King Ly Chee

Hong Kong's hardcore heroes, King Ly Chee, have truly rocked the cockles of our hearts with the release of their 'Unite Asia' EP.  We caught up with Riz to find out more about them and their upcoming plans.

Hi RIz, let's set the scene for our readers - Look out of your window, tell us what you can see:
Well I live in congested Tsim Sha Tsui district of Hong Kong where we’re all packed in like sardines, so outside of my window I see the windows of the next building blocking my view of anything. 

Give us a brief introduction to King Ly Chee:
We’re a 5 piece band from Hong Kong (China) and have been around since ’99. My name is Riz and I play guitar, the other members include: G – vocals, Pong – bass, Brian – guitar, Man – drums.

King Ly Chee was formed in May of 1999 fueled by the fire, passion and ideals of hardcore. In 1999, the music climate of Hong Kong was an unhealthy world of cover bands passing themselves off as “hardcore” or “metal” while belting out tunes by Limp Bizkit. One day I was sitting around and finally had enough and decided that it was time that someone do something about it. I have never once thought of myself as a know-it-all of hardcore or anything like that. So please don’t get me wrong, I did not do this with any other thought in mind then to get more local Chinese kids into hardcore by introducing bands as varied like Minor Threat to Earth Crisis and show people that even though the music can come in lots of different forms, the essential ideals and message of the music is always present.

I realized that one of the biggest problems was language. Hong Kong has a HUGE language barrier between the expatriate scene and the local Chinese scene. So even though back in ’99 we had stores like Tower Records selling zines like Punk Planet, Heartattack, etc., the local Chinese kids weren’t getting into it because of the language issue. Because of this, they were getting their information about hardcore through the local media who also had no idea what it was. They labeled anything with loud guitars as hardcore. That’s why Limp Bizkit, Korn, etc., was being misunderstood as hardcore.
So I started first by releasing a bilingual zine called Start From Scratch that included interviews, essays and CD reviews of world-renown punk, metal and hardcore bands. When I started I got attacked big time right away. Kids were like: Why isn’t this in color? Why are there so many words? Hahahahaha...now that I think back it’s all quite hilarious especially when looking at where things are today. Anyway, as the wheels were turning for Start From Scratch back then, I realized that words were not enough, it was important to also hear, feel and see “hardcore” in action to fully absorb the impact. King Ly Chee was the result.

So since ’99 this band has tirelessly continued down this mission for over 9 years now. We’ve taken our music all over Asia many times and have actually even been out to the Eastern part of Europe. 

Tell us about Unite Asia.  What’s the concept and message behind it?
Well, we’ve been blessed these past 9 years to have toured a lot throughout Asia. We’ve been everywhere and along the journey we’ve met INCREDIBLE bands, musicians, and most importantly, people through Asia. The caliber of our Asian bands is INSANE. That is what we’ve noticed every time we go on tour. I always wonder “Why are US bands so popular here when our own bands are just as good or even better!”

Unite Asia is the title of a song that we wrote prior to going on tour with NOFX in 2007. That was going to be our first really extensive Asian tour because we were going from Beijing all the way down to Bali. We knew that on this tour we were going to be carrying the flag for Asian bands, so we decided that it was time to write a song that was about bringing everyone together. We’re proud of being Asian – anyone that has ever met us can attest to this. If you read the lyrics of Unite Asia you can get a deeper idea of what this song is about as well.

You can see a video of this song up on our site too that is compiled of footage from the NOFX tour and the first line in the video really explains the concept and idea of this song quite well.

What else needs to happen to unite Asia?
Communication! Thanks to the internet communication between bands, organizers, labels, promoters, etc., has been SO amazing these past few years! Even between our first tour of Southeast Asia in 2003 to last year in 2007, the speed and ease of communication has improved tenfold! I remember we used to have to wait days or weeks for replies from people about possible tour dates and stops. But last year we got them within the same day. Of course there are still some places where because of their unique and tough situations, we can’t expect answers immediately. People try their best to get back to you in as timely a manner as possible.

