SCALLER
Scaller is an alt-rock duo from Jakarta, consisting of Reney Karamoy & Stella Gareth.
SCALLER: "Human connection is what really important to us."
[interview.ak / pics.irvan suta / banner pics screen caps from "live & do" video by rob susanto / May 2016]
Do you guys think it’s a shame that most of the time we listen to such low-fidelity music nowadays? Thanks to highly compressed mp3s and cheap headphones…
Reney: Listeners have plenty of options nowadays. I think some them listen to lo-fi mp3 quality music because they choose to do so. I don’t think it’s a shame.
You guys are writing lyrics that can often be very personal. Is it important for you to be able to make yourself vulnerable or do you guys sometimes write from another person’s point of view?
Stella: Human connection is what really important to us. We simply sharing about struggle, dreams, and things that are essential part of human being.
How's the song writing process in Scaller? Btw you guys have a great drummer too!
Haha thanks! We always try different approaches when it comes to songwriting. Sometimes me and Stella could come up with our own tunes and bring it to a jam session with Dhani in his house-studio. Drum machine is also our friend at some point.
So your 1991 EP is just you and Stella jamming or is it more of a conceptual process?
Reney: As long as i remember, it was a total jam session between me and Stella. Most of them came up first with Acoustic Guitar, then we started to develop the arrangement furthermore.
Stella, you replace the bass sounds with synthesizer in your songs, and play some polyphonic notes too when playing live. Is it hard to do all that at the same time?
Stella: I really adore and appreciate musicians that have many responsibilities on stage. So when i decided to become a musician, i wanted to be like one of them. It is always been hard to put everything together at once but keep practicing is the key. And i’ve learned so many lessons from doing things out of my comfort zone.
Reney, in The Youth video we have heard a bit of Jonny Greenwood-y guitar licks. Besides the obvious inspirations from Radiohead, who are your top 5 favorite guitar heroes and tell us why..
Reney: Tom Morello (Rhythmically amazing player. Blows us out with killer riffs), Jimi Hendrix (Effortless, didn’t need to play complicated notes, pioneer of modern rock), Jack White (Plays his guitar with unconventional way, yet still rocks big stadium), Rory Friers (So creative with pedals, his playing is not so easy to catch up but still entertaining), Nick Reinhart (Always come up with fun new tricks)
Stella, who are your favorite singers and synth/keyboard players?
Stella: Well, i’ve never thought that i would be a vocalist+synth player. It was sort of happened accidentally. But i do love some vocalists with their synths. Thom Yorke always been specific in shaping his own synths sound. And he knows that sounds BANGING. Imogen Heap is Goddamn Creative! She is not only playing synth but she also invented her own instrument. She triggered me to dig deeper. What a game changer. James Blake and his odd playing style & arrangement is quite out of this world.
So what are you both up to at the moment?
We’re still busy working in the studio recording material for our debut full-length album
Top 5 songs that is repeated in your iTunes at the moment?
Reney: Radiohead (Ful Stop, Glass Eyes), Torus (Feeel), Talkdemonic (Midcentury Motion), Floating Points (Silhouettes I, II & III)
Stella: Battles (Sweetie&Shag), Múm (One Smile), Atoms for Peace (Ingenue), Radiohead (Identikit, Glass Eyes).
Today is the age of bands selling iTunes songs, sharing their soundcloud and promotes via social media. Many bands try to innovate like Radiohead "pay what you want/free" album (In Rainbows) to Wu Tang Clan "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" which is the most expensive album in the world (was limited to a single copy sold in 2015 to the highest bidder through auction). Do you guys think this is the decaying age of music industry or is it progressing?
Reney: Well, the industry changes very fast. Both Record Label and Musicians have many challenges to deal with. I think it’s not decaying, it’s the other way around. Welcome to the new era!
So we have stumbled to your video of "The Youth" on Youtube. Can you guys tell us a bit about the video concept and elaborate on the song?
Stella: The idea was to display movement with a casual concept. We hope our viewers have their own point of views about what we were trying to deliver.
In your bandcamp, you labelled your band with "math rock" tags. Do you guys listen to bands such as Battles, Tortoise and Trans Ams?
We do listen to them religiously. Hella, Edmund Fitzgerald or even The Redneck Manifesto are amongst the best too. They’re fun to listen.
Last question: What is your dream gigs?
Nothing big, playing at our own concert, surrounded by people who actually care of our music would be awesome.
