going with the flow...

by Lounge Lizard

Photos by The Great Spy Experiment

Made up of Saiful Idris (vocals, guitars), Fandy Razak (drums), Khairul Hashim (bass), Magdalene Han (keyboards) and Song (guitars), The Great Spy Experiment (www.myspace.com/thegreatspyexperiment) has made its indelible mark on the Singapore indie scene within a short 2 years. Having honed its craft over countless shows, the quintet is a formidable live unit, whipping its growing fanbase into frenzy with its dance-tinged rock. Saiful and Song take time to speak to Aging Youth about their critics, their love for Singapore music and of course, food.

The band started off 4 years ago as Superspy. What prompted the name change?

Saiful : Superspy existed from as far back as 1996, comprising Fandy, myself and a good friend of ours. In 2000, when I went to London to study, Superspy kind of took a long hiatus.  When I came back four years later, we wanted to do something different, and that's when the idea of a great 'Spy' 'Experiment' came about.  But The Great Spy Experiment wasn't just a name change. It was a new thing altogether.

There was definitely an evolution in the band’s sound. I remembered back then when it was just Saiful, Khairyl and Fandy performing. It was more akin to Britrock ala Supergrass and Ash. What prompted the change of direction?

Saiful : The very first Great Spy Experiment line-up was actually Fandy on drums, Song on bass and me on vocals and guitar. When Song had to go away for a long time, Khai joined us and hasn't looked back since.  The songs have always been pretty much the same but I think that evolution in sound really happened when Mag came into the picture. The synths really added a whole new dimension to the music.

Does it piss you guys off when your detractors criticize you guys for sounding like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand?

Saiful : Sometimes. But I think if you listen to the album and our whole repertoire, you'll realise that The Killers and Franz Ferdinand are just two of our many varied influences. The funny thing is that when we were in the States, there was no mention of those bands at all. Instead, people were comparing us to a whole bunch of other bands we've never even heard of. I guess it says a lot about a person's musical vocabulary and what they're exposed to musically. We've had fifteen year olds saying we sound like Angels & Airwaves (???) and some older fans comparing us to The Cure and The Beatles! It's all part and parcel of music-making, I guess.

Song : I think you can't get away from comparisons to bands already out there. It goes for every band really. It’s all about influences and these bands have indeed influenced our sound. When The Killers came out they had all the references to the 80s synth pop like Duran Duran and New Order. They took it all on board and made people embrace them, just like Muse with their likeness to Radiohead. There's no getting away from it and the important thing is to create your own identity out of it.

Most Singapore acts refine their tunes through live shows and practically record their repertoire. Thus, when the album arrives, it’s basically a recorded documentation of their live songs, especially for the fans who know most of the songs by heart, offering nothing different. You guys managed to add in more texture and layers for the recorded versions. That’s pretty interesting.

Saiful : I think that was definitely the plan, to come up with not just an album of eleven songs but rather to weave them together to create a whole other experience for the listener.

Song : I'm a sucker for layers and textures. If we had all the time in the world for this album, you bet I'll in the studio trying out different sounds to find the one that fits my idea of the tunes. There are so many things I want to and could have added in for an even more layered touch. But perhaps there'd be overkill. But yeah, just ask (engineer) Leonard (Soosay). He's given me that "another track?" look countless of times.

There are 2 tracks which are collaborations between Khairyl and his ex-The Death Of Cinema bandmate, Eswandy Sarip. How did that take place? Personally, the string arrangements add a very classy touch to the flow of the album.

Saiful : It took a whole lot of wheeling and dealing, involving copious amounts of 'teh tarik' to get him onboard. But we're very glad we got him 'cause he's wicked.

Hence, in that aspect, I think ‘Flow’ is the most outstanding track for, buttering a rock’n’roll tune with an epic sounding arrangement.

Song : Kudos to Saiful. His songwriting skills are tops. I love this track as well. (It’s) got the feel.

Saiful : When I wrote the song, the intention was to put together an emotive rock melody with the kind of dynamics you'd hear on a lot of 'builders', those atmospheric dance tracks that slowly build and build to a resounding climax. In fact, when I first did the demo for it, I was using loops that I normally use on my dance productions so it ended up sounding very housey. I think the guitar work and live drums on the album version really gave it the grit it needed.

