Anti Lag brings bold energy with Apa Kabar—a playful fusion of pop, rap, and cross-cultural vibes. From Indonesian classroom memories to dance-floor beats, this release is pure fun and creativity.
1. Apa
Kabar is such a vibrant title—why did you choose that phrase, and what does it
mean to you personally?
It's a
funny story. My school used to teach Indonesian lessons, but they did so really
badly. We'd do a couple weeks here and there, on and off over the years, and
never really learned anything. Not a lot of it sunk in, but one day, they were
teaching us greetings - and so came up the phrase "Apa Kabar?" It was
simple to understand, and there was something musical about it that stuck with
me.
I ended up
repeating it and singing it out so much in class that I was made to sit in the
corner and write out "Apa" 100 times as punishment. It thus became
the one Indonesian phrase that I know best!
2. This
release blends pop and rap while also bridging cultures between Australia and
Indonesia. How important is that cross-cultural element in Anti Lag’s music?
It's SO important! Chiptune is such an international scene, despite being so
underground and limited in size. Every year a small number of chiptuners save
up their own money to make the pilgrimage to festivals overseas and exchange
ideas, and so much beauty and art comes from the mixing of scenes. When
international chiptuners meet in person, you always get these magical projects
stemming from that activity.
3.
You’ve said the track was inspired by learning Indonesian in school. How did
those early lessons influence the lyrics and overall vibe of the song?
Our
Indonesian teaching was really underwhelming. I ended up learning more from the
Indonesian to English dictionary than my teachers. We'd come up with random
phrases and translate them ourselves—badly—using these old books and made
ourselves laugh.
Apa Kabar
was bred from that vibe. I used translation tools and got help from friends to
write the lyrics. I wrote some irresistible lyrics—"This is the house for
partying!"—and translated them to write the song. I was honestly surprised
it rapped as well as it did in the end, the whole lyrics came together in about
two hours flat.
4.
Shakaboyd’s Valentunes compilation was the spark for Apa Kabar. What was it
like creating a track specifically for that project?
It was
daunting! Normally I just make stuff for myself, on my own timeline, but
Shakaboyd hit me up and the opportunity was too exciting to ignore. Often I'll
develop ideas slowly, but this one, I wanted to start with a clean sheet, and
magically, a party banger just started forming on the page. Guess I picked the
right BPM, because it ripped hard right from the drop.
5.
Initially, you weren’t sure about adding rap vocals. What made you decide to
take the plunge and go for it?
Yeah, so when I was working on this, I was still primarily an instrumental artist. But because this was an Indonesian compilation, I was reminded of my schooling and decided to throw a few "apa?" and "baik baiks" into the mix. Somehow, it started sounding really good, so I kept at it. Then, Moonsparkle and another friend happened to be in the studio, and I was like, "Hey, y'all wanna guest on this?" and the track just EXPLODED. We added the raps, the countdown... and I was just blown away.
Once I had it all together, though, I was a little nervous. My Indonesian is
SUPER limited and I didn't want to come across as disrespectful. I messaged
Shakaboyd and was like, "Hey, here's the track—I've got an
instrumental, but you might also dig this version." He listened and was
like, totally psyched—nothing like what he expected, but he dug it. I was so
glad, and we've only become better pals since from chatting online about our
work.
6. The
music video, shot along the Yarra River with its fun energy, really stands out.
How did you come up with the concept and choreography?
You're
gonna laugh when I say "K-pop." I watch a TON of K-pop videos these
days—they're masters of the music video art. Costume, choreography, art
direction—all AAA stuff coming out of South Korea.
Now, imagine you have no budget, no crew, and one morning to shoot an entire
K-pop film clip. You live in Australia, and you've only got what's already in
your wardrobe. You end up with something completely unlike K-pop film clips but
with a bit of the same sense of fun. I was particularly inspired by Gangnam Style—Psy
always looks like a badass, but he also never fails to get you smiling when
you're watching his wild antics.
7. What
do you hope listeners feel when they first hear Apa Kabar and watch the music
video?
I hope they
wanna party! It's a bonafide dance banger that's built to get people moving. It
works pretty damn well at the live shows.
8. Anti
Lag mixes playful, danceable beats with fast-paced rap. How do you strike the
right balance between energy and storytelling in your music?
I think it
comes down to a song by song basis. A lot of my tracks are vibe based—the only
story they're telling is about how hard you're going to go on your next night
out. With that said, sometimes a song comes along and there is a
narrative—but telling it should never compromise the feeling and the motion of
the music.
9. Since
there aren’t many artists connecting Australia and Indonesia musically, do you
see Anti Lag as breaking new ground in that space?
I wouldn't
say I'm breaking a lot of new ground myself; my collaboration honestly stemmed
from the hard work of the people behind Reception Festival, who
created the connection between myself and Shakaboyd in the first place.
They really deserve more of the credit, along with others like 909DeadBatteries
who do so much to make connections between artists across the seas. With that
said, I'm always trying to do bigger things with artists both locally and
abroad, so I hope I can actually contribute more to those connections in
future.
10.
Looking back, what was the biggest challenge in putting Apa Kabar together, and
what part of the process felt most rewarding?
Honestly,
the film clip was so difficult. They always are a huge amount of work—but I'll
never tire of seeing myself kicking the air laying on that table. So worth
it.
11.
Beyond this single, where is Anti Lag headed musically? Are there more releases
or collaborations we should look out for?
A huge
release just dropped today! Dream Pulse is my five-track EP, which expands my
ridiculous and narrative sides in equal measure. If you've ever had beef with a
golfer, you gotta spin this record. It's streaming everywhere.
12.
Finally, if you had to describe Apa Kabar in just three words for someone who
hasn’t heard it yet, what would they be?
Fun,
ridiculous, powerful.
Thank you for the interview - have a great week! Party on!
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