Conforming to the Non-Conformity Yuen Kok Leong Ver 2.0

The 6

th

International Malaysian Studies Conference (MSC6)

Engaging Malaysian Modernity50 Years and Beyond

5-7 August 2008 | Crowne Plaza Riverside Hotel, Kuching

Conforming to the Non-conformity: An exploratory research on the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Underground Music Scene in Kuching, Sarawak

Author YUEN KOK LEONGTitle & Position TUTORInstitution UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK

PRINCIPAL CONVERNOR:

Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM)

CO-CONVERNER & HOST:

The Faculty of Social SciencesUniversiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

CO-CONVERNER:

Institute of Malaysian & International Studies (IKMAS)Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON)Universiti Kebansaan Malasia UKM

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Conforming to the Non-conformity: An exploratory researchon the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Underground Music Scene inKuching, Sarawak.

Yuen Kok Leong

Faculty of Social Sciences, University Malaysia Sarawak.

Abstract

This paper discusses the nature of the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) underground music scenesubculture among youth in Kuching, Sarawak. The so-

called “black metal” scene

reported by the national mainstream media which led to the subsequent major arrests of the youths alleged to be involved calls upon further investigation. An exploratoryresearch was conducted utilizing participant observation method to examine theintangible components of the subculture which include value, beliefs and norms amongmembers. This includes mingling among members and attending their musical eventsknown as

gigs

. Other data collection methods such as interviews and inspection of artifacts vis-à-vis the subculture were also utilized to augment the results obtained and asa cross-reference check for consistency. Results from the research will be compared withthe allegations made against the subculture in promoting social ills. This study seeks toillustrate two of the five main components characterizing a culture as according to Bilton(2005).

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INTRODUCTIONBackground of the study

Headlines of the national media highlighting youth social ills and juvenile delinquencyover the past decade orchestrated a widespread moral panic on the corrupted youth of our

times. Throughout Malaysian „troublesome youth‟ saga, there has been countless youth

subcultures, real or imagined, being given the limelight in local presses. While some of

the subculture were credited to „Western decadent values‟ (Liew & Fu,

2007) such asmetal (heavy, black or death) and hip hop music, some others are truly Malaysian-bohsia

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and the most recent Mat Rempit

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. The subcultures claim a certain territory fromtheir surroundings as their own- some with definite, some not- as of how Mat Rempitsrules the road, music-based subcultures carve their niche in jamming studios and pubswith music instruments- mostly inaccessible to the masses and referred as the

„underground‟ music scene

.

Underground music scene is defined as the opposite to the „mainstream‟ music

- widelyaccessible ordinary music produced by profit-oriented record labels. Thus undergroundmusic scene is termed as a scene that exists as a reaction, mostly of youth, to the structureand mechanism in the society towards the production of music. Underground musicscene provides avenue for youth to produce their own music and enjoying those of otherswithout needing the approval either by the parents or by record producers, with lowercosts compared to what normally being charged and controlled by corporate entities.Under the umbrella term, there existed various music scene, all with their own cultfollowings, which includes, inter alia, metal, hip hop, electronic music and DIY HardcorePunk scene which include punk rock, hardcore, straightedge, thrash, grind and so on. Iinclude skinhead scene as one scene under DIY Hardcore Punk scene, based on the localcontext, though this might not be true in the scenes in the rest of the world, whereskinheads exist as a different scene of its own (Brown, 2004). I focus this study on theDIY Hardcore Punk scene based on my available resource.I have been an observer of the DIY

Hardcore Punk scene (hereby referred to as „thescene‟), starting from my introduction to a few individuals from the year 2000, most who

later have became my best friends till this very day. It was through these individuals whowere mostly students from universities, that I begun to see the bigger picture and embark on the discovery of the subculture. My friends are active members of the scene, beingmembers of punk bands, running independent music labels, managing distros

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, amongcountless punk norm and rituals. Contrary to media reports, all I have seen was self-

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The term bohsia came out circa 1990‟s referring to girls who would provide sexual favors in exchange for some „good times‟

- which may include dinner, a ride around the city, among others. The term bohjanappears thereafter as the male counterpart, as a means of gender differentiation.

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Mat Rempit refers to daredevil motorcyclists characterized by their involvement in illegal racing andsnatch thefts along with other form of peripheral vices- promiscuous lifestyle, gambling, drug abuse andviolence towards police officers.

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Distros is a underground music scene lingo referring to independently-run distribution bodies thatdistributes various merchandise produced by underground bands and singer songwriters, particularly recordreleases- CDs and cassettes.