Kelvin Tan, the most prolific musician dubbed Singapore’s very own Bob Dylan, may be the deepest and most passionate individual one can meet. Coming from years of experience and one of Singapore’s legendary bands, the Oddfellows, Kelvin has established himself as a multi-talented musician, songwriter and writer, having novels such as ‘All Broken Up And Dancing’ under his belt. He has even pulled off releasing 15 albums in a row, and most recently 11! We catch up with the man and find out what goes on in his head.

What’re you doing currently?
I’m a part-time lecturer at La Salle college for the arts, I teach in the film school and I also used to teach in fine arts and media arts.

You released 11 albums recently. What’s that going to be like?
It’s going to be the same, but there’s going to be a variation of all that. I also like to play around with sounds and vocals so for one album, it’s acapella and all me laying down four or five tracks of my voice. There’s one with me on the guitar, piano and drums, improvising music and there’s one (album) which has the usual singer-songwriter stuff. There’s also one that’s soul-experimental-rock, there’s a whole lot of other stuff. There’s one where I get media artistes to give sound samples and I improvise from there by putting words in it. The whole idea is to break the genres of music, not to call it rock or pop, but just try to mix all the genres together and make something different.

How is your thought process like?
I have a very strong literary background, because I did literature in university, at the same time I have a great love for jazz music. So I grew up listening to a lot of jazz musicians like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman. Although I’m not a jazz musician, the elements of improvisation in jazz goes into the way I play my music and that is what is in my head. Also I like the idea of spontaneous freedom because then you can be who you want to be, you can sing about who you want to sing about, etc. I’ve developed a system where I get musicians to play what they are feeling and from there, add sounds to create something different. Basically I like the whole danger of not knowing what to expect and going to a studio and achieving it. So I’m not a jazz musician but I like the element of surprise and improvisation in music.

How did you first started out?
I started out learning the guitar on my own, then going to schools to play. When I was in NUS doing philosophy, I played covers and only started writing very late in my life. I started out with the Hope Singer-Songwriter school, Bob Dylan, James Taylor and as the years went by I got interested in other kinds of music such as avant-garde jazz, free jazz, rock and roll. Even right now, I’m a big fan of Radiohead, I think they’re incredible and even the new bands coming out because they’re very free with experimenting and creating structures. It slowly changed the way I look at music and life.

I like what Mile Davis says, “I have to change, it’s like a curse.” In a way it does feel like a curse, you always feel a need to reinvent yourself and can’t stay in one place for too long because I find that people who stay in one place for too long become stagnant. That’s where my musical journey started.

I would also like to say that I started out as a music fan, I still am. When you’re a fan, you get excited about the music around you. Even when I’m sitting here with you, I hear all these sounds and it’s very interesting to me. I’m open to ideas and other things as well that’s why I have an interest in clothing, design and games because all these shape how you look. Even at my age, I feel this need to keep changing. I feel like I’m an outsider looking in; you don’t want to be part of the whole crowd because you end up in the trap (of not being objective).

The other thing is that I’m also doing this for myself; I don’t sell many albums every year, I’m not interested in sales but there is a small following who like my stuff. However, I’m interested in documenting it (how I make music) and in doing something that excites me and creating from it. Perhaps in the future I might be playing around with the drum machine, gadgets, classical musicians to do something new and then it challenges me to do something different every year.

Do you see the common drive in people nowadays?
I can see where this is going, and my answer to it is that one doesn’t seem to understand how this country works. I have spent a lot of time thinking about Singapore and how this country works and this is what I’ve come up with; we’re in the end an economical viable country and right now they are making an effort to support the arts and sports because they need more people to find Singapore attractive to come here. The government has funds allocated every year for the art and sports, they hire people to give the funds then they say ‘we’ve done our part, next’. I think it’s very different in America and Europe where it’s known as ‘culture’ and has been there for thousands of years like the Renaissance; people need art. In Singapore it’s different; you look at our history, go to the heartlands and tell the uncles selling vegetables about Radiohead, there is no way they know what you’re talking about. We just don’t come from that kind of tradition. So Singapore will always have this cultural block, I call it; the whole idea of creating a deep culture is a long way off for us.

So what do people who do art, like us, do? You either be like a rock star, go over to America, Australia and Europe, live there, do odd jobs, play in clubs then go on to a bigger stage. A lot of these bands, such as Kings of Leon, are doing. If you’re in Singapore, you’ve to understand that you can only take what you do so far. A band, for example Electrico, they’ve done a lot for a local band but only for a local band and they’re still struggling. They can’t sing for a living, they have to hold other jobs. So I look at all this and I think, ‘I’m sincere and passionate about music, I just want to make music. Even if I don’t become a big star it doesn’t matter, I’m not vain, and I just want to do music.’ I’m lucky, I don’t have all these vanity issues holding me down. I just get money from having a job, go into the studio, make some music, and release them on my own, put them in small shops here and there, people buy or not, I get it documented and that’s it.

A lot of bands now, I call them, are Singapore Idol types. I have no criticism for them and I hope they make it big and we’re looking for different things after all. The reality is that they don’t see the reality and what it takes to get to that stage. They have to realize that they either do for passion, like me, or to make it to the next level, there’s a possibility you have to leave. And there’s absolutely no guarantee that you’ll make it but at least you’re going to the source, where it happens. The market in Singapore is very small, you’ve to go overseas where it’s a big market but there will be millions of bands trying to make it.

