Indie music scene explained

An independent music scene is a localized independent music-oriented (or, more specifically, indie rock/indie pop-oriented) community of bands and their audiences. Local scenes can play a key role in musical history and lead to the development of influential genres; for example, no wave from New York City, United States; Madchester from Manchester, England; and grunge from Seattle.

Indie scenes are often created as a response to mainstream or popular music. These scenes are created in opposition of mainstream culture and music and often contribute to the formation of oppositional identities among individuals involved in the scene.[1]

Notable scenes

Asia

Japan

See main article: Japanese rock. The Japanese indie music scene began gaining mainstream success in the late 1990s with the so-called "indie boom".[2] Musicians involved with this scene, referred to as "individual producer-composers," included Haruomi Hosono, Oyamada Keigo (also known as Cornelius), and Oda Tetsuro. Cornelius pioneered an indie music movement called Shibuya-kei and released songs that gained international success, such as the Pizzicato Five.[3] Supercar's 1998 debut album, Three Out Change, has been described as having "almost foundational importance to 21st-century Japanese indie rock."

A Japanese protectionist licensing policy prevents indie music from being sold via major media distribution networks.[4] Indie records are only sold in small retail stores that import foreign records, which are not part of the industrial channels. This relegates Japanese indie music to the context of a global scene.[5]

Current Japanese indie bands include The Pillows,[6] Asian Kung-Fu Generation[7],Straightener,[8] Sakanaction, Acidman, fujifabric, and Beat Crusaders.

South Korea

See main article: Korean indie. The indie scene in South Korea is sometimes referred to as "K-Indie", a neologism derived from K-pop.[9] The center of the Korean indie scene is the Hongdae area.[10] Korean indie has gained international exposure via YouTube. Bands and artists include The RockTigers, 10cm, Yozo, Jang Jae-in, Jang Jae-in, Hyukoh, and Jannabi.

Thailand

See main article: Thai rock. Thai indie music began to gain prominence in the 1990s, led by Moderndog, which debuted under the independent label Bakery Music. This marked a significant turning point in the industry. Although the label was later acquired, indie music continued to grow steadily, with new artists and bands forging their unique paths in the scene .[11] Today, bands like Safeplanet and Yellow Fang have crafted distinctive sounds, such as indie pop and alternative, reflecting their artistic freedom. Their music has garnered international recognition. Additionally, Phum Viphurit, a renowned Thai indie artist, exemplifies global success in the indie folk and neo-soul genres. His hit song Lover Boy has gained worldwide popularity, celebrated for its soulful vocals and captivating storytelling [12] Bangkok remains a hub for indie music, with live performance venues such as Parking Toys and Play Yard, which actively support both domestic and international indie acts[13]

Malaysia

See main article: Malaysian rock. Malaysian indie music started in the mid-1980s with underground influences from Anglo-American sounds. Bands like OAG and Butterfingers led the way, with Butterfingers’ Selamat Tinggal Dunia blending Malay traditions with modern rock. The late 1990s saw growth with bands like Hujan, whose Pagi Yang Gelap became iconic, and Yuna, who gained international fame [14] In recent years, bands like Bunkface and Kugiran Masdo have expanded the scene with punk and retro pop styles. Babychair[15], formed during the pandemic, brings dream pop and city pop influences, adding soothing, nostalgic vibes to the growing indie scene [16]

Taiwan

See main article: Music of Taiwan. Taiwanese indie music emerged in the 1980s, influenced by political and cultural shifts during the martial law era. Early movements, like "New Taiwanese Song," blended traditional elements with Western rock and folk. In the 1990s, labels like Crystal Records and events such as the Taipei New Music Festival helped indie music gain traction.By the 2000s, artists like Cheer Chen and Sodagreen achieved widespread success, inspiring a new generation of indie musicians. Today, the scene is supported by initiatives like the Golden Indie Music Awards and venues such as The Wall, making Taiwan a hub for unique, independent sounds [17] [18]

Indonesia

See main article: Music of Indonesia. Indonesian indie music emerged in the 1990s, rooted in underground scenes in cities like Bandung and Jakarta. Bands like Puppen, Pure Saturday, and Koil were pioneers, heavily influenced by grunge, punk, and Britpop, reflecting a DIY ethos. The establishment of platforms like Ripple Magazine and small indie labels allowed the scene to thrive and gain visibility.By the 2000s, indie bands like Mocca and White Shoes & The Couples Company gained international recognition for their unique styles blending local influences with global genres. Mocca, for instance, drew on jazz and retro pop, while White Shoes embraced '70s film music aesthetics. The label Aksara Records became a cornerstone of the scene, producing successful compilations like Jakarta Sekarang and soundtracks for films that spotlighted indie music talent.Today, the indie music landscape in Indonesia is vibrant and diverse. Bands like Payung Teduh and Silampukau reflect folk influences, while acts such as The Adams and Goodnight Electric bring alternative and electronic flavors to the scene. Urban hubs like Jakarta and Bandung continue to serve as cultural epicenters, hosting gigs and nurturing new talent [19] [20] [21]

Australasia

Australia

New Zealand

North America

Canada

United States

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the birth of a punk rock-inspired independent music scene in Washington which became influential around the United States, with bands such as Bad Brains, Embrace, Rites of Spring, Henry Rollins and Black Flag, and hardcore punk bands Teen Idles and Minor Threat, members of which founded independent label Dischord Records. The first wave of D.C. independent musicians gradually moved on to developing post-hardcore styles. Members of different Dischord bands formed Fugazi, a prototypical independent band. By the 1990s, Dischord bands such as Shudder to Think began to receive mainstream attention and some signed with major labels

The Black Keys, a blues rock band from the city, have had a strong influence on Akron's garage rock scene. Garage rock/blues rock indie bands have been signed to various independent labels in the Highland Square area.