That’s pretty interesting. Like David of Electrico, you are a DJ as well. How does that influence your songwriting in terms that you have a rock outfit and you are a DJ, producing some of your own tracks?

Saiful: The music that I play as a DJ is very different from the kind of music I listen to at home, which in turn is very different from the kind of music that I like to experience live or dance to.

I grew up listening to The Beatles and death metal at the same time before moving on to Malay sentimental rock and Brit pop. So I’m all for variety. That helps build up the musical vocabulary so that when it’s time to write, you’ve got all these tunes to draw from. After all, a song is just a bunch of melodies put together.

I can’t help but to draw reference to Doves’ ‘Pounding’ for the re-recorded ‘Class A Love Affair’, especially for the funky strumming in the bridge.

Saiful : Never heard of the song. That funky strumming is just how I imagine all funky strumming to be. Haha, I probably got that from TheStoned Revivals more than anything else.

The liner notes have a shout-out to Singapore surf-punk veterans Force Vomit, renowned for their classics like ‘Siti’ and ‘Spacemen Over Malaysia’. The Great Spy Experiment has a tune ‘Siti In The City’. Coincidence or tribute?

Saiful : Tribute, definitely. We love those guys to bits. And TheStoned Revivals as well. 'Siti' is just one of those names that really convey the character for some reason. And 'Petum' is damn hard to rhyme!

No offense to Song. But I was pretty surprised when he took on 2 nd guitar duties early 2006. We at Aging Youth are pretty much blown away by Khairyl’s guitar workouts in The Death Of Cinema. We might have assumed Khairul would have made the better choice back then.

Saiful : We made them fight for it and Song won. He has a killer sleeper hold.

Song : Khai's muscles were having an offday so I guess I was really lucky.

Magdalene was recovering from her illness in the public view last year with the band gigging extensively. I thought that was really brave of her. How did the band support her through those difficult times?

Saiful : We didn't really do much to be honest. She got through it largely on her own strengths and determination and I will forever respect her for that. At best, we made her laugh.

Song : She's a strong girl. Respect. And she makes a mean green bean soup. Thanks, Mag!

The album is dedicated to the memory of Wayne Seah who worked on the album. Could you guys share with us your relationship with him?

Saiful : Wayne was there from the very start all the way to the last days of the recording. In fact, his passing came within days of the album's completion. To be honest, we didn't know at the start that he was going to be involved but now, we're truly honoured to have got to know him that way. He's just a superb guy – the most genuine, dedicated and passionate person and musician you could ever meet and we'll always love him for that.

Song : Wayne lives in our music. This album wouldn't have been possible without him. I didn't know him before we started on the album and it was just so easy working with him. No airs. Very honest and genuine.

I understand the band stood in the mastering session with Masterdisc’s Howie Weinberg. How was that experience?

Song : We were like little kids in a toy shop, going "waaahhhh" at everything around us. It was quite an amazing place. And there were a few crazy girls filming a short film as well. They had superhero outfits on and were going after some guy called Tom Cruise. It was hilarious.

Saiful : It was brilliant. When we got there, we spent the bulk of our time staring at his walls – his walls were covered with discs of the albums he's worked on, by people like Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Whitney Houston and all. I loved his studio; the console is like a bloody space machine. It was an experience just being there. It's like getting backstage passes to the Royal Rumble.

Talking about Whitney Houston, your press bio states Great Spy Experiment’s music is “a champagne-fueled orgy informed by everything but J-Lo”. I’m no fan of her tai-put (big ass) but why the hatred?

Saiful: Have you heard her new song? It’s rubbish! Anyway, everything about her screams ‘fake’ for me. That’s pretty much it.

Much have been reported about your 2 shows in the United States, once for the South-by-Southwest festival and the other to represent the country in Singapore Day at New York City. You guys have shared quite a bit regarding these trips, especially for the NYC show. It was reported that many Singaporeans flew into NYC just for that occasion. How does it feel to be upstaged by food?

Saiful : Haha, it was the most humbling thing ever. But hey, we're a Singaporean band. We're used to being upstaged by just about everything. :)

Song : (You) can't fight with the prata and chicken rice. Not a chance in hell. But if our music did get to them there amidst the flavours and smells, I'm happy.