By Caleb Ng · UrbanWire

Once called Electric Company, Electrico has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1996.

Their debut album, So Much More Inside, launched on Aug 16, peaked at No 6 on the Singapore HMV best seller charts, with their first single 'I Want You' ranked 13th on Perfect 10's Top 20 Charts at press time.

Besides this, they've performed at Baybeats this year, and more recently, at the Indie-Pendent Weekend on Aug 29 at the Esplanade alongside other local bands like Slowjaxx (Stoned Revivals) and All Countries.

Originally started by 4 youths- David Tan, Keith Colaco, Desmond Goh and William Lim Jr. - to entertain churchmates, their dreams of making an impact on the local music scene are being realised.

But just like any up-and-coming rock band, Electric Company did not have things smooth sailing.

Obstacles like National Service stood in their way, and guitarist Keith Colaco eventually threw in the towel.

Efforts to continue as a 3-piece band were futile and they finally disbanded in 2000. However, David still dreamt of performing and 3 years later, Electric Company was back with a vengeance.

After reuniting with Desmond and William, they were joined by former Livonia guitarist Daniel Sassoon, and ex-Throb member, keyboardist Amanda Ling. Electric Company was thus christened Electrico, to "mark a new beginning that was undeniably tethered to passions that started brewing years ago" according to their official website.

UrbanWire caught up with Electrico's front man and guitarist, David, just back from a band tour of Australia, for a chat on his views on the local music scene and his love for music.

UrbanWire: When did you discover your love for music, or in particular, rock music?
David: "From the day my dad sang to me while strumming on his guitar when I was a kid. I wouldn't say [that] I love rock more than other genres, I love them all. But there's something about rocking out live that takes the cake. Watch School of Rock. You'll know what I mean."

UrbanWire: When did you pick up the guitar?
David: "I heard 'More than Words' by Extreme on the radio and fell in love with it. I was determined to play it on the guitar and my dad brought home that same guitar that he used to play to me when I was a kid. I played it till my finger bled, literally.
No scores, no tabs. Note for note, I took it from the tape. And after a year of constant practice, I could play it exactly as it sounded on the tape. Through that process I learnt so much about playing and developed my own technique. And when I went away for university in the States for 3 years, I played every day for 6 hours straight…"

UrbanWire: How do you feel now that "So Much More Inside" has been launched and 'I Want You' is fast climbing the charts of Perfect 10?
David: "I'm very happy to finally get the record out. It was the main reason of us getting back together… I just hope that people will like the music and maybe start appreciating local music a lot more than before."

UrbanWire: Which is your favourite song from the CD? Why?
David: ""I See The Lights" [Track 6]. It's Electrico out of the box and that, to me, is really cool."

UrbanWire: What about filming a music video for your CD?
David: "I'm a producer by profession, but the shoot for this video was among the toughest I've had. Having next to zero budget and one day to shoot the whole thing was crazy! It was for "Runaway" [Track 4] and needless to say, there was a lot of running. We started at 8am, stopped at 5pm to play [at the Indie-Pendent Weekend] at the Esplanade, and then it was back to the studio to continue till 5 the next morning.
Need I say more but look out for the video when it comes out?"

UrbanWire: Where do you feel Singapore stands in the rock music scene?
David: "Singapore is a seed waiting to be watered…I think great bands can come out of Singapore with the right amount of support and recognition. Bands need something to aim for. Without it, passion alone may not be enough."

UrbanWire: So you see a future for Singapore rock groups then?
David: "I do. We'll like to pave the way [and] even if we don't succeed, I will be happy if we opened new doors for the next batch of passion driven rockers to take it further and further…"

All pictures courtesy of Electrico's official website.