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Deja Voodoo Spells .: Click To Enter :. How it began In the first quarter of the year 2002, the Ministry of Youth and Culture of Malaysia sent representatives to Kyrgyzstan as Ambassadors for the World Music festival held there. The event saw the participation of 40 countries, including Sweden, Africa, Palestine, Germany, Russia, Uzbekistan and the United States of America. From the Malaysian contingent, two young musicians became acquainted through a common love for music from the Rock genre a bond that holds strong to this very day. The guitarist Rithan was selected after a series of shortlists, particularly for his contribution to the local music scene. Ainol was an obvious choice. 16 years old at the time, he had already carved a reputation for himself as a sterling drummer and percussionist. Seeing as how the Festival was a showcase of World Music, Rithan and Ainol performed traditional Malaysian masterpieces such as the Ulik Mayang, Joget Pahang and Jong Jong Inai together with the troupe. Rithan also conducted talks and workshops covering the theory, harmony and rhythm approaches to Malaysian music from a historical perspective. During the month-long Festival, Rithan and Ainol discovered that they shared similar influences in their individual style, as well as an insatiable love for precision-based Rock music. Cue three weeks after the World Music Festival. Back in the sunny shores of Malaysia, Ainol contacted Rithan in the hopes that the talented guitarist would be willing to form a band together to take part in Asian Beat, a prestigious battle-of-the-bands competition that spanned the region. Rithan first declined, seeing as how he had only just begun pursuing his degree in Music. A hundred telephone calls later, Rithan finally gave in to Ainols determination and thus, the earliest incarnation of Deja Voodoo Spells was born. Shows Asian Beat 2003 After strenuous rehearsals and recruiting of bandmates, the band played their hearts out at the competition and bagged the titles for Best Guitarist Asian Beat 2003, Best Keyboardist, Best Drummer and the Most Promising Band 2003 award from ROTTW, the premier Rock music magazine in the country. Recognising their own potential, Rithan and Ainol decided that this would be their career path and made a pact. The terms were simple: make good Rock music and transcend the existing levels of musicianship. Early shows It wasnt just the band that believed in themselves. The Malaysian Media from local press, magazines and radio stations helped push the band and gave them the exposure they were due. Obviously, the band hit the underground gig circuit and took their original compositions on the road. Playing alongside other independent bands in front of varying audiences gave them the necessary experience as showmen and performers. Deja Voodoo Spells garnered a reputation as a versatile, no-frills, hard-hitting Rock band. To paraphrase one of the greatest Rock bands in History it is indeed a long way to the top if you want to Rock & Roll. The band found it difficult to appeal to the MTV/Top 40 audiences of Malaysia who were used to more radio-friendly tunes. However, the band made the hard push and ventured on as a three-piece band that would not stop until the audience was all rocked out. Niche The bands first big official gig was playing in a club called Niche alongside heavyweights like Zahid Ahmad and Steve Thornton. Interestingly, Niche was a Jazz club, but the band wowed the audience with their skill and showmanship. Deja Voodoo Spells was the first Rock band to play the Jazz scene and paved the way for other Rock bands to break into the Jazz market. This was also partly because most Rock music enthusiasts didnt quite get the music of Deja Voodoo Spells back then, while Jazz lovers could appreciate the intricacy of their compositions. However, the non-believers had another thing coming. Nobody expected Deja Voodoo Spells a Rock band playing to Jazz audiences, to turn a bare venue into a full-house within a week. From playing empty Monday nights for 5 Ringgit per entrance, the band brought in enough people with their music to move on to jam-packed Friday and Saturday night shows. The response of the audiences were tremendous, and it was then that the dream to record a debut album was first planted in Rithan and Ainols hearts. After about two months of playing the Jazz Club and various underground gigs, Deja Voodoo Spells supporters steadily grew in numbers. The Ibanez Guitar Clinic Feature In 2004, the band was invited to conduct the first ever Ibanez Guitar Clinic Feature in Malaysia. The one-day event to promote Ibanez guitars, amplification and stomp boxes was a huge success which saw the band performing to a crowd of over a hundred people in a venue with a seating capacity of only 40. The clinic was also what pushed Rithan to be unofficially known as that Ibanez guy. Ainols drum kit of choice was the TAMA Star Classic, which he still uses till this very day to the best of his abilities. With his newly-acquired standing as the Ibanez Man of Malaysia, Rithan was invited to be featured in a calendar printed by Bentley Music as the representative for Ibanez products. During this same time, Ainol was quickly rising through the ranks of professional drummers as a prodigious child playing amongst bigwigs. Planet Hollywood & Hard Rock Slowly but surely, Deja Voodoo Spells progressed from the underground scene to playing bigger venues like Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Café. It became increasingly difficult to ignore the band and their talent. More and more people began to understand Deja Voodoo Spells music and could feel their continuous struggle to be heard and accepted. Search The bands big break as true-blue rockers came when they were asked to open for Search, arguably Malaysias most prominent rock band with over 2.1 million copies sold throughout their 20-odd-year career. The stadium concert introduced Deja Voodoo Spells to the largest audience the band ever played to and the response they received was nothing short of spectacular. The mark they left on that stage was so big it became ingrained in the hearts of Rock fans nationwide. The foundation that theyve been building all those years was finally solid enough for them to stand up on, and there wasnt a self-respecting rock fan that wasnt anxiously waiting for Deja Voodoo Spells debut album. Not one to pass up on a hot story, the Malaysian Media once again gave Deja Voodoo Spells coverage and exposure. Whether it was appearances on TV, radio or write-ups in magazines, here was a band that had no album, yet still guaranteed packed venues while performing original compositions. The Launch The album I Am What I Am was launched unofficially in November 2005. With hardly any advertising or promotion work, the album sold out its first printing run of 2000 copies in two weeks. Relying completely on word-of-mouth and the reputation the band garnered through heavy gigging, the bands CD sales testify to their popularity, especially since local album sales in Malaysia is extremely poor, particularly for new bands. The album was officially launched on 26 January 2006 under @19 Records along with the bands conceptual Book of Spells - a Rock Play featuring a strings section, visual elements as well as theatre actors and dancers. The official launch received mass media coverage; the biggest the band has ever been part of. To date, I Am What I Am has sold more than 3000 copies, which is an achievement many mainstream artistes with big-budget production and promotion cant lay claim to. Deja Voodoo Spells single, I am what I am has been number one in two radio stations in Malaysia. Recently, the band received two nominations in the AIM awards, Malaysias equivalent to the Grammys. Best New English Artiste Best male Vocal in a Group