when the ant king asked me to

In the past decade, underground electronic and experimental scenes in Asia forged new connections across borders. Is a global movement next?

The Sounds of the New Asian Underground

Prontaxan is a fuse of ice breaking in the disturbance of a party or celebration, by offering basic human needs for dancing and escaping oneself from the restraints of routine and the shackles of the pressures of contemporary society.

Based on information disclosure and ease of access to technology, PRONTAXAN uses Youtube as a bible and some MP3 controller devices as a microphone to echo selected track verses. This curation of verses echoed by PRONTAXAN is associated with the celebration of the mixing of electronic music, dangdut, campursari and the native sounds of the Indonesian Archipelago. This mix is ​​more popularly known as Funkot. PRONTAXAN's choice of Funkot dissects music consumption and its relation to the construction of social class.

Redline Legends is our celebration of the raw, Hi-NRG electronic club mutations native to East & South-East Asia: Funkot to Manyao, Budots to Vinahouse. This a Full Moon Party, but the Moon stands for Moonshine.

Drawing influence from Indonesia’s Funkot, Vietnam’s Vinahouse, Filipino Budots, Malaysia’s and Singapore’s Manyao & more - these are the sounds of Jakarta curbside Mobile Legends sessions, Kuala Lumpur traffic jams, Taipei Temple Raves and 5AM Banh Mi stands in Saigon. All part of the same tapestry - breakneck BPMs, maximalist palettes - and fun as hell.

These sounds are incubated in red light districts, tourist traps and internet cafes. Often overlooked as too lo-fi or unsophisticated by international club scenes, these genres have had space and time to mutate into distinct forms, pulling their DNA from everywhere. You can hear audio artefacts from Wigan Pier Hardstyle, Lethal Bizzle Pow! samples and Melbourne Bounce melodies. Redline Legends is our mission to reclaim these sounds - to showcase them in their pure emotional glory.

Redline Legends

This Is A Kenonx

PRONTAXAN - This Is A Kenonx

Following releases on Eternal Dragonz and Gãy, ONY’s Children of the Apocalypse was produced after a return from Vietnam in late 2019, through multiple lockdowns, up until the present day. 

Children of the Apocalypse takes its name from a documentary about the enduring multigenerational destruction caused by the US military, who dumped Agent Orange herbicide over a third of Vietnam during the War. Circling personal narratives and family migration throughout the EP, the cover artwork is a portrait taken by ONY of his grandmother in her old flat in Montpellier, where she moved to as a refugee alongside his grandfather and their seven children. Defined by its heavily textural atmospherics and cinematic composition, Children of the Apocalypse serves as an attempt to in ONY’s words: “soundtrack the video game I will never create and a reflection on my family history, what it means to be Vietnamese in the south of France.”

ONY (Thierry Phung) is a DJ and producer who has been crafting stories on his genre-bending monthly NTS show since 2015. He mines whatever he finds to craft an immersive and strange musical environment. His shows are by turn dark, ethereal and uncanny, often all at once.

Children of the Apocalypse is written and produced by ONY 
Mastering by Harry Murdoch

ONY - Mưa Nửa Đêm

PPONG

Bang Bus

Tiw Tiw

Tiw Tiw (Budots)

MAMA BILANG AKU SWAG

MAMA BILANG AKU SWAG (Bloomaru Funkot Remix)

Taken from forthcoming EP, "Space Budots".

Libya Montes - Space Budots I

B1 Dad Is Destroying The World For My Sake

LAZYGOD X CARTIER'GOD - SHROOMS AND TV (Part 2)

DIPER - I AINT WORRYING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij9XJ4EOmDU

Postcoronal Anthem

'Rolling Empires' is the first track off of my next EP 'Explorations In Music For Dancing: Volume 1'. Out on 4th September.

To aid me in my research, I recruited his fellow scientist and collaborator, Caitlin Mcloughlin, who has developed the visual identity for the EP. Frustrated by the restricting formats of a digital download, Caitlin’s visual output extends far beyond the square format cover art. A mock typeface and specimen are both available as a free download with the EP.

Designed by Caitlin, the typeface was first moulded out of plasticine, reflecting the playful nature of the project, whilst the specimen acts as a space to document their process and explore the influences and building blocks for the series.

ONY - Mưa Nửa Đêm

Scorpio Red