KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — They were the hype back in the late 90s to early 2000s, taking Malaysia by storm for having one of the bestselling local English albums ever.

Of course, we are talking about Old Automatic Garbage (OAG) and their self-titled debut album released in 1994, which went triple platinum and slingshotted the band to fame.

Formed in 1992 with founding members Radhi, Qi Razali, and brothers Ivan and Lam, OAG had their big break after signing with local label Positive Tone, which played a key part in their debut album rollout.

The album sold over 75,000 copies, not including pirated versions.

The band went on to release several albums, including their Malay language album Satelit Ink and OrAnG, which includes hits such as Akustatik, Generasiku and TV 60-an (the Malay version of their breakthrough tune 60’s TV).

However, throughout the years, OAG went through several hiatuses and changes in their lineup.

This led to the eventual departure of members such as drummer Qi, guitarists Ammal and Nizam, bassists Yen and Eric and keyboardist Izmer.

Aside from Qi, who is one of OAG’s founding members, Ammal, Nizam, Yen, Izmer and Eric joined sometime after the release of their debut album.

Having been around for over 30 years, the band has frequently changed its members, with a total of around 18 past members.

Here comes The Exact

After playing his last show with OAG in December 2022 and announcing his departure from the band in January 2023, Qi, or his full name Qushairi Mohammed Razali, initially planned to focus on his acting career.

Forming a new band wasn’t part of the plan until he met former bandmates Ammal, Nizam, Izmer, Yen and Eric.

After two years of casual jamming sessions together, they realised it had rekindled the fire within them, thus The Exact was born.

The Exact, a play on the word "Ex-Acts,” consists of Qi as drummer and vocalist, Ammal as vocalist, Nizam as guitarist, Yen on bass, Izmer on keyboards and Eric as producer and bassist.

"This band started back in 2020, where we would occasionally jam together in our free time as we all have our day jobs.

But in 2022, we began to meet up more consistently, and we realised that okay, we might as well just put our full effort into the band,” Qi said.

The 46-year-old said they rediscovered their love for making music and now have more creative freedom to experiment with their sounds and melodies through The Exact.

"Of course, some would point out the fact we’re ex-OAG members, but the reality is that my chapter with OAG ended when I left the band, now we are exploring a whole new chapter.

"After all those times with OAG, maybe it’s time for me to explore a new spectrum such as creating our own songs and practising my own vocals for the band.

Adding that The Exact is a continuation of his music journey, he said, "My time with OAG has passed, and all of us agreed that Radhi is OAG, and OAG is Radhi, so this is us going on our own paths.”

Qi said he wouldn’t mind sharing the stage with OAG in the future if the opportunity arises.

He told Malay Mail that he and Radhi are on good terms despite not having spoken in a while, adding that Radhi is aware of The Exact’s formation and has liked several of the band’s social media posts.

Starting from square one

Despite officially announcing their band at the Belum Pasti pre-single showcase at BsyncLive in Kuala Lumpur recently, The Exact has been playing at small gigs.

Their last show was for the Bumantara gig at Sarang Bunyi Studio in Wangsa Melawati.

Qi said it is a long journey ahead, and he insisted the band start from square one, despite the members being no strangers to the local music scene.

"To be realistic, we all might have just one shot to show our product.

"So before we reach that point, we need to get used to playing live together, and once we have that and enough products to showcase, only then can we take that shot.

"There is no other way but to build our fanbase first,” Qi said.

This is new territory for Qi as he will not just play the drums but also serve as one of the band’s vocalists, which is a challenge.

Qi said he trains his vocals with Ammal and spends time in the studio practising constantly.

"I just want to be a vocalist, not a singer, unlike Ammal, who’s already a singer, so the songs by the band were made according to my vocal keys.

"Some songs will be sung by me, while Ammal will take the lead on others,” Qi said.

Speaking about their first single, Belum Pasti, Qi said the track was one of his unreleased songs from 2008 but has been remade with the band.

The song is about moving on and letting go.

"I think Belum Pasti really captures our band’s melody, as it is our focus to further strengthen our melody.

"If the melody is good and easy on the ears, people can get attached to it without realising it,” Qi said.

With The Exact, the band’s music will focus on personal experiences.

Although the band remains in the indie rock genre, Qi assured listeners their songs will differ from OAG’s music in melody and writing style.

Qi said the rise of new local bands offers benchmarks for The Exact instead of competition.

Belum Pasti will undergo its mastering process before its expected release in December.

The band also has an English track, Break Me, in the pipeline, which will be released after their first single.

The Exact plans to produce enough songs for an EP before aiming for a full studio album.