Who’d ever heard of a G6 before Far East Movement came along? Be honest. Unless you routinely roll in luxury jet circles, we’re thinking that the concept of a Gulfstream G650 isn’t the kind of thing that your average guy or gal comes across. So, in some ways, we’re thankful FM has invaded our lives, imposing their thumping electro-riffed hits like Like a G6 over the worldwide clubbing scene. In some ways, they’re educators.
Judging from the rest of their MVs and tunes from their debut album Free Wired, there’s plenty else that this LA-quartet oh-so desperately want you to know about them as well. Like that the chicks love them, they’re the life of the party, they’re all over chicks at the party and, well, you get the idea. And, to be fair, the whole glove-wearing, shade-donning, metallic-jacket sporting hip-hop party boy thing works for them.

It’s the kind of persona that’s propelled them to international chart-topping success, seen them team up and tour with the likes of Lady Gaga, Lil’ Wayne, Snoop Dog and Rihanna, and made them the first Asian-American group to make No 1 in the US – and they’ve been held up as some kind of success story for Asians worldwide. While their background has undoubtedly played some part in their success, FM themselves are pretty keen to downplay it. When we spoke to them a few months ago, Kev Nish – chief MC of the quartet also including J-Splif, Prohgress and DJ Virman – was all too keen to emphasise that they were just LA kids who grew up on $2 tacos, just urban kids who ‘like to keep the shoes a little bit dirty’.

All this jet-speak and hip-hop bravado isn’t exactly so ‘common man’, but consider that their music is unavoidable in Lan Kwai Fong. You can’t really get too much more common than that…

Mark Tjhung

Far East Movement plays KITEC Monday December 5
Tickets: 3128 8288; hkticketing.com