4imaginaryboys is a deejay collective described as Bobby Gillespie with 2000 John Peel records at a secret disco party for punks in pumps. Following indie night residencies at Liquid Room's SoundBar and at Barbaablackchic, the Boys have been spotted behind the decks at Butter Factory, Cocco Latte, Q Bar, House and, Zouk's Flea & Easy. They are ARC, Cloudy J, 4Nik8r and Half Biscuit.
Playing stadiums and electrifying audiences are all in the days work for this Malaysian quintet. Comprising of Darren on vocal duties, resident beat-keeper Kevin, another Kevin on bass, Leonard on guitars and Danny on Violin. Amalgamating Metal with Hardcore, An Honest Mistake’s ability to throw in poppy choruses on tracks like ‘The Snake with Limbs’ ensures their place at Baybeats 2010 as a highly anticipated band to watch.
www.anhonestmistakeband.com
www.myspace.com/anhonestmistakeisemo
Formed in the year 2008, was the initial brain child of Alda. Using the powers of the internet, he was able to find Collin, and Aliff to form the band through Facebook! All he did was put up a status update that his looking to get a band together and the rest they say is history. The name Car Crash Hearts suggest on how their music should be, to wear their expression on the sleeve and not give a @!$ about what other people think. Whether you call it Rock or Punk, Car Crash Hearts also ensures that there’s always an element of funk in their music.
Having been part of the music world for a little less than a decade, Carlos loves doing things his way which is basically telling stories at his own pace. Drawing influences from names like John Mayer & Ray LaMontagne, he’s currently working on his first solo album (which will be released sometime this year) entitled City Light Soundtrack. Carlos’ songs like Conversation and the heartbroken favourite The Runaway has won him a multitude of hearts and audiences. So don’t miss the opportunity to catch this troubadour at Baybeats 2010.
Celina has held aspirations of becoming a successful singer-songwriter since weekly singing competitions at her grandmother’s when she was five years old. Armed with her 90s-style brand of music and her ability to translate the inspiration she receives from listening to an artiste into original songs, Celina hopes the experience of this showcase will bring her closer to her dreams. Celina was mentored by Kevin Mathews in TAP2010.
CHICOSCI (pronounced Chi-koh-psy) is an alternative rock band based in Manila, Philippines. Their sound has been classified under many sub-genres of rock, but rears more to pop-punk stylings. Not only have they played together with international acts like Fall Out Boy, good Charlotte & Glassjaw they’ve also continued to enjoy a successful run – including 5 major releases and several music awards (their songs Paris has stayed on the number 1 spot for more than 52 weeks & has been voted Song of The Year on Philippines’ only rock station, NU 107). As they say don’t believe the hype, come see for yourself the magic that is ChicoSci at Baybeats 2010.
www.myspace.com/chicoscikills
www.twitter.com/xchicoscix
www.chicosci.org
Comprising of Singer / Songwriter Cosmic Jane & Producer / Arranger Cosmic Ben, this electronic pop duo have been busying playing their trancey dance infused sounds at various clubs and festivals. Having been compared to bands like Depeche Mode & Evanescence, their tracks can be heard on the radio & their debut EP A Different View has set the scene abuzz with excitement. With a very unique perspective on the craft of song writing, Cosmic Jane says it best “If you just look and listen, people all around us are living through amazing situations, and at some level, we're all affected by one another's decisions, whether we know it or not.”
A singer / songwriter / producer with well over 6.2 million channel views on youtube, Los Angeles native David Choi is not only a man of many talents but also a star in the making. His songs have been used on MTV, NBC & E!, he was also chosen as a winner by David Bowie for a Mash-up contest a couple of years back & has appeared in USA Weekend Magazine together with Usher. So don’t miss this opportunity to get up close and personal with this youtube star as he belts out his hits like Won’t Even Start and That Girl.
de…connextor started out as a side project, grown from Bangkok-based indie band Revenge of the Cybermen. While the band is essentially a duo, they often perform with guest artists so every gig is slightly different. They sound like an electronic mis-mash of their influences Ladytron, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, M83 and The Horrors.
Created in 2006, Elektone has been busy guesting for notable visitors to Singapore shores such as Jens Lekman, DYKO, IGO, Goodnight Electric and Montag. Codenamed de_selecta, themes of the Elektone sound is intimately pegged to the love+hate/forgiveness+revenge equation. Coupled with their computer-aided manipulations, crying guitars, coaxing synthpads and a stable of beats, Elektone has progressively made significant changes to their ‘live’ setup to streamline their bedroom creations into forms of realism.
