My formative music years were in the '90s. Top 40s music was common ear fodder on the radio and being an angry young man (as we all were as teenagers), I took a shine to grunge as well. And uh, Vanilla Ice. Don't judge me, I was a teenager!!! Anyway, the '90s was also the era I grew up to appreciate local bands.

The '90s to me was sort of a golden age in terms of local content. Movies like Mee Pok Man, 12 Storeys were out and doing really well, TV programmes were half decent and there was quite a number of bands getting airplay on the radio. There was a groundswell of support for Singaporean entertainment by Singaporean. 

During my polytechnic days, I used to head to gigs at the Heeren or wherever to check out some of the bands that played, even if nobody else wanted to. You'd see familiar folks and it was cool, even if you didn't speak to one another. Everyone was there to have a good time to enjoy the music.

I remember staying up to catch "Say It With Music" so I can record some of the songs on a mixtape. Back then, radio played songs interrupted by people talking instead of how it is nowadays, where ads are played in between people talking, with some songs thrown in here and there.

There was Zach's Trax on Heart Radio 91.3 and I think Passion 99.5FM (before it became Lush) which had an hour devoted to local music. Force Vomit, Humpback Oak, The Padres, Lilac Saints, Stoned Revivals...my constant companions while studying at the time. One of the biggest news then was legendary BBC DJ, John Peel, playing Force Vomit and Astreal on his cult radio show.

When I heard news via Aging Youth about Universal Music Singapore's plan to release +65 Indie Underground, I was absolutely delighted. Firstly, being a poor student then, I didn't have the money to buy all the albums of the bands I listened to and second, all my mixtapes have grown moldy and perished after moving house a few times. It would be great to be reacquainted with the "oldies" that I grew up up.

This 3-CD, 50 song compilation travels 25 years back in time to showcase some of the early movers of the local indie scene, some current darlings as well as bands which you should be looking out for in future. We've actually interviewed Kheng from Universal to find out more about the reason for the compilation and what went into producing it. That interview is in our February issue out now. The compilation CD only costs about $19 at HMV so it's really good value for money. Support local! You can join their Facebook group too!

Listening to the anthology, I was blown away once more by the quality of music that we've had over the years. Honestly, it even exposed me to bands I never had the chance to see but had heard about. And it makes me wonder why we don't give our own musicians a fair chance. I truly believe that we have a lot of very talented men and women who are passionate about their craft. I don't think their love for music is any lesser than those overseas but I do hope they be given the chance to be heard as well and you might be surprised. 

Speaking of supporting local, one of our MH Woman, the diminutive Inch Chua, will be heading to the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Texas in March. It's one of the biggest music festivals around and it's held in conjunction with various industry conferences for film and the interactive field. It's a pretty big deal for Inch as she'll be sharing the stage with over 200, maybe more, bands from around the world (thankfully not all at the same time) and it'd be another chance to showcase Singaporean talent to the world. Previously, The Great Spy Experiment and I Am David Sparkle also performed at SXSW.

To help fund her journey to SXSW, a fundraiser is being held on February 5th at 15 Minutes Cafe. Acts performing include B-Quartet, Caracal, A Vacant Affair, Plainsunset and of course, Inch herself. Merchandise will be sold at the event to raise the money for her SXSW adventure so do support! Visit the Facebook event page if you need more details.

I hope the next Singapore indie compilation won't take another 25 years to create but in the meantime, I look forward to discovering more local bands and acts. I hope you will too.

Update: I just saw a Best of 90s compilation too! They might even have Vanilla Ice. Word to your mother.