They were just like any high school kids who wanted to look cool and play in a band. Little did they know that their little project would take them this far. Consisting of Saiful Ridzuan (vocals/guitars), Muhammad (guitars), Adil Ali (drums) and Keng Lee (bass), this year marks their 12th year of rocking stages, both local and international. Ever wondered what an experimental rock outfit has to say about mobile technology? We caught them just before they headed out to the UK for a month-long tour under KNUKE (Kugiran Negara Ke UK Enterprise).

Share with us what mobile phones you have.
HAM : Most of us are fans of Nokia and Sony Ericsson.
DUAN :  Nokia
ADIL : Motorola

If you were to trade your current phone with another, what would it be?
HAM : An iPhone or Blackberry
DUAN : Nokia
ADIL : Probably another Nokia

What other gadgets do you carry?
HAM : iPod
DUAN : An MP3 Player
ADIL : An MP3 player

What kind of outrageous things have you all done with your mobile?
HAM : I pulled an Edison Chen on my camera phone but nothing
surfaced. Thank God. I’ve also used it as a good stress reliever. (Angry with life? Throw your phone away!)
DUAN : My phone took a dive in the pool once, had a swim and it still works till now. You just got to love Nokia!  I also found that it’s handy as a ruler.
ADIL : There were a couple of things I did. I thought I switched my phone off during a performance and suddenly the alarm rang. It caught me by surprise. Another time I sent the phone to the air and let it fall to the ground!!!

Are you chatty people?
HAM : It depends. SMS freak by day, chatty by night.
DUAN : I sucked at SMSing, calls for me please.
ADIL : I prefer SMSing. I have bad voice projection.

What is the most used mobile feature?
HAM : SMS and alarm clock.
DUAN : Alarm clock and calculator.
ADIL : Clock, alarm and calendar.

Given a choice, which one would you rather lose? Wallet or phone?
HAM : Phone
ADIL : Phone, definitely.
DUAN : Losing your wallet is a much bigger hassle!

Do you download mobile content onto your phone?
HAM : I do download stuff once in a while
DUAN : On occasions.
ADIL : Yeah, I like to download ringtones of some of my favourite bands.

Do you believe in music phones?
HAM : When I need entertainment at the oddest and weirdest hour and a PC is not around, I believe in music phones.
DUAN : It does come in handy, but it sucks when you’re listening to a song and someone calls!
ADIL : For me, phones are for calls and SMSing only.

What kind of improvements do you feel can be done on music phones?
HAM : I don’t know. Music phones are scary but it does help musicians get their music across.
DUAN : They are so advanced for me. I have trouble understanding how to work them now.
ADIL : No need for more improvements.

Do you believe the next step is to publish your music via mobile?
HAM : In a way yes but the quality of the music will not be justified by listening on the mobile phone.
DUAN : It is a step, yes, but it doesn’t compare to the sound you get on a CD.
ADIL : Yes. It’s easier and more accessible for listeners to get music.

Care to share with us your music marketing strategy?
HAM : Through Internet downloads. Buy a song for RM1 on your phone or MP3 player. I feel that’s the way to go for the future.
DUAN : Digital downloads enables users to pay just for the song they want, which is what the market wants these days. Digital sales have been successful, so we’re focusing a lot more to this direction, but we still love having the physical album. We’ve got a few things in mind for the digital market, but not letting anything out just yet. Do wait for the album to come.

Why do you think bands release their songs on sites such as MySpace and Last.fm, imeem and so on?
HAM : It is accessible for everyone in Malaysia and the world to check out music at their fingertips.
DUAN : It helps you open up your market to a larger market around the world and anyone can post songs to their sites. It’s helped to revolutionise the music industry and has given us more exposure to all types of bands from all over the world.
ADIL : It certainly has a bigger scope of market with listeners from all over the world. Also it gives them faster feedback and reviews.

What’s the story behind SCTS?
HAM : There’s no story. It’s just four guys who take music as a hobby seriously.
DUAN : SCTS is our creative escape, a break from life’s monotony.

What do you think of the local entertainment industry especially those in the same genre as you?
HAM : The Malaysian bands get more support from the listeners and media nowadays. It’s good to see bands can make decent cash just by shows and releasing singles onto mobile phones.

What can we expect to see from you this year?
HAM : A new album, a Malaysian tour and a South East Asia tour with buddies Love Me Butch and They Will Kill Us All.

What was your most challenging gig thus far?
HAM : I would say our 10th year anniversary gig. I can’t believe we actually have more than 20 songs. Although it’s a small feat compared to other established bands.  When we started the band, we thought we’d never pass recording a demo even!

Any fan stories you would like to dish out?
HAM : Our ex-drummer used to date a groupie because she was rich. How rock and roll is that?

Describe your typical ‘workday’.
HAM : We write, we cheat but thank God we don’t steal for a living. Some of us teach as well (Duan and Keng are guitar teachers, I’m a copywriter and Adil is a full time drummer).
DUAN : I wake up, study music, teach music, play music and sleep music.

What do you do when you are not making music?
HAM : We’re geeks who drool at models aimlessly. (We date them now).
DUAN : I watch movies and read books.
ADIL : I surf the Internet and go hardware shopping.

Do you see yourselves making music in the distant future, just like the Rolling Stones?
HAM : If our families don’t mind a 60 year-old with tight pants rocking and jumping on stage without breaking his hip bone which is due for replacement anytime is cool, then why not. It shouldn’t be a problem at all.
DUAN : I’d still be involved in music, probably not at the forefront but behind the scenes, producing, arranging and so on.
ADIL : I’ll always be in music, but in various areas, teaching perhaps?