Shah Azman

Photographer — Malaysia

01Profile

A Shah Azman Photo

03Interview

Introduce yourself
Shah Azman, I’m a conceptual photographer but I’m also a video director at We Are KIX.

Describe your style in 3 words?
Calm, compose, clean.

What does the Fred Perry Shirt mean to you?
Fred Perry started off as sleek, functional sportswear that evolved to be the minimal iconic brand it is today. It's an honour to wear the laurel wreath that has so much history and has a look that my art can identify with.

When did you first dabble in the creative field?
Right away after I did my degree in Film & Animation, I worked as a motion graphic artist at MOTIOFIXO where I mostly worked on music videos and advertising campaigns.

What inspires your work?
To be better, if not on par with revolutionary artists such as Storm Thorgerson.

What is the first song you played on repeat?
Probably something by the Backstreet Boys (yeah I know).

Who is your ultimate British musical icon?
Pink Floyd. They’ve created the most distinctive images with Storm Thorgerson that will always be an inspiration.

What was the best gig you've been to?
Caspian Asia tour back in 2015. Watched them live in Singapore.

A song that defines the teenage you?
'Rollin' by Limp Bizkit.
'Wait and Bleed' by Slipknot.
'Here to Stay' by Korn.
I'm more inspired by the band's branding and music videos at that time. Loving all their work during that golden age of Nu-metal. Too old for these metal songs now but it sums up how hungry and hopeful I was back then.

What bands have you been listening to recently?
A lot! A couple would be Tides from Nebula, Daturah and a Thai band called Follows.

04Playlist Notes

'Arcs of Command' by Caspian.
This is my favourite post-rock band. I've seen them once live with my wife after we got engaged and there was a moment in this song that will always be memorable moment for us.

'Another Brick in the Wall' by Pink Floyd.
Storm Thorgerson is my biggest idol, the guy responsible for most of Pink Floyd's album art. I listen to more instrumental rock, but this song in my playlist is an homage to Mr. Storm.

'Nebula' by Reset to Zilch.
This song can be found on the album A Phantasm; Antithetical. I was responsible for the album art of this album and this is my favourite track.

'Put Your Dreams to Sleep' by Deepset.
I had an adventurous phase in my life where my friends and I would spend our weekends in Perlis, sleeping on fields, gazing at the stars. We would take pictures there and sell them as postcards. This was one of the tracks we've bonded over there. It made life seem as though anything was possible.

'Fragile' by Seven Collar T-Shirt.
This band is a local legend and this song was a game changer for me.

'Habit' by Gates.
I don't really listen to songs that has lyrics/vocal in it, but this band is an exception. It hits me in the feels!

'Sycamore' by Caspian.
This was a song I picked as my wedding march. My conservative baby boomer guests were frightened to hear a rock song on a Malay wedding. The sound guy actually stopped it after the climax because it freaked everyone out but by then, I've had my fun.

'Mainland' by Inspirative.
I love discovering music from all over the world but I tend to look towards Southeast Asia first. I love Thailand and their music scene, this track is a testament to that.

'Soulkeeper' by Follows.
When I'm stuck in traffic, I find it cathartic to yell along to songs. This is one of the most satisfying to belt.

'Red Paper Lanterns' by Maybeshewill.
This girl really hated all the songs I used to listen to. This was the only song which finally made her say "I like it". Maybeshewill like it? Yes, she did.

'Lostmyhead' by The 1975.
My wife has her own fashion line and she had asked me to curate a bunch of songs for Him & Her by ANAABU (on top of doing photos for the product showcase). This was my favourite song at the time and it was played at the showcase itself in 2015.

'Minerva' by Deftones.
I saw them live once in KL. When they sang thing song, I cried out loud!

03Interview

Introduce yourself
Shah Azman, I’m a conceptual photographer but I’m also a video director at We Are KIX.

Describe your style in 3 words?
Calm, compose, clean.

What does the Fred Perry Shirt mean to you?
Fred Perry started off as sleek, functional sportswear that evolved to be the minimal iconic brand it is today. It's an honour to wear the laurel wreath that has so much history and has a look that my art can identify with.

When did you first dabble in the creative field?
Right away after I did my degree in Film & Animation, I worked as a motion graphic artist at MOTIOFIXO where I mostly worked on music videos and advertising campaigns.

What inspires your work?
To be better, if not on par with revolutionary artists such as Storm Thorgerson.

What is the first song you played on repeat?
Probably something by the Backstreet Boys (yeah I know).

Who is your ultimate British musical icon?
Pink Floyd. They’ve created the most distinctive images with Storm Thorgerson that will always be an inspiration.

What was the best gig you've been to?
Caspian Asia tour back in 2015. Watched them live in Singapore.

A song that defines the teenage you?
'Rollin' by Limp Bizkit.
'Wait and Bleed' by Slipknot.
'Here to Stay' by Korn.
I'm more inspired by the band's branding and music videos at that time. Loving all their work during that golden age of Nu-metal. Too old for these metal songs now but it sums up how hungry and hopeful I was back then.

What bands have you been listening to recently?
A lot! A couple would be Tides from Nebula, Daturah and a Thai band called Follows.

04Playlist Notes

'Arcs of Command' by Caspian.
This is my favourite post-rock band. I've seen them once live with my wife after we got engaged and there was a moment in this song that will always be memorable moment for us.

'Another Brick in the Wall' by Pink Floyd.
Storm Thorgerson is my biggest idol, the guy responsible for most of Pink Floyd's album art. I listen to more instrumental rock, but this song in my playlist is an homage to Mr. Storm.

'Nebula' by Reset to Zilch.
This song can be found on the album A Phantasm; Antithetical. I was responsible for the album art of this album and this is my favourite track.

'Put Your Dreams to Sleep' by Deepset.
I had an adventurous phase in my life where my friends and I would spend our weekends in Perlis, sleeping on fields, gazing at the stars. We would take pictures there and sell them as postcards. This was one of the tracks we've bonded over there. It made life seem as though anything was possible.

'Fragile' by Seven Collar T-Shirt.
This band is a local legend and this song was a game changer for me.

'Habit' by Gates.
I don't really listen to songs that has lyrics/vocal in it, but this band is an exception. It hits me in the feels!

'Sycamore' by Caspian.
This was a song I picked as my wedding march. My conservative baby boomer guests were frightened to hear a rock song on a Malay wedding. The sound guy actually stopped it after the climax because it freaked everyone out but by then, I've had my fun.

'Mainland' by Inspirative.
I love discovering music from all over the world but I tend to look towards Southeast Asia first. I love Thailand and their music scene, this track is a testament to that.

'Soulkeeper' by Follows.
When I'm stuck in traffic, I find it cathartic to yell along to songs. This is one of the most satisfying to belt.

'Red Paper Lanterns' by Maybeshewill.
This girl really hated all the songs I used to listen to. This was the only song which finally made her say "I like it". Maybeshewill like it? Yes, she did.

'Lostmyhead' by The 1975.
My wife has her own fashion line and she had asked me to curate a bunch of songs for Him & Her by ANAABU (on top of doing photos for the product showcase). This was my favourite song at the time and it was played at the showcase itself in 2015.

'Minerva' by Deftones.
I saw them live once in KL. When they sang thing song, I cried out loud!