Mean Streets | Kuala Lumpur's Modern Day Kaidozoku

In any city where there is a car scene, there will always be the old legends about the hardcore street racing culture of the past. Kuala Lumpur is no exception. 'Kaido' in Japanese refers to highway, 'zoku' refers to a tribe, gang or clan. Therefore, 'Kaidozoku' can be defined as a clan of highway runners/racers. Infamous routes like The Federal Highway or The Middle Ring Road has an endless list of legends and unwritten stories. Most of us think these types of drivers don't exist anymore. But after I met a contact through a friend, I was proven wrong.

This contact I met who prefers to remain anonymous was willing enough to let me document what they do since this is the first time anyone outside their circle was allowed to photograph them due to the nature of their activities. These individuals might not be the original members but they inherit the same passion that their predecessors had. This unnamed crew came together to be a platform for enthusiast and driver to actually use the horsepower they have.(Thus, Driven, Not Parked).

I only observed them for only two weeks so I was only able to scratch the surface of this crew. The speeds capable are mind-blowing and they are the type of people that the general public despise. But when we think about the current issues of the car scene anywhere, politics are always involved. Most people will tune their car up to the point where they are capable of 500+ bhp yet they end up using their machine just to drive to a meet and to be parked. Wasted.

 There is so much more to explore when it comes to this scene. Even if I spend a month with them, it will still not guarantee that I will know what the whole scene is about. There are many individuals that refuse to come out but we understand their reasons. We are only here to tell their story since many of these individuals have their own reasons why they run the highway. All and all, we are still grateful that they are willing to speak about it.

Mean Streets | Kuala Lumpur's Modern Day Kaidozoku from Mat Canyon on Vimeo.