A decade on
A pursuit in electronic music & media arts
2016 marks a decade since I started promoting electronic music in 2006. Back in an unused attic of a small cafe called Kaki 5, I started Silentt with the hopes to have “electronic music” artists a platform to share their music. There wasn’t much opportunities previously to hear music that was born out of genuine curiosity through experimentation with technology. I gathered some of my best mates together and we took a chance at our first gig.
“Everything we do is music” — John Cage
I became fascinated by it and what started purely to share electronic music, it became my only drive to do something that I really was passionate about. From music gigs to art exhibitions, I moved across different projects across electronic music and “new media” arts. I’ve never hold a full time job then because I believe that someday this project can make me a decent living. That was the only thing I knew. That was the only thing I did.
Silentt became 433, inspired by John Cage’s piece which highlights what I believe is the essence of music, silence. The whole universe is a musical instrument strung by everything that live in it. However, that didn’t stay long and soon after, I renamed it to Perspektif. Although the name kept changing, what I stood for didn’t. It has always been to let electronic music be heard by creating opportunities to share them. I didn’t had a plan on how it would pan out but my goal then was only to make each project come to life.
Since then, electronic music has evolved. Previously, I simply define the use of technology in the music making process as electronic music. It isn’t bounded by any genre and that is what fuel my motivation for each gig with the opportunity to experience their work live. Now, technology has enable artists to create works that is beyond musical constraints. The community was small and staying together was the only way we knew to keep the scene alive.
Today, great genre-defying music are made popular with the mainstream media catching up on it. Together with the coverage it got, the independent music scene grew massively to only became more saturated and commoditised. Sponsors flock in to put their name on gigs in support of creative community. While it did help artists have more platforms to share their music, we lost the heart of the true music community.
If everyone is already taken, then who will be you?
We then started Bootlg to start host our gigs at unusual spots in the city, free from sponsors. Techno was our music and DIY was the modus operandi. Besides Dualtone’s EP CD release and the Cityscapes publication with Silentt and Perspektif respectively, we wanted to launch a label again to release music under B on vinyls. Unfortunately, that did pan out as we expected as our production was placed on hold since we were unable to commit to paying it. I wouldn’t say its impossible but it was challenging. I sincerely salute those who manage to produce vinyl releases to Asia.
When Bootlg became B, I got sick of having an imprint or a name to lead these projects. I wanted it to be as obsolete as possible. I didn’t want to join in the hypocrisy in order to make things work. Maybe the last few years of trying to have a brand annoys me while I caved in to joining back to the corporate jungle.
10 years on, I reflected on this journey and while sustaining these pursuit was tough, I knew exactly what I was in for. Most times we will be covering our losses, only to be excited by the next artist we’re hosting. We were crazily overoptimistic as we gambled our luck even when the numbers didn’t add up well. We never broke even but no one really cared how we made it, just as long they get to see their favourite artists live on stage.
I am fortunate to fail earlier and take the journey as a learning experience. Although money was never our goal, we need money to keep our pursuits afloat. It sure was tough love but those who were really into it knew that the satisfaction wasn’t from the profits or recognition but the joy in coming together and making it happen.
Thank you for the epic memories together!
Stormfield, Clash the Disko Kids, Electro Killer Corps, DJ Marin, Softer, Souldelay, Mylean Sheath, Deicoz, Dean & Kaye, Dyko, Frontline Soundsystem, Elektone, The Karl Maka, Plus Nueva, Breakbeat Theory, Kulturkampf, wyxmm, Amberhaze, Airfields, Ikuma, uan, Sonicbrat, Jodi Rose, Micheal Fakesch, taprik Sweezee, Randolf Arriola, Eswandy Sarip, Johnson Zhang, Mark Wong, Mux, Kamal Lufti, Mix Architekt, Andy Rigby, Pollux #13, Thomer Surria, Perc, Headline, Loopinmotion, Tommy Four Seven, EBE02, Sirhindi, Barals, Yadin, Oscar Mulero, Kavan, Irfan Kamal, WXIV, Gerald Ang, Cdrik, Dualtone, Decrypt, Mxndkrft, Awool, Fauxe, Imr/n, Zero The Memory Thief, Sarah Cheng De Winne, Oake
