Track 9 - "Dipukau"
Vocals and Rap Written and Performed by Takahara Suiko
Beatbox Performed by Shazet Sounds

Composed and Arranged by Shazet Sounds
Produced by Shazet Sounds
Mixed and Mastered by Shazet Sounds

- About Dipukau -
Takahara Suiko is one of the best and talented Malaysian producer, singer, lyricist I ever discovered and met! Originally I produced and composed since 2011 using Korg Kaosspad 3. I intend I do the singing and rapping on this track but I was young my lyrics was cheesy and cringey but I love this instrumental so much. Since then I can't stop remembering this melody in my head, it was dark and inspiring. After I've achieved the sound I wanted for beatboxing, I wanted to record this in the highest quality ever. I rerecord the track with my current recording equipment. After composing and producing, I had few listens and this track is very suitable to have a female vocals in it. Then began my journey finding the right female artist specially for this track. The first artist I had in my mind was Shadia Mansour a british palestinian singer and emcee who can sings and raps in Arabic and English. Shadia Mansour had that voice I wanted for this track. I never met Shadia Mansour before so I contacted her by email, I told her in that email I wanted to do a record together with her. I sent this track over to her, she loved the track but she's been quiet ever since I emailed her few times again, no reply whatsoever. Then I lost hope for quite sometime, who I can find a female artist just like her? Who can rap and sing at the same time. I did my research who I want to collaborate with. I contacted few female artists majority didn't reply me at all. I wanted Kimbra to be on it but how do I can in touch with her? She is under Warner Music. It is totally impossible. I am so at lost and I almost gave up to look for a female artist. I said why not I just do it myself, I sing and rap on it, no problem I can do it. But then I remember about Takahara Suiko, I knew and discovered her since 2012 on YouTube, she will play all these crazy gadget to create music, I browse through her works she put online. She does weird music from glitch to malay folk music. I already contacted at that time through email. At that time, I wanted to create music with her but not beatboxing it was under Xzet Sicknal alias. But it didn't happened, few years later, October 2017, I contacted her again, that I wanted to do a song with her, she said yes and I'm with lost of hope sent Dipukau instrumental, I know that she could sing but I didn't know she could rap at all, with the lost of hope as before, I told her you can freely change the concept in writing the lyrics then I said I wanted to have a rap at this certain part of this track. I showed some few female rap artists she can influenced from, I told her originally I wanted Shadia Mansour and I show her some of Shadia's music. After sending the instrumental, I did go to YouTube and listen to some Taka's songs and stumbled across which she was featured in Altimet's track. I was like wow! she really killed it on her part in that track. Then my hope was up again, I hope she will kill the vocals for Dipukau. Few weeks later in November 2017, she email me back her demo of Dipukau with no rap verse but a mock up rap to flow with, I replied I loved the lyrics at the same time I was really at lost for the rap verse because I want the rap to be aggressive. Most female rappers in Malaysia who raps in Malay are soft in terms of delivery, I did my research was about to contact Zamaera or Hade$ to be on it but I didn't contact both them. End of December, she sends another demo of Dipukau this time with the rap verse in it. First time I heard she flows and raps, blew my mind, especially in Malay, I couldn't stop listening to the demo because it was that good and that flow though. I was like this is it and it is even better than what I was expecting! I replied back to her, we need to rerecord your vocal at a proper studio with high quality equipment. I contacted Illegal for a recording session, Illegal is very well known because he has recorded OAG, Siti Nurhaliza, Too Phat, Cat Farish and many more. So I guided her on the rap verse on how to coming in well and end it well. She did her rap part in one take and it was crazy! Blew away the recording engineer Illegal, he was like, "Where do you find all these artists? She raps like Busta Rhymes". Well, every time I book a recording session with Illegal I always brought up talented musicians to record on my track. This will be the best track of this album and probably will be be the best song in Malaysia's music playlist or might spread through Indonesia and I hope worldwide too, InshaAllah. I hope she will blew up from this song and more female rappers like her after this.

- Interview w/ Takahara Suiko -
Q: What can you tell about yourself?
A: I am Takahara Suiko from the band The Venopian Solitude.

Q: How do you get involved into music?
A: Started writing when I was 17 (2007), started recording demos at 18, and joined a label in 2013 and from there became a full-fledged band. Left the label in 2016 and has been independent since.

Q: Have you ever work with a beatboxer before?
A: No, this is my first time.

Q: When do you learn to rap as you did in the Dipukau track?
A: From listening to a few rappers over the years, from US, Japan, Korea, Germany and a few others, and then some local underground rappers.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration to write for Dipukau?
A: The inspiration comes right off the bat from listening to the original demo of Dipukau, and knowing the title helped in developing the story into something that revolves around getting 'enchanted/entranced'.

Q: What do you hope for Dipukau to happened?
A: For it to live on.

Q: Where can people follow your updates?
A: thevenopiansolitude.com