Revisiting one of the main catalysts for starting this website – the track Unite Asia

Today we find ourselves revisiting the old King Ly Chee track Unite Asia which was and continues to be one of the main inspirations for this site. If you’re unaware then let’s bring you up to speed real quick (we’ll try our best to be brief)…

UniteAsia.org was started by myself – Riz – and I was in a band called King Ly Chee from 1999 that called it quits last year after 18 years of trudging through thick and thin with an ever revolving door of members. I will always be very proud of the members that came and went because together we literally created something out of nothing in a city like Hong Kong. There are signs that this attitude is starting to change as more and more people here are looking for bands who are trying to do their own thing and creating their own sound. More power to these bands!

The song was written back in 2006 when we were asked to open for NOFX‘s Asian tour. Yes, the same tour that they documented for their infamous and extremely hilarious Backstage Passport video series. We were very proud to be the Asian act opening that run of dates and thus wanted to write a song about how proud we were of the bands we’ve befriended and we’ve seen kill it throughout the years the band was around. That’s how the song came about…

A few years ago King Ly Chee decided to re-record the song but this time inviting some of our favorite vocalists of hardcore bands from around Asia. It was SO sick to get this project done and to hear their unique voices on the track and the piecing the whole thing together into one cohesive track.

The people you hear on this recording are the following:

Marben – Badburn (Philippines)
Bagoes – Final Attack (Indonesia)
Din – Kids on the Move (Malaysia)
Li You – Unregenerate Blood (Beijing)
Ratchy – Overthrown (Singapore)
Dokyo – 13 Steps (S. Korea)
Riz – King Ly Chee (Hong Kong)

The lyrics for the track can be found below.

Anyway…I just found myself reminiscing on this website, the bands that we’re honored to have featured every single day for the past 3 plus years, so many that many of you probably haven’t even realized you’ve been on the site, and somehow we found ourselves playing back the track that set all this off in the first place.

Anyway…as always – thanks everyone for your support and especially for your understanding. As this is run by myself I make tons of mistakes and miss tons of important happenings…so it always means a lot when you’re kind about the mistakes I make (like mislabeling your band “crust punk” when you’re actually a “slam-grind-D Beat-crossover-neothrash-watermelon-skramz” band hahahahaha). I also especially appreciate when you send in your news or your favorite band’s news yourselves through the SUBMIT NEWS link on the site itself.

PEACE AND ALWAYS REMEMBER TO SUPPORT LOCAL!!!

UNITE ASIA

This is our time
EVERYONE RISE
This is our time
WE WILL RISE

From the streets of Hong Kong
We hear your voices loud.
We know all about the struggles you face…
It’s this for which we’re bound.

Our differences are our strength
Our diversity unites us
Our will to persevere is why stand as one
STAND AS ONE

We will rise – as long as you’re by my side
We will rise – no longer pushed aside

Look at what we’ve been through
Look at what we’ve been through
It’s time for me and you to
UNITE ASIA

I see the desperation in your eyes,
UNITE ASIA

When it feels like no one hears you your spirit dies
UNITE ASIA

To those with no hope I sing to you
UNITE ASIA

Look around this room,
you’ll see that we stand with you.

WE STAND WITH YOU.

From the streets of Hong Kong
We hear your voices loud.
We know all about the struggles you face…
It’s this for which we’re bound.

We will rise – as long as you’re by my side
We will rise – no longer pushed aside

We stand as one

RISE…

We will rise.