly posted myself on Luther Music Classifieds. Daniel (Lim) shamelessly asked me to be a part of this side project he was working on. We both decided that the other wasn’t too dodgy since he was a Smashing Pumpkins fan. All Pumpkins fans are really nice human beings.

Daniel Tan : JX was interested in starting a side project. Through an online advertisement, I was roped into the band eventually.

The band went through a few line-up changes before settling into this current line-up.

Dakai : I wouldn’t know anything about this; I was the last one to join.

Iliyas : Yes, we (Daniel Lim, Daniel Tan and I) had a few problems with our ex-guitarist, JX. But anyway, the whole burning bridges thing was unnecessary and pointless, not to mention ugly.

Daniel Lim : There were a number of people who were instrumental in laying the foundations of this band. Local film maker Jacen Tan (of ‘Tak Giu’ fame) was initially our drummer and Dhany (from Voideck Productions) played bass with us for a while. Of course, founding member JX played a huge role in shaping the band.

I understand different members draw influences not just from the post-rock realm. They are as diverse as classic rock like Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden to punk-pop acts like Blink 182. How does this shape the Documentary In Amber sound?

Dakai : To claim our favorite bands as an influence will be inappropriate. But being open to different kinds of music is a quality that is influential in our band. Plus we all have our guilty pleasures, which we like to make fun of each other about.

Iliyas : Hmm, while I can’t speak for Blink 182, I’m sure everybody listens to Led Zeppelin or The Beatles, for example. So it does not necessarily equate to a conscious effort to emulate or even incorporate that sound. But if it’s subconscious, then I wouldn’t know about it anyway, cause I’m not intelligent enough.

Daniel Tan : Each person’s musical influences help define their own playing style and sound. Thus, the diverse influences of each member help to bring in different elements into the band’s music.

Daniel Lim : (Doesn’t know the appropriate response)

When you guys started out a few years back, you were one of the very rare post-rock bands. However, the genre is getting rather popular with the younger folks these days. What’re your thoughts on that?

Dakai : It's comforting to know that instrumental music, not just post-rock, is getting a lot more attention in the local scene now. Aside from Jaga Jazzist, Tortoise and Mogwai, there were acts like DJ Shadow, Kid Koala and Alva Noto all coming to Singapore. Lyrical artistry can leave you breathless but can also distract. I'm just glad that people are not as obsessed with front men anymore.

Daniel Lim : I’m just glad that some are actually pay attention to our kind of music.

Daniel Tan : Is it really that popular with the younger folk these days? It would be a breath of fresh air if more young bands ventured out into slightly less mainstream territory and did something new.

Iliyas : Are you implying that we are old? Only DT is. But anyway, all things must pass away.

Why does it seem that Daniel Tan is the butt of the jokes in the band? I understand there was a particular incident involving an umbrella…

*Dakai whispers with a sheepish look and shifty eyes* : (Lets all not answer this...)

Iliyas : Most of the time, I’m usually innocent.

Daniel Lim : Right.

Daniel Tan : It’s just that Dakai and Iliyas love to mock anything and everything. So yeah, every time there’s a chance, we will all take potshots at each other. Especially common are jibes about the ghetto east, courtesy of Dakai.

How did the collaboration with Bani Haykal of B-Quartet come about?

Dakai : I've always been a big fan of B-Quartet, especially Haykal. When we caught their stripped-down set at the Arts House, it was nothing short of a phenomenon. We're excited that he accepted our invite. Working with vocals will be interesting for us, more so when it is someone we have a lot of respect for.

Iliyas : I think it was actually Dakai’s idea. But we really like the new, electronic B-Quartet; it’s really good stuff.

Daniel Lim : Yup.

As compared to your peers such as I Am David Sparkle and Amateur Takes Control which are more prone to frenzied dissonant guitar outbursts, you guys seem relatively tame. While Documentary In Amber has its moments of wild playing, you guys sound gentler and akin to stoke deliver quieter musical passages.

Dakai : Is this a question?

Iliyas : Like a friend once said: “Reverb is the musical MSG”.

Daniel Tan : We prefer to play more with subtle texturings and dynamics and also always seek to make sure our music sounds like it’s going somewhere. I guess we are experimenting more with “frenzied dissonant guitar outbursts”. But we generally don’t like to just blast the climaxes for the sake of blasting without any real sense of purpose or direction.

Daniel Lim : Anyone watched the spoof of “300” called “United 300”?

‘For These Are Truly The Last Days’. Why the apocalyptic vision?

Daniel Tan: The working title of that song is actually ‘Mono’, thanks to certain inspirations we drew from a certain Mono track. But when thinking of a proper song title for the song, Iliyas came up with ‘For These Are Truly The Last Days’ which was taken from some Godspeed You! Black Emperor track. It felt right for the song, so it stuck.

Daniel Lim: There isn’t a definitive meaning or message to any of our songs. A title is just a title; we like to keep it open. The songs probably have different meanings to each and everyone of us, probably with references to things that we can closely relate to. As for me, I would look at it as a tribute to Godspeed You! Black Emperor as well as a small fulfillment for my obsession with the apocalypse.

