Yes, the Sidek Serve involves hitting the feathers first. The controversy over the serve was widely publicised in Malaysia (my birth country) at the time, as it was 'invented' by Misbun Sidek.
The Sidek family was a dominant badminton force for Malaysia during that period. [1]
The Sidek family was a dominant badminton force for Malaysia during that period. [1]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidek_brothers