courtesy of Projekt AK
Projekt A.K., one of the premier groups formed in late 1995, the original members consisted of Nazri and Rudy on vocals, Knox (of local hardcore pioneers Chronic Mass) on guitar, Zani on bass and Fyzal on drums. The band first made their mark on one of the first local hardcore releases ever, the Visionville Hardcore compilation released in 1996. The band issued the Against Kounterplot E.P. in 1997 to critical aclaim and the E.P did considerably well . Sometimes in '98, Knox left the band to concentrate on his own band, Chronic Mass. The band then added ex-Basic Right, Status103,Groundrule guitarist Amy and ex-Infectious Maggots guitarist P.E. to boost the line-up. Projekt A.K. gigged constantly throughout '98 and '99 but then took a break in 2002 due to the work commitments of various band members.
Blending the imaginative wordplay and rapping of hip-hop music with the stomping and funky rhythms of rock and funk, Projekt A.K.'s music feeds the head as well as the heart, rocking the crowd in the moshpit. The rappers and the musicians in the band constantly push each other to new directions. While Nazri subtly shifts his delivery to adjust to the unpredictability of live instruments, the other band members intensify their musical attack to avoid being drenched by the fury of Nazri's lyrical rainstorm.
Projekt AK have played blistering live sets to crowds from KL to Kuantan to Singapore and back. Hundreds of shows.Among the shows they've taken part in include the seminal Hardcore Matinee back in 1996 at Piccadily, the Kent Fresh Freakout at Sunway Lagoon in 1998 as well organizing and headlining Renegades : The tribute To Rage Against The Machine show and the Big show in Stadium Melawati in Shah Alam where they performed with Koffin Kanser, Blind Tribe, A.C.A.B, Gerhana Ska Cinta and others. The band has also performed with some of the best local hip-hop talent Too Phat, The Tarik Crew, Da Joint and many more.
On the Prototyp E.P. released in February 2002, the band worked with former Malaysia DMC runner-up DJ Ken from the reknown Playaz Universe who provided some fresh beats and scratches to give the songs an even harder edge.
2005 was the year when Projekt AK reunited with original line ups namely Rudy, Nazri, Knox, Zani, Amy, Fyzal... after a long slumber from the underground scene, did an opening with comrades Pop Shuvit @ Hard Rock Café.
In 2006, since Zani the original bassist of Projekt AK is in Langkawi with commitments, Rudy called upon Andy Flop Poppy to join Projekt AK as the bassist. Amy and Fyzal remained as the line up. Nazri, Knox and Piee left for personal matters.
Current members namely (L-R): Faizal, Andy, Rudy and SyamiMy review:
This time around, Projekt AK brings you the funk eliminating the rap-core part. Why, you ask? Fans around question this a lot and some of them still want to listen to their original genre; rap-core. Well why not? We've all grown up so much, do we still need to listen to rap-core? (Though I did request them to create something more hardcore on their next album, for the sake of their fans, and me teehee..) I must say Projekt AK FUNKdeMENTAL is suitable for all, young and old, girls and boys. Fresh new songs with fresh new ideas. You don't need something 'angry' to satisfy your ears and soul, do you. Jangan tipu la, kau pun dengar Jason Mraz kan? I'd pay more attention to the music, ie: drums, bass and guitars. It's not that you can catch talented local musicians all the time. They're out there but unfound. But this band is just right infront of us. Take this chance to appreciate our musicians. If you're a musician, you'd understand what I'm saying. If you're not, then it's time to learn to appreciate real music.
If you listen to FUNKdeMENTAL, I promise you it won't sound 'local'. Not to condemn local singers, but I must say the vocalist sounds really mat-salleh, y'all! Haha.. I'm not surprised if they have international fans, and they do, trust me. I've let some elderly English speaking people listen to the album and they were all surprised to know that it is a local band. I was proud to know that it raised brows.
What Projekt AK can offer, like any other independent band, is that they play as they wish. Own arrangements, self-produced, own masterpiece. There's no producer telling the bassist to slow down on the slaps, or telling the drummer to mute those ghostnotes, or telling the guitarist to go easy on the solos... nope... it's all in there. All in there! And I love it! It's my ultimate 'local band' satisfaction. So do we still need rap-core? Maybe in their next album. This time, give them a chance to prove their ability. You already know they can do what they did best before... :)
p/s: I only just hate the album cover. I asked them about and they said it was not Projekt AK's decision. So, no comment.
To listen to Projekt AK FUNKdeMENTAL, visit their website www.myspace.com/projektak and view their singles "Higher" and "Inspirasi".
If you browse youtube, you can find other songs like "Shadow Within" and "Alrite". Enjoy! :)
