Ask the Producer. Bilingual Edition. Bahasa Indonesia di bawah. (15th September 2023)
We had the opportunity to speak with Alyuadi, the prominent vocalist and guitarist of the Bandung-based shoegaze band, Heals. His name is widely recognized among music enthusiasts. Alyuadi, affectionately known as Aldead, has also been involved in a noise rock music project that evolved into neo-punk/experimental music under the name Fuzzy I, alongside four of his musical comrades.
In addition to his focus on the music project with Fuzzy I, Aldead is currently busy finalizing the latest album for his main band, Heals. Over the past few years, Aldead has taken on the role of a producer for several up-and-coming, talented bands that are making waves, such as White Chorus, Avhath, Suissac, Feel Koplo, Haul, and many others.
Aldead shared the story of his musical journey, which began when he was in junior high school. He considers himself fortunate to have attended a school that provided him with early exposure to musical instruments, especially the guitar. In 2009, he decided to form Heals, where he took on the roles of lead vocalist and guitarist. This shoegaze/alternative rock band hails from Bandung and has garnered various awards, making them highly acclaimed. Heals has even performed at prestigious festivals such as Laneway Festival & Rocking The Region in Singapore, as well as participating in numerous major festivals and concerts in Indonesia.
Heals is an alternative rock/nu-gaze musical unit from Bandung, West Java, consisting of five talented young members. The band’s lineup includes Alyuadi Febryansyah/Aldead (guitar, vocals), Reza Arinal/Ejasaurus (guitar, vocals), Octavia Variana Lantang/Via (bass, vocals), Muhammad Ramdhan/Rara (guitar), and Adi Reza/Cumi (drums). Heals rapidly grew to become a significant force in the shoegaze scene in the City of Flowers (Bandung).
The band itself was established in Bandung in 2013, and their music is heavily influenced by various bands such as My Vitriol, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Tokyo Shoegazer. While each band member has different musical preferences, they all fit within the energetic framework of alternative music. Their influences span a wide range, from Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, romantic grunge reminiscent of Silverchair, to My Vitriol, Amusement Parks On Fire, Cocteau Twins, recent post-punk like Whirr and Anne, as well as raw elements from The Smashing Pumpkins.
View this post on Instagram
Heals embraces the shoegaze genre in their album titled “Spectrum,” which is a sub-genre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia popularized in the late 1980s. Each song is arranged at a relatively fast tempo, with layers of stacked guitar distortion, creating an ethereal atmosphere that allows the listener to explore imagery inspired by the lyrics and musical arrangements.
In August 2023, Heals released their latest single, “Weathre.” Alyuadi explained that the song is a product of reflection during the pandemic, reflecting the true nature of the Heals members. The lyrics were written spontaneously during the song’s composition.
Alyuadi explained, “I subconsciously tell what I feel when I can’t meet someone because of nature force or it could be conspiracy, or could be anything we have is conspiracy.”
In the song “Weathre,” Heals demonstrates their maturity and exploration by presenting complex elements in their music. Although their music production process can be intricate at times, the band members feel that this new single’s essence remains simple.
View this post on Instagram
Musical Journey:
- When did you start playing music, and why?
- It was back in junior high, I think. I was around 12 or 13 years old, maybe. It just happened to be the right time. My friends and I had access to a music studio.
- What musical instruments do you play?
- I think it was the guitar, and maybe drums if I remember correctly.
Venturing into Music Production:
- How did you start your journey into music production?
- So, in 2019, Heals started recording and making albums. I just sent some files for fun and tried recording on my own, and it worked out.
Current Music Projects:
- What music projects are you currently working on and in what capacity?
- I’m currently producing for Haul. I recently worked on White Chorus, and I’m also working on my own projects and a few mixing projects.
Favorite Kuassa Products and Aldead Use:
- What’s your favorite Kuassa product, and how do you use it?
- Well, when I open my DAW, there are shortcuts available. The fastest option that’s usually there is Clarent. I like it because it offers a lot of options, which makes it more versatile and clean, just what I need. I also have a favorite preset, Heavy Riffing, I think. It’s the metal I need, from clean to high gain.
Favorite DAW and Why:
- What’s your favorite DAW, and why?
- I’d say Ableton. Its user interface is quite creative and user-friendly, which makes the creative process easier. I’ve tried other DAWs, but sometimes they get complicated when adding layers.
Inspirations and Pre-show Ritual:
- Where do you draw your ideas from, and do you have any specific rituals before performing?
- Ideas come from a lot of factors. Often, I’m producing other bands. For example, when I heard a song from Suicide, I wanted to create something similar. Sometimes, watching a band play sparks ideas.
