Cover photo courtesy of Findars, KL
Music. Sound. Noise.
[Originally published in MILK Magazine, Apr '15]
As the digital world expands exponentially, so too does its ability to transmute the art and musical realms, blending and morphing what were once clearly distinguishable labels and sub-genres into what should now be considered more appropriately, perhaps, gradients along a style spectrum. No musical genre exemplifies this more prominently than the field of ‘experimental electronic music’ (EEM). A relatively fledgling vocation within the Southeast Asian music scene, MILK gathered a few of its most prolific, highly talented practitioners from throughout the continent to compare EEM scenes across cities and muse over the fundamentally impalpable nature of the sound itself.
Bios:
Burmelange (Myanmar): We are an experimental collective from Yangon. Our music is a combination of experimental violins, guitars, household/found objects and a computer. We've been doing it since 2010.
Auttaratt (Thailand): Eight years ago I founded Delicate Decibels. Delicate allows experimental Thai or international acts to play at events in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. I also produce electronic music.
Lafidki (Cambodia): I played my first solo show in 2010 as Lafidki. I'm new in the music scene in Cambodia but I'm really motivated to promote more gigs and run a gallery/venue. I run my own music label, Steak Au Zoo records, and would like to release some artists from Cambodia. I want to stay experimental and play with sound as much as possible. I'm constantly looking for new constraints to play with, since I'm more of an experimenter than a partisan musician.
Suzy Sulaiman (Malaysia): I'm an art and media curator based in Kuala Lumpur. I like to call myself an 'active observer'. I’ve been interested in art for almost three years now.
Goh Lee Kwang (Malaysia): I am an audio-visual sound artist and the founder of Switch ON, a platform for electronic arts in Kuala Lumpur. I'm also the founder of Herbal, an experimental music label.
Bannai Roo (Malaysia): I'm the musical curator for Findars, a venue and platform for indie/experimental music practitioners in Kuala Lumpur. Findars in our own term means, ‘the unbounded cultivation of self-exploration in arts’. We’re represented by a group of local aspiring artists, graphics designers, photographers, filmmakers and musicians. We share strong passion for arts and independent music, both local and international. The main goal is to provide a platform to cultivate curatorial processes, creating broader social networks and providing a sanctuary for aspiring independent artists and musicians.
Acid Reef (Singapore): I've been playing music since 1992, self-taught with no music education background. I started practicing performance art in 2009, usually including sound in my performance but focusing more on the visual aspect.
Melissa Yong (Singapore): I’m a promoter. I put on shows in Singapore for relatively smaller bands and book bands in the region. Before doing shows, I ran OtherSounds, an editorial music website – news, features, interviews, photos, gig guide. But it burnt me out completely, so I’ve moved on. This is way more fun!
Doan Tri Minh (Vietnam): I am an electronic musician, music producer and promoter. I’m also director of an electronic music festival in Hanoi called Hanoi Sound Stuff Festival, which focuses on electronic and contemporary music in Hanoi. My music is divided: some is more experimental and the other is more modern dance music. I also like to blend Vietnamese traditional music and vibes to new music.
Eliza Lomas (Vietnam): I've been events manager and promoter at CAMA ATK, a music venue in Hanoi, for about a year. It's been open three years. It's an eclectic range of music – we support local DJs and bands, as well as bring a lot of international guests through. Not any specific music – just good music!
Bios:
Burmelange (Myanmar): We are an experimental collective from Yangon. Our music is a combination of experimental violins, guitars, household/found objects and a computer. We've been doing it since 2010.
Auttaratt (Thailand): Eight years ago I founded Delicate Decibels. Delicate allows experimental Thai or international acts to play at events in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. I also produce electronic music.
Lafidki (Cambodia): I played my first solo show in 2010 as Lafidki. I'm new in the music scene in Cambodia but I'm really motivated to promote more gigs and run a gallery/venue. I run my own music label, Steak Au Zoo records, and would like to release some artists from Cambodia. I want to stay experimental and play with sound as much as possible. I'm constantly looking for new constraints to play with, since I'm more of an experimenter than a partisan musician.
Suzy Sulaiman (Malaysia): I'm an art and media curator based in Kuala Lumpur. I like to call myself an 'active observer'. I’ve been interested in art for almost three years now.
Goh Lee Kwang (Malaysia): I am an audio-visual sound artist and the founder of Switch ON, a platform for electronic arts in Kuala Lumpur. I'm also the founder of Herbal, an experimental music label.