Iliyas : Actually, that’s a rip-off from a line from Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s ‘The Dead Flag Blues’. And there’s no real “message” involved; the song just fit the title, and vice-versa. The music is not a conduit or medium for any form of “vision” or “message”. We’re not prophetic spokespeople advertising their own opinions through music. We are also not telephone operators.

Why are most post-rock song titles so wanky?

Iliyas : I dunno. To over-compensate for the lack of lyrical wanking? (It) must be some inferiority complex thing.

Daniel Lim: To make up for the fact that most of them are not dangerous, sexy or intelligent.

Daniel Tan: I don’t know. To try to sound more intelligent than we are perhaps? Maybe it’s just to keep in line with the general length of post-rock tracks which are usually long and wanky anyway.

Dakai: This is where we apply to concept of having a certain number of pedals to having a certain number of words in a title: “less is more, but more is still more”.

The EP is produced and mixed by Daniel Lim. Why the decision to keep everything in-house?

Dakai : We are too cheap for anything else.

Iliyas : We have no money for anything else.

Daniel Tan : We save a lot of money this way.

Daniel Lim : Ditto. The equipment used to record did not even exceed the 500-dollar mark. Production wise, it’s not the best; it would pale in comparison to some talented producers we have here. But at least, it sounds like how we want it to sound like.

How does it feel like for the rest of the guys to be his bitches?

Dakai : Excellent.

Daniel Tan : No comments. Were we?

Iliyas : Not as bad as going all the way to the ghettoes in the north and west to record, etc.

Daniel Lim : Hey, I almost got killed on the way to the ghetto east. All that just to record a couple of bass tracks.

The band relies heavily on guitar effect pedals to create moods and the sense of drama. What are your current set-ups like?

Iliyas : Tech21 Bass Compressor -> Sansamp BDDI -> Fulltone Bass Drive -> Line6 Verbzilla -> EHX DMM -> Line6 Echo Park.

Daniel Lim : Nothing great about my rig. It’s all cheap stuff I got secondhand: Marshall Jackhammer -> Death By Audio Sound Saw -> Boss EQ -> Effector 13 Infinity Feedback loop (Boss BF-2, Electro-Harmonix Little Big Muff, Boss PS-3, Lazer Phazer, Jim Dunlop WH-1) -> brandless reverb unit -> Boss PS-2

Dakai : I have a thing for old Boss pedals; the DM-3, DC3 and RV2 are mainstays in my current rig. I use an old Marshall Drivemaster for overdrive and a black Russian muff for fuzz though one day I swear I would steal Dan's green muff when he's not looking.Well, Daniel, you use the violin bow on the Les Paul Studio. The obvious inspiration is Sigur Ros.

Iliyas : What, not Jimmy Page?!

Daniel Lim : It is hard to avoid that association, although many guitarist down in history (yes, even down to the Victorian days) have experimented with the use of bow on guitar. However, I always had the intention of using the bow on my guitar from the start. I inherited the bow from my sister who gave up on violins. That left me with a lot to experiment with when I got bored. I do not deny that Sigur Ros is huge influence on me but the way Jonsi, frontman of Sigur Ros and I utilize the bow is different.

Dakai, I understand you have a love for fusion guitarists like Jeff Beck, etc. How does that reflect in your performance?

Dakai : I'm not sure if it does. Well, there was a phase when I was playing a lot of blues and I really admired some of these players who had the common sense to not keep producing the same kind of music. Jeff Beck and Miles Davis had a discography that reflected metamorphosis and that was extremely captivating for me.

Most bassists are content to hold down the groove, pushing the rhythm along with single-note basslines. Iliyas is known for strumming chords on the bass, imbuing his parts with heavy reverb and delays.

Iliyas : Yes, it fits the music more, I suppose.

Being the drummer, Daniel, do you ever get pissed that the rest get so many toys to play with and all you have is a crappy drumset.

Daniel Lim : You are gravely mistaken…

Iliyas : I thought he just bought an insane snare drum.

Daniel Tan : Not really. Although it does look fun to have so many pedals to play with. Drummers have their own toys too, like cymbals, snares and a variety of different sticks, rods and brushes. And it sure does feel good to have to just bring a backpack of drumsticks to jam sessions while the others lug their heavy pedal cases! I haven’t bought an insane snare drum yet but am on the hunt for a killer one to get eventually.

What’re the plans for the band since the EP is out?

Dakai : We need to lay down more tracks from the current setlist we are performing. Gigging and recording the full-length album would definitely be something on our minds right now.

Iliyas : I dunno. Play more shows to recuperate the money spent? Yeah we actually did spend a bit of cash.

Daniel Lim : Actually, we almost have enough material for a full length album. I guess its just refining the material and getting down to record it. On another note, other than playing shows, we would also like to do soundtracks for films. We’re pretty open to such proposals.

Daniel Tan : We are tentatively involved in contributing some music to an upcoming indie film and will be ironing out those details in time to come.