Download lyric wallpapers for your desktop!

“A friend once told me this: ‘The difference between a good and a lousy band is the ability to adapt to the situation and make something out of it’,” explains Gerald. In a small, confined place, there’s no “third wall” .

TANG TING 27
Shanghai
Photographer
∎ As a photographer, what kind of work do you do?
I take some photos for magazines and commercials. I’ve also been covering indie music in China.
∎ Where does you photo inspiration come from?
My inspiration mainly comes from movies, novels and other artists. Only by communicating more with other artists can I open my [...]

We danced, we watched, and we made art out of the mess. This is Hongdae, where the people make this scene special.

Some of Asia’s most exciting independent bands tell us about the indie scenes in the cities they call home.

For Roland, it is a combination of love and passion for the art of producing/sound engineering that fuels his quest of doing music full-time. “Music is an expression of my personality and soul. The main driving factor for me is to produce albums that people will enjoy and talk about for the rest of their lives. Knowing that I’ve made a change or given people the belief to follow their dreams and passion for music is definitely an added bonus.”

Gulou (Drum Tower) is located at the northern end of the central axis in Beijing, where ancient Beijing residents told time and arranged life according to its sounds. Hundreds of years later, Gulou no longer sounds, but the streets along its eastward red wall have become the central artery of the Beijing indie music scene.

Download ringtones of the bands featured on this site.

In Hongdae the indie scene is anywhere you want it to be. Hanging out, making music, relaxing, partying all blend into one state of creative being that is happening everywhere. From the bathroom to the rooftop; it’s not about where you are it’s about what you make it.

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.

Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok, has one of the largest pedestrian flows in Hong Kong. An indie show held downtown is rare. Indie shows are usually considered to be underground parties for a minority, but today it’s moved to a busy street. Strong rhythms and sensitive musical themes have attracted many of the people passing through to stop and watch, to see what the young people are doing. On a hot summer evening watching the performers dancing, the audience begins to move along to the music.

For Patrick Chng – the founder and frontman of The Oddfellows, a Singapore-based band widely revered as the music pioneer who revived mainstream interest in local original music in the late 80’s and inspired different waves of bands in the last 20 years; it’s about the “heart” more than the technique.