Music
5 Malaysians Music Milestones We Salute This Year
These moments of magic have shaped and influenced our local music industry in one way or another.
15 Years Ago: Too Phat dropped “Plan B”
The “Plan B” album cover
© Positive Tone
While their debut record “Whuttadilly” impressed a burgeoning hip-hop community, Joe Flizzow and Malique’s sophomore effort, “Plan B”, pushed them up the genre’s hierarchy with commercial and critical success in 2001. “Anak Ayam”, with a distinct Malay flavour, gave the unsuspecting masses a nice surprise, and featuring pop legend the late Dato’ Sharifah Aini on another track, “You”, proved to be a stroke of genius that effectively widened their fan base. Laden with hook-filled tunes, “Plan B” went double platinum and also triumphed at the 9th Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM), bringing home the trophy for Best English Album. That win also solidified Too Phat’s label Positive Tone as the number one tastemaker of local urban music.
Today, the true status of the duo remains unclear following Malique’s decision to become a recluse. After establishing his own label in 2005, Kartel Records, Joe Flizzow on the other hand, has released well-received solo albums and is a key figure in the hip-hop industry and an entrepreneur in his own right.
20 Years Ago: A pop princess was born
With a voice of an angel and that girl-next-door appeal, Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin first burst into the limelight when she won the singing competition, Bintang RTM, at the age of 16. The following year in 1996, her eponymous debut album was released and Siti instantly dominated the charts with the haunting ballad “Jerat Percintaan”. The song took her to the prestigious Anugerah Juara Lagu stage where she simply mesmerised the audience with her flawless delivery, and took home the top prizes for herself and the song’s composer, Adnan Abu Hassan (who passed on only recently). It was the night a new star was born into pop royalty (Siti aptly wore a tiara during the performance). The next two decades saw her winning more than 200 local and international awards, selling millions of albums regionally, and basically setting the gold standard for pop success.
Only recently (now, Datuk) Siti marked her 20th year in the industry with a spectacular concert at Stadium Negara that also featured some of the region’s biggest stars including Anggun, Faizal Tahir and Cakra Khan.
25 Years Ago: Roslan Aziz started a revolution
A magical night for 45,000 fans
© Roslan Aziz Productions
Amidst the dominance of pop and rock kapak in the late 80’s, producer Roslan Aziz was quietly putting the pieces together for an unexpected revolution. After introducing us to the smooth jazzy sounds of Sheila Majid, and the ground-breaking world music flavours of Zainal Abidin, Roslan unleashed a compilation album called “Ikhlas” in 1991, which featured the aforementioned artistes, along with Azman Warren, Amir Yussof, Zubir Ali and Afdlin Shauki. The eclectic ensemble shone the spotlight on underappreciated genres, and the following year, the same artistes took to the stage in front of 45,000 eager and discerning fans. Also featuring a line-up of world class musicians, that Stadium Merdeka gig remains to this day, one of the most-attended local shows ever.
Due to personal conflicts, Roslan’s relationship with some of the “Ikhlas” stars are currently estranged. But in 2011, an “Ikhlas Sequel” concert, featuring a new breed of artistes was held in Petaling Jaya. Unfortunately, it fell short of the magic of that original gig.
30 Years Ago: Sudir-mania gripped Chow Kit Road
Some 100,000 people had flooded the streets of Chow Kit on the evening of the 14th of April 1986, and all of them had come to watch one man perform; Sudirman Haji Arshad. A qualified lawyer, Sudirman had a penchant for breaking the rules when it came to creative conventions; be it in the way he dressed, the over-the-top showmanship or his music-related business ideas. But Sudirman well and truly outdid himself with this ambitious project to perform in a free, open-air concert in the middle of KL’s most (in)famous road for the ordinary people. It was a sight to behold as the crowd came, saw and left with memories to cherish for a lifetime.
Sudirman passed away in February 1992 and till today, the industry has not seen another performer, and patriot, quite like him.
35 Years Ago: Malaysia's finest rock band was formed…
Search blazed the trail for rock kapak dominance
© DuniaSearch FB
Where else could it be but at JB Rock City? Four mat rock – Nasir, Hilary, Yazid and Zainal – got together in 1981 and jammed under the Search moniker. Vocalist Zainal then pulled out and was replaced by Amy, and the band then began to make its mark on the pub circuit. Signed up by Polygram Records, Search released their first album “Cinta Buatan Malaysia” in 1985. The rest, as they say, is rock ‘n’ roll history as Search would proceed to release some 20 studio albums, notching up phenomenal sales and blazed the trails for rock kapak dominance. Search have also gone through it all; record company feuds, a drug-related court case, internal conflicts and member changes, and temporary break-ups. But the universe just won’t allow for the Search flame to die, and on 30th August this year, they will be playing a special 35th Anniversary concert at the Merdeka Stadium for their die-hard fans. Now in their fifties, there’s no denying that Search remains the most revered and the hardest rocking band out there…
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