Breaking out into the scene seems almost like a privilege that only a handful among thousands get, and even then, it takes tonnes of luck and time to be accepted by the mainstream.

Yet, despite the difficulties and challenges ahead, many musicians still do their utmost, as music is a passion that powers their lives.

This is certainly the case with local artiste and disc jockey, Muratone, who recently collaborated with fellow musician, BrendonSe7an on their newest single.

“Groove” was released on Feb 27, by a sub-label of Warner Music Korea, and is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify and YouTube.

Quite the personal achievement for a pair of young artistes hoping to enjoy a lifetime of musical accomplishments.

FMT spoke with the pair to learn more about what triggered their artistic journey and where they hope to go from here.

Muratone, whose actual name is Redza Ramzan, turns 28 this year, just like BrendonSe7an, who goes by Brendon Tan in his regular life.

According to them, their musical journey began a long way back though, with hints of their future love for the arts being present during childhood.

“I started playing guitar when I was 10,” said Redza, “and I was really into heavy metal. I was listening to Metallica and Iron Maiden, a lot of heavy music which would have an influence on me.”

This usual passion for heavy metal while so young would eventually transition into an interest in deejaying, which in turn introduced him to electronic dance music (EDM).

“At the time, Swedish House Mafia came to Malaysia and everyone was raving about EDM. From then onwards, I just went on and on.”

Tan’s fondness for music began in childhood as well. And like many others, he learned to play the piano. “I studied until Grade Five, then I stopped. For me, it’s always the same thing that they ask you to play,” he said.

The desire to create his own melodies led Tan to explore other musical instruments, including the trombone and saxophone.

He began experimenting with EDM when he was 18, discovering soon after that he had a knack for writing lyrics and creating melodies.

But how did their paths collide?

According to Redza, the Covid-19 pandemic was partly responsible for it. He said that after emerging from the lockdowns, the craving to return to the music scene was overwhelming, and this time, he wanted to work with someone who could sing and write as well.

And as luck would have it, a mutual friend introduced them to each other. Thus began a fruitful collaboration.

Their single, named “Groove” is described as a combination of pop and house genres. While pop music is quite widely understood, house is something a little more niche in Malaysia. What exactly is it?

Redza said that defining house music is difficult as it has many subgenres. “To me, house is anything that has a four-by-four beat which is groovy. Essentially, anything can be considered as house. It just depends on how specific you want to be when you go deep into the genre, and you can go really deep.”

In the end though, the two are not sticklers for details and definitions, and the genre of their music doesn’t really matter as long as it sounds good.

While Redza worked on the music layers and instrumentals, Tan focused on the melody and lyrics.

According to them, “Groove” is a family-friendly tune meant to represent feelings of deep, genuine love.

“You know that feeling when you look at your other half, that’s what ‘Groove’ is about,” said Tan.

Redza added that the song is meant to make one feel happy and to appreciate what they have. “Anything that makes you happy, that is the vibe of the song.”

Inspirations for “Groove” came from international artistes like Scottish DJ Calvin Harris as well as American singer Pharrell Williams.

“Do you know the song ‘Happy’?” asked Tan. “It’s a very… happy tune and when you listen to ‘Groove’, you get the same feeling.”

With the initial response to “Groove” being positive, both Redza and Tan are optimistic that Malaysians will enjoy their music when they listen to it.

When asked if they have any advice for fellow artistes, Tan said that aspiring musicians should not give up, even if the music scene in Malaysia is tough to navigate.

“It’s a hard route, but you have to keep moving on the right track,” he said.

“Also, be realistic about what you can or can’t do,” added Redza.

Muratone’s and Brendose7an’s tracks can be found on major streaming platforms. Click here to have a listen.