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Interview

Bigred.Moment

Interviewed by olibia

Effendi, Eswandy & Idzwan

Effendi, Eswandy & Idzwan

Bigred.Moment, one of the more promising bands in the scene, is in studios, still working on their debut album. A total of 3 EPs have been recorded in the past, the last one being 'Autonomy or Monogamy', Sept 2002. When asked if these old records would be released to the public, Bigred.Moment seems to have intentions of doing so, the only issue being 'When'. Plans are regularly discussed and set, hopefully put aside for executions in near future, but being human like the rest of us, Bigred.Moment admits quite regretfully, on the subject of putting the release of their debut album to a later date,

"We promise to a lot of things and we try real hard to keep our promises. But sometimes, it's just difficult..."

However, Bigred.Moment confirms that the yet untitled album will definitely be released by next year. As for the old EPs, the tracks would probably be edited and rearranged accordingly to the influences or what affects them in life at that period of time.

All of them, being teens then, with big dreams started out with high hopes of breaking grounds of the music industry, if not, the local music industry at least. And they have come far. 6-7 years of music making, though with periods of breaks here and there due to personal involvements like Nation Service and such... Bigred.Moment then and now are miles different, as a band and as musicians.

"What we started out as was a dream pop band... and it is difficult to categorise what we're playing now."

Helmy

Helmy

Of course, an ever rotating globe and new bands, artists letting known every now and then, who can have enough of what the world has to offer for our own audio entertainment? Musical influences come and go, some stay and help create a personal style a musician can develop and at the same time, a better musician has been made as well. Happenings in life also play part of the lead role of how Bigred.Moment writes their music. Take for example, their last performance at LaSalle SIA's InDscent Xposure 2, a recently composed song 'Coming Home to Dad', was heavily influenced by the passing of one of their friends' father. On top of that, local musical influences (just because being a local band, it feels more relevant to look upon other successful local acts that have ventured far) such as Art Fadzil, M. Nasir... all took part in the composition of that emotion fuelled arrangement.

Whatever comes comes. There is no stringent code of procedure to how a song should be written each time one needs to be written; Bigred.Moment prefers to 'keep it open'. Since technology is so much advanced now, that is a definite plus to writing music. 'Try outs' can first be done at home, with the help of electronics, before the band meets up and then save some time on experimentation. The some what musically diverse nature of Bigred.Moment comes from the wide range of musical influences each of them has, as an individual: local ones like Disco Biscuits, Observatory, Pagans and Seberynic. Homegrown electronic artist Muon, The Stoned Revivals, Astreal, Gently Fall, Humpback Oak, Kembara and the Padres all fall in the category of 'all-time favourites'. Others also include Beatles, Dave Matthews Band, Iron Maiden even, Radiohead, Do As Infinity, Ride, Chapterhouse, MBV, Cocteau Twins, Cinematic Orchestra, Alpha, Trembling Blue Stars, LoveSpiralDownwards and Ayumi Hamasaki? Well, whatever it is, Bigred.Moment still manages to bring all these influences together, creating new music with a harmony.

Not long ago, the biggest and probably the only alternative fest Singapore ever had, featuring mostly local acts and a few foreign ones, BayBeats returned for the 2nd time in 2 years, had Bigred.Moment for a 30-minute set at the intimately structured arena, the acoustic stage. With all the soft neon lights bouncing off surfaces in the night, it was the perfect kind of ambience a band like Bigred.Moment could ever ask for. Swirly and experimental music to some, a few of them who had watched Bigred.Moment for the first time readily associated them with Radiohead. Said Faizal, 18,

"What I've heard really reminded me of something from Ok Computer. I don't know, maybe it was the vocals and the very... electronica feel Bigred.Moment gave me?"

When told to the comparable, Bigred.Moment was more than a little shocked with the impression some have of them.

Farhat

Farhat

"Yes, we may listen to Radiohead, but our set at BayBeats... It is rather flattering to compare us to Radiohead. But we are so far away from their intelligence and stature, so comparing us to them would actually turn a lot of people off. Maybe people can relate to the "click ok" term and computer-based samples to Radiohead, it's clichéd, yes. Then again people have to look around them to see why we use them, aren’t we all now surrounded by computers and human beings who even now are becoming more like cold robots. So it's a world issue, not a Radiohead issue. We're merely interpreting it from a Singaporean view. Things that Radiohead have been talking and playing about are already happening. It's also difficult to say that what we did at BayBeats had nothing to do with them. As I said we're merely interpreting", Bigred.Moment clarifies.

"Perhaps these people can relate Radiohead with us... but what they've seen was only half an hour of Bigred.Moment."

Indeed, it is clear that this band here has already an idea of what they should be working towards together; a new and personal approach to the kind of music they are making, and not of what the other bands have already created.

On a different note, seeing the local scene 6-7 years ago and now, Bigred.Moment agrees that there had been immense progresses.

"It has definitely gotten bigger. During older days, people complained of not having enough gigs. Now, we have an abundant number of bands but no gigs to play at even with some being organised every other weekend."

Effendi

Effendi

"There isn't any point speaking of the negatives, we'll just be better if we stop all that bitching and negative comments about each other and get down to work together, as one community."

They deem bands these days to be playing 'global music', as in music the rest of the music industry can recognise.

Having being around for more than half a decade, Bigred.Moment had worked hard (and still working hard today) all those years, becoming favourites of many scene supporters here.

"It is nice to know that more are doing music and since the scene is getting bigger, it is more likely for information (music files... SHHH!) to be exchanged among people. There is then more hope for us..."

'More hope' being the band achieving a higher level of development, bringing on the plans of them going further into time.

What Bigred.Moment hopes to see themselves 10 years down the road...

"On bigger stages, with bigger audiences, and more exposure for the band."

They are all set to take their dream as far as it can go.

"We're trying to contribute as much as possible to the band and our music right now and we'll do our part as musicians. We also want to put in a good fight here in Singapore. You know it's tough doing music here. But we don't want to lie down, doing nothing about it and later regretting about not doing it on our deathbeds. Anyway time is running out. This is our only chance. We're proud our label ‘wallwork records’ has been supportive of our music. I think they're more supportive than our parents. We nearly lost the plot somewhere on the road but thanks to some good souls around us, we managed to re-focus. They should know who they are. The dream to chase might be tough, but hey, wouldn’t it be an exciting journey?"

"...it's still a dream we're pursuing."

Bigred.Moment

 
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