Malay rapper Sya talks to the Post about Southeast Asia’s hip-hop scene and how she’s challenging a status quo that’s ‘built on the basis of the patriarchy and toxic masculinity’.

Dato’ Maw is going against the grain with a new and hyper-localised spin on hip hop that he calls ‘Cina Music’, with tracks full of pride in his Malaysian Chinese heritage.

Bands under Malaysian label Tarbiah Sentap Records are producing clean-cut versions of songs by K-pop acts such as Blackpink that are less likely to upset Muslims.

Independent filmmakers who ‘touch on the wounds and pain of the past’ in Malaysia have a hard time getting their films screened, even as they earn recognition at international festivals.

Malaysia wants to increase global awareness of its cinema, and the Oscar submission of a horror film is meant to inspire young filmmakers. Roh tells the story of a blood-soaked girl who appears at a family home in a Malaysian rainforest.

Yuna has worked with Pharrell Williams and Usher, Elite were a Malaysian Spice Girls, and Shh … Diam! are the poster band of the country’s LGBT community. Despite Islam’s proscriptions, female musicians are flourishing there.

Malaysian K-pop fans have accused girl group Dolla of being a poor copy of Blackpink, but the girls don’t see themselves that way and say they are very much a Malaysian pop band.

Gabber Modus Operandi are mixing the high tempo Gabber with metal, punk and traditional Indonesian genres. Vocalist Ican Harem and DJ Kasimyn talk about dancing, having fun making a record deal in the toilet.

Pakistan’s hardcore punk and heavy metal bands lack places to play in, and fans to hear their music, as big corporations dominate the country’s music scene. ‘The whole idea of independent music is gone,’ says one musician.

A street art revolution transformed the Malaysian island into a celebrated artistic hub in the early 2010s. But its art scene became a victim of its own success, now catering to the whims of Instagram tourists and hipsters.

Malaysia was an early follower of heavy metal, and some underground bands, apeing a notorious British white-power band, adopted national-socialist icons and preach racial supremacy in their lyrics.

Singaporeans head to Johor for a more authentic punk music experience, while Malaysians head south for a greater choice of imported merchandise and the self-produced albums of Singapore punk acts, writes Marco Ferrarese 

Sixty years after the Malaysian town of Kuala Kangsar was characterised in Anthony Burgess' first novel, Marco Ferrarese tracks down some old haunts. Pictures by Kit Yeng Chan.