Bannai Roo (Malaysia): I'm the musical curator for Findars, a venue and platform for indie/experimental music practitioners in Kuala Lumpur. Findars in our own term means, ‘the unbounded cultivation of self-exploration in arts’. We’re represented by a group of local aspiring artists, graphics designers, photographers, filmmakers and musicians. We share strong passion for arts and independent music, both local and international. The main goal is to provide a platform to cultivate curatorial processes, creating broader social networks and providing a sanctuary for aspiring independent artists and musicians.
Acid Reef (Singapore): I've been playing music since 1992, self-taught with no music education background. I started practicing performance art in 2009, usually including sound in my performance but focusing more on the visual aspect.
Melissa Yong (Singapore): I’m a promoter. I put on shows in Singapore for relatively smaller bands and book bands in the region. Before doing shows, I ran OtherSounds, an editorial music website – news, features, interviews, photos, gig guide. But it burnt me out completely, so I’ve moved on. This is way more fun!
Doan Tri Minh (Vietnam): I am an electronic musician, music producer and promoter. I’m also director of an electronic music festival in Hanoi called Hanoi Sound Stuff Festival, which focuses on electronic and contemporary music in Hanoi. My music is divided: some is more experimental and the other is more modern dance music. I also like to blend Vietnamese traditional music and vibes to new music.
Eliza Lomas (Vietnam): I've been events manager and promoter at CAMA ATK, a music venue in Hanoi, for about a year. It's been open three years. It's an eclectic range of music – we support local DJs and bands, as well as bring a lot of international guests through. Not any specific music – just good music!
Often 'experimental' music is defined broadly, using terms such as 'improvisational', 'collaborative' and labelled frequently as 'sound art'. How would you define experimental electronic music?
Burmelange: Since it’s experimental, it can be anything. We all explore the limitlessness of the music…
Lafidki: Labelling music connects to questions of bureaucracy...Experimental electronic music is really wide in many aspects, from concrete music, electro-acoustic music, noise, power electronics...I don’t like these ideas of experimental music just being a ghettoised thing for fetishists and nerds. I want to allow space for different groups to overlap and interact.
Goh: To me, experimental music is about taking the challenge, breaking new grounds. One cannot repeat themselves or remain in the comfort zone. The label 'sound art' is questionable in SEA – most people don't know what it is. 'Experimental' also gives a lot of room to explore, not sticking to one style.
Tri Minh: As for me, experimental music is the way you experiment with different elements of music and sounds. You can make pop music sound very experimental too, not only 'noise' and stuff like that.
Bannai: The words 'underground' or 'alternative' is branded by the mainstream people – the people that don't understand what we are doing and don't intend to accept us.
Suzy: Each country, with its unique socio-political-economic context, develops a different pathway of expressions that morph into what we call the ‘experimental scene'. Of course, there are shared definitions, i.e. it comes from the stream of globalisation and has its roots in Dada movements. But the definition is never universal. Linguistic relativity is needed to make sense of such an ephemeral and non-tangible artistic practice.
What is the alternative arts/music festival scene like where you are based? Are you involved in any around SEA?
Auttaratt: Last year Delicate started EESE (Experimental Electronic South East), a festival with artists from around Asia and afar – Thailand, Hong Kong, Hanoi and even Switzerland. Delicate Decibels has other events every month. Our biggest event is in January called Motiva and there are many national and international artists that come up for it.
Suzy: I co-curated & co-produced both DA+C (Digital Art and Culture) Festival and Project Glocal. DA+C was a project that I co-produced. In the beginning, I wanted to challenge the conventional strategies of heritage architecture and public outreach awareness. We developed the project into a festival that presented art works that explored digital art as an instrument for heritage architecture awareness. Since no such artworks existed at the time (2010), we had to commission every art piece – from the interactive installations to the video mapping.
Project Glocal is a social experiment that involves artists from different cities in Asia. It started with Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore in 2011-2012. The idea is to subject these artists to situations or circumstances where they are to interact with their respective cities and with Project Glocal artists in other cities. Interactions are in the form of conversations and creating new collaborative works. The main agenda is to nurture a sense of kinship and to encourage the artists to form a lasting bond beyond their geo-political boundaries.
Tri Minh: When I started to learn about electronic music in Hanoi and have interactions with others like me, I recognised that we communities in Hanoi do not have a playground and interaction with international communities. Therefore, I, with some other musicians, created Hanoi Sound stuff Festival. It is a playground for us to show people what we have, and also a chance to get to know like-minded others. It started in 2009 after a trip in which I learned so much in England, Spain and Germany. I really wanted to introduce some good music to a Vietnamese audience and to have Vietnamese artists showcase their talents.
Burmelange: Since it’s experimental, it can be anything. We all explore the limitlessness of the music…
Lafidki: Labelling music connects to questions of bureaucracy...Experimental electronic music is really wide in many aspects, from concrete music, electro-acoustic music, noise, power electronics...I don’t like these ideas of experimental music just being a ghettoised thing for fetishists and nerds. I want to allow space for different groups to overlap and interact.
