I’ll be straight up with you from the get go. Up until a close friend of mine was helping me write an article on the best music releases of 2019 and mentioned the now mainstream beauty that is Wonderland by GARD and WUZGUT, I have literally never heard a peep of the duo in anything that I’ve read or anyone that I’ve heard it from. Up until when he introduced me to the track was I drawn into it’s odd simplicity, almost cincai-like lyrics that effortlessly flows and delivers its message with zero complications or contain any ulterior motives, “I cuma nak, ke Wonderland dengan you, girl.”
It didn’t help that the beat hooked onto you like a fish hooked onto bait; a delicious bass line attached to a deceptively clean synth portions that’s easy to get into and without realising it, getting you to sing along to its lyrics. I had a chat with the underground duo to talk about how they came up with such a concept, and their music.
This interview has been translated and condensed for easier reading and understanding.
How did GARD WUZGUT came to be? How did the two of you meet?
GARD: The first time I met WUZGUT was when we embarked on a prject together back in 2018. We knew each other from when Soundcloud was at its peak, and met through a mutual friend Amir (Attune), and from there, we discussed, and then agreed to do this project together, which we christened CPR (Club Perenang Rohani).
What got you interested in beatboxing?
GARD: What was interesting to me when it comes to beatboxing was the technique, how beatboxers are able to do instrumentals with just the mouth. After that I joined a competition just to see what I can do (Beatboxnation) and that was that. Shoutout to AbeatC for helping me throughout.
What would you describe your genre as?
GARD: More R&B, and Balada.
Who were your inspirations in the realm of singing?
GARD: When I was small, I actually listened to a lot of Jamal Abdillah, Sheila Majid, because my parents loved old music, so I just listened to what they listened. But now it’s a whole lot different, cos it’s more The Weeknd, Eli Sostre & Nav.
Baq/WUZGUT. Picture Credit: Slatan
Describe to me your creative process when it comes to making the beat and writing out the lyrics to the song.
WUZGUT: I started using FI studio because of Metro Boomin. “Skyfall” & “Blue Pill” were kinda my sound foundation and it has always been my vibe. But starting out, I always envision what’s gonna come out of a cook up sesh, like ok I need this track to have hopeful vibes then go on to the other and make a soulful one.
In the track “Mesin Masa,” I use Chordz to help me write the melody for the beat. I find that this helps a lot when it comes to creating the vibe in your head. The production for this song personally was kind of heavy to me because of the weight of the reverb. Matter of fact the project file was initially called Wetland because of how wet everything.
“Sorry If Rindu” is honestly one of the best drums I’ve every done, the snare especially but unfortunately I lost the source file hahaha. In this track I tried my best to bring forth that rock kapak energy with more upbeat. Again, I used Chordz to write the counter melody throghout the beat and used my favourite 808 sample from the DJ Spinz pack. Good sounds/samples selection make the whole song work I swear. Oh, and then I let the beat switch just because. Hahaha.
“Senja” is as simple as it sounds, just drums and instrumentals. Now this I got from the Frank Dukes pack. The moment I played it, I can already here some ‘suara ghaib’ singing the chorus. I should’ve pitched it down or up a bit to avoid copyright but it just sounded so perfect. I don’t regret it, but it’s just not a wise decision in the long run.
“Wonderland” I put the same energy into it as I was making “Senja.” I have to let GARD have his space in the song, so no busy drums allowed.
Ultimately for me, when it comes to beatmaking, it all comes down to good sounds and sample selection. You could know every bit of music theory in the world, but if what you do sounds shit, it just sounds shit. Sometimes you can just browse samples in your library to start with. I usually make several beats then I send to GARD so he can choose and finish the recording part.
As many listeners have noticed, your lyrics do not follow a singular format, rather it is a mix of Manglish. What was the decision behind this?
GARD: For the lyrics, I decided to go with a Manglish mix because not everyone can understand Malay street slang, and I also can’t write much better in English because I’m not skilled enough. I used Bahasa Malaysia that’s easy to understand because for me, as long as my messages can be understood by people, then I’m grateful.
What was the concept behind Club Perenang Rohani?
GARD: Well, WUZGUT and I wanted you guys to feel like you’re in a movie, but in audio form. We want you guys to understand the story about Club Perenang Rohani. We’ve arranged it to be like a trip from sunrise to sundown, so songs like “Wonderland” and “Senja” represents the night time portion, calm and serene.
After this EP, are there plans for a full-length album?
GARD: Yes, but me and WUZGUT are still in the works, and hopefully this one touches closer to the heart and much more filled with emotion. We appreciate your patience.
How would you describe the music scene now in your own words?
GARD: Alhamdulillah, Malaysian music has expanded, and WUZGUT and I are thankful that we’re in the right place, and we’re immensely happy that Malaysians are able to accept our music as is!
Nidji. Picture Credit: Discogs
What kind of impact would you like to make unto the Malaysian music scene?
GARD: I think we’d like to progress to a point where we can make soundtracks for Malaysian films! Like in Indonesia, they have Nidji who did the OST for Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijk. Hopefully we’re able to work together with other legendary artists such as Sheila Majid, and Anuar Zain. I mean, dream big right?
Stream Club Perenang Rohani now on all major streaming platforms now.
Follow GARD here and WUZGUT here on Instagram.