I think in general, we are all really working pretty well together. I organized that NOFX tour and was able to get shows for NOFX/King Ly Chee in Beijing, Taipei, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, and Bali all through connecting with awesome people throughout the region. It was easy to do, no hassles, and when we got to each place we were taken care of with open arms, and more like we were brothers and sisters from their country. I don’t care what anyone says – nothing can beat Asian hospitality. NOTHING.
We just all need to keep up the hard work. Anyone involved with punk and hardcore can attest that these past few years we’ve seen like a surge of Western bands finally realizing that Asia is more than just Japan. So a lot of bands have been making the decision to check out the rest of Asia. But I hope that all Asian people involved with music will always place their own Asian bands as top priority in their hearts. We really do need each other.

American bands easily get promotion all over the place – and literally, throughout the world. Asian bands have a really hard time to get any interest in the West whether Europe or the US. Sure, there will be pockets of people in those areas who are supportive. But in general, people will be much more interested in you in Europe if you’re an American band than an Asian band. Like I said, this isn’t the case with EVERY SINGLE European, so please don’t get upset. I’m just saying in general.

Why did you guys decide to do an online release?
It wasn’t a conscious decision at first to release it like this. In 2007 we were supposed to release it on a label in China. But we decided not do it like that and realized that we could release it ourselves with the help of China’s largest metal magazine called Painkiller. When we started talking to them we realized just how hard it is to release something on CD so we decided to just release this EP for free as a download available on their website. While we were discussing this, we realized that this would be something that would be super exciting for all of our supporters from all over Asia and not just the Chinese-speaking region. So, as we made that decision, we decided that it was about time that we started releasing music in a language that is understandable by our Asian brethren. So, in December we decided to keep the Chinese version of the EP but also re-record all the vocals in English and simultaneously release a Chinese and English version of the EP!

Once we made this decision and started the recording process, I started contacting all the labels that we have gotten to know really well over touring the past few years. So with a quick few emails and phone calls we got our friends in labels like Dyslexia Records (Malaysia), Townhall Records (South Korea), Start From Scratch Records (Hong Kong), Take 4 Collective (Philippines), One Voice Records (Singapore), Fast Youth Records (Indonesia), Sound Pollution (Sweden), and of course Unityhxc were all on board to help promote this! When they all confirmed their participation I could’ve broken down and started crying! Hahahaha…The support that we got was so overwhelming.
We decided to make this a FREE release because with all our touring, we’ve met countless kids who’ve come to shows with nothing but change in their pockets and slippers on asking if we could give them a free copy of our album. By doing this EP totally free, we’re giving those kids a chance to grab our stuff! Especially kids in much poorer Asian regions. We hope those kids grab these songs, burn copies, hand them out to their friends, and just keep spreading the word!

The EP has been out for only half a week but the messages we’ve been getting from all over the world has been awesome!!! 

Why should someone go download your music?  Sell it to us:
They should download not only our music, but must by all Asian artists simply for the reason that right now we’re in an INSANELY exciting era of Asian music history. The internet has opened so many possibilities for Asian bands to have their voices heard finally! You no longer really need to dream of one day having a label out in the West release your stuff out there, because now you can do it on your own by releasing it online.

You should download our music and lyrics to check out the spirit and idealism of hardcore – especially Asian hardcore. You also need to download this EP because before you know it, we’ll probably be in your city/country playing and we NEED to hear your voices!

Will you be doing multi-language versions of the rest of your material?
Yes, because this has gone over so well, we are going to be doing this from now on. At the end of 2008 we’ll be releasing our brand new album and we have yet to decide how we’re going to release this on CD. Some ideas is to have a 2 discs in one case so you have the option to listen to either one. Our good friends in Soler have just done this and I think that worked out well for them.

For us, it is absolutely essential that people can understand the message of the song. Hardcore to us is not just about the music, but about a message whether it’s social, political or personal. So we’ll always be doing this multi-language versions from now on. Dude – we get a LOT of hits from Malaysia, so to our supporters in Malaysia don’t be surprised if one day we do a version in Malay! Hahahahahahaha…TERIMA KASI!!!

Tell us what it means to you to be able to release your music in China?
For Hong Kong people, China is the love of their lives. This is especially true for the members of King Ly Chee. They absolutely love and cherish Chinese culture, the Chinese language, the Chinese traditions and way of life. We are just as proud to call ourselves a Chinese hardcore band as we are to call ourselves Hong Kong hardcore because Hong Kong is part of a hugely beautiful and historic country like China.

