Exclusive Interview – Count The Stars with Simon Lee & Alvin (Malaysia)

SIMON LEE & ALVIN

DJ duo / producers / radio hosts from Malaysia formed in 2007

Musical style : High energy uplifting Electronic Dance Music

Breakthrough debut single “Count The Stars” (2012) released on major dance music label Black Hole Recordings. Aired on radio stations in USA, UK, Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. Featured on online music store Trackitdown’s Top 50 Recommendations and described as the ‘ultimate stadium sound!’ Charted on the label’s Top 10 list on Beatport - the world’s largest electronic music store. Included in the Black Hole Recordings Selection, Straight Up Progressive House Vol.3, and JES Presents Unleash The Beat 2 compilations

Follow up single “#LightsLoud” (2013) released worldwide on iTunes, Spotify, and all major international music stores. Support from radio stations in USA, UK, Netherlands, Russia and receiving positive reactions from DJs and music fans worldwide. Ranked popular on the global iTunes chart

Simon Lee & Alvin’s remix of Tiësto feat. Kyler England “Take Me” was shortlisted among thousands of entries in a worldwide competition launched by Tiësto and leading digital dance music community Beatport, receiving thumbs up from music fans around the world and chalking up thousands of plays on YouTube and Soundcloud

Their music productions have earned them recognition and support from the world’s top DJs including Kaskade, Above & Beyond, Fedde Le Grand, Paul Oakenfold, Kyau & Albert, Markus Schulz, Ferry Corsten, Tritonal, Richard Durand, Jochen Miller, Giuseppe Ottaviani and many more

Hi Simon Lee & Alvin, A very big welcome to ThinkINelectronic. We are very excited to be interviewing you guys! How are you guys doing?
Simon : Great to be doing this interview!
Alvin:  We're great. Thanks for having us. :)

When we hear Simon (Lee) & Alvin we think Chipmunks! Now no TIE interview is complete without asking, when you hear South Africa what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Simon : When I hear South Africa I think of trance export Protoculture and Nando's! :)
Alvin : Nelson Mandela, Charlize Theron, and wild life!

Can you please tell us a little more about who Simon Lee is and who Alvin is and how did you guys meet?
Alvin : We've been friends since school, we grew up in the same neighborhood. Just very 2 regular guys who decided to collaborate on making music that we love and putting out records we believe in :)

Simon : We have dayjobs that keep us very busy, but any time we have in between we work on our music. We take different approaches and ideas for music but everything you hear on SLA is a combination of our collaboration and so far it's worked pretty well!

Simon Lee & Alvin is a household name in Malaysia, You DJ, have your own radio show and you produce. Take us through your music journey. Where did it start for Simon Lee and Alvin?
Alvin : In 2007 we started a weekly podcast called Radio KUL, it focused on electronic music and we invited guest DJs and singer/songwriters on the show. Back then dance music was quite a niche, we crafted a quality show for the community, and it was really a 'made for fans by fans' type of podcast. The show became quite popular with syndication and a dedicated website. Over the years as we developed the show, we learned to DJ and make music, we also went from helping friends to organise and promote gigs into playing at the shows too.

Simon :  We grew the SLA project through our passion for the genre and the culture. A lot of our early supporters are now our best friends. Fast forward today, we're releasing original music, we have a weekly FM mixshow, playing shows every now and then, and we've won some awards along the way. The project has given us an opportunity to do and contribute some amazing things.

Malaysia is fast becoming one of the hottest destinations for DJs to tour. Armin van Buuren recently held an A State Of Trance 600 celebration event in Malaysia. What makes Malaysia such a favorable destination and why the sudden dance music explosion in Malaysia?
Simon : In my opinion it's a combination of the right organisers, production teams, venue, sponsors, receptive market, etc. We're seeing more Malaysians getting into dance music and the country is fast becoming a great stop for an artiste to grow their fanbase and music sales in the region.

Alvin : Asia as a whole is getting a lot of attention. I reckon Malaysians are really starting to embrace this genre of music with terrestrial radios now incorporating mainstream EDM music into their daily playlist. It's been really great for tourism.

In your opinion how has the electronic dance scene in Malaysia and the world evolved from when you started out until now?
Alvin : Locally I think there's more exposure to the genre, more people have been to a rave/club at some point and more Malaysians are tracking releases online. They are able to identify dance music when they hear it, and their quickly understanding the double role of DJs and artistes. Globally I think 'bedroom producers' are producing very high quality music these days.

