Teetan

Welcome to the sound of doom and gloom

By Litoux Camus
Photos by Ara Chawdhury

WHILE mostly known in the film enthusiasts circle as the man behind audiovisual delights such as “Ang Gugma ni Olivia” and the CinemaOne featured “Aberya,” Christian Linaban also works behind the name Teetan, his solo music home-project.

With Teetan’s own blend of dark menacing moods – and modes – layered with brooding, near-whisper chants, an online music site (vandalsonthewall.com) described his music as “raged doomsday soundtracks for the future cyborg takeover” or as “grim and grimy but ethereal, evincing the work of someone who saw potential in the merging of nature and technology rather than man and technology.”

For Christian, Teetan is a creative learning process. He believes that the lessons he acquired through immersion is as equal as the whole outcome of this project. He admits that he learned how to rap, among other things, through his recently released self-titled album, a trial by fire of sorts. “Do or do not – there is no try,” as one Jedi Master puts it.

Christian’s first foray into the local music scene started with his first band Shadowbox Serenade, which is much indebted to 90s alt-rock fixtures such as Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Tool (and yes, we meant the “alt” in this sentence). The band got to release an album, but after the group went defunct, Christian, as he puts it, had “nobody to play music with.” Thus, Teetan came into being.

How did Teetan come about?

In the late 90s, I became the frontman for a band called Shadowbox Serenade. We released a self-titled album in 2007 but went on an indefinite hiatus the following year. Suddenly I had nobody to play music with so I decided to DIY. Although I worked with other people on some of the compositions, I recorded by myself, at home, and in my spare time. I sent the completed tracks via email to Kerryl Demeterio, who did the mixing, also in his spare time. Half a decade later, I found myself with a handful of songs uploaded on my Soundcloud site. Lucky for me, Erik Tuban and Dexter Sy of Bomba Press were listening. When they approached me about distribution, of course I agreed.

You are moving Teetan from a solo project into a full band. Any difficulties with the transition?

There wasn’t much difficulty in the transition at all. It’s a very enjoyable creative process. Having written, recorded, and performed the songs myself, I’ve grown quite weary of them. It’s a lonely and tedious activity. With a band it’s different. You get to be an audience of your co-members while also participating as a whole. Along with Adot Sanchez who plays the drums, Mitchel Yu who plays the bass, and Isser Libres who plays the guitar and sings back-up, we have breathed new life into the songs that they barely resemble the original versions, but in a good way. Actually, when I listen to the original versions, all I could think about is what I should have done to make it better. I have the band as an outlet for that frustration, thankfully.

Describe your music. What are your songs about?

In any endeavor, my foremost priority is always to learn. Instead of going to music school I opted to make a solo album instead. I did learn a lot. Also, I always make it a point not to repeat myself. If I haven’t tried something, or if I couldn’t imagine myself doing it, that would make me want to do it. Imagine the invaluable lessons to be learned from exploring unknown territory. Making a rap song seemed so absurd to me and that’s exactly what I did. I tried other genres too: pop, rave, world music etc. I delved into these genres hoping that by doing bad imitations of them, I would create something original. I’m not sure if I succeeded but the result is an eclectic track list. In fact, I considered naming the album “Multiple Personality Disorder” at one point. This applies to what they’re about as well. With subjects such as love, lust, war, justice, an orphan princess, and a dead cockroach, it’s hard to find a central theme amongst them and perhaps that is the theme. The identity crisis is the identity.

Why is making music a lot like film-making? And why not?

Although I’ve gotten more recognition as a filmmaker, I consider myself a musician first. In high school I was already trying to write songs. In college I began making videos and found it an easy transition because cinema, just like music, is a progression of emotions. They’re both illiterate mediums. For me a successful movie or song doesn’t have to make sense as long as it solicits a strong emotional response. Narrative is important, of course, whether it may be found in a screenplay or in a lyric sheet, but it will always be secondary in craftsmanship. Melody always triumphs over words in my opinion.

More importantly, cinema and music share a crucial element that is absent from the other art forms: time. You’re all experiencing the same moments. You laugh at the same jokes and scream at the same scares. You hear the same notes and dance to the same beats. It’s all about interactivity. John Lennon was once asked what the purpose of music is. He answered: “To be here now.” and I say amen to that.

As to the difference is between music and cinema, it’s the scale. In music you use instruments: guitar, bass, drums, piano, vocal chords, etc. to create a song – but in film you use other artforms: photography, sculpture, architecture, interior design, painting, cosmetics, theater, literature, fashion, music itself, etc. to create a movie. Don’t get me wrong, though, they are equally powerful in their own way.

What fuels your creativity? Your influences?

I grew up with a fondness for medieval fantasy, which led to a predilection for the dramatic and especially the macabre. Mythology is also an endless fascination of mine. In a shortlist of my personal heroes are Darren Aronofsky, Alan Moore, Billy Corgan, and Christopher Doyle.

Thoughts on the local Cebuano music scene?

I’m ashamed to admit I don’t go to gigs that often anymore, so I’m a poor judge of the local music scene. I, however, wish being a musician in Cebu was at least as sustainable as being a musician in Manila. We have so much talent but no supporting industry. Hopefully, this dream will manifest in the near future, fingers crossed.

* If you wish to order a copy of Teetan’s self-titled album, just visit www.bombapress.com or add us up on Twitter or Facebook: http://www.twitter.com/bombapress and http://www.facebook.com/bombapress