Initially conceived as a visual arts and sound project by Rizman Putra (frontman of Tiramisu) and Safuan Johari (aka Max Lane of Syndicate), the duo sought to explore the myth and history behind a fictional band called NADA. Think of it as a less ironic (but just as self-aware) version of This Is Spinal Tap, aiming to deconstruct the golden age of Malay popular music. But what started out as an exhibition featuring fabricated ticket stubs, posters, tapes and merchandise has since taken a life of its own as a full-fledged musical entity.

Now known for their dynamic live shows, thanks to the theatrically acrobatic performances of Rizman and the astute production of Safuan, NADA has manifested their "don't hate, just joget" mantra into a very tangible, non-fictional touring form. They've brought their act from Paris to London back to Singapore, and their fusion of traditional Malay music, Malay-fronted pop music from the 1960-80s, and modern electronic beat-making, has made quite an impression everywhere they've played. 

Here, frequent collaborator Brandon Tay (Syndicate) coalesces the ever-shifting faces of NADA into wonderfully trippy moving imagery for their song 'Dondang Astatke'. The "hauntological pop duo" haven't quite given us a proper music video just yet (outside of the visual document for their collaboration with French vocalist Florence Villeminot) so while this visual isn't an official one per se, it's still quite a treat! 

Watch the visual accompaniment for 'Dondang Astatke' below.

"DONDANG ASTATKE" NADA from brandon tay on Vimeo.