KAI CULT — DIY BABES ZINE

KAI CULT's Journey to Find a Sonic Home
"There's something in the air in Melbourne that lives and breathes creativity."

By Billie Estrine

Thurs. Jul 11 2024

KAI CULT is a techno-punk project combining diverse genres to create hyperpop and techno tunes rooted in punk and metal.

Credit: @gucci.lil.piggy

Credit: @fuzbaby_melb

Credit: @gucci.lil.piggy

Credit: @fuzbaby_melb

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Southeast Asia. I moved to Melbourne almost 10 years ago now. Yeah, Australia is my home now.

What inspired you to start making music?

Well, I was really into bands like Green Day and Blink 182. I just started playing guitar with people from high school, and, yeah, I just couldn't stop ever since.

Has music helped you build a community?

I mean, it's the only way I could make friends, really. Growing up, I was a really weird kid. Definitely the back-of-the-class metalhead type of guy. I had no friends. Out of desperation, I just started going to DIY shows. And I met people from there. I think I was forged in the fire of punk, DIY, hardcore, and metal.

Back home?

Yeah, back in Southeast Asia. The DIY scene is insane. Obviously, governments censor it. So, the people who do those shows, I got a lot of respect for them, because you gotta be a special kind of crazy to fight against the police every single show. That's why I lived and breathed rebellion, and I still do. It's always something I tap on because that's how I grew up. We were just laying low, fighting for our culture, subculture, and alternative voices to be heard.

When did you start playing live music?

When did I start? I would actually say I'm a bit of a late bloomer. The thing is, I was in bands, but none of them really got off the ground until I was, like, in my 20s. So, when I started in 2014, I played my first show. You'd think it's like earlier on. Actually, it's been 10 years now. God damn. So yeah. It was like a grunge band, kind of like Nirvana.

What was the name?

Oh, Telecasts. Like Telecaster, but Telecasts.

You studied media at university, and did you go to uni in Australia?

Yes, I went to uni in Australia. I actually quit my media course, to study social work. Well, I finished it up to the diploma stage and I started studying social work.

What was the decision to change paths?

I really felt like I wanted to work in a job that could help people, help vulnerable people in society. So, I was a social worker for five years.

And you still are a social worker?

Yes.

Can you tell me about the genres and inspirations you pull from when making your music?

So, after playing in bands for so many years—I can't think of it—yeah, it has been more than or about 10 years. I realized that I like a lot of kinds of music. My music's rooted in punk rock, indie, and DIY stuff, but I draw a lot of influence from SoundCloud, techno, rave music, and hyperpop.

It was funny cause I was, I was playing in bands, right. I was playing [in] heaps of bands throughout the past decade. I was always in the closet about my love for SoundCloud and SoundCloud rap. I see all these kids upload songs they made on their laptops. It's all DIY, and the mix is clipping and stuff. I was always really into that, and then, obviously, the SoundCloud rap thing evolved into Hyperpop.

I think during lockdown, that was really when I fully embraced it. So yeah, I would say it is rooted in punk rock but really influenced by the internet, sub-genres, and cultures.

That's so cool. In the age that we're in, mixing classic punk rock with internet genres is so fun.

Yeah, well, there are heaps of artists that do that, you know, NASCAR ALOE, signed to Epitaph, I mean, that's Epitaph Records. Yeah, punk rap and punk rave, and all the genres are melding together.

What is the importance of music videos to your entire creative project?

I would say that visuals are pretty important, not just music videos. I think people are very visual. And I feel more likely than not, people are into an artist not only because they're amazing but also because of the way they look and the way they dress. People are visual creatures, and I feel like that could really make or break an artist, in my opinion. Just the branding, and, if you think about a band, I'll say like Korn. They're all wearing Adidas. When you think of Korn, you think of Adidas.

I find by posting visuals online about my music, people are very attracted to faces. They want to see a human being behind the artist. They want to connect with that human being that's making the art. And I feel an artist who's able to connect with people, both through their music and visually, you've got some solid fans.

So yes, visuals are very important. By the way, I make them all myself. At most, you know, I'll pay a videographer, but most of the time, it's my friends, our phones, and our GoPros. It's very much on the fly.

I was going to ask if you create all the graphic design?

50/50, some of it I do myself. Graphic design is more of a realm I'm willing to experiment with my collaborators. I'm more than willing to give that element to someone else. Most of the time, it's something I can do. I've already made the whole song myself, I've made the whole video myself, and sometimes I'll just take a screenshot of the video and put text over it; that's my cover art. That's an element I like to leave to someone else sometimes. Mostly just close friends who come and have their say on it, and I don't mind them experimenting on it. Because the whole thing is just me. If I get a collaborate on one thing, it should be that.

Does your DIY reliance come from necessity, or is it an ethos of your art?