I’ve seen all this and I’m contented with what I do as a musician, but the bands out there are not realizing this. I think when they do they become rather cynical about it when this has always been how it’s been for 40 years.

But that’s not the mindset we want as well. What can be done?
I don’t know how to answer this except that it’s really a lot harder than what people think. It also depends on what your intentions for making music are. If you my option, it’s easier because you do what you want but I don’t envy bands that do it for the glory because it’s not just about playing in clubs, it’s about maintaining an image and your musical skill. For example Lady Gaga, who is not only a fashion icon but is a dancer, singer and songwriter. In terms of Singapore, we’re way behind. There is no way we have that level of talent which is why I have a lot of admiration for these people and I think they deserve every cent they make. For local bands to get to that level, it’ll take a really long time for the simple reason of the fact that our Singapore culture is not geared for that kind of star-maker machinery.

Maybe because we’re a young country?
That’s another thing; we were in such a rush to develop as a financial nation that we left culture behind for so long it’s stagnant. This is just my opinion and how I look at it.

Do you think events like Baybeats and Beats and Breaks will leave an impression on Singaporeans?
To a certain extent it raises the profile, but you have to realize that raising the profile and the profile being realized into actual star-making machinery are two different things. Raising the profile is just making the public aware, for example the Glastonbury in England but you’ve to remember that they have world-class acts who have spent ¾ of their lives playing music. So it’s a completely different culture here in Singapore compared to elsewhere.

A lot of bands in Singapore are known for what they do in our country but if they want to make it big, they should be in Europe holding the crowd and struggling to get there. You look at Singapore Idol, every winner ends up becoming the spokesperson for 7-11; they don’t get very far in what they do as musicians. In a sense you can say it’s an illusion because there’s no market for them to break out to. Hady Mirza is the Asian Idol but he’s still doing Singapore Idol as a host, that’s actually quite problematic, he should be getting a tour! So even the way Singapore Idol is being organized and what happens to the winner is an indication of where we’re at as a real industry player for music.

I guess Singapore bands are aiming more towards the level of bands like The Observatory and Great Spy Experiment. Although some bands are really good, they lack the connections to get there. What’s the reason for that?
To me, where The Observatory is at isn’t good enough. What we’re talking about is getting someone on the level of Madonna. I would love for one band to really make big that way, someone for us to admire, that’s how positive I am. You have that in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand! Firstly, the Malaysians, Indonesians and Thais support their bands wholeheartedly, they have idols. In Singapore they try to do that, they try to hype it up but honestly it doesn’t work. We should aspire higher.

I hope there are bands here who are willing to go away and hone their craft, make it there and do well. Whether they want to return is up to them but at least they put Singapore on the map. The trouble is that many of them here don’t realize that you need a lot of talent and hard work.

So what are your plans for now?
I’ll be performing for the Mosaic Music Festival at the Concourse. I hate performing actually. I did the Baybeats last year with The Oddfellows, it was very hot and I felt like a poseur. I’m too old. There are some people who are born performers, I can perform but I prefer recording because the latter is for life. I’ve spent so much time recording albums, I just don’t have the mood to do anything else, I just want to go home and watch the Mentalist.

Nowadays, good production can do wonders to bad music. What are your opinions on that?
That’s an interesting question. It’s like someone who can sing really well but cannot emote. What’s happening now is that people think that all you need to make music is good production, but I don’t think so. Creativity definitely comes first, you’ve got to have a message or concept before you work on the sound. That’s not just happening in the music industry, but in the world; good appearances without substance. Just look at Kings of Leon, they are tight knit and they don’t have much of a classical music technique but they do have a rock and roll spirit and have passion which is what I like. I think different artists place different amounts of importance on good production. For example rap artists, rap music in the studio sounds bloody good but some of them suck for live performances! Rock and roll is different of course, but some of them have been known to have really bad performances such as Kings of Leon. So it depends on the artist, like Radiohead is very good in recordings and live.

Do you think local music is inferior to overseas music?
I don’t want to be judgmental because I’m really much in my own world, my whole life revolves around going to the studio, eating in the best hawker centres, coming back and watching television. But I’ll say that there are bands that are of a certain level and I respect them a hell lot, there are also bands that can compete with people of the world such as Electrico. But the crucial question is, how hard are they willing to slog for it? You have to have utmost dedication to your craft and be prepared to perform everywhere while maintaining your best; that is what it takes. This does not just apply to bands; if you want to be the next Madonna, learn how to dance and be prepared to get booed at. Singaporeans may have what it takes but our mindset prevents us from venturing further.

One of the people I admire the most is Madonna. I’ve been a music journalist and she’s still around, it’s amazing! But she deserves every cent she has because she’s very hard working. You not just have to have talent but be smart, think out of the box, learn how to manipulate the media and sell your image. It’s not just about selling an image that is creative but one that actually sells. I cannot think of another artist like her! Basically I’m saying that people don’t realize that this is what it takes, and only when I lay it down for you like that do you then notice the amount of hard work it actually requires.

For more on Kelvin Tan, head over to www.dialecticrealm.com