I Went From CDs to Streaming To Vinyls, But I Never Stopped Listening To Music. These Are The Soundtracks Of My Life. What Are Yours?

I remember the phases of my life based on what I was listening to at that time.

90s teenager (the Britpop phase) — Suede, Blur, Oasis, U2, James Iha, Pulp

I loved hanging out at Far East Plaza on weekends, saving my pocket money to buy CDs from the music shop on the second floor. I don’t remember the name now. Between the ages of 13 and 18, I listened to a lot of Britpop. Suede was a particular favourite, but for some reason, the album that comes to mind when I think of the Mambo/Quiksilver/Stussy period of my life is James Iha’s Let It Come Down. James Iha was The Smashing Pumpkins’ guitarist, and if I am not wrong, Let It Come Down is the only solo album he released. Probably still one of my favourite acoustic albums.

Late 90s (the jazz phase) — Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie

I started to get into jazz at around 18 or 19. Can’t remember how I got into it, but I remember convincing my dad to give me his credit card number so I could subscribe to Downbeat magazine. Probably how I discovered bebop and hard bop. Aubrey’s at Winsland House was one of the OG spots for live jazz. I’d nurse one drink over 2 hours cause poor student then. Chijmes used to do outdoor jazz concerts in the courtyard. Loved that too.

Early 00s (the Taiwan phase) — Zhang Zhen Yue, Jay Chou, David Tao

I went to Taipei for the first time when I was 21 and got into the Taiwanese music scene. The golden generation of Taiwanese singer-songwriters, led by Jay Chou, probably all broke into the scene in the early 2000s. Jay Chou’s eponymous debut album came out in 2000. I loved that album, and also Zhang Zhen Yue’s Deng Wo You Yi Tian and David Tao’s I’m O.K.

Mid 00s (the London phase) — The Flaming Lips, Ryan Adams, Regina Spektor, The Stars, Jason Mraz, Josh Rouse, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Bell XI

As a student with not a lot of money but plenty of time, London is a dream come true for a hardcore music fan. I used to buy TimeOut magazine from the UCL student union shop just to check out concert listings. Attending music gigs brought me all over London — Scala in King’s Cross, Hammersmith Apollo, Brinton Academy, Shephard’s Bush Empire. Those were some of the best years of my life.

Late 00s to mid 2010s (the streaming phase) — nothing comes to mind because streaming = plenty of choices = never listening to an album enough times for it to leave an impression

That’s the hard truth. When you have access to practically any album, you have a hard time settling on one album and listening to it over and over, like I did with The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robot or Ryan Adams’ Gold. I’m sure I listened to great music during this period. I just don’t remember what.

Mid 2010s to present (the vinyl phase) — Japanese City Pop, Habibi Funk, Afro Cuban, 90s hip hop, jazz (again)

I started buying vinyls after moving into my new place in Joo Chiat. Combination of more space, new turntable-speaker setup, and the convenience of record stores in my hood. I still stream on Spotify, but I collect specific genres, labels and artists. Tetsuro Yamashita (Japanese City Pop), Habibi Funk (both the genre and the name of the record label), Mr Bongo (record label that cuts across all genres), J Dilla (90s hip hop), Blue Note and BBE (jazz). I have a particular soft spot for Japanese jazz.

My life in music. This essay is dedicated to my music buddies Alvin and Jau, and the people keeping music alive in Singapore — Sharon, Leon and Nick (Analog Vault), Andre (Choice Cuts), Clifford (Analog Vault), Robin aka DJ KiDG (Vertigo26), Ichiro Nagasawa (aka DJ Itch), Dean aka Funk Bast*rd (Darker Than Wax), and many more I missed out.