It has been a month now since the debut of their self-titled album. And we haven’t heard from the boys since. But we know that if their reputations are anything to go by, it just means that they’re up to big, epic projects.
So, two days ago, we caught up with Malaysia’s favourite DJ duo, DJ Goldfish & DJ Blink at Universal Music Malaysia, their new “home ground” aka label, and they spill the beans on their “Goldfish & Blink” album, their upcoming projects, and some random fun facts.
Congratulations on the album, boys. It’s about time! What took you guys so long?
Blink: “The collaborators. We were actually done with the tracks for a while but the to and fro, and bouncing back and forth between the international artistes was the process that took the longest. Also, some of the local artistes that we worked with recorded their vocals in their own studios.”
Goldfish: “We had the music ready so all they had to do was send the (vocal) files over and we’ll strip it over the track. It was also the protocols because we got signed on to Universal Music Malaysia two months ago. So we were waiting for all the answers from the label and stuff.”
From the big idea, to production meetings, to holing up in the studio, to fine-tuning, and to the finishing touches, how long did you guys take?
Blink: “One year three months?”
Goldfish: “No, maybe two years.”
Blink: “No, it’s one year three months man. ‘In The House’ came out in January and it was three months before that that we started on the idea. So it’s about one year three months. No man. Wait. It has been about two years.”
Goldfish: “That’s what I said!”
You guys have been around as DJs for so long now. More than a decade even. But in this collaborative effort as a duo, who does what? Do you boys have specific roles for specific things?
Goldfish & Blink: “We both have an equal share of everything so, yeah it’s kinda 50/50 on the workload and stuff.”
Now that you’re both signed on to Universal Music Malaysia, do you both still have creative control over your music?
Blink: “100%.”
Goldfish: “It’s 100% now and with the label, it’s better. Because then there’s this force pushing us to a wider audiences and bigger markets. Plus, we’re trying to venture into the Malay music industry. We’re going to do a lot of things on television as well so the label has brought us to a whole new level of mass.”
That’s awesome! So, now that you’ve released an album and three music videos (“In The House”, “Rave”, “Bila Seharusnya”), what’s next for “Goldfish & Blink”?
Goldfish: “We’re hitting up four cities nationwide for the “Goldfish & Blink” tour. So expect to see us in Penang, Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu.”
Blink: “It’s the tour for our album! It happens right after Hari Raya.”
Goldfish: “And we’re also going to be playing in a lot of the international dance events but..we can’t say anything about it. Yet.”
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What’s the most challenging aspect about being Malaysian DJs/producers? Like, what would you tell the aspiring DJs/producers who want to, you know, someday grow up to be like the both of you?
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Goldfish: “You know, it’s about persistence. Your presence and your name need to be out there all the time. You gotta make sure that they know you’re there, that your name is prominent.”
Blink: “Yeah. In the beginning, it wasn’t easy for us either. It has been a good learning curve. It’s challenging getting there but as long as you’re willing to work hard, it’ll all be worth it. Just remember that you gotta keep working hard.”
Goldfish: “And you gotta have passion for what you do.”
Aww. Wise words! Alright, so we saw you both at “Zouk @ Sepang” earlier this year. Was it your best show ever? If not, which one was your best show and the most memorable one?
Goldfish: “Every show is the best show ever! Every single one is special in different ways – many fun times.”
Blink: “Mine would be the Tiësto one last year, Heineken Thirst 2012 in Sepang. That was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played to. It was amazing. The best gig!”
You boys have played at so many venues as individuals as well as duos. There must’ve been some mad wild times lodged in all those years. What was your craziest fan moment?
Blink: “So far I’ve had none.”
Goldfish: “There was once while I was playing, this random girl came up to the console and flashed me. She had the words ‘I LOVE GOLDFISH’ written across her boobs.”
Gosh! What did you do? Did you freak out?
Goldfish: “No. I took a picture with her..boobs (laughs).”
Name the one person or act that you’d really, really like to someday share the same stage with.
Goldfish & Blink: “(simultaneously) Swedish House Mafia.”
At Ultra Music Festival 2012, Madonna sauntered up on stage with Avicii and said to the crowd over a mic, “Has anyone seen Molly?”, a reference to MDMA – it sent a lot of DJs, producers, and the media reeling with shock. Now, as DJs and producers, how would you change mindset of people who think that EDM equals drugs?
Blink: “To be honest, I think it’s already changing as we speak. All the pop music kids listen to these days is dance music anyway. I think it’s only the people who lack experience and exposure to the EDM scene that have the misconception.”
Goldfish: “As a matter of fact, the music is changing as well. The works of DJs and producers in recent times isn’t that trippy anymore. So, the drug culture will slowly fade out.”
Last one for the road, boys! Let’s take it back to the old school with the question of, why “Blink” and why “Goldfish”?
Blink: “Way back when, I had this habit of blinking a lot whenever I agreed to people but after I started DJing, it went away.”
Goldfish: “I had this name given to be a long time ago by my friend. I thought it was a really dumb ass name so I used it for a while and you know what? People (chicks) liked it so I kept it! And I’m still Goldfish today.”
The “Goldfish & Blink” album is out now at your nearest music store. Support your favourite local DJs and go wipe these stores clean of all the CDs!
For more information on the boys, hit up their Facebook page or stalk them via their individual Twitter accounts, DJ Goldfish here and DJ Blink here.
Don’t tell them we told you to!
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