The Riffmeister Has Left The Stage
(Photo owned by Seringai Official Instagram) I still remember the first time I heard that Arian 13 (Puppen) was going to form a new band with Ricky (Stepforward), sometime around 2000. I accidentally overheard a guy talking to his friends while flipping through new cassettes at my friend’s shop. I got excited. That whole day, I kept playing “Abstain” by Puppen and “Backstabber” by Stepforward on my Walkman, while selling bootleg merchandise at Platform 6, Blok M underground. When I worked at an internet café owned by one of my close friends, I made extra money during my shift by burning music compilation CDs. I sold them for 10k–15k, with about 20 songs per disc. On a good day, I could sell more than 10. It was a solid hustle. But honestly, I preferred making mixtapes on cassette—it felt more satisfying. One of my favorites was packed with tracks from Puppen, Stepforward, Burgerkill, Fugazi, Minor Threat, Motörhead, Descendents, and Black Flag. ( Photo owned by Seringai Official ...
