Singapore Local Music Scene

RyanXXX SG

I’m interested to know how you guys think about our very own Singapore Music Scene. But I don’t mean those mainstream artist like JJ Lin etc but those underground bands instead.
(:

P/S: Is there any poll/voting things for SgForums?

rlsh07 SG

underground as in? i dun knoe much abt them though

eeden. SG

impiety is one of the underground bands that can make it,imo.

RyanXXX SG

Underground is those independent band. Those bands perform for Gigs like BayBeats(annual Singapore music Festival) and other type of gigs. Some of the most notable bands are Force Vomit, Electrico, The Great Spy Experiment, West Grand Boulevard

Anyway, I personally feel that somehow Singapore Bands are kind of restricted. BUT recently MediacorpTV try to "help" the local music scene via Channel5's Live'n'Loaded. But the thing is how many Singaporeans would actually response or notice our very own bands. :/

Bangulzai SG

The Lion City Rocks Again

Zaki Jufri tunes in to how our local musicians are spreading their music in Singapore. Illustrations by Richard Lee

Our local music scene is definitely abuzz again with the cries of grinding guitars and thumping bass. Within the last couple of years, the local music scene has seen a resurgence with the success of bands like Electrico and The Great Spy Experiment, which have been signed and distributed under major record labels, released hit albums like We Satellites and The Flower Show Riots, respectively, and performed extensively around the region and even the US. Indie bands here also are getting more gigs and performing at corporate functions. And they are turning to the Internet to help release, distribute and market their work. Between that, getting deals through indie music promoters, and garnering both radio and TV support—like the recently launched TV show Live & Loaded which showcases performances exclusively by local bands—local musicians are rockin’ it out for that slice of musical pie. I-S finds out how they do it.

Musicians operating in the indie music scene now are better managed, more organized and savvier than ever before. “The vibrancy of the indie music scene has indeed intensified recently. More people are picking up a musical instrument, forming a band and there’s certainly more people listening than ever,” observes Universal Music’s marketing director Lim Teck Kheng. Lim said that the surge of interest in local music has definitely been spurred forward by the success of the bands like The Great Spy Experiment and Electrico, as well as Plainsunset, Vertical Rush and A Vacant Affair, to name a few.

Musicians we spoke to say that the old Singaporean prejudice against local bands is changing and people no longer think of them as being second-rate to foreign acts. “We’ve been seeing a lot of positive changes in the scene—more gigs, more young people getting into Singaporean music and more media support. There are a whole lot of young and very talented bands coming through as well, and that really says a lot about the talent we have here in Singapore,” says The Great Spy Experiment’s frontman Saiful Idris.

Industry observer Kevin Matthews, who also writes music for TV and films like Eric Khoo’s Be With Me and My Magic, explained that the revived interest in local bands is due to the resurgence of indie gigs. The establishment of The Esplanade and its mandate to promote local arts has contributed largely to this, notably with Baybeats, the mother of all local indie music festivals, which will hold its eighth instalment later this year. Gig organizers also say that they have observed a marked increase in attendance for local gigs. Last year’s Baybeats drew a record 86,000 people.

The Internet, and the user-created content of Web 2.0 is providing indie bands new marketing opportunities in an environment where fans can access their works directly. And it is also helping independent artists close the gap on their well-known siblings. There’s now nothing to stop these artists from creating their own T-shirts, CDs, and digital downloads, or from selling online; and local bands have taken to the Internet like fish to water.

Indie rocker Levan Wee’s (previously from rock band Ronin) visual punk-rock band, Astroninja, for instance, recently released its debut album Kiss My Astro on international indie music website www.cdbaby.com, sold 6,000 copies of the release and made a couple of thousand dollars for the band. Not too shabby for a fiercely independent local band that still remains mostly unknown in the local rock music circuit. Astroninja and a slew of other homegrown bands like I Am David Sparkle, Vertical Rush and Muon are some of the hundreds, if not thousands, of would-be bands that are fiercely putting their music out on the internet and getting themselves heard.

“The Internet has been instrumental in the discovery of new music talents around the world. The Internet has no geographical bias, and there is hardly any demographic limitation too. Literally millions of people surf the Internet to buy things, including music,” says Wee. “Thanks to Internet sales and interest from the US and European markets, we have sold in excess of 10,000 albums worldwide.”