Simon : The technology to make music is also a lot more easier to use and accessible now. There's also a lot more fusion of styles and it's getting harder to pigeonhole music based on genres. The growth of dance music over the last few years has been exponential, I'm happy we're working on music during these exciting times.

If you were given the opportunity to change the dance music scene what would you change and why.
Simon : I would like music fans to be more constructive when artistes experiment with new styles. Feedback is important and it needs to be helpful. I hope people continue to come out to show support for their favourite artistes, most importantly I wish everyone would party responsibly. Music is all you need to have a good time.

Alvin : There are many great unknown DJ/producers out there, hidden gems that are waiting to be discovered. But there are a lot of barriers for them to be noticed and recognised. Given the right platforms and support to sharpen and groom their talent, they can really excel to great heights. When we hear a great track from a Malaysian producer, we try our best to feature them on our show on top of all the other international music we feature. Every DJ/producer needs their 'big break' and if we have the platform to help to achieve that, it's something we must do. Dance music is a lot about collaboration and supporting each other, and if producers stay true to this culture, fans get to hear greater diversity in terms of sounds and production.

What does music mean to Simon Lee & Alvin?
Simon : It continues to be an escape and an exciting hobby for me. Making dance music and understanding the culture and business has thought me so many useful things that I've also applied in real life. It's a big task to produce something creative, stamp your name on it, and watch the reactions. It's a combination of creativity, tech geekery, business sense, talent, and opportunity. Music has been a great platform for me to connect with others, I always say the best thing that ever came out of this project is all the new friends we've made these last few years.

Alvin : I really am still about the love for music, this is why we do what we do. We are still passionate music fans at heart and enjoy a great night out just being part of the crowd and supporting our DJ friends or going to watch artistes we admire together with the fanboys and fangirls. Even if we stop making music one day, I'm glad to have met so many wonderful people these last few years :)

You guys recently started producing, your first track got signed to Black Hole Recordings, can you explain to us your producing process how do you make music.
Alvin : We've been producing bootlegs for quite a few years, but in 2012 we finally decided to produce our debut original release. It took us that long to master the production tools (on top of our dayjobs, weekly radio show, and live shows), but we did it. It's really quite a dream come true for an artiste to put out a debut single and have it signed to an esteemed label. Some of my favourite dance records have been released on Black Hole Recordings. We learned a lot from that experience - it was nerve wrecking and and exciting at the same time. To be honest  "Count The Stars" was a very simple dancefloor idea but we polished the production until it was crisp enough for a release. We went through the standard submission to Black Hole and they eventually got back to us and said they loved it! 

Simon : I couldn't believe it when it happened. It's Alvin and me staring at a contract with one of the world's biggest dance labels, surreal. The track was also handpicked to be on JES's Unleash The Beat Vol. 2 compilation. I'm happy people love it. Production workflow wise, we hardly see each other so we work remotely. I get my ideas on a keyboard or by experimenting with samples and plugins. Most of the times we're exchanging project files and we make use of cloud storage so we can work on ideas. Sometimes we'd agree on the direction of a track, but most times we go through a bunch of our individual ideas and pick the ones we can agree on and expand on it. When we do get together we try to maximise that as much as possible. We also have a buncha unfinished tracks just lying around, we never trash them because they can one day be revisited or used in combination with something new. There's no actual timeline to most our projects because its a creative process and we can't really whip out something out of force.

We aren’t the biggest fans of mashups, but your mashups are always on point and done right. Where do you get the inspiration from when making them?
Alvin: For me it was a way to play familiar songs or bring back a classic on a DJ set without playing the full original. It was also a way to avoid us from playing the same version of the track with other DJs that night.  Also we secretly watch who in the audience reacts when we drop these tunes, it tells us who are the hardcore dance music fans :)

Simon :  People come to see a Simon Lee & Alvin show so we need to give them a DJ set that has our own music and our own interpretations. That's where the bootlegs, remixes, mashups, and edits come in handy. The inspirations for me mostly come from jamming on the decks or while producing music. I listen to textures and keys closely, so when a track reminds me of another I put it into the SLA 'mashup machine.'