Top 3 Guitar Recording Plugins:
- What are your top 3 guitar recording plugins, and which ones are they?
- Clarent is definitely one. It’s not just for guitars; it’s Envelope, Effector Wah Filter, and Valhalla Delay, I think.
Top 3 Mixing and Mastering Plugins:
- What are your top 3 mixing and mastering plugins, and which ones are they?
- It varies for each phase. Lately, I’ve been using Fab Filter Q3 because it allows me to shape the sound. iZotope Neutron, Cytomic, and EVE Equalizer are great. Kratos 2 Maximizer, I don’t usually use it for its intended purpose, but I use it for vocals and other things.
You can explore Alyuadi’s work through Heals’ YouTube channel and Spotify channels for Heals and Fuzzy I. Also, visit Alyuadi’s Instagram profile to get to know Aldead better and see how he shares music in his daily life.
Bilingual Bahasa Ver.
Kami berkesempatan untuk berbicara dengan Alyuadi, vokalis dan gitaris terkemuka dari band shoegaze asal Bandung yang bernama Heals. Namanya sudah sangat dikenal di kalangan penggemar musik. Alyuadi, yang akrab disapa Aldead, juga telah terlibat dalam sebuah proyek musik noise rock yang berubah menjadi neo-punk/experimental yang dikenal dengan nama Fuzzy I, bersama dengan empat teman musiknya.
Selain fokus pada proyek musiknya bersama Fuzzy I, Aldead juga sedang sibuk menyelesaikan album terbaru dari band utamanya, Heals. Selama beberapa waktu terakhir, Aldead juga telah berperan sebagai produser bagi beberapa band muda berbakat yang sedang naik daun, seperti White Chorus, Avhath, Suissac, Feel Koplo, Haul, dan banyak lainnya.
Aldead berbagi kisahnya tentang perjalanan bermusiknya yang dimulai sejak ia masih bersekolah di Sekolah Menengah Pertama. Dia merasa beruntung bisa berada di sekolah yang memberinya kesempatan untuk mengenal alat musik, terutama gitar, sejak dini. Pada tahun 2009, dia memutuskan untuk membentuk Heals, di mana ia mengambil peran sebagai vokalis dan gitaris utama. Band bergenre Shoegaze/Alternative rock ini berasal dari Bandung dan telah meraih berbagai penghargaan yang menjadikan mereka sangat dikenal. Heals bahkan tampil di festival-festival bergengsi seperti Laneway Festival & Rocking The Region di Singapura, serta berpartisipasi dalam berbagai festival besar dan konser di Indonesia.
Heals adalah sebuah unit musik alternative rock/nu-gaze yang berasal dari Bandung, Jawa Barat, dan terdiri dari lima anggota muda yang berbakat. Line-up band ini terdiri dari Alyuadi Febryansyah/Aldead (gitar, vokal), Reza Arinal/Ejasaurus (gitar, vokal), Octavia Variana Lantang/Via (bass, vokal), Muhammad Ramdhan/Rara (Gitar), dan Adi Reza/Cumi (drum). Heals tumbuh dengan cepat sebagai salah satu penggerak utama dalam adegan shoegaze di Kota Kembang.
Band ini sendiri didirikan di Bandung pada tahun 2013 dan musik mereka sangat dipengaruhi oleh berbagai band, seperti My Vitriol, Sunny Day Real Estate, dan Tokyo Shoegazer. Setiap anggota band memiliki preferensi musik yang berbeda, meskipun semuanya masih berada dalam kerangka musik alternative yang penuh energi. Pengaruh mereka mencakup berbagai genre, mulai dari Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, grunge romantis ala Silverchair, hingga My Vitriol, Amusement Parks On Fire, Cocteau Twins, post-punk terbaru seperti Whirr dan Anne, serta elemen-elemen kasar dari The Smashing Pumpkins.
Heals mengusung genre shoegaze dalam album mereka yang berjudul “Spectrum,” yang merupakan sub genre alternative rock dan neo-psychedelia yang populer pada akhir tahun 1980-an. Setiap lagu diaransemen dengan tempo yang relatif cepat, dengan lapisan distorsi gitar yang saling bertumpuk, menciptakan nuansa ethereal yang membiarkan pendengar menjelajahi imaji yang terinspirasi oleh makna lirik dan aransemen musik.
Pada bulan Agustus 2023, Heals merilis single terbaru berjudul “Weathre.” Alyuadi menjelaskan bahwa lagu ini merupakan hasil dari refleksi selama pandemi yang mencerminkan sifat asli para anggota Heals. Penulisan liriknya terjadi secara spontan seiring dengan pembuatan komposisi lagu.
