The Fast Lane Of sl_owtalk: Unpacking The Noisy Mayhem Of The Drum-Synth Duo

sl_owtalk is made up of Mamat on the synths and Isyraf on the drums (Credit: Mish’aal)

The local music scene sure has its fair share of duos getting their mitts dirty in the realm of electronica. The manic, aberrant configuration of sl_owtalk, however, is a different breed altogether. Mohd Rahmat Bin Suliman (Mamat) goes trigger-happy on oscillators, while Muhammad Isyraf Bin Sabtu (Isyraf) goes ballistic on the drums, co-creating a blistering, belligerent volley of structured noise that slams hard. Despite the lack of guitars, their distinctive sound still very much ‘rocks’ with the heavyweight stature of other full-band outfits. But unlike these comparisons, sl_owtalk’s instrumental assemblages are not what you’d find in any songwriting textbook, with experimental constitutions that are more art-rock in nature. Free-flowing and erratic, they’re more reminiscent of an improvised jam session captured in all its raw purity.

Mamat and Isyraf are no greenhorns in what they do. Formerly from The Psalms, another rule-snapping alt-rock outfit that formed in 2006, the two apply their tricks to the foundation of sl_owtalk. Synths squiggle and splutter with precision, forming distorted, amplified textures that provide tonal meat. And beneath all that, ferocious drumwork forms the throbbing pulse that carries each song, pounding with bellowing toms and seething crashes. Together, they meld into a jagged, harmonious yin-yang of anarchic material that most won’t dare to attempt; an audacious culmination of the duo’s chemistry and nonconformist proclivities.

Since releasing their debut single in February 2020, near the onset of the Circuit Breaker that eradicated the vigour of the scene, the two have been consistent in their output with regular releases on Bandcamp. Unfazed by the lacklustre standstill, they’ve demonstrated a discernible presence that’s circumvented their inability to play gigs – a medium which best exhibits their sonic sorcery – and a weighty repertoire just waiting to be unleashed live. Even as the scene remains tethered, sl_owtalk is moving up fast.

In this interview, I burrow deep into the intricacies of their music, pinpoint the methods to their madness, and uncover how their history together dictates the sl_owtalk identity.

Isyraf and Mamat have been jamming together since their time in experimental rock band, The Psalms (Credit: Mish’aal)

Let’s start with an introduction. How did the two of you meet?

Isyraf: The two of us were previously from The Psalms. We are a duo setup made up of Mamat who plays all the synths and noise while I do the drums, programming and mixing. To be honest, we don’t really remember how we first met. We also have a secret third member in the band. His name is Mish’aal. He’s like our third pair of ears if a song is a go and he also does all our admin. He’s just a swell guy.

It’s pretty unconventional to make music as a drum-synth duo. How did you decide to embark on this kind of project together?

We started off as an improv act initially. After playing our first show at The Substation, we had enough of having to lug around loads of equipment. It was just crazy tiring. We decided to strip ourselves of all our equipment and just go back to the basics, just drums and synths; drums for groove and locking in, and the synths offering us endless sonic possibilities while keeping things simple. Though we might change our setup in the future, we are just going to have fun with this current setup for now.

Being instrumental, what influences the formation of these songs?

The synth dictates the mood of the song and vice versa. We try our best to make sure all areas are covered aurally. We go by feel most of the time, so it doesn't matter if the drums or synths are being overplayed as long as the feel is right. There’s no limit on the duration of the song. Sometimes, we consciously insert messages beneath the sound.

One way to describe your sound would be a beautiful, harmonious cacophony. How do the two of you achieve a delicate balance amidst the aggressive noise?

We will usually take note of the parts of the frequency spectrum the drums and synths are going to occupy. It’s a huge challenge when it comes to mixing when there’s no contrast between dark and bright sounds. The drums are like the core of the song, and the synths wrap nicely around it while adding glitters.

“We go by feel most of the time, so it doesn't matter if the drums or synths are being overplayed as long as the feel is right.” (Credit: Mish’aal)

Individually, can you share more about the intricacies of the synths that you use? Is it a deep rabbit hole of hardware and effects?

Effects are all done entirely in the box. Our songs are quite dense and busy so we try to keep effects at a minimum, just your stock Ableton delay and reverb. We’ve a KORG Monologue and a couple of go-to soft synths but the rabbit hole went too deep once we decided to just stick to the KORG Monologue. It’s still deep but manageable. Automation is usually done manually when going in. The KORG Monologue has two oscillators, each with three waveforms. The VCO2 has Octave and Pitch controls and Noise, while both VCOs have shape control which allows you to alter and modulate VCO1’s square wave width. It’s great for delivering distorted tones. It has a sequencer but no arpeggiator. The sounds we tend to gravitate to are usually those happy accidents when we’re just twisting knobs blindly. Thinking technically usually strips the fun out of it.

And for the drums, are the arrangements much more complex considering how it needs to fill up the void even more?

I realise the drums also have a very huge sound. The majority of our songs are in 4/4 and around 130 - 145 bpm. We try to keep the drums as busy as physically possible. Drum patterns are usually played linear if it gets too fast. Also, we stick to only one cymbal when it comes to crashing and riding because it really helps when it comes to the mixing stage. We wanted more percussive elements in the song but we’ve covered that with the synths. The drums are huge partly because of our love for Led Zeppelin, you know, that huge Bonham sound. We are still nowhere near the Bonham sound, but it feels right.

When you jam together, how much of it is spontaneous and how much of it is composed beforehand?

We will usually start off with a blank slate. I’ll play a random groove and Mamat will just play whatever he has on his mind depending on the mood of the day or vice versa. Everything is recorded live. We’ll go through the recording and piece it all together, chopping out parts that we think might work. The drums will then be played manually through the electronic drum set and into the DAW. Layers and layers of synths will then be recorded in. What you get is a huge wall of sound, just chaos. We then slowly shave off layers of synths that we don’t need and rephrase the drums parts just to tighten things up. The mood of the song will sometimes take a surprising turn and we love it. Being a duo allows us to also work remotely from each other and just bounce ideas online. We did this mostly during the Circuit Breaker phase, where it was impossible for us to meet up at the studio to just jam.

Do the two of you have other musical projects outside sl_owtalk?

Other than the both of us being in The Psalms, I used to play in a grindcore band, Hudud, and have also sessioned with .gif for a few shows. In addition to sl_owtalk, I'm also doing solo releases. Mamat also plays guitar for Spacedays.

I’d certainly love to catch you guys live once the dust settles and gigs resume. Can you elaborate more on your live setup? And do you think sl_owtalk is best consumed live?

We performed live recently for The Observatory’s Blackkaji live-stream and prior to that, a live show at Tonehouse Studios right before COVID. Right now, our live setup consists of a four-piece kit, an SP-404SX and the KORG Monologue. We’re not quite sure if sl_owtalk is best consumed live, but if you dig our sound, do come down to our shows in the future.

Speaking of The Observatory, how does it feel to obtain recognition from that experimentally-inclined segment of the music community?

We are very thankful for the support. Being massive fans of The Observatory and Ujikaji pushing boundaries with their releases along the years, it means a lot to us. We’re also excited for new local acts coming up. There’s just so much to learn and explore.