An Interview on Cyndi Seui

Este fin de semana tuve la suerte de ponerme a platicar con Cyndi Seui, un productor de Tailandia [Yeah, Tailandia] que descubri hace poco y cuyos tracks me han sorprendido brutalmente. Luego, tomando el cuenta el exito que tuvo la entrevista a Illapa [Aunque la pobre retroalimentacion que recibi no lo reflejara asi] y lo divertida que se puso la platica, decidimos convertirla en una entrevista, here's the result:

When I think about Thailand, lots of things come to my mind, but certainly electronic music is not one of those. Even so, it's there! A new electronic scene is growing in Bangkok, and I think it's crazy, it feels kinda' exotic and I love it. Cyndi Seui is an important part of Bangkok electro-scene and he has some amazing stuff. He's part of Kitsch Cat, a label/collective that is producing some serious stuff with electro/80's beats. His voice reminds me a lot to Gonzales, so it's a good combination.
I talked to him, and it went like this:

Disconect Please: So, First...Who is Cyndi Seui?
Cindy Seui: Cesar B. de Guzman AKA Cyndi Seui is an electronic producer in Bangkok Thailand. My main job is doing TVC commercials and I'm Senior Producer in Smallroom Music Label and now I have my own label/collective, Kitsch Cat

DP: How did you started in music?
CS: Oh, I started like everyone ...I was guitarist, I used to play rock, jazz, brit, then electronic.It's been like 13 years from that, then electronic music struck me hard. Then I begin to listen to 60 futur lounge. shibuya, french electro and all sort of electronic genre

DP: So...which are your main influences?
CS: My main influences are The Jackson Five, Prince, Madonna, Kylie [Minogue], Stivie Wonder and Michael Jackson himself. I try to dig the soul and Motown stuff that existed in the late 70's/80's era when electronic technology is coming around for musicians.

DP: And, what's music like in Thailand? Is there some kind of electro scene?
CS: The indies scene is coming up though but the electronic scene is still small, still, people actually recognize more electronic music than ever.

DP: What's the people in Thailand mainly listening ? are there some special names?
CS: Mostly mainstream rock i guess, there's also body slam, the indie scene and the garage things like a band named SLUR. Rock is the main genre in Bangkok. The Smallroom Music Label [Where I'm senior producer] is a big indie label here, and a lot of people is listening to it. I believe is growing pretty fast.

DP: You mentioned that people is starting to recognize electronic music more than before.... what do you think is the cause?
CS: People used to think that electronic music is an instrumental track with a loop going on, but lately I guess there are many more electronic artists popping up. My Thai Single "Up To The Beatz" has been a hit on the indie chart for like 2 months. I'm trying to do a pop-based electro so it can go friendly with the audiences and wipe out their stereotypes.

DP: When you are out with your close group of friends... what do you use to listen?
CS: Oh.. we listen chiptune [8-bit music], 80's music, french electro, japanese electronic, and some dancey stuff, i guess we always share influences among our group so we can get super inspiration for the next piece we are all going to do next, we have a meeting like once a week to update things for Kitsch Cat [Yeah! It's a label made of friends]

DP: It's great that you mention it, tell me about Kitsch Cat
CS: Ok, first, Yuri [Nominee] and me have been working together at the same label for like 4 or 5 years... While I'm producer, Yuri's work is as main Graphic Designer doing all sort of printing there...and after a while, we had an album there at Smallroom that was great...but then we had been talking a lot about doing our own label, so that we can really focus on our electronic path... Then i have some friends around, one of them is a party organizer [Stargazer, Kitsch Cat] he has an interest on fashion too [cool combination]. So I'm in charge of the music production task, Yuri makes all the design,Stargazer is running around as an organizer, there is one more who works as a columnist [Gramaphone Children], this guy has better skills in writing than anybody in the group. And now the first Kitsch Cat album is out, our website is finished, our accessories like t-shirts are out there too...We are moving on for this ready riot movement.

DP: What's the main idea/concept behind kitsch cat.. what's the reason for the [cool] name?
CS: We had a meeting for that hahaha... we sat around and suddenly yuri nomi pop out "kitsch kid" but we still didnt like it, then Stargazer comes with kitsch cat and we say yeah that's it!. I guess the word kitsch is related to something bizarre, and cat is our behavior, it's something very personal.

DP: I've found somethint very interesting, kinda exotic, in your music... maybe is the fact that I'm not used to listen to anything from Thailand... n e ways.. how would you compare your music [for example] with music from french guys like Valerie, Institubes or anything around the world?
CS: We are just trying to make a point here in Bangkok. We want people around the world to know about us, Kitsch Cat, a ready[riot] electro group that exists in Bangkok.To tell you the truth we mostly listen to french electro,and it's something growing in us, I guess we were lucky to absorb 80's music when we were kids, even though we like it or not,it's something inside of us. I believe that we, Kitsch Cat, want to establish a pop-based character of electro music like valerie, kitsuné, modular, ed banger and many others that are doing their best to keep in fashion.

DP: Which are your favourit producers nowadays?
CS: My favourite producers/artists are GRUM, Breakbot, Sexy Synthisizer, p e a c e FIRE & SHAZAM; They are all fantastic producers.

DP: Yeah, they're all great!
CS: Super inspiring!

DP: You have released your second LP, My Name Is DOS... Tell me a little about it
CS: This album is taking the direction of Motown, Soul, and 80's music like Jackson Five, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, also there's some Kylie, Prince and Madonna style, most of the tracks are very soul but in the shade of electro. but over all it's an "smiley album".

DP: What's Cyndi Seui planning for the near future?
CS: There are two main mission,one is doing my third album, and the other is to produce more things for kitsch cat, building up this ideal concept of the label and never stop doing it. For kitsch cat we are trying to get everything done, like selling our stuff throuh air mail [Shipping] and on digital stores, to be able to make a good distribution. We made only 500 exclusive copies for the first album, and like half of them are already sold. We are small but we are trying to feed the cat and make it run wild!

DP: What does Cyndi Seui means?
CS: I've used this name for more than 7 years. The reason for Cyndi is that I love famine imageries, it reminds me with great detail a women creature, and Seui is for initial, so people would know that im an asian artist.

DP: Do you like Disconect Please?
CS: Super love It!

DP: Do you like Sébastien Tellier?
CS: Love it too.

BONUS: Seui has been working on some incredible stuff, keep an eye on that guy.

Cyndi Seui- Up To The Beatz [Thai Single, HGGGGLY RECC!]

Cyndi Seui- Flash Back [HGGGLY RECC! It's cool as ice!]

Kitsch Cat- Kitsch Cat Teaser [So Nice]

I HEART KITSCH CAT.... Enjoy Globalization!