Goh: To me, experimental music is about taking the challenge, breaking new grounds. One cannot repeat themselves or remain in the comfort zone. The label 'sound art' is questionable in SEA – most people don't know what it is. 'Experimental' also gives a lot of room to explore, not sticking to one style.
Tri Minh: As for me, experimental music is the way you experiment with different elements of music and sounds. You can make pop music sound very experimental too, not only 'noise' and stuff like that.
Bannai: The words 'underground' or 'alternative' is branded by the mainstream people – the people that don't understand what we are doing and don't intend to accept us.
Suzy: Each country, with its unique socio-political-economic context, develops a different pathway of expressions that morph into what we call the ‘experimental scene'. Of course, there are shared definitions, i.e. it comes from the stream of globalisation and has its roots in Dada movements. But the definition is never universal. Linguistic relativity is needed to make sense of such an ephemeral and non-tangible artistic practice.
What is the alternative arts/music festival scene like where you are based? Are you involved in any around SEA?
Auttaratt: Last year Delicate started EESE (Experimental Electronic South East), a festival with artists from around Asia and afar – Thailand, Hong Kong, Hanoi and even Switzerland. Delicate Decibels has other events every month. Our biggest event is in January called Motiva and there are many national and international artists that come up for it.
Suzy: I co-curated & co-produced both DA+C (Digital Art and Culture) Festival and Project Glocal. DA+C was a project that I co-produced. In the beginning, I wanted to challenge the conventional strategies of heritage architecture and public outreach awareness. We developed the project into a festival that presented art works that explored digital art as an instrument for heritage architecture awareness. Since no such artworks existed at the time (2010), we had to commission every art piece – from the interactive installations to the video mapping.
Project Glocal is a social experiment that involves artists from different cities in Asia. It started with Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore in 2011-2012. The idea is to subject these artists to situations or circumstances where they are to interact with their respective cities and with Project Glocal artists in other cities. Interactions are in the form of conversations and creating new collaborative works. The main agenda is to nurture a sense of kinship and to encourage the artists to form a lasting bond beyond their geo-political boundaries.
Tri Minh: When I started to learn about electronic music in Hanoi and have interactions with others like me, I recognised that we communities in Hanoi do not have a playground and interaction with international communities. Therefore, I, with some other musicians, created Hanoi Sound stuff Festival. It is a playground for us to show people what we have, and also a chance to get to know like-minded others. It started in 2009 after a trip in which I learned so much in England, Spain and Germany. I really wanted to introduce some good music to a Vietnamese audience and to have Vietnamese artists showcase their talents.
It seems experimental music involves collaboration a lot more heavily than other electronic forms of music. What’s your favourite way to play – collaboratively or solo? Why?
Burmelange: We collaborate with each other. Sometimes only two of us make a piece. It’s livelier for us to work as a group.
Auttaratt: I definitely prefer to do it all alone. Sometimes I know when you play with other musicians it can add more colour, more combination and capturing of sounds, but you cannot control what happens. With experimental music you can’t really know the outcome, so when I come to perform [with other people] sometimes it can happen that it’s just not good, you know? I want to control the music. I want to get people straight up and say, “Yeh I can feel it!” But when you play with other people you cannot control that.
Lafidki: It’s a nice thing to do music with people, to let go of that ego and share with people… to learn – and I’ve learned everything through others. Having said that, the factors that lead me to solo music are extra-musical. I learnt that if I wanted to do things I needed to control everything and to rely only on myself, but I think playing music with friends is a beautiful thing to do, so I have many collaborations. But those are free in the sense that I have my thing as a primary project, and I don’t expect anything with collaborations. No expectation equals no frustration. And if you are frustrated with a project you do with other people then it becomes difficult.
Acid Reef: I think it’s a great practice. All artists are unique and having change in their collective is like mixing different colours, thus resulting in something new. My preference for collaborating or not changes from time to time, depending on the project and the sound required to produce. I don’t need to play if i don’t have to. Silence is as important.
So what exactly drew you to working with experimental music in particular?
Burmelange: One of our members, Ko Jue, was a visual and performance artist. The others were musicians. I (Darko C.) am a vocalist-guitarist of a band called Side Effect. I was practicing a little bit of performance art with Ko Jue and later on we decided to do some sound-art-like experimental music together.
Auttaratt: It’s about passion – I don’t have passion for fucking commercial music! In Thailand, a lot of people just like the music they see on television. But that’s just not my style. I can’t do that. In my house, I grew up listening to electro from the US and UK and really liked to listen to punk or occult music. Now I cannot reject things like this, because I still have a punk concept in my own work. That’s why I prefer to do experimental music, because I think experimental has a real element of that. It’s like a new post-punk movement.
