By Sufian Mohidin
KUCHING: The Malaysian underground music scene suffered a great loss last Tuesday when one of its true ‘statesmen’ passed away.
Abang Saiful Zahren died on leaving a two-year-old son and a wife. The talented bassist of United Kids of Oi, and a hero in the local music scene, has returned to the Almighty.
He died of a heart attack after a boxing training session in which he was preparing for a match scheduled for the end of this month.
Known to most as Saiful, he was a catalyst for Sarawak’s underground music scene. He kept the scene active in almost all districts being the founder of Disharmonic Movement that begun in the 2000s.
Saiful and his brothers – Kojack (lead vocalist), Dedek (drums) and Bojeng (lead guitar) united the bands across Sarawak, spreading positive and high spirit ammong fellow musicians till his last breath.
Whether it was punk, alternative, indie, hardcore, metal, reggae, hip-hop or any other music genres, Saiful linked them all.
He was passionate, honest, benevolent and the life of many gatherings that he either organised or attended.
It was also due to his efforts that Kuching was given attention by the Malaysian music industry, bringing up names of local organisers such as LIVEinKCH, Thornwire productions, and bands such as Mayze, the ACAB, the Rudeboys, and many more.
His passing was truly felt by all underground music followers. He always reminded the people around him that “our sub-cultural ideologies may be different, and our interests, though our goals and our expectations are all the same”.
“Raising our local independent scene is as important as evolution so that it can survive for generations to come for our children to be reminded of this generation,” he said.
Thanks to Disharmonic Movement and to Saiful for his contributions to Kuching’s music scene, fellow independent musicians in Sarawak stand united and strong, being recognised for their passion, truthfulness and respect for music and one another. This is his legacy.
