Festival
Forget the visual spectacle and the experience of Laneway, let’s talk about talent.
Year in, year out, the most dependable mainstay on our music festival calendars is Laneway Singapore. This year marks the seventh year that Laneway has hit our shores, a hip coffee-laced export out of Melbourne. It has brought big-names like Alt-J, The 1975 and Chvrches, along with breakout acts that proved their taste-making way ahead of the fore (here’s looking at you, Cashmere Cat!) – but has it missed its mark this year?
The announcement of this year’s line-up seemed to be a let-down for the fans whose heart had a huge gaping hole for the return of Frank Ocean. We all know Glass Animals, sure, but who else are we supposed to be excited about again? The lack of typically mainstream acts stirring the supposedly-indie music loving community in Singapore… can you hear the irony ringing?
We say, hold up everyone. Let’s give you a few reasons why Laneway 2017 is worth attending more than ever, just music-wise. Forget the visual spectacle and the experience of Laneway, let’s talk about talent.
1. Laneway knows the Future
The street cred that Laneway has built up for itself over the years has always been about the carefully concocted cocktail of under-the-radar successes-to-be and familiar names. Every year, Laneway toes the line between pleasing the fans that want to hear their indie cult faves over and over – Bon Iver! Beach House! Frank Ocean! – and the hipsters who remain staunchly true to the label of indie music as one without a major music label. Taste-making is tricky business, but the curators of Laneway have always been great at predicting the future of music, whether it’s alternative rock or dream pop.
And guess what’s been big in the music scene? The future genre. That’s right, future bass, future house, future soul… Basically, take any existing genre and add more electronic elements into the production and you’ve got future. Imagine the likes of Jamie xx, Flume and more from the Australian label Future Classic’s rotation. Laneway’s curation has cleverly snuck in a future-heavy line-up without you noticing. Check out our picks for the best future acts that will have you perking up for that magnificent synth work.
Tourist
This British electronic producer co-wrote Sam Smith’s Grammy Award-winning song “Stay with Me”, but is perhaps best known for his wildly popular song Your Girl on the Youtube channel Majestic Casual. Versatile and deft, Tourist can be counted on to present a future-ready DJ set with future bass. His debut solo album released in 2016 featured an experimental soundscape that transcended textures, clearly evident in his single “Run”.
Nao
Nao calls her music as ‘wonky funk’, but her delicate, sweet-as-honey voice against syncopated beats and minimalist synths are a dead giveaway for the future R&B sound that has taken over in recent years. Comparisons to AlunaGeorge and FKA Twigs aside, Nao’s inspired take on neo-soul will be a stripped-down treat for an audience’s ears.
Sam Rui
Singaporean newcomer Sam Rui is already making waves before her first EP drops in February 2017, with her hit future R&B diss to her ex, Better. Check out little snippets of her cover discography off Soundcloud before her Laneway set. Polished and sassy, she might just be the next runaway success that is Kiiara.
2. Say hello to hip-hop
For the first time, Laneway 2017 is starting to venture into the realm of hip-hop. And the line-up is doing so in a big way that shuns the typical big-name rappers in favour of powerful stories and quirky weirdness. While there’s no Kendrick Lamar in the books, Laneway is dipping its toes into the notoriously divisive style that has not quite upstaged Iggy Azalea’s shadow in the music scene down under. Two names on the line-up are rappers: Mick Jenkins is arguably the breakout rapper of the year from Stateside with a concept album that is deep on the messages of truth, love and justice; Kohh brings the weird side of Japan with incomprehensible lyrics and Shibuya style. In any case, this stage is about to get LIT.
Mick Jenkins
Mick Jenkins’ highly-anticipated debut “The Healing Component” featured collaborations with BADBADNOTGOOD and Kaytranada, both of whom would also have been good fits for Laneway. His music hits you over the head with how intellectually involved it is, with layers of metaphors in relation to his religious beliefs, and strong opinions on police brutality harking to his hometown of Chicago. It immerses you fully, and we bet listening to him perform live will be a somewhat religious experience too.
Kohh
Kohh’s mainstream claim to fame is his collaboration on the one song that took Asian hip-hop to the global viral waves: Keith Ape’s It G Ma. His personal successes are in the same vein of fast-tracked minimalist instrumentals that are sure to hype up a crowd, even one that is uninitiated. Even if you can’t understand a word he’s spitting, know that the brands he’s dropping in English are merely backdrops to his overarching narrative about growing up poor and working hard.
3. Antidote to your EDM Hangover
Love it or hate it, electronic dance music (EDM) has taken over the music festival scene even in Singapore. Drawing crowds of neon painted bodies, Ultra Music Festival, ZoukOut and It’s The Ship are big festivals that specifically devote themselves to the celebration of electronic music with its loud drops, deep bass and crazy antics. Laneway on the other hand, can be relied upon to speak to the soul with raw lyrics and live instruments – the way that some music purists would say is the best type of music therapy.
Tash Sultana
Leave your twerking and shuffling moves at home and pull out the classic head-banging and fist-pumping with some indie live looping. Rock out with Australian singer-songwriter Tash, whose dizzying guitar shreds and sublime vocals are only the tip of the ice-berg for her self-taught multi-instrumentalist skills. She has so much soul and heart in her music borne from her destructive past, and with sold out shows all over the world, it is an absolute honour to have her at Laneway Singapore 2017.
Stars and Rabbit
This folk-pop duo hails from Yogyakarta, but their music is so much more than just a gamelan. Stars and Rabbit have been known to pull stunning live performances – so much that their last EP was a live recording. Gorgeous clouds and streaming light beams have transformed their whimsical, personal song-stories into intense narrations reminiscent of Iron & Wine with a splash of Bjork.
4. #THROWBACK to Laneway alum
We love it when Laneway gives us memories that we simply can’t stop swapping with other music lovers when we reminisce our favourite music moments. Welcome back to the Laneway stage in 2017…
Tycho
This San Francisco visual artist’s latest album “Epoch” follows up to his 2014 effort “Awake” with a more lo-fi take on the big-room sounds. There is more energy, more anxiety and more upbeat tempos in this album. Can we expect his set to do the same?
Nick Murphy (previously known as Chet Faker)
Nick Murphy (his real name) is a genuine peeling back of his stage persona as Chet Faker, who gave us reluctantly sultry performances of No Diggity and Gold. Under his new name, we’ve only heard one song, “Stop Me (Stop You)”, which is surprisingly rock-influenced. What new music will he release on stage at Laneway?
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