Milo Dinosaur is a Malaysian emo punk band. While relatively new – the band was only formed in 2017 – the members themselves are no strangers to the Malaysian music scene.
In fact, you could say they’re a supergroup of sorts. Falique (bass/vocals), Alang (drums), Zul (guitars) and Azim (guitars) are former/current members of Orbit Cinta Benjamin, Man Under Zero Effort, Sweet Ass, Sphere, Epaulard (41), Schloka and more.
And with that sort of pedigree, it’s no surprise that the band has been building up a big following across the country.
We took some time out recently to have a chat with the band. Read on to find out how they came together, and what is propelling them forward into 2019 and beyond.
Note: The first Milo Dinosaur video comes out on 15th of March 2019. Second video will be released on Monday (18th of March). And the final video on Wednesday (20th of March). All at 3pm!
Milo Dinosaur : Day zero.
We asked the band to talk about their beginnings.
Milo Dinosaur was formed in Rumah Api, at an Elder Abuse gig.
Not A Fest and The Wknd co-organized Canadian band Elder Abuse’s gig at Rumah Api in 2016. The show’s opening acts had Falique and Zul in Schloka, Alang in Sphere and Azim was drumming for Gasoline Grenade.
As they sat around after the show, the four got to talking about music. And Azim brought up the subject of some new material he had written, which he wanted the others to have a listen to.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Reception to “Dengan Ikhlas”
The band recently released their debut album, “Dengan Ikhlas” on 3rd September, 2018. We asked them to talk a little bit about the reception to the release.
It was way beyond what we had expected.
“We received a lot of interest on many different platforms,” said Azim. “[Fans] were asking questions about us, asking where they can buy the album and merchandise.”
Even at shows outside of Kuala Lumpur, the fans that turned up for their gigs were snapping up their CDs. And while the turnout was modest, sales exceeded their expectations.
But the band recognizes and appreciates the importance of these smaller gigs outside of KL. It’s nostalgic, to some extent – reminding the band members of those smaller, more intimate gigs at Blue Planet in the 90s and early 2000s.
On self-producing the album, and Whatsapp.
We asked the band to describe how the album was put together.
One of the most useful tools for this band is Whatsapp.
During the creation of their debut album, the band made heavy use of the Internet and apps like Whatsapp. And it helped overcome their tight schedules, work/life commitments and distance. It fits nicely into their collaborative approach on music-making.
On “Dengan Ikhlas”, each band member contributed to all parts of the songwriting and composition process. Different songs had different members contributing to the melody and lyrics. Whatsapp helped to pool and put their collective ideas together.
We get the feel that it was a very democratic approach, and one that has worked out well for Milo Dinosaur.
Watch our exclusive interview with Milo Dinosaur and learn more about the band, and their advice to bands just starting out:
You can listen to Milo Dinosaur on Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, Joox and other digital channels – just search for The Wknd Sessions Ep. 108 on your favorite stores!