Fishtank’s unique punk-ska sensibility was fresh, immediate, weird and exquisite – a cacophony of melodic intricacy tempered by a quirky, childlike enthusiasm. 2001’s albums Souvenir Novelties & Party Tricks hurtled towards jaded, unsuspecting music fans at warp speed.
“This band is completely based, aesthetically and otherwise, on travelling, on absorbing places and regurgitating them in music.”
The juxtaposition of cold, metronomic, electronic beats, courtesy of Alexei Perry, with the jagged, dissonant and frail, broken or breaking, guitars of Dan Boeckner portray what it is to be a human being at the bottom of the 21st century. This confusion can be felt witnessing the pure, wholesome thrill of a band of musicians pouring their hearts out on stage. So come on & feel some sweet noise from Canada as The Handsome Furs makes their Baybeats debut!
Hugely popular with both musical hipsters, for the brilliance of their compositions and performances, and with rock and roll party animals, for their wild, out of control pop frenzy, Hedgehog’s music is approachable and unique. Percussionist and vocalist Atom (阿童木) is a tiny girl who just barely peeps over the top of her drum kit but who bangs out explosive rhythms like a monster possessed. Bassist Box (博宣), punches out the tight bass lines that hold the songs together while seeming lost in oblivion. Guitarist and vocalist ZO (子健) slashes out huge waves of chords while jumping, twirling, staggering and even falling over several times during his performances without letting up for the slightest pause.
Jon Auer is co-founder of the power pop band The Posies, along with Ken Stringfellow. Auer and Stringfellow have also been a part of the rejuvenated Big Star. Auer was a founding member member of Sky Cries Mary. As a solo artist, Auer has released an EP, 61/2 and a full-length record on the label Pattern25 called Songs from the Year of Our Demise. Auer is also a producer.
Their gritty, fast-played riffs and harsh gravelly vocals inspire, moshing and more. Hailing from China, this hardcore metal band has won itself enthusiastic response from their countrymen, fans in Asia and even online with their authentic playing and straight-forward set-up. Seasoned through ten years of performing live and more recently to audiences of 30,000, King Lychee will certainly show their royal rock roots when they descend upon the Esplanade Waterfront in Baybeats 2010.
"...Genuinely the most exciting thing we've heard in a long time."
- Trujillo, JUNK Magazine (Jan 2010)
With influences like The Clash, Sonic Youth & Pearl Jam you know you’re in for a visual & aural treat at Baybeats with the boys from Kyoto Protocol! Sounding like a more experimental Queens of the Stone Age, with Fuad on Guitar / Vocals, Gael on Vocals / Keyboards, Hairi on Guitar, Shakeil on Bass & Rashid on Drums, these raucous Malaysian rockers will add a whole new dimension Baybeats line up as well as the festivities.
No strangers to Baybeats nor the local music scene, three-man band Lunarin once again don the cloaks of their alter-egos, taking the stage in this year’s festival. Referring to their group as an “unholy trinity”, Linda, Kah Wye and Eng Teck have been performing together for some 15 years and have grown from their initial influences of Soundgarden and Alice In Chains to a more eclectic soundscape chanelling Tool, A Perfect Circle and Mastodon but with more feminine lyrical stylings reminiscent of Tori Amos and PJ Harvey.
Adding colour to their sound is this Hong Kong quartet’s specialty. Whether it’s indie pop or post rock you can rest assure that Chih (Guitar / Bass), Kenneth (Vocal / Guitar / Bass), Jimmy (Guitar / Bass) & Tony (Drums / Percussion) will paint a striking array of colors to add to the overall vibe of Baybeats! Modern Children have been wowing crowds with their positive sounds all over Asia (from Macau Flash 2008, NOTCH 2009 at China, Rockraiser 2009 to their solo concert at Kubrick).
www.modernchildren.net
www.myspace.com/modernchildrenmusic
www.facebook.com/modernchildren
Mixhell, the DJ duo comprising of Iggor Cavalera - previously of Brazilian seminal thrash metal band Sepultura – and his wife Laima Layton have never failed to wow audiences the world over with their head banging electro new rave sounds . Selling well over 15 million albums with Sepultura, Igor rose to fame with his primal & intense drumming skills. That was 25 years ago, now he not only DJs alongside Laima, he takes things to a new level by playing live drums during their sets. Catch Mixhell’s Singapore debut at Baybeats 2010 and experience a live set like never before!
