Riz | Hardcore metal indie band guitarist daring to speak his mind through music
Riz is a Hongkonger of Pakistani descent. He formed a hardcore indie band called King Ly Chee (1999 - 2017) which was popular in Hong Kong and had a huge following in China. In 2015, he started an Asian punk, hardcore, and metal news website called UniteAsia.org. Then, in 2017, he started a new band called Dagger. He is a husband to a Hongkonger, a father and also a teacher.
“I could never ever sacrifice the spirit or modify the message of my music to something else to satisfy their censorship.”
My parents brought me to Hong Kong from Pakistan when I was two months old. I have lived in Hong Kong all my life except for when I attended university in the US. Growing up I always felt it was challenging to understand my identity and who I really am.
I attended an international school where all my classmates were English speaking Americans and we talked about American pop culture. At home, my parents are traditional Pakistani Muslims. They spoke to me in Urdu and we watched Pakistani TV and Indian movies and was submersed in typical Pakistani Muslim culture. However, outside of home and school, I was surrounded by and immersed in a Cantonese speaking world. It was very confusing for me to understand where I fit in all of this.
My only escape from this identity crisis was skateboarding and listening to heavy music. It wasn’t until after participating in these activities that I slowly started to build more self confidence and understand that I am who I am.
Being able to use music as a way to channel my concerns and thoughts about the underprivileged was something that really motivates me. I went to university in the US and fully immersed myself into the world of hardcore and punk rock, which got me to really understand the heart and soul of this movement. I fell in love with this music because it has a very powerful message that encourages you to take part in the world you live in and go help others less fortunate.
Start from scratch
When I returned to Hong Kong I felt I couldn’t find this basic tenet of hardcore music and punk here. I decided to release a bilingual underground zine (magazine) called Start From Scratch 《由零開始》 which interviewed hardcore and punk bands, talked about parts of the movement like ‘Straight Edge’, and reviewed CDs and music. I also sold music in the zine so that people could read about the culture and actually listen to it.
The magazine made me realize that one of the best ways to understand the power of hardcore was to see it live in front of your very own eyes. That’s when I started King Ly Chee. The whole aim of that band was to bring hardcore and punk to an all Hong Kong audience so they too can feel the power, emotions and beauty of hardcore and punk rock.
I was told how successful King Ly Chee was as we performed a lot in Mandarin in China. I was even crowned the title ‘the godfather of hardcore rock of Hong Kong/ China’ in the media. It’s a really stupid title that still makes me feel uncomfortable today. When I first told supporters or the media in China that I had a full time job in Hong Kong they were in complete shock. They would exclaim, “but you’re in King Ly Chee!” I’d jokingly respond, “exactly. That’s why I have to have a full time job!” They would then suggest that my band should make a move to a big city like Beijing where they could connect me to some record labels.
Compromise? Compromising for what?
The band was once briefly signed with a mainland record label who assured us they would line up massive concerts and gigs, but the Ministry of Culture never allowed us to perform in large events like festivals because King Ly Chee was always a band that touched on socio-political issues.
It’s no secret that all bands and artists must be approved by the authorities in advance before being allowed to perform in big events in China. I was happy that the audience in China find hardcore and punk rock as a way to vent their emotions and rage. However I could never ever sacrifice the spirit or modify the message of my music to something else just to satisfy their censorship. My focus was singular and very consistent: spread awareness of socio-political issues, and try to find like-minded people to come together to better our society within our ability.
The frustrations, anger and hopelessness of watching the news everyday drove me to form a new band, Dagger, in 2017, where we write darker and heavier music than King Ly Chee.
This past year was particularly difficult. Seeing how our government and the so-called "leaders" keep destroying the soul and heart of our city, especially the way they’ve treated our youth, has been especially heart-wrenching. You can come for us adults, but don't touch our kids.There were countless nights where I woke up in the middle of the night and read the latest news on my phone then cried myself to sleep like many other Hongkongers.
My musical journey has taught me to listen to my inner voice and stay true to myself. This art has empowered me to make some important life decisions such as going against my parents’ wishes and marrying a non-Muslim, or becoming an educator, or continuing to play music at my age.
To learn, respect and dare to make a difference
Being an educator is an easy choice for a personality like mine that is not interested in chasing after money, but rather intent on using my energy to help the world. Teaching our next generation to be better humans with independent critical thinking skills and compassion for others will help progress our city into a more loving place in the future. I’m very aware of my role as an educator to not implant any bias into our youngsters’ minds.
I remember one time a little boy in my class said that basketball is a boy’s sport and no girls should play basketball. I was shocked by his statement, then began to show him all the different female professional basketball players from around the world instead of telling him that he was wrong or forcing him to agree with what I said. If I forced him to adhere to my view then what’s the difference between me and a tyrant?
I apply the same philosophy to my marriage and to raising my daughter. My wife doesn’t like the style of my music I play (laughs), but she respects it and gives me the freedom to make my music. We don’t hide the news from our child, even though the visuals can be disturbing. We accompany, guide and discuss what’s going on because we believe that it’s important for her to know what’s taking place in our society.
These past few weeks have been frightfully depressing. I feel myself becoming quieter because after so many years of believing in hope, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be getting dimmer and dimmer. A thought to move to another country even flashed in my mind for the first time, but I always tell my daughter that Tsim Sha Tsui is our hometown. Where could we move to? Therefore, my decision is to continue to do what I have been doing for the past 20 plus years: continue to care about this city which I call home, dare to speak my mind and to criticize injustice through my music. Even in despair, I still 100% believe in the Hong Kong spirit. We don't give up and so, we will win in the end.
That day will be a glorious day.
“I am Riz, I am a HKer.”
Support our Journalism with a Contribution
Many people might not know this, but despite our large team of contributors, which we are immensely grateful for, We Are HKers is still a small bootstrapped group that runs on no outside funding and loans. Everything you see today is built on the backs of warriors who have sacrificed opportunities, time, meals and sleep to help give HKers all over the world a voice and keep our culture alive.
However, we still face many trials in the running of our platform, from finding the necessary equipment for our video interviews, to subscribing to the necessary tools to facilitate our remote work process of our global team, to trying not to get fired from our main jobs as we run this project secretly in the background, and to keeping our platform running and storing our files securely.
We hope you consider making a contribution, so we can continue to provide you with moving stories of HKers all over the world and keep our heritage and culture alive. Even a £1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for everyone’s support. We love you all and can’t appreciate you guys enough.
**Please note that your support of We Are HKers Ltd. does NOT constitute a charitable donation. We really appreciate your support in independent journalism. If you have any questions about contributing to We Are HKers, please contact us here.
- February 2022
- December 2021
- August 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
This article was featured on Apply Daily English Version. See the article @ https://hk.appledaily.com/feature/20200829/C2Q376K3CJAPPFCG2EJV3STRT4/