Disagree
Written on 1:23 PM by kakiku di bibirmu
The year was 1995. The conception of Disagree took form between the brotherly bonds of two high-school buddies, Zahid and Hamka. Together with band members Lan and Amir, the quartet gigged around KL and did what every band in Malaysia did: Recorded their first demo!
“We made Never Cry Wolf in ’96, in a house which was also a studio. I think it was called Bach & Traz. It also seems that we were the last band to record there. They closed down a week later. It didn’t cost us much, but it sounded great at the time. We managed to lash out 10 songs in 2 hours. Only 2 of them survived in our present jamming list today.” Zahid
It wasn’t until interests were sparked in ’97 by a small independent label, did Disagree record their 2nd demo, untitled. However, as fast as the spark of interest lit, it died due to internal label obscurities and Disagree hopes were dashed.
On the roll downhill, the band started to show signs of cracks. Members were focusing their interests on other things and the lack of commitment from everyone brought Disagree into a slow, sleeping, lull.
What started between two classroom buddies and carried on through high school seemed to be ending as they entered the work force. Stretched out to its limit, Disagree took a hiatus from the scene for two long years and would have completely fizzled out into oblivion, had it not been for those rumors!?
It carried throughout KL, these talks of a rock concert! Zahid and Hamka dragged themselves out of bed for it and headed out to the One Utama car parking lot, where indeed, like the rumors said, a rock concert was being held.
At its peak, performers played to 10,000 people with the crowd body surfing and fans singing the lyrics to songs. It carried on through rain and unplanned delays but the crowd stayed, made noise and had fun, from start to finish.
“We were blown away at whole experience of being in the crowed and dreamt of being on stage entertaining the crowd.” Zahid
Ironically, it was the first ‘Rock The World Concert’ that gave Disagree the swift kick up the arse that it needed, to get it together, and with it came some crucial decision making. This saw the heartbreaking departure of high school buds Lan and Amir.
“Members of disagree had always been the best of friends even before the band. Therefore it wasn't easy. It was like loosing family.” Hamka
The band name remained even with the arrival of newcomers Aziz and Ashroff and with it, an arduous gigging schedule for the next 5 years. Disagree slowly seeped into the scene and played just about anywhere and everywhere that it brought them, gigging like there was no tomorrow. It paid off. Disagree had begun to make a name for themselves.
The beginning of 2001 saw Disagree create their next demo that would inevitably cause a ripple effect in the scene: Homemade Jam. This demo gained radio airplay on Wow FM as well as Hitz and various magazines voted the demo the most popular and groundbreaking demo to be reviewed.
“When we made Homemade Jam we never expected the kind of reception that we received. It was just simply amazing how much a small demo from a small band can affect people.” Zahid
They started to become more actively involved in the scene as they stepped into the shoes of gig organizers. The Fat Ant Music Festival was created and Disagree took on 30 local underground bands and promoted them for a month.
Later that same year, Disagree opened for ‘Rock the World II’, one of their biggest achievements to date and continued to be in the lineup for ‘Rock The World’ III & IV. It was around the time of Rock the World III when Fat Boys Records, an independent label who signed grungers Naked Breed and was headed by LO, sparked an interest.
With talks beginning in 2003, Disagree went away to tighten their set for the recording of their debut album. After 10 back breaking months and 11 tracks later, the arrival of their mastered album from California, completed this chapter. Disagree released their debut album ‘At the End of the Day’ on February 10, 2004 to the Malaysian masses and they couldn’t be happier!
“We're just a band that wants to succeed and do our best. All we wish for is the growth of our band, the bands around us and the scene itself. What more could we ask for? What more could we lose?” Zahid
