UNDERGROUND MAINTENANCE WORKS MAINTAINING A SOUNDSCAPE OF RESISTANCE IN AN EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC FESTIVAL: LIVE LOOP ASIA YK218

Abstract

In 1999, the Singapore government announced its vision to develop the city state into a ‘Global Renaissance City’. This ambition set in motion the National Arts Council’s Renaissance City Plan, which saw the building of various arts and music infrastructure such as the Esplanade in 2002. However, these plans were met with much criticism who argued that this move for a seemingly vibrant city reflected the government’s economic ambitions, more than they are meant to develop the local arts scene. Moreover, tight regulations and controls were enforced on certain arts and musical practices.

By combining ideas of resistance, this essay argues that Live Loop Asia functions as an alternative soundscape that resists against the state’s enculturation of the arts and music. This paper utilises Arun Saldanha’s concept of ‘soundscapes’ to discuss the position of Live Loop Asia, an international experimental music festival, within the greater ecology of Singapore’s musical geography. In doing so, it reflects the agency of local musicians against a backdrop of a local soundscape that is hegemonically produced by the state. Specifically, this paper will also show how this alternative soundscape is being maintained to sustain itself and, in the process, cultivating a community of musicians both locally and abroad. This essay contributes to the existing literature of Singapore’s musical geography by providing a more nuanced understanding of subcultures vis-a-vis state-led initiatives. This is emphasised by showing how Live Loop Asia functions to develop and cultivate local music forms, so much so that it has gained traction among subcultural groups in Singapore as well as in Southeast Asia.