So many Thai people listen to the same shit, like 'love songs', because they don’t know about or understand [alternative/experimental] music. For me, experimental music is about style, feeling. If you listen to my music you can hear the feeling in it, and I want to give you that feeling, like a gift. I want to put the passion in you by the noise I give you.
Lafidki: As a teenager I developed an ear for strange sounds and started exploring all these magical hidden histories. I used to play in several post-punk bands when I was a teenager. My roots are more punk and DIY. After more years passed, I was more attracted by weird sounds. I’m not looking to make some intellectual statement, nor to be ground-breaking. I want to stay experimental and play with sound as much as possible, but I also like melody and structure. The tension between patterns, repetition, self-imposed moronic rules and then the more chaotic, uncontrollable and 'free elements' is the essence of my music. I work with similar kind of dynamics when painting. It comes down to my observations of the world order. It is a very powerful tool in shaping or fine-tuning our everyday reality.
Suzy: My interest in the experimental 'scene' is mainly from the shared narratives it has with architecture, i.e. space, people and interaction, etc. Experimental arts and architecture share similar aesthetic vocabulary that centres on time, space and context. I appreciate it mainly from an architect’s viewpoint, actually.
Goh: I have no proper music training. I was into punk, grunge and slowly turned onto electronic in the '90s. I wrote about music for local zines and newspapers too. That actually helped a lot in the early stage because it made me think about what music is.
I went to art school after high school and from there I learnt a lot about experimental arts. Before I was fully involved in making experimental music, I was into the punk movement though. Listening to indie and grunge in the early days got me into experimental with guitar, alternate tuning, etc. I guess that DIY spirit is still in me.
Bannai: Findars started out as an art collective. We always wanted a physical space so that we could have more stuff to do. It's hard to rely on our art galleries or venues to provide a platform, since it involves money matters – experimental art/music doesn't make much money in Malaysia. Findars' first physical space started by the collectives' own pocket money. The second and third venues are the same.
Acid Reef: I just got tired of doing covers and standard verse, chorus, bridge arrangement.
Tri Minh: When I work with electronic music and experimental music, I find a way to express more of myself rather than through popular music.
Burmelange: We collaborate with each other. Sometimes only two of us make a piece. It’s livelier for us to work as a group.
Auttaratt: I definitely prefer to do it all alone. Sometimes I know when you play with other musicians it can add more colour, more combination and capturing of sounds, but you cannot control what happens. With experimental music you can’t really know the outcome, so when I come to perform [with other people] sometimes it can happen that it’s just not good, you know? I want to control the music. I want to get people straight up and say, “Yeh I can feel it!” But when you play with other people you cannot control that.
Lafidki: It’s a nice thing to do music with people, to let go of that ego and share with people… to learn – and I’ve learned everything through others. Having said that, the factors that lead me to solo music are extra-musical. I learnt that if I wanted to do things I needed to control everything and to rely only on myself, but I think playing music with friends is a beautiful thing to do, so I have many collaborations. But those are free in the sense that I have my thing as a primary project, and I don’t expect anything with collaborations. No expectation equals no frustration. And if you are frustrated with a project you do with other people then it becomes difficult.
Acid Reef: I think it’s a great practice. All artists are unique and having change in their collective is like mixing different colours, thus resulting in something new. My preference for collaborating or not changes from time to time, depending on the project and the sound required to produce. I don’t need to play if i don’t have to. Silence is as important.
So what exactly drew you to working with experimental music in particular?
Burmelange: One of our members, Ko Jue, was a visual and performance artist. The others were musicians. I (Darko C.) am a vocalist-guitarist of a band called Side Effect. I was practicing a little bit of performance art with Ko Jue and later on we decided to do some sound-art-like experimental music together.
Auttaratt: It’s about passion – I don’t have passion for fucking commercial music! In Thailand, a lot of people just like the music they see on television. But that’s just not my style. I can’t do that. In my house, I grew up listening to electro from the US and UK and really liked to listen to punk or occult music. Now I cannot reject things like this, because I still have a punk concept in my own work. That’s why I prefer to do experimental music, because I think experimental has a real element of that. It’s like a new post-punk movement.
So many Thai people listen to the same shit, like 'love songs', because they don’t know about or understand [alternative/experimental] music. For me, experimental music is about style, feeling. If you listen to my music you can hear the feeling in it, and I want to give you that feeling, like a gift. I want to put the passion in you by the noise I give you.
