Singapore’s underground music magic makers

PUBLISHED August 8th, 2012 10:25 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:34 pm

At times, the music scene in Singapore can be a little bit frustrating. While other arts have been developing at breakneck speed, music can feel like it’s wading through glue. Sadly dominated by top 20 lovers (we have our commercial radio stations here to thank for that), pretentious or bad taste clubs and DJs who  wouldn’t know vinyl if it slapped them in the face playing pre-queued playlists, there is however a glimmer of hope. Because those in the know will know that there are certain music scenesters who are responsible for putting on the best music nights – the REAL music nights – in Singapore. These nights are all about the music and nothing to do with rinsing out your wallet, so if you have been hanging out in soulless places churning out Top 20 or Benny Benassi then it’s time to wake up and listen to some real underground music sounds, courtesy of the soundhounds below.

Pushin’On

At the heart of Pushin’On are DJ Shellsuit, DJ Chunk, DJ Code and MC Masterpiece and together they are responsible for the longest-running, independently promoted funk night in Singapore – which goes under the same name of Pushin’On. Since 2006, this explosive collaboration has rocked bars, clubs and festivals worldwide, performing as a dynamic ‘live’ act, combining funk, disco, boogie and hip hop breaks with ‘live’ vocals, synth and percussion. If you’re wondering where all the cool people in Singapore hang out then look no further than anything put on by these guys.

For more information about their next gig, see here.

Mugic Soundsystem

Fed up with what was happening on the music scene, three years ago four – now five – lads by the names of Mislav, Kentaro, Davoman, Ulysses and Dang started up Mugic Soundsystem. From its humble beginnings with a mission to bring people together, make friends, make merry and all under the banner of good music, these guys have developed a loyal following of people who know that whatever happened on a Mugic night, you were sure to have a damn good time, hear some awesome sounds as part of that, and more than likely make a few friends along the way.

Expect to hear every kind of music at their nights – from psychedelic rock, disco, techno and everything in between – because the Mugic nights are all about fusion music not genre, and about digging out and sharing classics and future classics. Exciting plans are afoot at Mugic so watch this space. Their tagline is “Come as strangers, leave as friends”, a pretty sweet deal in our opinion.

For more information on their next gig, see here.

Rockstar Collective

If you’re looking for the indie and alternative music scene veterans, look no further than Amir Kadir and Razi Razak who have been championing local talents and organizing gigs as long as they can remember. There aren’t many platforms for Singapore’s up and coming music talents but I-den-ti-te at Home Club is one of them and these are the guys that make it happen.

Bringing together different genres of local bands under a platform to escalate new and young talents, the Rockstar Collective gets  busy hunting out local talent and banging the drum for them young and proud. From the roots of Punk and Hardcore or the progression of Post rock and IDM, to the commercial Pop or swinging beats of Jazz, the I-den-ti-te nights are where dreams begin and local rising stars including Obedient Wives Club, Pleasantry are among many others that have been discovered.  Plans are afoot take this platform of discovery to a new level so stay tuned for more.

I-den-ti-te happens nearly every Friday at Home Club and entry is $12 inclusive of drinks and entry to Beat.

Syndicate

Talk to anyone about the makers of the underground music scene in Singapore, and it’s not long before they mention Syndicate. The Syndicate Crew is made up of Brandon Tay, Cherry Chan, Darren Dubwise, Izaak Stern, Kiat, Max Lane, Rafi Dean and Sammy Panamuga. Syndicate are known as Singapore’s revoluntionary audio-visual collective and those familiar with them know that they can expect an awesome blend of electronica beats and audio experimentation and cool visuals from them at one of their nights.

Syndicate set out from their beginnings at their monthly club night at the now defunct Home Club to challenge and redefine the club experience by deconstructing and reassembling sound concepts and visual ideas with live peformances and installations in a whole variety of spaces and contexts. More recently, they’re doing a lot of joint sessions with overseas music makers such as Mike Gao (L.A) and Sauce 81 (Japan).

For more information about their next gig, see here.

KiloWatt Soundsystem

The newest of the bunch having been founded this year, KiloWatt Soundsystem brings together friends of different backgrounds to collaborate on fun and offbeat events. Hailing from Mexico, France, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom, its main members are all involved in various audio-visual projects around the island; from alternative radio shows to guerrilla street parties, they’re all devoted to bringing groovy and bass-heavy sounds to laidback party-goers. The diversity of its members is reflected in the music – expect everything from cumbia, salsa, mambo, samba, bossa, Balkan music, hip-hop, funk, soul, boogie, disco, breakbeats, reggae, ragga, dub, jungle, drum n’ bass, electro, and minimal techno and general awesomeness.

For more information about these underground music makers next gig, see their Facebook Page here.