Sacharrine sweet with a twist of spice, Prema Yin and her band promises to tease the Baybeats audiences with their pleasing tunes encompassing various music genres. From covers of popular songs to offerings from Prema’s own debut album, expect to hear a mix of blues, rock, soul and even some funk with a bit of Latin rhythms thrown in for good measure. Front-woman Prema is well-known in Malaysia in the club and lounge circuit as well as for winning a national singing competition Who Will Win Malaysian Topstar in 2004.
Like four high-priests, the band Rudra command enraptured metal fans with their surprisingly melodic genre of hardcore music they have christened as “Vedic Metal”. Since 1992, they have caught the attention and acclaim of international music critics and uncompromising metal fanatics. At first glance, audiences can already appreciate the polished technique and thoughtful melding of ethnic instruments with Western drums and guitars, but going deeper, one finds various elements of Indian mysticism through Sanskrit mantras or chants that are undeniably spiritual even against the backdrop of aggressive vocals.
A name that encapsulates the magic of electronic indie pop with a touch of bossanova and Disney soundtracks. Comprising of duo Joseph Saryuf & Anindita, they decided to form Santa Monica based on their similar taste in music as well as their love for analog sounds. With their positively received album Curiouser and Curiouser, they’ve played several high profile gigs with such luminaries such as Telefon Tel Aviv & The Whitest Boy Alive. Recently, Santamonica just got signed by JVC-Victor Japan, a testament to their passion and talent.
Suchness once ruled the airwaves in the mid-1990s when "Spellweaver" was voted Best Local Song by popular radio station 91.3 FM. Plans to record its full-length debut came to an abrupt halt when frontman Noel Yeo (Vocals/Guitar) left for studies overseas. Now the four-piece returns with its unique brand of energetic, guitar pop for one night only, fourteen years after its last performance.
This band jammed together on a lazy Sunday afternoon in 2009 and never looked back. What started out as a laidback chilling session for Camyl Besinga on vocals, Ryan Villena on guitars, and Dondi Virrey on samples and keys, became a giddy trip around Asia’s party circuit. Their potent mixture of new wave, rock, pop, and danceable, feel-good tunes are reminiscent of The Cure, New Order, and The Cardigans. With Techy Romantics in the line-up, there will be a definitely be a zone for the mellow in this year’s Baybeats weekend.
Formed in late 2001 as The Motives in urban polluted Jakarta, The Brandals are Edo Wallad on vocal, Bayu on Lead guitar, Tonny on Rythm guitar, Doddy on Bass and Rully Annash on Drums. They spent most of 2002 rehearsing and performing their own materials, as well as classic Rock n’ Roll standards from The Who, The Stones, Hendrix, Kinks, some Pistols and The Clash. Early 2003 saw Edo leaving the band but introducing Eka Annash (Rully's older brother) to the line-up. As the band gained more new fans in the subsequent years, their album sales rose to dramatic numbers of 35,000 copies nationwide in Indonesia.
Formed in Manila, Philippines in the last few quarters of 2007, The Camerawalls (with Clementine on Vocals/guitars and Law Santiago on bass) is known for creating sophisticated pop music. With a combination of jangly acoustic and elegantly driving electric guitars, they have succeeded in establishing a sound that will artfully give a nod to a variety of influences from the 60s to the 80s and beyond. The indie pop heritage of Clementine (formerly of Orange & Lemons) resonates throughout and reverberates excellence both musically and lyrically. The Camerawalls have since released their debut album Pocket Guide To The Otherworld on July 3, 2008 and a digital single called The Sight Of Love.
Thai-British band The Standards were formed in June 2007. They have since launched themselves to become one of the more recognisable indie bands in the Bangkok music scene. Ayu, Mc and Nit make up the Thai half of the band, while Matt Smith and Paul Smith complete the British half. They describe their music as somewhere between Kasabian, Blur and Chas n Dave!
With a line-up that hails like a who's who in the Singapore indie-rock scene, TypeWriter could easily be touted as an indie superband. The band owes its musical influences to the Pop-Underground movement which includes inspirational songwriters like Big Star, Weezer, Wilco, Guided By Voices, Aimee Mann and Elvis Costello.