Lafidki: As a teenager I developed an ear for strange sounds and started exploring all these magical hidden histories. I used to play in several post-punk bands when I was a teenager. My roots are more punk and DIY. After more years passed, I was more attracted by weird sounds. I’m not looking to make some intellectual statement, nor to be ground-breaking. I want to stay experimental and play with sound as much as possible, but I also like melody and structure. The tension between patterns, repetition, self-imposed moronic rules and then the more chaotic, uncontrollable and 'free elements' is the essence of my music. I work with similar kind of dynamics when painting. It comes down to my observations of the world order. It is a very powerful tool in shaping or fine-tuning our everyday reality.
Suzy: My interest in the experimental 'scene' is mainly from the shared narratives it has with architecture, i.e. space, people and interaction, etc. Experimental arts and architecture share similar aesthetic vocabulary that centres on time, space and context. I appreciate it mainly from an architect’s viewpoint, actually.
Goh: I have no proper music training. I was into punk, grunge and slowly turned onto electronic in the '90s. I wrote about music for local zines and newspapers too. That actually helped a lot in the early stage because it made me think about what music is.
I went to art school after high school and from there I learnt a lot about experimental arts. Before I was fully involved in making experimental music, I was into the punk movement though. Listening to indie and grunge in the early days got me into experimental with guitar, alternate tuning, etc. I guess that DIY spirit is still in me.
Bannai: Findars started out as an art collective. We always wanted a physical space so that we could have more stuff to do. It's hard to rely on our art galleries or venues to provide a platform, since it involves money matters – experimental art/music doesn't make much money in Malaysia. Findars' first physical space started by the collectives' own pocket money. The second and third venues are the same.
Acid Reef: I just got tired of doing covers and standard verse, chorus, bridge arrangement.
Tri Minh: When I work with electronic music and experimental music, I find a way to express more of myself rather than through popular music.
What kind of musical scenes are most popular in your city currently? How do you think the experimental scene is generally received? Is promotion a significant factor in this?
Burmelange: There is no experimental electronic scene yet. We’ve only done a few shows at the art galleries, a studio and in a park! I guess it’s seen to be too weird but there are some people who are curious about it. You can’t play this kind of music at the bars in Yangon. There are some galleries and art spaces where you can perform it as a musical form of art though...
Auttaratt: Thai music is always pop-rock music. And people don’t care about different music or are interested in it. We have to do more events or get people to understand what we’re doing and what is different about it because every time we go to a new place people are still thinking that we are a pair of DJs…they don’t know how different live experimental electronic music is to just DJing. They don’t know how to appreciate live electronic or experimental music. Promotion helps a lot in this regard. That's why Delicate does workshops too. We have them at every festival about experimental music and what we’re doing, with Q & A so people can understand and appreciate what we do.
Lafidki: In Cambodia, experimental musicians can perform at Meta House, Phnom Penh, or Lotus Gallery in Battambang. There are not many venues though. It’s difficult to find promoters here – people are more focused on house, drum'n'bass or cover bands...too many cover bands here! (laughs). I'm glad to see a new scene growing up with hip hop here though. The scene is still really small in Cambodia, but the kids are motivated. Visual arts is growing as well. Everything should be connected for bigger events – it could be easier to bring more people to the shows.
Goh: Over this part of the world, using electronic devices is still something new – most musicians still prefer traditional instruments. Or even if they come to do electronic experimental music, conventional equipment such as effect pedals are still the most used. The 'laptop movement' was never really even here in Malaysia.
Bannai: Well, a cultural clash is perhaps one of the main problems of our art scene here in Malaysia. We are an Islamic country – the education system and social policy restrict the public to get easy access to alternative art/music. But with the easy internet access nowadays, the massive free flow of information does help us a lot in spreading our 'propaganda'... Internet is a big helper here. We wish more people would like and accept what we are doing, but it doesn't happen that way. It always stays in a small scene, just like anywhere in the world.
Acid Reef: We could use a little more support and love from Singapore audiences and listeners. Experimental music is not pop, so it doesn’t really bring in the crowd except for a few keen listeners. There are some venues where performers can DIY; it’s up to them how they want to promote.
Melissa: I don’t think it’s seen as 'too weird' or anything. I think if you come as far as being aware of these shows and these players (labels/collectives/venues, etc.) then you’re probably already pretty open to ‘alternative’ arts/music. I think it’s just a matter of how easy it is to get involved in it, and I don’t really see any of the players really making an effort to engage a wider audience here – it’s very much the audience seeking out the music. Currently, there is quite a bit happening in Singapore. But just like it is anywhere else in the world, it’s all very low-key and esoteric – not very accessible. You really have to seek it out.