Europe

Hungary

See main article: Budapest indie music scene. The Hungarian indie scene is mainly active in the capital city, Budapest. In the early 2000s, Hungary's indie revival included Ligeti's The Puzzle from Kaposvár. In 2006 Amber Smith's album RePRINT was released by the German label Kalinkaland Records. In 2007, The Moog's Sold for Tomorrow was released by the US label MuSick Records. Other indie bands include EZ Basic, The KOLIN, Supersonic, The Poster Boy and Dawnstar.

Sweden

See main article: Swedish Indie Pop. A number of Swedish indie musicians have become famous internationally, mostly singing in English. The Cardigans gained early success in the mid-1990s. Some notable acts include: The Sounds, Lykke Li, Robyn, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Hives, Eskobar, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Kent, First Aid Kit, Air France, Jens Lekman, The Knife, Shout Out Louds, The Radio Dept., Fever Ray, The Tough Alliance, and Life on Earth.

United Kingdom

Notes and References

  1. Kruse. Holly. Subcultural identity in alternative music culture. Popular Music. 1993. 12/1. 33–41. 10.1017/s026114300000533x. 54917938 .
  2. Billboard. 9 September 2000. Japan: The Billboard Spotlight. Billboard. 112(No. 37). 65, 69.
  3. Book: Stevens, Carolyn. Japanese Popular Music: Culture, Authenticity, and Power. Routledge. 2008. 9780415380577. London. 89.
  4. Book: Novak, David. Japanoise: Music at the Edge of Circulation. Duke University Press. 2013. 9780822353928. Mountain View, CA. 131.
  5. Novak, p. 131.
  6. Web site: Luster . Joseph . 2022-09-27 . INTERVIEW: the pillows on 30 Years of Music, FLCL and the Impact of Overseas Fans . 2024-08-20 . Otaku USA Magazine . en-US.
  7. Web site: NBT . 2015-10-29 . Interview with ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION . 2024-08-20 . JROCK NEWS . en-US.
  8. Web site: Spotify . 2024-08-20 . open.spotify.com.
  9. Web site: Kang . Haeryun . 13 July 2020 . Korean Pop, Away From The Hit Factories . 5 January 2024 . NPR Music.
  10. Shin . Hyunjoon . 2011 . The success of hopelessness: the evolution of Korean indie music . Perfect Beat . en . 12 . 2 . 147–165 . 10.1558/prbt.v12i2.147 . 1836-0343.
  11. https://www.christinebedenis.co/2014/05/09/thai-music-6/,https://bk.asia-city.com/nightlife/news/indie-music-revolution
  12. https://www.christinebedenis.co/2014/05/09/thai-music-6/, https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/11-thai-indie-acts-to-check-out-featuring-safeplanet-tilly-birds-polycat-anatomy-rabbit-and-more
  13. https://bk.asia-city.com/nightlife/news/indie-music-revolution, https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/11-thai-indie-acts-to-check-out-featuring-safeplanet-tilly-birds-polycat-anatomy-rabbit-and-more
  14. https://www.thetoptens.com/music/best-malaysian-indie-bands/
  15. https://axeanfestival.com/profile/babychair/
  16. https://thesun.my/style-life/freedom-through-music-AD9423301
  17. https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/wyntk-what-you-need-to-know-the-rise-of-taiwan-indie-music
  18. https://www.indiachinainstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Scaglione-Dante_Taiwanese-Indie-Music_-Charting-The-Growth-of-The-New-Wave.docx.pdf
  19. https://www.vice.com/en/article/guide-indonesian-indie-music-playlists/
  20. https://issuu.com/ragilsatria/docs/iim_small
  21. https://www.insideindonesia.org/archive/articles/the-indie-takeover
  22. Web site: user_master . 2020-09-03 . The story of Melbourne's Little Band Scene told through five iconic groups . 2024-08-20 . Mixdown Magazine . en-AU.
  23. Web site: Bones Hillman's bass was exemplary but his vocals were intrinsic to Midnight Oil's sound. 9 November 2020. The Guardian.
  24. Web site: Zwines and The Idle Idols - The Fiona Clark images - AudioCulture. www.audioculture.co.nz.
  25. Web site: AK79 - Short Haired Rock'n'Roll in the Queen City - AudioCulture. www.audioculture.co.nz.
  26. Web site: Punk it Up: A gathering of Kiwi punk clans. 9 March 2019. Stuff.
  27. Web site: I WAS A RABBIT: Photography of Zwines & the Auckland punk scene, AK 78/79. Elsewhere by Graham Reid. 5 October 2016 .
  28. Staff, Bryan & Ashley, Sheran (2002) For the record: A history of the recording industry in New Zealand. Auckland: David Bateman. . p. 144.