It's necessity, especially being an immigrant moving to Australia. It was really hard to find my footing and meet people. I'm meeting people now, but when I first moved here, there was a lot of isolation. I've been in Australia for a decade, and the first five years were very lonely.

But it was good cause I really got to know myself and what I liked. I started listening to SoundCloud rappers and making beats. I started taking videos. I would just film stuff on my phone, and I pirated Premiere Pro and started cutting together little travel compilations. Cause, like, [it's] Australia, it's a cool place, visually, the nation's so beautiful. So yeah, I started cutting together travel videos with my time. Eventually, I ended up with the skills to be a solo artist. So yeah, out of necessity.

I don't mind collaboration now, but I've reached a point where I can do everything myself. I'll reach out if there's something. And that's the thing with me, I'm not staunchly DIY. If I need help, I'll reach out.

How did you come to meet people after five years?

I was meeting people through those initial five years, just very slowly. You know, going to shows, going to clubs. Yeah, just going to gigs, really. And the music scene in Melbourne really helped me out by making friends. And, I think KAI CULT as it is now is a testament to just all the friendships I've made in the past 10 years because I think everyone was just waiting for me to start a band.

Everyone was like, I know KAI CULT, Kai is on to some cool shit. He just hasn't released anything yet. I was being quite a perfectionist about my art as well. I think it just took me, like, I think, over COVID, I just said, fuck it, and I started dropping. I was really influenced by Soundcloud rappers, and they would just drop, drop, drop.

So, I think after the fifth year, those superficial friends I made at the start became my friends. I started getting invited to birthday parties, weddings, and hangouts, and it was cool.

But yeah, those five years were isolating, but I was still trying to make friends. I was still always in shows. I think one of my first shows in Melbourne was Boris and White Walls at Corner Hotel. Boris is like a cool noise stoner band, and White Walls they're kind of a doom punk band. Yeah, I met some people from there. It was just gigs, gigs, gigs, and going to The Tote and The Last Chance a lot, just all the venues. To me, that's home.

How would you describe the community created by the Naarm/Melbourne underground music scene?

It's actually great. I've overall had a pretty positive experience of it. People in Melbourne, they're very open-minded and friendly. As an immigrant, I think I came to the right city in Australia. There's something about this city that lives and breathes creativity.

People like to hang out at shows because it's so cold all the time. It's a very indoor city when people socialize, you know. I've had people come to my shows just so they can hang out with me, or I go to people's shows just to hang out with people, and that's cool. It's a cool culture around the venues.

There's something in the air in Melbourne that lives and breathes creativity. It makes you want to create, especially when it gets cold. It makes you want to bunker down and make something cool. I think there's something in the air of this city that is very special to me, and that's why I've been here for 10 years.

Do you think there's something political about creating a community?

Most definitely. In most places of the world, in some parts of Melbourne included, it is in the government's best interest that we fall in line. And we are productive members of society. I think art is a rebellion against that.

I find like, especially when I started making art, when it just enveloped me. I don't think a lot of my friends that I grew up with approved of it. I feel like they wanted me to fall in line and walk the straight path of work, job, and uni. Obviously, because it makes financial sense and it's elements of survival today as well.

But it is in the government and all their stakeholders best interest for us to be compliant and not to figure out our own voice and power. I feel art is rebellion because you discover what you're good at. You discover your power. You develop it, become autonomous, and seek happiness through other things. Art is a great way for personal exploration, healing, and discovery. And yeah, the powers that be, they don't like that. They want you to fall in line.

What's your power?

I think my power is my resilience. I'm always the kind of person to pick myself up after I've been beat down. And, like I said, the people I grew up with weren't really supportive of me making art. Or me even making the art that I make, they wanted me to make some other kind of art. Why do I choose punk rock? Why do I choose SoundCloud?

Do you still talk to those people?

Hell no! A lot of these people went in and got normal jobs. But, they don't understand how important having a creative and expressive outlet is. That's why a lot of people come home from work and drink all weekend. I think a lot of people live with the pain of being unfulfilled. And, to be fair, that's a lot of people, no shit on them. I guess when they see people connecting with their inner selves, it makes them a bit jealous. Which is sad because I wish the best for everyone. I wish that everyone could feel at peace. But, the fact of human existence is, it's not perfect.

Can you tell me about your recording style?

Okay, well, it's my bedroom, my laptop, and a microphone that goes straight into my laptop. It's just in my bedroom. The first time I entered a recording studio was last year when I worked with my friend Greg from the band Press Club. I went to Wrangler and recorded with him. So yeah, like last year, 2023, that's the first time I went to a recording studio ever.

You'll stay in your bedroom.

I mean, that's my natural habitat. Even the fact that you got me out of it today, it's a miracle.

Billie Estrine

Naarm/Melbourne, Australia

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