Soundway Records delivers an exciting new compilation, diving ever deeper into South-East Asia. Ayo Ke Disco celebrates the musical identities emerging during the 1970s and 80s from the newly independent countries nestled around the South China Sea.

This time, Soundway’s long-time general manager Alice Whittington (aka DJ Norsicaa) steps into the limelight, embracing her Malaysian heritage and selecting music from her heavy collection of Asian records. Aside from steering the label, she is often found on international stages and radio stations playing an eclectic array of music.

For Ayo Ke Disco (meaning ‘Let’s go to the disco’ in Indonesian), 10 rare tracks of disco-funk, psychedelic funk, synth, city pop, and Hindustani-Arabic rhythms were painstakingly licensed from local labels – forming a snapshot of the vibrant discotheques and live scenes across Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

The vinyl release is also accompanied by the Ayo Ke Disco zine from Norsicaa, with extensive research on the history of music in South-East Asia, archival photos and exclusive interviews with some of the region’s most respected collectors.

AYO KE DISCO ZINE

Who made the first records in Asia? Who brought jazz to the region? How did musicians work around censorship? What do vinyl collectors really think about the industry now…? These are the burning questions – and answers – from the deep dive investigation of Norsicaa as she pored through countless research papers and geeked out on facts with fellow aficionados, while curating her compilation. Brimming with fascinating stories, archival photos and music recommendations, the Ayo Ke Disco zine paints a vibrant picture of how the modern music industry developed in South-East Asia.

Original pressing from 2024 is still sealed