Bass sekolah
the dusun sessions
Sun drenched haziness billow over the soulful Berembun jungle. Cee from Bass Sekolah invited affiliated artists and friends for a dialogue with the vibrant atmosphere and sonic textures of the jungle. Experience the outcome of this very personal project with loads of thrilling layers:
Bass Sekolah are sharing these amazing Dusun Sessions with you and like all the gifts of the jungle, it is available as a free download. Our friend LP hooked up with Perera Elsewhere for Lodown to gain more insights on the very first collaboration of these sessions and the project overall..
. You and Cee go way back, back to when Jahcoozi only premiered on Kitty Yo and Cee was still doing music as Al Haca, right?
Perera Elsewhere: Yep! I think we know each other since around 2003 or 2004.. so around the time that we dropped our first Jahcoozi 12 inch.
. Do you ever reflect on how things turned out for everybody? For the scene as well.. 'Cause there was a moment there, in the early two thousands when all of these projects: Jahcoozi, Al Haca, Modeselektor, Stereotyp, Phon.o etc. were literally shaping the sound to come, and what it eventually became or what it is right now. This was the future. You guys were the ones that everyone was keeping an eye on, globally.
PE: Myspace all the way man. It was definitely a fun time, like your first hand experience of fans through the internet. It seemed really next level back then, and I guess it was.
. How'd it feel to reunite with Cee over the Dusun Sessions? Your collaboration track, Kolam, was literally the first song recorded for this project.
PE: The first time I went to the Dusun was in 2013, I actually just stopped by to say hi between some live Jahcoozi gigs in China and a DJ gig in Vietnam. I spent a few days hanging with Cee and his fam. I actually went to Malaysia quite a few times as a kid with my family. There is a big Tamil community there, and my father is Tamil. The Dusun is just like a proper little bubble, which is what you need after tour madness. One night we set up next to the pool at Beremban House: laptops and a chaos pad and some mics. It started more as a jam between me, Darren and Cee. Just adding more sounds to what's already happening soundwise in the jungle! We were just doing it for fun and it's great to see that Cee and Darren finished it off and turned it into something this nice.
. And what do you think of Bass Sekolah?
PE: I loved Al Haca. Some amazing tunes. It was really ahead of its time. So I dunno. Just different. Different time and space all together.
. Out of curiosity, what's your favorite tune on this release?
PE: I really like the Daedelus collabo, dope beat and pop song.
. You've been touring all over Asia, quite a bit the last few years. What's the scene like out there? Which cities are pushing hardest?
PE: I mean Shelter club in Shanghai is one of the nicest clubs in the region. I first played there in 2010 and it was really special. I also really love Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon. Just such a chill vibe. I loved playing in Hong Kong recently too and Jakarta. I gotta big up all the promoters in that region who are pushing underground sounds coz it ain’t an easy job. The promoters who've booked me have been booking people like Kode 9 or Daedelus or The Bug etc. So they are pushing the boundaries of sound in their respective cities. Gotta give it up to them.
. In closing, could imagine cut out and living at a spot like the Dusun at some point? Maybe with a heavy surf not too far away?
PE: Surf is where the heart is. Yes surfing is my new love and if I am ever gonna do some kind of exodus and set up my lil studio in a shack somewhere then I’d want it to be near the surf. I'm actually getting withdrawal symptoms as I type this....
Make sure to peep the Bass Sekolah Monday Mixtape & read the complete story and background.