Goodnight Electric

Henry Foundation, Bondi Goodboy and Oomleo, better known collectively as Goodnight Electric, are one of Indonesia's most talked about bands of the moment. As they prepare for their upcoming Malaysian gig at Junk's Impulse night, we stole a moment with Henry who gave us the skinny on synth pop, Jakarta and why Adidas still rules OK.

Great to have you with us! Why don't you introduce yourself?
Hi! Im Henry Foundation.

Could you prep us on how Goodnight Electric came together?
Goodnight Electric was formed by the Henry Foundation in late 2003 in Jakarta. It was a solo project initially but after releasing my debut album “Love and Turbo Action” in 2004, Bondi Goodboy (Synthesizer) and Oomleo (Synthesizer, sequencer) joined as new members.

We graduated from art school and were interested in music, having met at an artist organisaiton called Ruangrupa. We used to work together, doing some art exhibitions and projects. After releasing Goodnight Electric's first album, I asked Bondi and Oomleo to help out with the band's live performance.

In keeping with your stage names, Goodnight Electric is quite an unusual band name - what does it mean?
It was really random. Since we were always working on something during the night, it was essential that we had electricity to keep going. Can you imagine what it would be like if we were to live without it?

Back to caveman times eh? I can't even make a fire. So what’s the battle plan moving forward?
We’re trying to create a solid networking base and eventually distribute our releases to Asia (especially South East Asia.)

Worthy endeavour indeed. We'll help! Tell us, what or whom influenced your music taste?
Mostly 80’s & 90’s electronic music. But I was also inspired by Britpop and Indie pop bands like The Stone Roses, Belle and Sebastian etc

How vintage! And how would you go about describing your sound?
Cheap and cheesy, but it’s good! Trust me.

You just rhymed! Cheap and cheesy is good. Tell us more about your setup – what do you normally use?
For production we’re using Reason and Cubase with some extra plug-in.
Micro Korg, Alesis Micron synthesizer , shure beta 87 and Korg D 16 digital mixer for live performances.

Is there a message you want to get across through your music?
Yes. Don’t be sad, we’re experiencing a new era.

Let's be honest now - Are you guys a booze, drugs, or abstinence band?
If none of the above, which I highly doubt, what are your vices?
None. We’re Synthesizer addicts.

Diplomatic answer.... Fine... I'll grace your response with a more dignifed question. What gets you excited?
Dancing and drinking in other towns or foreign countries and having me as a DJ.

Thought you didn't drink?? Sounds like a party anyway. What, in your view, is success? Is there anything specific you would like to achieve with your music?
We want to be able to do what we wanna do and achieve our goals.
Mostly, we just want people in Indonesia to appreciate what we do.

You first record was called “Suicide Project”, that's a bit morbid isn't it? What's your reasoning?
I never dreamt of making us into a synth pop band. At first I only did it for fun, for recording purposes without performing at all. I released 1000 copies only with my own money. Then, in 2004 everyone was like “rock n roll and emo bands fever”, which, in my opinion was suicide.

What about your follow up - "Electroduce Yourself" - What are the themes and directions of this LP? What sets it apart from your other work?
"Electroduce Yourself" is about re-introducing ourselves. The first album was my solo project, but now I’ve got Bondi and Oomleo as new members, it’s different from the 1st album. They’re bringing their own influences and contributions. We’ve got new sounds; new producers and a new record signed. This album is also dedicated to all the people and media who showed us appreciation and support the entire time.

The nature of such a niche sound is it can be subject to fads and fashions. What are your plans for longevity? Can you see your sound evolving drastically over time?
I don't think electronic music will ever die. Maybe it won’t be as popular as pop or rock music, it might never be on top but it’ll still exist. We’ll keep exploring new sounds and patterns to make good tunes.

Right, favourite gig so far, and why?
When we were performing in Ipoh, Malaysia. The audience started moshing and dancing on our stage. This has never happened to a synth. pop band like us. The Ipoh crowd rocked!

Worst ever gig and why?
Some gigs in Jakarta. We were playing in front of the Radja Band’s audience (a new typical local rock band), literally hundreds of them and no one knew about us. =(

What's your definition of a perfect crowd?
Everyone wearing a pair of durable sneakers, hoodies and dancing away.

What’s your policy on groupies?
As long as they’re dancing and enjoying our show… we’ll be nice to them.

How about the weirdest thing a fan has ever given you?
A white balloon with a strange message on it .

I wonder what it said... Do you have any special preparations or rituals you go through before playing a show?
Yes, wearing an adidas suit, warming up and downing 2 bottles of mineral water each.

Do you have any other band traditions you stick to?
Only if we’re play at a club or a rave party. A Jack D bottle is an aftershow must!

A bunch of boozers afterall... What if we gave you an unlimited budget to buy some equipment, what would be next on the shopping list?
Apple 2 gb G 5 with Intel Quad Core Processor, Roland mv 8800, Moog Voyager, NEC projector.

If you could create your all time favourite festival line up – who would you include on the bill?
The Cure / Depeche Mode / Kraftwerk / The Stone Roses / Jesus and Mary Chain / DEVO / Belle and Sebastian / Happy Mondays

How about describing your perfect day:
Everyone in Jakarta moving to another town for vacation.

So you have loner tendencies...Tell us something about you that we don't know:
I have my own washing machine.

You obviously have limited pairs of Adidas tracksuits then, so what’s your relationship with them?
We’re in love. We have an endorsement from Adidas, we’re one of the Adidas Ambassadors in Indonesia. Three Stripes Original!

Big it up for Three Stripes Original!!! What does your family think about your music?
They don’t know anything about our music. They think it’s stupid.

Tell us more about the music scene in Indonesia at the moment:
At the moment we're at the point where the media and event organizers are open to supporting music of every genre, not just mainstream music anymore, which makes it easier for Indie labels to promote their bands. It started in 1999, there are also some massive yet regular shows in various places to help liven up the indie music scene here.

You guys are playing more out of town shows all the time. How important is it for you to be breaking outside of your home country?
Indonesia is a big and multicultural country. We know it’s hard to introduce electronic music into our country especially with English lyrics. Our audience is used to listening to Indonesian mainstream pop rock bands, which means that we have a slim chance of be heard.

And since we’re using universal lyrics, we hope everyone in other countries can listen to and enjoy our work easier. We’re trying to find other people with the same interests as us.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming Impulse event in KL? What can Malaysian fans expect and look forward to in terms of your performance?
They can start getting excited about it. This is our second visit to Malaysia, and some people already know us and have seen us before. We are still trying to introducing our new albums and give them our best tunes and performances. We hope they like it.

What's the best thing about your home town?
(Jakarta) They really appreciate and support us!

And the Worst thing about your home town?
(Jakarta) The traffic and the pollution.

Look out of your window right now – what can you see?
Our neighbour’s massive rooftop (I’m on 2nd floor by the way)

Who are your favourite local bands then?
Pure Saturday from Bandung.

To round this up, what are you going to do right now?
Turn on "Transformers The Game" on PS2!

.: reference Channel V :.