Le Misericordieux by has
My pal DJ Hasnor Sidek or just ‘Has’ to the most of you, recently released his debut album, 10 Kingdoms. Me and Has go way back (think kindergarten) and it’s nice to see how one of your childhood pals have gone on to greater things. Just about a decade ago, Has was just a rookie DJ, spinning driving drum ‘n’ bass at places such as the defunct Insomnia Bar & Cafe and Phuture as part of the Guerrilla crew. Now he plies his trade with the Lo & Behold Group as its musical director as well as one of the prime movers in the music scene here. And he’s a cool guy.
So I caught up with Has for a little one-on-one:
From drum ‘n’ bass, broken beats and soul to disco, prog house and minimal, will the real DJ Has stand up?
Yes! I have always emphasized that good music is simply good music. Genre classification has nothing to do in justifying the quality of music so it does not matter what kind of music you play as long as its tasteful.
While I think that nowadays you’re known for being more diverse, early on you focused pretty heavily on the leftfield and more eclectic side of dance music.
I have grown a lot, learnt & understood the environment we are in. I know what will work & how to work the less open minded people regarding music. So a lot of giving & taking take place during the current process as long as you the deliver the good stuff.
After more than a decade in dance music, you’ve finally released your first album. Why so long?
I have only dabbled into production in the last 3 years, a normal progression that most djs do after years of buying records. It’s like reading…you buy loads & loads of books from your favourite authors, learn their style of writing & slowly you create or write your own book.
Can you tell us more about the album. What’s the musical concept?
An almagamation of sound, pushing boundaries for a journey of futuristic beats set for the genre-less generation. Deep in style, 10 Kingdoms an eclectic production that covers all forms of underground influences from dub step, disco and house to experimental electronica.
In terms of your music, I think there’s an off-the-cuff quality to them and I wonder about your writing. Do you compose a lot beforehand or just improvise?
Thanks! I honestly just sit in the studio & let the creative flow take charge so i must say it was mostly improvisation.
Do you usually have a pretty clear idea of how you want something to sound beforehand or do things just develop organically while you’re tinkering?
Normally the latter, i always get a better picture after dropping some beats or melodies.
DJ, producer and now record label head. When you first started Rawjak, what was the impetus?
A platform to share good music, i started out with my monthly podcast & then now the label. The message stands.
For someone who is known as a tastemaker, how do you begin to keep track of things or have any sense of how things are developing in all these different places at once?
It’s an on going process that is always changing & developing so you have to be aware of the the things around you.
Well, do you remember the first electronic stuff that you were hearing and what was the thing that got you hooked?
Metalheadz Platinum Breakz
We’re curious about your life as a music listener. Obviously you like a lot of good music, but was there ever a time you were really into uncool music?
Sure! I’m a big fan of Mariah! Still do 🙂
So when’s the next one?Hopefully next year!
You can find 10 Kingdoms on Has’ own Rawjak imprint at Beatport and all good digital stores.
