PETALING JAYA, April 10 — It’s not every day that an indie band gets to sell out physical copies of their album, much less in the digital age of music streaming.
Malaysian rock outfit Toko Kilat is proving to be an exception to that phenomenon.
All 300 units of their self-titled EP and around 50 cassette tapes were swept off the shelves last month during the pre-order phase, a sign that music paraphernalia is still very much in demand by Malaysian rock fans.
Frontman Edwin Raj said physical forms of music have become more of a tangible way for listeners to “own” the band rather than being devices to listen to their music.
“At the end of the day, people want something to hold and touch and feel," he told Malay Mail.
“People have Instagrammed our CDs and cassettes and they’re displaying it. They don’t even need to peel the cover off because they’re listening to the songs digitally.
“I feel like they want to ‘own’ Toko Kilat, so there’s a demand that we’re going to supply.”
The group consists of Edwin on lead vocals and guitar, Irfan Iskandar on drums, Redzuan “Wan” Hussin on bass, Azhari Toya on lead guitar, and Saiful Taufek on keyboards and synth.
Like Edwin, Wan is also optimistic that physical records will continue to sell as it provides a unique tactile experience for music lovers.
“Personally, I feel that this is what collectors are all about, that feeling of touching and sharing that does not require data or a wifi connection," he said.
“Besides, it’s always more fun having something to hold onto and flip through. It’s almost like reading an album."
Toko Kilat is not just harkening to the past with their focus on CDs and cassettes; their music also references heavyweights in Brit rock and the post-punk revival genre while updating them with a contemporary edge.
Their latest single Ratu Malam is a true-blue indie rock tune that incorporates jazz elements at the end with a sultry saxophone solo.
It’s all part of the band’s philosophy of being “pro-rock”, a vision that Edwin says helps keep the band open to fresh ideas.
Exploring new sounds
“‘Pro-rock’ means that we are avid supporters of rock music, so we are comfortable with anything that falls in that realm and we celebrate it,” said Edwin.
“The rock royalty in this country like Search and Wings never pigeonholed themselves into one type of genre.
“They had ballads, rock songs, love songs, and angry songs. It was never limited to just one thing.”
In fact, the band used to be sticklers for tradition and were initially hesitant about marrying a saxophone solo with a rock song.
“With Toko’s music, a lot of things have happened quite naturally. We tried out the saxophone solo and we put it on the record,” he added.
“At first everyone was sceptical, but Ratu Malam oozes with a lot of sex appeal, so why not enhance it with the sexiest instrument you could think of?”
Ratu Malam is one of six songs on the Toko Kilat EP which includes singles released in 2016, the year the band first formed.
The members always wanted their songs to sound fresh years after recording it and Edwin says that this had led to a natural progression from the older singles to the newer releases on the EP.
“All the songs have a timeless feel. We really wanted the songs to stand the test of time,” he said.
Irfan hopes that the EP can also be an inspiration to young people in the music industry who are still looking for a sense of direction.
“We took time to do things properly this round with all the mixing and mastering, and we really wanted to put all the songs into one package that we can treasure for a long time, something that the kids can see as well,” he added.
“A lot of new kids on the scene are quite lost and aren’t sure what to do next, so I feel like this album can be a good example to them.”
Comparisons to Interpol and Stereophonics
Scroll through the comments section on any of Toko Kilat’s music video on YouTube and it’s easy to find fans comparing them to iconic names in rock on the international stage.
Their 2016 single Pemacu Api garnered praise from local music enthusiasts with many being reminded of post-punk revival band Interpol.
The band is ecstatic that people have compared their work to songs made by their musical heroes with Edwin saying it was “so cool” to be compared to such bands.
“Malaysian kids are not listening to music superficially, they’re a lot deeper than that and their comparisons have been tasteful,” said Edwin.
Toko Kilat have also worked with mastering engineers known for their collaborations with some of the biggest bands in rock music.
Pemacu Api was mastered at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London under Frank Arkwright, known for his work with Joy Division, The Smiths, and Blur.
New York-based mastering engineer Greg Calbi — who has worked with David Bowie, The National, and Stevie Wonder — also lent his talents to the band’s single Nahas.
Despite the abundance of international influence in their work, the Toko Kilat boys still credit Malaysian musicians for inspiring their foray into music.
For Toya, Malaysian pop band Headwind was the genesis of his love for music.
“When I was younger, I was very much impressed by Zulkifli Kasim of Headwind — it was through his versatility that I realised my passion to be a musician,” said Toya.
Meanwhile, Irfan cites Datuk Zainal Abidin Mohamad and Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza as two of his musical idols.
“They’re so good and I look up to them because they started out small and then they became these big stars," he said.
“Until now, people continue to recognise them and even people in countries in Indonesia know about them.”
Toko Kilat is currently hard at work preparing for a national tour set to kick off later this year.
