Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (KOMAS) is proud to announce it’s newest

Human Rights Education Video (DVD) -
“Mari Kita Beraktivism-Let’s Be an Activist” for sale now!

Launched on the 16th May 2008, the compilation of short engaging human rights films premiered to a packed gallery in Annexe, Central Market.

The documentary series follows three ordinary yet distinctive personalities whose lives were transformed by their own experiences of human rights violations in “Bestlah Punk”, “Binatang Pun Perlu Tanah” and “No Damn Right”. All films are subtitled in English.

“Very inspirational films. I felt especially emotional when I saw that the indigenous stood up for their ancestral land rights,” commented a viewer, on “Binatang Pun Perlu Tanah”.

“The background music…the stylish editing makes it very appealing to the youth. In “Bestlah Punk”, it’s encouraging to see these youths trying to make an impact in the society they live in.”

“I’m inspired by the courage that Saari Sungib (profiled in “No Damn Right”) and his wife displayed throughout the time when he was an ISA (Internal Security Act) detainee. Touching yet informative.”

Much encouraged by the positive feedback, KOMAS believes that this powerful medium (film) can truly educate and empower its viewers effectively unlike any other medium. Other than raising the public’s awareness on human rights issues in Malaysia, these films act as a springboard to generate meaningful discussions among its viewers. Do refer to the attached flyer for a synopsis of the films.

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myspace.com/undeadscavenger

Finally, FALL TO THEIR DEATH - chains in transmission CD, out now !!

Malaysian atmospheric post - modern sludge band, 4 songs around 44 minutes plus one multimedia video. co release between basement records & cactus records

PRICE : RM10 ppd within Malaysia (normal post)
SOUTHEAST ASIA PRICE : USD 8 ppd (normal post)
OTHERS : USD 10 ppd (normal post)

TRADE/ WHOLESALE welcomed

for more distro list, check :

basementrekordz.blogspot.com

also available thru: Cactus Distro

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To those who have been asking…

Heavy Metal in Baghdad is a feature film documentary that follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day. Playing heavy metal in a Muslim country has always been a difficult (if not impossible) proposition but after Saddam’s regime was toppled, there was a brief moment for the band in which real freedom seemed possible.

That hope was quickly dashed as their country fell into a bloody insurgency. From 2003-2006, Iraq disintegrated around them while Acrassicauda struggled to stay together and stay alive, always refusing to let their heavy metal dreams die. Their story echoes the unspoken hopes of an entire generation of young Iraqis.

eavymetalinbaghdad.com | >Heavy Metal in Baghdad Videos

Heavy Metal in Baghdad

Straight Records @ MySpace | Burning Civilians @ MySpace | Obsesif Kompulsif @ MySpace

7 tracks plus 13 minutes live video of heavy hardcore crust. Comes with silk-screened, pinned cloth cover and 20 pages booklet (lyrics, articles, tour pictures & flyers).

Now available at the Ricecooker shop for RM10 each.

Also now/will be available from these 13 label/distro: Kandar Mosh Distro, Quiet Still Death, Third Arm, Anock Mayrun, Papakerma, Cellulite, Cactus, Bullwhip, Pissed Off, Protocrust, Theatrical, Pure Minds & Denegerate Art.

Kah-Roe-Shi played their first show in 2006 with the name Union Of Slaves. Kah = excess, Roe = labor, Shi = death, translated literally from the Japanese as “death from overwork” or occupational sudden death.

The band is musically characterized by unrelenting heavy crust hardcore and “human-system-hating” lyrics; with influences from From Ashes Rise, His Hero Is Gone, Dystopia, Counterblast and peers. A collective of system-hating armchair revolutionaries, the guilty comrades are Kid (vocals), Tiong (guitar, vocals), Fahmi (bass) and Zul (drums).

Related bands: Mass Separation, Tools Of The Trade and Akta Angkasa. Previous release: Indonesian tour demo cd-r & split 7″ with Pazahora. Previous tour: Singapore & Indonesia (July-August 2007).

Trade & wholesale (please write/call first): unionofslaves@gmail.com / 013-2497199 / 012-9127037 / 016-9081485 / 017-2775010

For more info (to sample Kah-Roe-Shi songs, video and merchs):
kah-roe-shi.blogspot.com

“Two fastcore bands, Common Enemy (U.S.) & Weot Skam (Malaysia), join together from different sides of the planet to keep the punk in hardcore while kicking the conservative non-liberated hardcore punk kids straight to their face!! HELL YEAH!! Shredding rifts, fast beats, circle pits, and deep anger will be kicking your teeth in while spinning this record.

Overdose On Records, Jerk Off Records, Party Time Records, Crapoulet, and Solidaridad Distro worked together to spread this disease further then the cassette tapes Epidemic Records pressed originally. Limited to 500 copies. 500 on Black Vinyl.”

myspace.com/jerkoffrecords | commonenemy2000.com | myspace.com/weotskam

a comp from Bulacan, Philippines | myspace.com/northernterritoryrecords

do check out Israel’s Brutal Assault and Singapore’s Bloody Rejects

contacts: myspace.com/radic_all_docs | radicalldocs.co.nr

Crustatic reportage from Jakarta! Contact: myspace.com/jarwoitus

I heard a lot about pioneering Philippines punk bands who are still gigging 20 odd years after their golden era in the mid-80s, and the stories are not good.

These reports and rumours painted the veterans as violent elitists drunken chaos punks, wrecking shows and venues all over Manila; with most of them keeping distance from the younger scenesters. I won’t mention names as I myself have never met these people, but they are members of bands who I used to worship back in the ol’ TRC days.

That said, I do believe there are still a few surviving old bands from Manila that are beyond cool, and one of them is THROW.

THROW rose from the ashes of my foremost favourite Pinoy Punk band, THE DEAD ENDS. It features Al Dimalanta, the singer and guitarist; who along with his now deceased brother Jay and friends turned Manila into one of the earliest active and vibrant Southeast Asian punk scenes ever. Dead Ends released four albums from 1985 to 1997, and they rocked my world.

I’ve just heard THROW is now planning to release their 2nd album, and unlike many other veterans from there, it’s gonna be a DIY release too!. I sure do hope I’ll get myself a copy. And Kid! If you’re reading, please pass me the 1st album please!! It’s been years, boss!!

For more info on THROW, do go here: Throw on MySpace | Official Site

Those who are interested to hear great Pinoy Punk/HC from the 80s, and there are tonnes of downloadable Dead Ends mp3s too, go here:

philippines80shardcore.blogspot.com

get your arses slamming to great DEAD ENDS here: fan page @ myspace

and get more Pinoy releases from: MYO Distro | Delusion of Terror | Take 4

Details of the THROW album launch in Manila below:

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Actually this has been out for around a month now! Done by Pat Apparatus, and it’s all in English with the intention of highlighting good bands from around the region.

photocopied A5, 36-pages of mostly uppercase typewriting!

RM3 / USD 1 from: Pat, No. 7B, Blok 3, Seksyen 16, 40200 Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA | email: punkpingponk [at] gmail [dot] com

AVAILABLE At The Ricecooker Shop

available at the Ricecooker Shop!

Furious Old-School from Jakarta Selatan, re-threading the early-80s California-style!

Sukma Records | myspace.com/sukmarecords
Take It Back | myspace.com/takeitbackthrashy