There has been a lot of talk nowadays about all tracks sounding the same and producers slagging of one another. What makes a good record?
Simon : That's true, a proven formula often gets repeated and multiplied. To me a good record is once that stands out in a pile of tracks, because it ignites some kind of reaction. I get this when I hear a new technique or a collision of genres, or maybe just a great vocal. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what, but when it stands out I can 'feel' it. It's that connection that happens with the soul of the record. I love it when producers challenge the norm and pioneer a type of sound. Some of my personal favourite producers at the moment are Marcus Schossow, Orjan Nilsen, Andrew Bayer, Eric Prydz, Ashley Wallbridge, Norin & Rad, and Andrew Bayer. These guys are bold with their production styles and it's very refreshing to hear their new releases.

Alvin : I suppose it's only natural that DJs generate ideas based on what they've heard after listening to so many tracks. A great record makes you stop and listen. You'd want to hear it in its entirety. It stands out because of how it makes you feel. A great record is also one that fits well into a DJ set and creates a crowd reaction, that's always a good indication.

With so many new tracks being released everyday, how do you guys go about selecting tracks to play in your DJ sets as well as on your radio show?
Alvin : This is a challenge each week and it takes up the most time - music research and going through promos. We look at charts, Soundcloud, email promos, etc. This takes a few days and then it goes into a 'shortlist folder.' We pick the tracks we love the most and put them into a 1 hour mix. Along the way we add some edits and plugin effects. All in all it takes us about 6 to 8 hours per episode of the Fly Five-O that we work on progressively over a week. The radio show gets broadcasted on terrestrial and online on many platforms (iTunes, Mixcloud, Soundcloud, etc.), live, repeats, and on demand, so that's potentially millions of listeners.

Simon :  We try to do our best to cater for the genre fanatics and for those new to this type of music. We also try to avoid overlapping our playlists with what other shows are doing, all this to create differentiation and to give listeners a reason to tune in and take the long drive home with us. I grew up waiting each week by the radio for my favourite mixshow to broadcast, so I know the feeling. We have a whole new audience that we're reaching out to these days - kids as young as as 12 and people living far away from any club or rave are tuning in, I hope we're inspiring and entertaining them in some way. This type of music is no longer confined to clubs and raves, its ready for the masses.

Where do you see Simon Lee & Alvin in the future?
Simon : Over the next few years, I hope to build a discography consisting of quality records showcasing various elements and influences. These are tracks that we can eventually use to build a full length DJ mix and a show around it, so it will be a wide spectrum of records we can play from early in the night till closing. We try not to make the same track twice and we're always thinking ahead. I hope we never get pressured to make a particular type of record for the sake of popularity and sales. But I think we still have plenty to learn about music production, there are so many types of records I want to make but we haven't learned to fully master the tools to bring those ideas to life. 

Alvin: Everything about SLA have been (in true DJ culture) very DIY up till now, we make the music, give out the flyers, play the shows, manage our online presence, etc. I hope some day soon we can have a team helping us out so we can focus on the core stuff. All this year we've been working hard on new music for our DJ sets and for releases, which was a really important learning experience for us and for our artiste development, so we're looking to see how that pans out in 2014 when we release all of it.

Sell us Simon Lee and Alvin in 3 words.
Simon : Ultimate Stadium Sound!

Rapid Fire

1. All time favorite track
Alvin : Motorcycle "As The Rush Comes"
Simon : Delerium ft. Sarah Mclachlan "Silence"

2. Favourite track to play while DJing
Simon : I enjoy playing any of our productions and bootlegs. Everything you hear DJs say about this is true - it's indescribable to explain the fun and joy of watching your own track move or ignite a reaction from the audience. It's like I'm using music to communicate a message to them, and their reactions are their replies :)

3. Superheros we wish to be..
Alvin : The Flash! Who doesn't wish to have more time to do more stuff! :)
Simon : I'm into Batman. I've been told I've had an obsessive amount of Batman collectibles. 

4. Dream destination to play
Simon : Anywhere with an eager crowd who loves the music!!

5. What colour describes Simon Lee and Alvin
Alvin : Red hot music that stands out!

Thank you so much for taking time out to do this interview for us. It has been an absolute please. Do you guys have any last messages for your fans? 

Simon : Thank you for having us! To everyone who have been supportive of Simon Lee & Alvin since the early years we are so happy to be on this journey with you. We've been working hard on new music all this year and can't wait to share it with you in 2014! Please check out our music on www.simonleeandalvin.com and we have an exclusive 1 hour guest DJ mix here for you guys!

Alvin : It's been a pleasure doing this interview. Here's something for the fans :)  A remix we did on Tiësto and Kyler England's "Take Me"  http://is.gd/TakeMeSLARemix