Tri Minh: There are quite a few different groups of experimental artists in Hanoi and therefore the audience is also quite divided. But it is shaping up alright. It’s good to have different communities listening to different music. But the general population is still quite sceptical about experimental music. The good and the bad thing about experimental music in Vietnam is that we have actually lots of stuff going on…so slowly we find our own audience. There are not so many places that promote experimental music in Vietnam so it's not a big scene, but the audience is willing to seek out some new things.
Eliza: It's still very much in the beginner stages; not popular, but made aware of. But, to be fair, before this I lived in London, and even in a city like that, the experimental scenes are still minuscule and underground. I think it’s easy to romanticise experimental scenes in different countries, but really it will take a long time for it to be part of mainstream culture in a city.
Burmelange: There is no experimental electronic scene yet. We’ve only done a few shows at the art galleries, a studio and in a park! I guess it’s seen to be too weird but there are some people who are curious about it. You can’t play this kind of music at the bars in Yangon. There are some galleries and art spaces where you can perform it as a musical form of art though...
Auttaratt: Thai music is always pop-rock music. And people don’t care about different music or are interested in it. We have to do more events or get people to understand what we’re doing and what is different about it because every time we go to a new place people are still thinking that we are a pair of DJs…they don’t know how different live experimental electronic music is to just DJing. They don’t know how to appreciate live electronic or experimental music. Promotion helps a lot in this regard. That's why Delicate does workshops too. We have them at every festival about experimental music and what we’re doing, with Q & A so people can understand and appreciate what we do.
Lafidki: In Cambodia, experimental musicians can perform at Meta House, Phnom Penh, or Lotus Gallery in Battambang. There are not many venues though. It’s difficult to find promoters here – people are more focused on house, drum'n'bass or cover bands...too many cover bands here! (laughs). I'm glad to see a new scene growing up with hip hop here though. The scene is still really small in Cambodia, but the kids are motivated. Visual arts is growing as well. Everything should be connected for bigger events – it could be easier to bring more people to the shows.
Goh: Over this part of the world, using electronic devices is still something new – most musicians still prefer traditional instruments. Or even if they come to do electronic experimental music, conventional equipment such as effect pedals are still the most used. The 'laptop movement' was never really even here in Malaysia.
Bannai: Well, a cultural clash is perhaps one of the main problems of our art scene here in Malaysia. We are an Islamic country – the education system and social policy restrict the public to get easy access to alternative art/music. But with the easy internet access nowadays, the massive free flow of information does help us a lot in spreading our 'propaganda'... Internet is a big helper here. We wish more people would like and accept what we are doing, but it doesn't happen that way. It always stays in a small scene, just like anywhere in the world.
Acid Reef: We could use a little more support and love from Singapore audiences and listeners. Experimental music is not pop, so it doesn’t really bring in the crowd except for a few keen listeners. There are some venues where performers can DIY; it’s up to them how they want to promote.
Melissa: I don’t think it’s seen as 'too weird' or anything. I think if you come as far as being aware of these shows and these players (labels/collectives/venues, etc.) then you’re probably already pretty open to ‘alternative’ arts/music. I think it’s just a matter of how easy it is to get involved in it, and I don’t really see any of the players really making an effort to engage a wider audience here – it’s very much the audience seeking out the music. Currently, there is quite a bit happening in Singapore. But just like it is anywhere else in the world, it’s all very low-key and esoteric – not very accessible. You really have to seek it out.
Tri Minh: There are quite a few different groups of experimental artists in Hanoi and therefore the audience is also quite divided. But it is shaping up alright. It’s good to have different communities listening to different music. But the general population is still quite sceptical about experimental music. The good and the bad thing about experimental music in Vietnam is that we have actually lots of stuff going on…so slowly we find our own audience. There are not so many places that promote experimental music in Vietnam so it's not a big scene, but the audience is willing to seek out some new things.
Eliza: It's still very much in the beginner stages; not popular, but made aware of. But, to be fair, before this I lived in London, and even in a city like that, the experimental scenes are still minuscule and underground. I think it’s easy to romanticise experimental scenes in different countries, but really it will take a long time for it to be part of mainstream culture in a city.
How have you seen the scene change? Do you see future growth for this scene in your city/country?
Burmelange: If people see or hear this kind of stuff more and more, there would surely be a growth in the future. Myanmar is ready for all the new things.
Auttaratt: Yes, it's growing for sure. From one year to the next there are more good artists who come to play experimental music. It’s not a big scene but its growing. It's different between cities too. Chiang Mai is a very small city so the followers of electronic or experimental music would only be about 50 or 60 people. In Bangkok, it's much more – I think about 200-500, even 1000. In Bangkok it's different because there is a lot more happening there in general. Lots of good music and people are adapted to it. But in Chiang Mai it's literally just us who do something like this.
