Malaysia, a nation where diverse ethnicities, languages, and cultures coexist. We are accustomed to emphasizing harmony and tolerance among different ethnic groups in our daily lives, mutually influencing each other in culture and even language. However, we seldom pause to consider: How do these different sounds intersect in music? What kind of ethnic interactions and cultural choices do they reflect?
While the mainstream music industry often segments the market based on commercial considerations and linguistic divides, the independent music scene has become a freer experimental space. It allows for inter-ethnic communication and linguistic fusion, enabling minority voices to be heard. In this arena, creators from various ethnic backgrounds are weaving an alternative sonic map of Malaysia with their own languages, melodies, and rhythms.
Mak Wai Hoe (Mak) was immersed in Malay music from a young age, heavily exposed to the popular Malay pop and rock music of his secondary school years. Later, he ventured into the independent music scene. From the early stages of promoting Chinese independent music, where he was often labeled a “chauvinist,” to his successful transformation and acceptance by the Malay music community, Mak has navigated the space between the Chinese and Malay communities. Along this journey, he has observed how musicians from different ethnic groups handle the choices and struggles of language and identity, and has experienced the gaps and barriers between them. Mak persists in seeking more opportunities for collaboration and collision between Malay and Chinese artists in the independent music scene. This has sparked further reflection: when language is no longer just a tool for communication but a medium for creation and identity, can sound lead us across ethnic boundaries?
About Mak Wai Hoe (Mak)
Mak Wai Hoe (Mak) is a senior music curator. In 1998, he joined the Chinese underground music label “Yellow Fire,” where he spearheaded a music reform movement with a radical and rebellious attitude, sending significant shockwaves through the Malaysian Chinese music scene at the time. After Yellow Fire disbanded in 2001, he immediately founded SOUNDSCAPE RECORDS. He also served as the drummer for the band KRMA and continued to carve out a space for the development of Chinese independent music alongside a new generation of bands like NAO, Citizens of Ice-Cream and Lang Mang, consistently challenging the mainstream music of the era.
Faced with a scarcity of resources in the Chinese independent music scene, Mak began promoting international acts in 2006, organizing headline shows in Kuala Lumpur in an effort to cross over and attract support from the Malay and English-speaking audiences. International bands he has worked with include Mew, Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Explosions in the Sky, Tortoise, MONO, and toe. In 2008, he fully pivoted to the Malay and English-language scenes, collaborating with artists and bands such as Liyana Fizi, Dirgahayu, mutesite, and SKITS. He managed their physical and digital album releases, organized their solo concerts, and planned their overseas tours.
In 2015, he co-founded LIVE FACT with friends, seeking to connect independent performance venues across different cities to establish an Asian touring network. Since 2018, he has been participating in international industry forums, collaborating and networking with overseas professionals to explore new avenues for exporting more Malaysian music. In 2019, he co-founded the City ROARS Festival with his long-term partner, Taiwanese music label Emerge Music, featuring independent bands from various Asian countries to promote music from the region. During the pandemic in 2020, he collaborated with curatorial units from six ASEAN countries to organize the AXEAN Festival, creating a new platform to bring greater attention to Southeast Asian bands.
Mak Wai Hoe maintains a close cooperative relationship with Taiwan’s music scene and industry. He has collaborated with artists such as Lim Giong, Ladybug, Elephant Gym, and No Party for Cao Dong. He has also frequently participated in music festivals and industry-focused events, including the Golden Melody International Music Festival, JAM JAM ASIA, Rock in Taichung, Red Sound Festival, and Emerge Fest.