Since its launch in 2003, social networking website MySpace has been the medium of choice for indie bands to promote themselves and spread their music to the masses online. Recently, Facebook also launched a music service. Artists are using these websites to build massive social networks and spread the word about their upcoming shows and CD releases. And band members often respond to fans through the Internet, creating a real dialogue between artists and their fans.

“It (the Internet) has made communicating with them (the fans) and the world so much easier—with the push of a button, we can alert hundreds, if not thousands, of people about our latest album release, our latest shows and our latest YouTube video upload! It has also been crucial for networking, hooking up with show organizers and other partners,” says Marcus Wong, guitarist of alternative rock band, Vertical Rush. They recently released their sophomore album, Of Real Dreams, last November which has since garnered positive reviews from the local music press, and whose single, “Baby” is on rotation on 987FM’s playlist.

Signs of the Internet’s rising influence are beginning to be felt in many ways, musicians say. Listener recommendations, online preview clips and shared playlists, among other online tools, are bringing more indie music to listeners than ever before. Take Nokia’s music platform, the Independent Artists Club (IAC), for example. Launched in late 2007, this online platform not only provides opportunities for new artists here to be heard by people across the world, but also gives music fans a previously non-existent platform to discover new music that’s available in countries in the Asia-Pacific, all through the mobile phone. Registered users of the website can also get to download up to five selected full-length tracks a month, all free of charge (VIP users get to download 10 songs). Artists, on the other hand, can upload their music online, giving users a chance to rate and vote for their favorite tracks.
Top-voted tracks will be reflected in IAC’s monthly chart, and the top artists on these charts will have a chance to play live at Nokia IAC gigs.

Another website, www.rampageontheairwaves.com (ROTA), is Singapore’s premier indie music podcast website, and it focuses on providing a platform for local musicians to let their music be heard. By playing local songs on podcasts (usually 30-minutes long), interviewing bands and collaborating with event organizers, ROTA uncovers talented new bands, discovers the secrets of established bands, and contributes to the overall well being of the local music industry. “The aim of the podcast is simply to provide a platform where local music can be accessed easily and where bands can promote their music. I believe that everyone has their part to play and that the podcast is merely contributing to the ultimate aim of growth and maturity for the local music industry,” explains founder and podcast producer Gaffar “Rampage.”

While the online medium is definitely catching on within the indie music set here, musicians agree that the Internet is certainly not a magic bullet. To get themselves heard, local indie bands and musicians are still using more traditional channels of distribution, such as organizing gigs, producing their own CDs and playing out. And it is this D-I-Y ethic that is at the heart of the resurgence of the local music scene today.

Vertical Rush, for example, organized and self-funded their album launch concert at The Substation last September. “If there aren’t any shows for us we’ll organize them on our own,” Vertical Rush’s Wong proudly exclaims. He adds that the band has always employed a D-I-Y attitude since they first formed in 1998—playing as many shows as they can, servicing their music to radio stations on their own and getting their albums in the hands of music critics.

Astroninja’s Wee agrees: “We’ve always believed that a band must first invest their own time and money in themselves before they can ever expect a fan to do the same.” Astroninja’s debut album was a labor of love for Wee and his bandmates—toiling and saving for a-year-and-a-half to raise enough funds to get the ball rolling. It could cost a band $3 or more to press a CD including packaging, and there are also hidden costs such as marketing and promotions, to consider—so do the math.

Indie labels like KittyWu Records, Wake Me Up Music (WMUM), Straits Records and Wallwork Records have helped revitalize the music scene here by enriching and widening the music spectrum. An advantage smaller indie labels have over the bigwigs is that their small-scale operations make it easier for them to focus on a few genres and bands. And, they are more nimble, allowing them to work with other parties faster and more creatively, to do things like promoting Singapore bands at festivals and concerts overseas.