So for any Hong Kong band, to be able to release something in China is like the ultimate dream. Not just that, but being able to travel to the capital Beijing and actually perform, is like a pilgrimage of sorts. When you get there and look around you’re like, oh my god I’m in the capital of the Chinese kingdom. It’s really just unbelievable. For me, I’m Pakistani but I have lived my entire life in Hong Kong so the Chinese culture has also become a part of my being and I feel this way too when we travel up to Beijing.

So unfortunately, we still haven’t released anything on CD up there yet. But we’re waiting with baiting breath the day it happens, and the day that we can follow that up with a FULL tour of the country.

What have you noticed about the various places you’ve played in Asia? Similarities/differences?
DUDE!!! I’ll tell you what the immediate similarity is!!! All the products like toys, clothes, accessories, etc that you’ll find in shopping malls all over Asia! Holy crap! Because everything is made in China and then exported to all these places around the world, you can walk into a mall in South Korea and see the same things that are also on sale in Manila and Bangkok! What the hell?!?! I was so floored on the last tour we were on and witnessed globalization with my own eyes. It was CRAZY…kind of sad too because all our big cities in Asia are slowly beginning to resemble each other!

If you want a more authentic Asia you have to travel like deep into Laos or Thailand where you won’t see any commercialization or Westernization take place.

Aside from that…the various places we’ve played we’ve always been met with the same passion towards hardcore, punk, indie rock, metal, etc. No matter where you go, you’ll see the same excited kids at the shows all getting into the music and message. You can feel the passion because we’ve played some shows in Asia through the most destroyed equipment and venues as possible, but it doesn’t matter to anyone because once the band gets on stage and starts ripping into the songs, everyone just goes mental. It’s awesome…all of a sudden you’ll see kids jumping on each other, flip-flops flying all over the place, people losing their shit! Hahahahaha…you gotta see an Asian hardcore/punk show to believe it.

Where are your favorite places to tour?
Easily: Beijing, Guangzhou, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Manila! Hands down the best places for us to play!!! All these places have taken us in as if we were a band from their own town and countries. I mean for the Chinese cities – it goes without saying - Chinese people love to support their own so we get lots of incredible support in these places. But the support we’ve gotten from Malaysia is INSANE!!! On our own website statistics, Malaysia ranks third highest on number of daily hits behind China and Hong Kong! What?!?!? That’s so so awesome! I can honestly say that every time we’ve gone down there we’ve always been received by the warmest reception ever possible.

I still remember this one time when we went down and our good friend Jana organized a show for us, he actually got like 10 hardcore kids to drive all the way out to the airport to come pick us up! NOW THAT’S THE ASIAN HARDCORE SPIRIT!

Any time we get emails from touring bands who want to come to Asia, these are all the places that we say they HAVE to go. 

Which other Asian artists are you into?
My favorite Hong Kong band is The Lovesong! Awesome band and does Hong Kong proud…

Other then that the list is huge: Love Me Butch is amazing, our boys in Kjwan are INCREDIBLE as is pretty much every single Filipino band we’ve ever heard – it’s something in the water there man, Nuclear Punishment – Filipino metal that kills me, Horror of Pestilence one of the best death metal vocalists I’ve heard from China – they’re from Guangzhou, Dai Wah Mui also from Guangzhou, Second Combat from Malaysia – MUCH respect to these guys, our other guitar player LOVES Bodyslam from Thailand…

There just are SO many good bands, artists and groups in the area. It’s hard to pinpoint them all. We’re totally open-minded and listen to EVERYTHING – even regular pop, hip-hop and jazz too…

Tell us about your practice space:
 In a rundown industrial area in Hong Kong called Kwun Tong. It’s awesome to rent a pretty big size room right next to a bunch of factories so you can play as loud as you want without getting complaints because your neighbors are probably louder then you anyway!

What’s coming up next for you guys?
The exciting thing is that we’ve started the recording process for our new album that we’ll release before the end of 2008! We can’t wait to finally have a new album out, and then to follow it up with another tour around Asia! That’s what’s coming up!!! Please keep checking back on our website. I update that thing DAILY!!!

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Take a listen as King Ly Chee Unite Asia on AMP

Responses[1]

Posted by AMP Ed on March 17, 2008 5:10:57 PM HKT #

Intolerant   ( 21 months ago ) # big up to our boys! king ly chee rocks! make asia proud! \m/