  29. Web site: Vozick-Levinson . Simon . 2019-04-25 . Broken Social Scene Are Back for Good . 2024-08-20 . Rolling Stone . en-US.
  30. Web site: 3-Day Athens Alternative Music Getaway . 2024-08-21 . Explore Georgia . en.
  31. Web site: Merge Records and the Explosion of American Indie Rock . 2024-08-21 . Columbia Magazine . en.
  32. Web site: Earlimart: Steering Silver Lake's ship . 22 December 2008 . John . Zeiss . 11 September 2007 . Prefix Magazine .
  33. Web site: The Watson Twins Display their Southern Manners . 22 December 2008 . Dicks . Brett Leigh . 28 September 2006 . Faster Louder . https://web.archive.org/web/20141026195915/http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/features/6223/ . 26 October 2014 . dead .
  34. Web site: CHIRP Radio From the Chicago Independent Radio Project. The Chicago Independent Radio Project. 26 October 2014.
  35. Web site: The Noise From Brooklyn. https://web.archive.org/web/20090104144617/http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/202944/the-noise-from-brooklyn.jhtml#id=1579482. dead. 4 January 2009. mtv.com. 26 October 2014.
  36. Web site: Hippo Campus. First Avenue. 16 December 2018.
  37. Web site: Clark . Taylor . Why Portland is America's indie rock Mecca. By Taylor Clark Slate Magazine . Slate.com . 11 September 2007 . 8 September 2010.
  38. Web site: Discover Portland's Music Scene : World Cafe . NPR . 2012-03-13 . 2016-09-09.
  39. Web site: Tom Breihan . News in Brief: Local Community Radio Act, Systems Officer, Arrington de Dionyso, SOY Festival . Pitchfork . 2009-10-14 . 2016-09-09.
  40. Web site: Interview - Peaches - Music | thevine.com.au . 2009-12-11 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090912172130/http://www.thevine.com.au/music/articles/interview-_-peaches.aspx . 12 September 2009 . dmy .
  41. Web site: Interviews. Pitchfork. 24 September 2007 . 26 October 2014.
  42. Web site: City Slang Records. City Slang, Berlin, Germany. City Slang. 26 October 2014.
  43. Web site: Pitchfork Curates a Stage at Primavera Sound Festival!. Pitchfork. 13 January 2009 . 26 October 2014.
  44. Web site: IndieLondon: North by North West: Liverpool & Manchester from Punk to Post-Punk & Beyond 1976-1983 - Compiled by Paul Morley - Your London Reviews . 9 December 2020 . 3 May 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080503051447/http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Music-Review/north-by-north-west-liverpool-manchester-from-punk-to-post-punk-beyond-1976-1983-compiled-by-paul-morley . dead .
  45. Web site: Gourlay. Dom. Surviving the underground: DiS meets Vinita Joshi of Rocket Girl Records. Drowned in Sound. 11 September 2012. 3 September 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120903102109/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4141848-surviving-the-underground--dis-meets-vinita-joshi-of-rocket-girl-records. dead.
  46. Harris, John. Britpop!: Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock. Da Capo Press, 2004. Pg. 202.
  47. Web site: Don't look back: 10 moments in Camden's Britpop history. Harriet. Orrell. 29 April 2014. Hampstead Highgate Express.
  48. Web site: Meet The Inhabitants Of Eel Pie Island. 28 July 2017. Londonist.
  49. Web site: Eight Terms You'll Know If You Read NME In The Noughties. . 5 September 2016.
  50. Web site: Looking back on Jamie T's 'Panic Prevention' | Features. diymag.com. 15 November 2017 .
  51. Web site: Cosmic Scousers: A Mind Map of Liverpool's Psychedelic connections - Ilid Williams - Graphic Design. cargocollective.com.
  52. Web site: Howie Payne on The Stands, the cosmic Scouse legacy and how Spotify is helping the music well of knowledge. 14 September 2017.
  53. Web site: Cosmic Scousers. Issuu. 19 February 2017 .
  54. Web site: The Coral - The Coral (Deltasonic/Sony). Manchester Evening. News. 17 February 2007. Manchester Evening News.
  55. Web site: The Coral : Nightfreaks And The Sons Of Becker. . 12 September 2005.
  56. Web site: Cult Liverpool acts join forces for tour that starts in Leeds. www.spenboroughguardian.co.uk. 15 April 2017 .
  57. Web site: Liverpool Psych Fest Tour Dates & Tickets. Stereoboard.com.
  58. Web site: May events: Open your mind at the International Festival of Psychedelia. Melissa. Brobby. 13 March 2017. VisitEngland.
  59. Web site: Liverpool Psych Fest | Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia. www.liverpoolpsychfest.com.