A recent gig at Home Club, “To Texas and Back: A Benefit Show for I Am David Sparkle,” was a 13-hour long marathon gig featuring 10 indie bands and four DJs. The gig was held to raise funds for the I Am David Sparkle’s upcoming gig at acclaimed music festival South by Southwest (SXSW) in Texas. It was just one of the many initiatives that indie music label KittyWu Records took to bring local music beyond Singapore. The brainchild of Errol Tan and Lesley Chew, the year-old label has made a big splash in the indie music scene by promoting and marketing bands like electro-pop band The Karl Maka, shoegaze/electronic act Amberhaze, and post-rock group Amateur Takes Control; and organizing gigs by international acts like Swedish indie-popsters Club 8 and Pelle Carlberg as well as Japanese band Mono. Chew says, “We feel that Singapore has a lot of talent with potential. We’ve always been big supporters of local music and wanted to give back to the community, so we started this label to push local talent into international waters.” I Am David Sparkle will be the third local band after Electrico and The Great Spy Experiment to play at SXSW.

By helping to promote local bands, indie record labels help take the pressure of this off the musicians, who are often juggling day jobs with their musical careers. “Guys like this (the labels) are a real godsend to the scene because they look into the business end of things for bands—an area which musicians aren’t traditionally very good at, or have time to do. The indie labels invest their savings and put their careers on the line for their bands, which is a pretty big sacrifice. I daresay even bigger than that of the bands themselves!” says Vertical Rush’s Wong, whose band is signed and managed by WMUM, which started in 2001. It now represents 11 local artists, including established acts such as Plainsunset as well as up-and-coming acts like A Vacant Affair and The Fire Fight. “I think it (a band signing on to an indie label) also adds credibility to the band, and means there’s always someone else helping them to manage and promote their music. So the artist can focus on purely the music!” explains WMUM’s label manager Esmond Wee.

With the right marketing and image, an indie band can attract the attention of not only gig organizers, but also corporate types who might want to render the band’s services at a product launch or a company event. The Great Spy Experiment, for instance, was hired by French fashion label Agnés b to perform for them at the Red Dot Design Museum last May. Insiders say that the more established English-language indie bands performing originals can command anywhere from $3,000-6,000 per show on average for a 30-45 minute performance.

Kevin Matthews also highlights that playing out is essential for a band’s success. “You can be the best band in the world but it’ll all mean nothing if no one has the chance to hear your music live,” he said. Musicians here accede that playing live is certainly the number one priority for any band, and that no amount of record promotion is useful without it and vice versa. “The proof is in the pudding—whether you can deliver the goods onstage consistently. Technology has evolved to a point where a musically-mediocre but computer-savvy musician can put out a decent-sounding record, but if that musician can’t convincingly perform live to promote that record his efforts are wasted,” Vertical Rush’s Wong says.

Thanks to places like Home Club, Wala Wala Café Bar, Timbre Music Bistro Bar (at The Substation, The Arts House and Old School) and Bar None, which will move into its new premises in St. James Power Station later this month. Bar None’s new music platform will showcase different bands and musicians nightly instead of resident bands. Last June, for example, Timbre @ The Substation organized “Rock the Sub”—an indie music festival—for the second year. Co-presented by The Substation, the event featured bands like Armchair Critic, Allura, Fishtank, Giants Must Fall, Heritage, Kevin Mathews & the Groovy People, Lunarin, Tiramisu, Vertical Rush, West Grand Boulevard, You and Whose Army? and Zero Sequence.

Home Club is seen to be the new place for the indie music scene here. The club has played host to a slew of album launches and gigs for bands like Johnny Shameless & His Minions, Nuance and West Grand Boulevard. “We (Home Club) are passionate about music. We want to provide an indiscriminate environment for people to explore different tastes. We think it important to host an array of events to diversify the scene here, and to act as a platform for the people who share our shared passion to be heard,” explains co-owner Roy Ng.

While there are many alternative platforms for local musicians to get themselves heard, nothing beats commercial airplay on radio and television. Local radio station, 987FM has always been supportive of the local music scene. 987FM’s weekly one-hour program every Saturday, 987Home, with presenters Chew Soo Wei and Rosalyn Lee showcases only local music, while its other programming will usually include a token local hit (usually from Electrico, The Great Spy Experiment, Plain Sunset or recently Vertical Rush).

But bands may not get time on the airwaves if their music doesn’t appeal to the ordinary Singaporean. It is a well-known fact that music with mass and commercial appeal gets much more time on the airwaves. However, Vertical Rush’s Wong lets on that there are various ways of increasing one’s airplay: “The easiest is to have ‘lobangs’ or contacts within the industry who can help service your music to radio station on your behalf, but I do believe that a determined and resourceful artist can still do it without any media contacts. Of course, your material has to be of broadcast quality, both technically and musically. No sense in trying to pitch sub-standard music to the radio
—a lousy song is a lousy song, no matter how you sell it,” he adds.