Alyuadi menjelaskan, “Saya bercerita secara bawah sadar mengenai apa yang saya rasakan ketika tidak bisa bertatap muka dengan seseorang dikarenakan nature force or it could be conspiracy, or could be anything we have is conspiracy?”.
Dalam lagu “Weathre,” Heals menunjukkan kedewasaan dan eksplorasi mereka dengan menyajikan unsur-unsur yang kompleks dalam musik mereka. Meskipun proses pembuatan musik mereka terkadang rumit, anggota band merasa bahwa pembuatan single terbaru ini tetap sederhana dalam esensinya.
- Bermusik sejak kapan dan kenapa?
Waktu itu SMP sih yah. Umur berapa tuh 12 atau 13 tahun mungkin. Pada saat itu kebetulan saja. Aku dan teman-teman sekolahku punya akses untuk ke studio musik gitu.
- Alat musik yang dimainkan?
Gitar sih kayaknya, gitar sama drum deh kalau gak salah.
- Awal mula terjun ke music production?
Jadi waktu tahun 2019 si Heals tuh kan mulai rekam-rekam bikin album terus yaudah iseng aja ngirim-ngirim file dan coba rekam-rekam sendiri dan akhirnya bisa deh.
Sekarang lagi megang project musik apa saja dan sebagai apa?
Lagi on going project produserin Haul, kemarin juga sempet ngerjain White Chorus, juga lagi terus jalanin project sendiri sama beberapa mixing projects
- Produk Kuassa yang paling disukai dan bagaimana pemakaiannya?
Nah biasanya aku tuh kalau buka DAW udah ada shortcutnya tersendiri gitu. Dan yang langsung otomatis tersedia opsi tercepat biasanya Clarent. Senang saja karena lebih banyak pilihan kali yah lebih variatif dan cleannya pas sesuai yang aku butuhkan. Terus aku punya preset favorit juga yaitu Heavy Riffing ya kalau gak salah. Metal yang ku butuhkan hahaha. Dari Clean sampai High Gain mewakili.
- Testimonial DAW favorit dan kenapa?
Ableton kali yah. UI nya proses kreatif lumayan kebantu gitu kayak lebih user friendly dan memudahkan aja ngerasanya. Pernah coba DAW lain kayak ngejelimet mau masukin layer-layer tuh.
Dari semua self project yang dikerjakan seberapa sering menggunakan product Kuassa di project-project tersebut?
Kayaknya hampir di setiap projek ku aku cukup sering menggunakan Clarent. Di semua yang ada instrumen gitarnya udah pasti auto Clarent hahaha. Mix prep juga aku suka bikin gitarnya pakai Kuassa aku kasih saja ke tukang mixingnya. Ini baru Clarent doang EVE sama Kratos 2 Maximizer yah yang Equalizer buat vokal yang aku kasih ke tukang masteringnya pasti aku proses dulu pakai Kuassa.
- Rutinitas sebelum brainstorming ideas?
Ideas banyak banget sih faktornya. Sering banget contohnya lagi nge-produce band orang. Kayak Suicide kemarin aku dengar lagunya terus tiba-tiba pingin bikin yang serupa gitu. Nonton band juga kadang suka kadang-kadang kepikiran aja gitu.
- Ritual khusus sebelum manggung?
Merem dulu sih. Di backstage. Sendiri menyendiri mengosongkan pikiran. Enak sih kayaknya kalau di backstage ada kasur gitu. Tidur dulu sebelum manggung gitu hahaha.
- Top 3 Best Guitar Recording Plugins dan yang mana aja?
Clarent sih udah jelas yah hahaha. Gak hanya dipakai di gitar sih Envelope apa yah namanya Efektor Wah Filter sama Valhalla Delay sih kayaknya.
- Top 3 Best Mixing Mastering Plugins dan yang mana aja?
Beda-beda sih ini yah setiap fase. Lately lagi pakai Fab Filter Q3 lagi suka banget sih karena bisa ngeshape suara, iZotope Neutron, Cytomic, banyak banget euy EVE Equalizer sih. Kratos 2 Maximizer juga sih cuman biasa aku tidak mefungsikan sebagai fungsinya euy suka aku pakai vokal dan lain-lain euy.
Simak karya Alyuadi melalui kanal YouTube Heals ataupun Spotify Channels Heals & Fuzzy I. Kunjungi juga laman profil Alyuadi di Instagram untuk mengenal Aldead lebih dalam dan bagaimana Ia membagikan musik di kesehariannya.