Lafidki (Cambodia): During the four years of the Khmer Rouge's rule, Cambodian culture and arts were one victim amongst many. The cultural and artistic traditions of the country were almost completely obliterated. Over 90% of artists and musicians were killed by the Khmer Rouge in the '70s, decimating a large proportion of the country's cultural arts. Whilst efforts exist to resurrect lost music from before that time, there is considerably less effort going into stimulating new Cambodian music.
The legacy of these events in contemporary Cambodia remains powerful and complex. In the cultural sector, the limited resources that are available for the arts are almost entirely directed towards the recovery of endangered traditional art forms – dance, sculpture and classical music. Whilst these endeavours are clearly vitally important, it also means that there are very few opportunities to explore connections between traditional culture and more experimental approaches to art and creativity.
Based on my experiences in Cambodia and my ongoing conversations with Cambodian cultural institutions, I believe there is a huge opportunity – and need – to explore how experimental arts can be fostered in Cambodia.
I'm sure Cambodians could be interested in experimental music - there are beats, lots of rhythms, percussion sounds of woodland origin and melodies of other colourful dimensions all shot through with fragments of harmonious delight. Shows can branch into both the art world and the music world, but mostly the human world.
I just want to focus on what seems like a more positive future, a better direction.
I hope one day every city has at least one alternative venue. There are so many bands that wouldn't exist without some venues. It just totally turns the whole assumed system of music-making and audience and money and survival and the reasons for doing all this on its head and reminds me that music is essentially about building and sustaining a community. I think the thing about Cambodia – and this goes for the art as well as the music – is that style or genre isn't really that important. Music is a way of bringing people together and it channels everything human, every part of life and every way of life. Music is a great connector.
Suzy: I think to evaluate an experimental arts scene based on its popularity and audience numbers wouldn’t do justice to either subjects. It’s kinda like being asked to find the circumference of beach ball with a flat plastic ruler. Not impossible, but not the best tool for the job either. We need to consider quantity audience vs. quality audience.
Yes, there’s a definite increase in the numbers of arts-based festivals in Malaysia, simply because the arts is now accepted as one of the country’s main income generators – a business sector that can add to Malaysia’s GDP. This can be seen in the many strategies and organizations aimed at nurturing Malaysia’s 'creative' industry, e.g. the Malaysian ministry for Art, Culture AND TOURISM are set under one department that give financial support to events promoters. In Malaysia, events, theme parks, festivals, etc., are seen as a lucrative business. 'Festival-goers' – consumers of entertainment – are the new target market for businessmen.
Considering popularity of experimental arts in terms of type of audience, I’d say it’s always the usual suspects. We have a few active practitioners, but without an ecosystem that supports it (producers, curators, writers, managers) it will be very difficult to nurture the local critical audience it needs. We don’t have a fertile ground to support experimental arts here. I don’t expect anything 'experimental' to attract thousands of people though. It’s not in in nature to be widely accepted. It’s more about attracting the 'right' people.
Goh: As far as I know, Southeast Asian experimental music is still hugely influenced by other 'mainstream' music.
Bannai: The experimental art/music does grow in Malaysia, but in a very slow speed. I think Findars has a bright future, as most overseas indie/experimental artists and musicians do love what we are doing.
Acid Reef: It hasn't grown dramatically but it’s not dead. I hope that there will be a future growth of this scene in Singapore but I am also prepared to be disappointed in this…
Melissa: Tastes are diversifying here in Singapore, as we become a more discerning audience overall – this is promising, exciting, as we start to see a wider range of people coming to shows. Experimental music and the experimental/electronic scene will always exist, regardless of current musical climate. They do their own thing – a good and a bad thing for growth, I guess?
Tri Minh: I can give you a concrete example from our festival. From the very first one in 2009, we only had about 700 people attending. In 2014, we had about 3000. So we are growing, but steadily, and I think it's good to be that way.
I think experimental music in Vietnam eventually will become popular but it will create another wave of experimental music going on underneath it. That's the way music has developed naturally so far and I think this is no different.
Eliza: I think there's been a growing awareness of this kind of music, but it's not necessarily enough to constitute an emerging scene. The art form is still very much underground. It's just good that there is a building awareness of the possibilities of music being created outside the boundaries of the mainstream. I see a slow growth, hopefully more young people chancing upon this music, or pushing their musical limits a bit more. Let's see what happens!
Burmelange: If people see or hear this kind of stuff more and more, there would surely be a growth in the future. Myanmar is ready for all the new things.