For musicians lamenting the paltry radio airtime for local music, a new radio station, albeit a DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) one, looks set to change things. Redistar, Rediffusion’s newest station launched September last year, aims to provide an even bigger platform for local musicians by playing local music regardless of popularity, language or music genre 24-hours a day.

“Anyone can be a star at Redistar,” exclaims Redistar’s Studio Director Gilbert Ong. “It was initiated by our CEO, Leong Kwok Seng, who saw the need for a constant platform to create more awareness of Singapore’s music and talent, with the aim of eventually showing the world what Singapore music is all about,” he adds. Music from musicians and bands like Concave Scream, Duxton Plains, composer/pianist Chester Tan and even The Analog Girl has gone on its digital airwaves. Artists and musicians based in Singapore are welcomed to send in their demos to Redistar.

But what has been buzzing in the indie music scene here is Channel 5’s latest TV show, Live ‘n’ Loaded. The show comprises live performances by some of Singapore’s biggest bands as well as new stars, all live on television. Each episode features two to three established acts (Electrico and The Great Spy Experiment appeared in its debut episode), as well as three undiscovered acts. There’s also a “Sonic Youth” segment which features young talent from schools.

“This is something that I’ve always advocated—putting Singaporean music on TV—and I’m really happy to finally see it happen. The concept of the show itself is great; the show is set up very much like a live gig, with a standing crowd, and proper sound and lighting. That sets the show apart from others like Singapore Idol and Live the Dream and gives it the credibility it deserves. I really think the producers and people behind the show really deserve a whole lot of credit—you can imagine just how difficult it must have been for them to convince the big execs to approve a show like this, but they did it,” says The Great Spy Experiment’s Idris of the show.

Dexter Ang, bassist of funk-pop act Sea Bed Sound, one of the three “undiscovered acts” on the debut episode is extremely thrilled about this new platform for local music. “It is definitely a big boost to the local music scene. We have seen a lot more support in recent years for local music, but having a live show on television just takes it to a new level,” he says. Industry observer Matthews is optimistic about the show and feels that it takes local bands into the living rooms of people who would never ever go to an indie gig. “Hopefully,” he says, “it will change opinions about local music so that more (young) people will make the effort to find out more about the local music scene.”

This self-proclaimed “Home of the Singapore Underground” has played host to a slew of indie bands and gigs. Friday nights are the preserve of the indie scene here, and usually there are gigs and album launches before Beat!, an indie-rock party with DJs Ginette Chittick, Joe Ng and George Chua taking the decks.

This mobile phone provider has always been supportive of local music and has been involved in the last couple of Baybeats. This program aims to promote fresh new home-grown music from around the region through the mobile phone. From the IAC website, Nokia owners can download up to 10 full tracks per month for free, and non-Nokia device owners can download up to five full tracks per month for free.

In the same vein as BBC radio Zane Low’s show, ROTA serves up 30-minute podcasts featuring local music and interviews with local bands on a fortnightly basis. The podcasts also feature the occasional independent foreign or touring international acts.

Get ready for Redistar, the only station that plays local music 24/7. Join DJs Victor Khoo, Vincent Lim and Friz on a journey that features sounds from bands like Electrico, Concave Scream, Rioting James and Duxton Plains. You have to subscribe to Rediffusion’s Digital Audio Broadcasting service for $11.67 a month, for which you will get a special DAB receiver box to access this and all of Redifussion’s 19 other stations.

This mom-and-pop store in the heart of Excelsior Shopping Centre has been around since 1962. It is one of the very few places in Singapore where indie musicians and labels can drop off their demos and albums for sale and distribution. It is also a favourite for club and bedroom DJs as it stocks a diverse catalogue of dance music and other obscure finds.

This stalwart of the indie music scene specializes in local, as well as foreign indie, reggae and alternative music. Started in 1995, Straits is also a record label that serves the hardcore punk scene here—it has put out CDs for local bands such as Cesspit, Plain Sunset and Force Vomit.

8008s SG

lol. so long..