SINGAPORE – When a mutual friend introduced Lesley Chew and Errol Tan at a music event years ago, little did they know they would one day become the DIY king and queen of local indie music. Both have been brought up in families that instilled the love of music in them when they were just wee toddlers. With a common interest, the engaged couple indulged in alternative and indie music voraciously, stacking up piles of vinyl records, paying pilgrimage to music festivals around the world and supporting the local music scene the best they could with their patronage.

Tired of being mere listeners and wanting to do more, the pair took the plunge two years ago (2007) and set up KittyWu Records, running on renegade passion and energy left over from their taxing day jobs.

“Errol and I decided that we wanted to do something more for the local music scene. We had no idea what we were doing at first but with the support and encouragement of friends, we’ve figured out what we want out of KittyWu Records!” says Lesley, 28, who works as an operations manager by day. “We believe in the music that our friends on the label make and we just want others to love it as much as we do.”

The label’s primary goal is to support local bands and get their music off of local shores. To date, the small label has secured a vast network of distribution channels in the US, UK, France, HK, Malaysia, Australia and Japan.

“We are genre based and tend to keep to instrumental rock, electronic pop and shoe-gaze,” explains Lesley. “Right now, we have I Am David Sparkle (IADS), Deepset, Amateur Takes Control and Amberhaze on board.”

It’s not easy being fiercely independent in Singapore with lack of funding and a small market that isn’t quite ready to embrace their own local music as of yet. Despite all odds, what inspires KittyWu Records is still only one thing – the indie spirit.

Errol, 33, whose day job is a creative director in a local ad agency, says “We take heart in the fact that, at one time, these big indie labels like Merge also started out as a ‘boyfriend and girlfriend team mailing CDs from their bedrooms.’ So we hope that KittyWu Records would one day also inspire others just as these labels have inspired us.”

“The indie spirit thrives on the community supporting it. As long as it’s fueled by the belief and the passion, ‘indie’ will always be the alternative to the mainstream. It’s a mindset and it’s about how you keep true to your art and having as much fun at the same time, doing it your own way,” says Errol.

On The Web: www.myspace.com/kittywurecords