lucidrari and Concerto Have No Problem With Autotune Music. Do You?

Music, Features

lucidrari and Concerto Have No Problem With Autotune Music. Do You?

An exclusive interview on the duo’s latest release, “sl0w d0wn” and the sound they believe deserves more space in Malaysian hip-hop.

By Asha Farisha

May 23, 2026

lucidrari has never tried to beat the allegations of making “autotune music.” Every time the Shah Alam rapper drops a new song, the same debate floods his comment section discussing whether his sound should be accepted or not. It does not matter if the song passes a million streams, if the shows sell out, or if the track lands in the Top 10. The conversation still circles back to one thing: he uses pitch correction on his voice, and for some listeners, that alone is enough to dismiss it as “bad music”.

It is an interesting argument, especially because autotune in mainstream music is nothing new. Across hyperpop, EDM, pop, and especially hip-hop, it has long been used past just fixing vocals. On the global stage, Travis Scott uses it to stretch his voice to give it a robotic quality. Playboi Carti bends it entirely, shifting between ultra-high baby-like inflections and darker, almost vampiric, distorted deliveries that have become his signature sound. We also have artists like Yeat and Osamason, whose autotune is the foundation of their music.

Seen through that lens, it makes sense why the rapper does not shy away from that label anymore. Instead, he fully embraces it. After the backlash, “Autotune Music” even became part of the visuals for his MoreLyfe 2025 performance, flashed across a large LED screen like a statement. This month, he announced “sl0w d0wn“, the lead single from his upcoming album Forever Underground (F.U.) that is said to feature heavy bass, autotune-heavy vocals, and distorted beats pulled from the influence of internet rap.

“I tried to be digestible to the mainstream with my previous album TELETEXT (2025),” he says. “It worked, numbers-wise. But I feel like I can go further if I stop thinking about what people in Malaysia will accept, and just make what I like.”

Released on May 15, “sl0w d0wn” also marks his new link-up with Concerto, a Jakarta-based producer tied to the new wave of the Indonesian rap scene, known for tracks like “Brrberry Jaket”, “Di Bawah Bulan”, and “Di Atas Atap”. While he has a strong track record of successful releases, Forever Underground will be his second album where he is involved across the full production, shaping the sound from start to finish.

Known for introducing new names through his collaborations, this single also hints at the genre of artists lucidrari brings into the album. It features Eemrun and Fury+, alongside guest producer Panjoy, best known for his work on rap collective SOUTHBE. With lucidrari and Concerto’s orbit now firmly rooted in the Indonesian underground music scene, this project can be expected to bridge two scenes: Malaysia and Indonesia’s new wave of talents.

Over text, lucidrari and Concerto spoke to Men’s Folio about the making of sl0w d0wn, sharing exclusive insights from the process — and even a few photos AirDropped straight from their camera rolls during its creation.

ARE YOU NOW IN JAKARTA?

LUCIDRARI Yes, since last December. I moved here to fully produce my next album with Concerto. Been linking with a lot of artists too. It’s been fun. The energy here is different. I love it.

WHAT FEELS DIFFERENT ABOUT JAKARTA FOR YOU CREATIVELY?

LUCIDRARI Everyone here feels excited for something new. Creatively, it’s less judgmental. Back home, sometimes people need to understand something first before accepting it. In Indonesia, people just want to feel the energy first. Being out here also made me realise how far my music can actually go despite how much I want to experiment. The world is so big.

BOTH OF YOU ONLY STARTED WORKING TOGETHER RECENTLY. HOW DID IT BECOME A FULL PROJECT SO FAST?

CONCERTO Dannqrack introduced us last year when he came to Jakarta. Once we started talking more, we realised we shared the same vision creatively. We both wanted to chase a sound that we still think is underexplored here.

WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO SHOW PEOPLE WITH “sl0w d0wn”?

CONCERTO With this single, you already get to see the type of artists and energy we’re bringing into the album. sl0w d0wn alone has around 13 contributors. Fury+ and Eemrun came through with verses, Panjoy from SOUTHBE co-produced too.

Over the past few months, me and lucidrari realised the Malaysian and Indonesian underground scenes have been inspiring each other a lot. We wanted the album to feel like a proper bridge between both worlds.

WHAT DOES “sl0w d0wn” HAVE THAT TELETEXT (2025) DIDN’T?

LUCIDRARI Freedom. When I worked on TELETEXT (2025), I was still thinking about being digestible to a wider audience. This time I just wanted to make something that really reflects what I listen to and what excites me now.

“sl0w d0wn” SOUNDS VERY FAST AND CHAOTIC. WAS THAT THE IDEA?

CONCERTO That’s literally how the internet feels right now. Fast, chaotic, too much information at once. We wanted the music to feel like that too.

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A post shared by @lucidrari

A MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM WORKING ON THIS PROJECT?

CONCERTO During the car test, we broke the speakers because the bass was too loud. We both still agreed that we need more bass in the song.

BEST PART OF “sl0w d0wn” IS…

CONCERTO The outro. Cinematic.

SPOIL MORE OF YOUR UPCOMING ALBUM FOREVER UNDERGROUND (2026)

LUCIDRARI We really went crazy on this one. Heavy bass, distorted production, uncensored lyrics. Probably the most honest version of me so far because I stopped thinking too much about whether people here would “accept” it or not. The album is an F.U.

THE MIDLYFE BOYS ALWAYS SAY “HIP HOP BARU”. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?

LUCIDRARI Music that is going mainstream look so different this year if you’re really paying attention. It sounds a lot like like nettspend, 2hollis, and fakemink. Even Gucci is tapped in.

When we say HIP HOP BARU, we’re referring to this new wave with an entirely fresh style, lingo, visuals, energy, and internet culture around how people listen to and respond to music now. Everything around it feels new.

DO YOU THINK THE MALAYSIAN RAP SCENE IS ENTERING A NEW ERA RIGHT NOW?

LUCIDRARI Yes. I think a lot of us stopped looking for mainstream approval and that changed everything creatively. At first people will call new sounds weird when they hear it. That’s normal. Every generation goes through that phase. But younger listeners are way more open now because they grew up online. Their references are global.

PEOPLE LABELLED YOUR HAUSBOOM SET “AUTOTUNE MUZIK” LAST YEAR. THOUGHTS?

LUCIDRARI No thoughts. I was only trying to introduce a new type of sound to the mainstream Malaysian audience. The world is so big, bruh. Explore listening to music just a bit farther and you’ll see how many big genres are built on experimenting with autotune: hyperpop, glitchcore, jerk rap, cloudrap.

SO THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS DON’T REALLY GET TO YOU ANYMORE?

LUCIDRARI Everyone in the spotlight gets criticised, it’s chill. With social media now, many people can feel like an expert on a topic overnight, especially with music. They would watch one video essay or one TikTok post and start talking like they’re responsible for protecting music culture or something.