BlownBoxMonk
Advertisement
» go to the music page for more
Hi y'all! My name's Gene Boo, a Singaporean-born Malaysian, living in Belgium... it all began when I was a kid, playing classical piano - after which I decided to quit the textbook stuff and began composing on-the-fly impromptu jazz. I moved to Beijing, China in 97, and got into the hip hop groove - so I began freestyle mcin' to Wu-Tang instrumentals in a club. I went thereafter to Bremen, Germany to do an MBA where I met up with my mates who introduced me to the art of using electronic equipment to make music. Equipped with an AKAI MPC 2000, Sirius keyboard, Rave-o-lution 309, a Pentium II pc with Cubase and Fruityloops installed, all hooked up to a Digitech FX machine, which was in turn hooked up to a multitrack recorder, my mates Lars, Stephan and Thorsten began to innovate. I was hence introduced to the world of electronica - a broad term... we created minimal progressive house, dnb, breakbeats, hip hop... etc. but as fate has it, I moved to Belgium... so now I work on my own music as a hobby - focusing a lot on my jazz and hip hop influences to make lounge, ambient, jazz, house, dnb and experimental stuff.
Why this name?
It's my name!
Do you play live?
Yeah. Over the internet - via Yahoo Messenger, I sometimes stream live mixes over the Internet in a voice conference room - don't report me!
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
Open source is in the house! Talents are everywhere, who prior to the existence of the web, had a tough time getting heard. Mp3 changed all of that. P2P software did even more for it! Stating the obvious, it's a civil war against tycoons who demand too much for giving too little... look at canned music today on MTV... sigh...
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
No. I'm in support of small labels. I believe in remaining small - entrepreneurship. This retains the love of making good music, experimenting with new things, and keeping it the best quality one can give. Big labels will reject experimenting of the new, simply because it's a risk that the public does not accept the new sound, and hence cannot sell. Smaller labels keep the underground alive and kicking, because it's still about having SOME money to feed your stomach and evolve in equipment, etc.
Band History:
Hi y'all! My name's Gene Boo, a Singaporean-born Malaysian, living in Belgium... it all began when I was a kid, playing classical piano - after which I decided to quit the textbook stuff and began composing on-the-fly impromptu jazz. I moved to Beijing, China in 97, and got into the hip hop groove - so I began freestyle mcin' to Wu-Tang instrumentals in a club. I went thereafter to Bremen, Germany to do an MBA where I met up with my mates who introduced me to the art of using electronic equipment to make music. Equipped with an AKAI MPC 2000, Sirius keyboard, Rave-o-lution 309, a Pentium II pc with Cubase and Fruityloops installed, all hooked up to a Digitech FX machine, which was in turn hooked up to a multitrack recorder, my mates Lars, Stephan and Thorsten began to innovate. I was hence introduced to the world of electronica - a broad term... we created minimal progressive house, dnb, breakbeats, hip hop... etc. but as fate has it, I moved to Belgium... so now I work on my own music as a hobby - focusing a lot on my jazz and hip hop influences to make lounge, ambient, jazz, house, dnb and experimental stuff.
Your influences?
The whole Quannum records production - DJ Shadow, Jurassic Five, Ninja Tune, Blackalicious. Of course the gurus Kruder und Dorfmeister, Leaders of the New School, Lauryn Hill, The Roots, Wu-Tang Clan, Aphex Twin, Aphrodite, the amazing LTJ Bukem, The Alkoholics, Bob Marley, Manu Chao, Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, DJ Cam, Stereo MCs, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc., the list is infinite! Ok, loads of underground artistes which you find on the web too! Don't forget them - unsigned, experimental and raw!
Favorite spot?
Everywhere I've been to has its charms - I love Singapore, KL, Beijing, Rome, Bremen, Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, LA, Amsterdam... etc. the list is finite, but ever growing!
Equipment used:
I'm a friggin' cheapskate... for the moment, computer and MIDI keyboard...
Anything else...?
Whatever... who's gonna read anything I wrote anyway... I must be crazy to actually type in everything - thank goodness for my typing classes back in junior high...
Photos