Auttaratt: Yes, it's growing for sure. From one year to the next there are more good artists who come to play experimental music. It’s not a big scene but its growing. It's different between cities too. Chiang Mai is a very small city so the followers of electronic or experimental music would only be about 50 or 60 people. In Bangkok, it's much more – I think about 200-500, even 1000. In Bangkok it's different because there is a lot more happening there in general. Lots of good music and people are adapted to it. But in Chiang Mai it's literally just us who do something like this.
Lafidki (Cambodia): During the four years of the Khmer Rouge's rule, Cambodian culture and arts were one victim amongst many. The cultural and artistic traditions of the country were almost completely obliterated. Over 90% of artists and musicians were killed by the Khmer Rouge in the '70s, decimating a large proportion of the country's cultural arts. Whilst efforts exist to resurrect lost music from before that time, there is considerably less effort going into stimulating new Cambodian music.
The legacy of these events in contemporary Cambodia remains powerful and complex. In the cultural sector, the limited resources that are available for the arts are almost entirely directed towards the recovery of endangered traditional art forms – dance, sculpture and classical music. Whilst these endeavours are clearly vitally important, it also means that there are very few opportunities to explore connections between traditional culture and more experimental approaches to art and creativity.
Based on my experiences in Cambodia and my ongoing conversations with Cambodian cultural institutions, I believe there is a huge opportunity – and need – to explore how experimental arts can be fostered in Cambodia.
I'm sure Cambodians could be interested in experimental music - there are beats, lots of rhythms, percussion sounds of woodland origin and melodies of other colourful dimensions all shot through with fragments of harmonious delight. Shows can branch into both the art world and the music world, but mostly the human world.
I just want to focus on what seems like a more positive future, a better direction.
I hope one day every city has at least one alternative venue. There are so many bands that wouldn't exist without some venues. It just totally turns the whole assumed system of music-making and audience and money and survival and the reasons for doing all this on its head and reminds me that music is essentially about building and sustaining a community. I think the thing about Cambodia – and this goes for the art as well as the music – is that style or genre isn't really that important. Music is a way of bringing people together and it channels everything human, every part of life and every way of life. Music is a great connector.
Suzy: I think to evaluate an experimental arts scene based on its popularity and audience numbers wouldn’t do justice to either subjects. It’s kinda like being asked to find the circumference of beach ball with a flat plastic ruler. Not impossible, but not the best tool for the job either. We need to consider quantity audience vs. quality audience.
Yes, there’s a definite increase in the numbers of arts-based festivals in Malaysia, simply because the arts is now accepted as one of the country’s main income generators – a business sector that can add to Malaysia’s GDP. This can be seen in the many strategies and organizations aimed at nurturing Malaysia’s 'creative' industry, e.g. the Malaysian ministry for Art, Culture AND TOURISM are set under one department that give financial support to events promoters. In Malaysia, events, theme parks, festivals, etc., are seen as a lucrative business. 'Festival-goers' – consumers of entertainment – are the new target market for businessmen.
Considering popularity of experimental arts in terms of type of audience, I’d say it’s always the usual suspects. We have a few active practitioners, but without an ecosystem that supports it (producers, curators, writers, managers) it will be very difficult to nurture the local critical audience it needs. We don’t have a fertile ground to support experimental arts here. I don’t expect anything 'experimental' to attract thousands of people though. It’s not in in nature to be widely accepted. It’s more about attracting the 'right' people.
Goh: As far as I know, Southeast Asian experimental music is still hugely influenced by other 'mainstream' music.
Bannai: The experimental art/music does grow in Malaysia, but in a very slow speed. I think Findars has a bright future, as most overseas indie/experimental artists and musicians do love what we are doing.
Acid Reef: It hasn't grown dramatically but it’s not dead. I hope that there will be a future growth of this scene in Singapore but I am also prepared to be disappointed in this…
Melissa: Tastes are diversifying here in Singapore, as we become a more discerning audience overall – this is promising, exciting, as we start to see a wider range of people coming to shows. Experimental music and the experimental/electronic scene will always exist, regardless of current musical climate. They do their own thing – a good and a bad thing for growth, I guess?
Tri Minh: I can give you a concrete example from our festival. From the very first one in 2009, we only had about 700 people attending. In 2014, we had about 3000. So we are growing, but steadily, and I think it's good to be that way.
I think experimental music in Vietnam eventually will become popular but it will create another wave of experimental music going on underneath it. That's the way music has developed naturally so far and I think this is no different.
Eliza: I think there's been a growing awareness of this kind of music, but it's not necessarily enough to constitute an emerging scene. The art form is still very much underground. It's just good that there is a building awareness of the possibilities of music being created outside the boundaries of the mainstream. I see a slow growth, hopefully more young people chancing upon this music, or pushing their musical limits a bit more. Let's see what happens!