KEXP Films Asian Sessions With sub:shaman and motifs
KEXP's first Asia recording project, filmed in Bali with AXEAN Festival, features Singapore bands sub:shaman and motifs.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Cultural
KEXP, a Seattle-based music platform, featured sub:shaman and motifs in live sessions filmed in Bali in partnership with AXEAN Festival. sub:shaman released a six-song session on 4 November that includes four new tracks.
Why it matters
The sessions mark KEXP's first recording project in Asia, extending the platform's live-session format beyond its Seattle base. They also give the featured Singapore bands a broader international audience for their recent work.
sub:shaman's session includes six songs, four of them new, and follows a five-year hiatus before its 2024 return at Baybeats. motifs' session runs five songs.
The players
KEXP
KEXP is a Seattle-based music platform known for its live studio sessions featuring independent and international artists.
sub:shaman
sub:shaman is a Singaporean band that released its debut album Apnea in 2017 before a five-year hiatus.
motifs
motifs is a Singaporean band whose album If This House Was Bigger was recorded at Sundlaugin Studios in Iceland.
AXEAN Festival
AXEAN Festival is a music festival that partnered with KEXP to film the Bali sessions.
The details
sub:shaman recorded its session at Puri Bhagawan on 29 August, and motifs filmed its session at Locca Sea House on 28 August. motifs' album If This House Was Bigger was recorded at Sundlaugin Studios in Iceland.
Timeline
2017: sub:shaman releases its debut album Apnea.
2024: sub:shaman returns at Baybeats after a five-year hiatus.
- 2026-08-28
motifs films its session at Locca Sea House.
- 2026-08-29
sub:shaman records its session at Puri Bhagawan.
- 2026-11-04
sub:shaman's six-song KEXP session is released.
Cultural Context
KEXP's Bali sessions extend its long-running live studio format, which has documented independent artists since the platform's Seattle founding, into Southeast Asia for the first time. The move gives Singapore's regional music scene a live recording channel on an international platform.
Listeners can stream sub:shaman's four new tracks on major platforms starting in December. The full six-song KEXP session is available now through KEXP's platforms.
The takeaway
Independent Southeast Asian bands gaining live-session exposure on international platforms can reach listeners who would otherwise not encounter them. Following KEXP's channels is the most direct way to catch these sessions as they are released.
What happens next
The four new sub:shaman songs will arrive on major streaming platforms in December.
Further reading
Explore more cultural coverage on how independent music crosses borders.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bandwagon | Music media championing and spotlighting music in Asia..
