Saleem in 2013, at hte launch of the Konsert Gegar 5 Legenda di Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur. Photo: The Star/Faihan Ghani
The 1980s and 1990s were the heyday of "rock kapak" (axe rock) and "rock jiwang" (melancholic rock), spearheaded by the success of Wings and Search. Then in 1990, along came an unknown band called Iklim, whose song Suci Dalam Debu went on to become one of the most successful and iconic Malay rock songs ever.
Iklim frontman Saleem, who died on Sunday (Oct 14), had a voice that was like the title of the song - purity in the dust, a melancholic, raspy drone that hit the high notes effortlessly, and standing out amongst all the other sound-alike bands with similar jiwang love ballads.
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