It's been a busy year for Maltese music, busier than 2014 if we have to go by the number of releases as a whole. There were certainly several standout offerings, and with at least 49 albums and 22 EPs released, not to mention a multitude of radio singles and/or music videos that was way too much for me to keep precise track of, everything points to a growing general interest and, dare I say it, belief in the local music scene. I still yearn to see this translate into more co

Lito and rock music have been synonymous ever since he started to present a radio show on Radju 99. Apart from his long residency at Capital Radio and a shorter one at Radio 101 as one of the Fuzzbox presenters, you'll probably also know Lito as the host of the Kottonera Rock Show on Radju Kottoner. Here he picks out his favourite local cuts of the year. "Every time I'm asked to pick a few favourites I always end up scratching my head, not only because the number of Maltese r

A regular presence on the local airwaves for over 10 years, Steve Meli is the host of XFM 100.2's The Rock Hour, in which he gets to mix and match tunes from some of the most respected alternative and indie acts as well as up-and-coming local and foreign talent. Here's a taste of the local tunes that stood out for Steve during 2015. "2015 has been a defining year for local music. From great EP and album releases to amazing festivals (Rock The South, Trackage Scheme and Bewi

Toni Sant needs no introduction really; an academic, a radio, TV, online and overall media personality, and also the artistic director at Spazju Kreattiv. His regular Muzika Mod Iehor podcasts provide a consistent reminder of just how much is going on in the Maltese music scene and, talking of Toni's poddati, don't forget to log on to tonisant.com to vote for your own favourite picks of 2015 in the MMI Listeners' Picks poll. In the meantime, here are his top 5 favourites whic

Malta's main metal man without a doubt, Noel Mifsud has been part and parcel of the local metal scene for as long as I can remember. He is the presenter of two key shows, Rock Moods on ONE and Heatstrokes on AllRock. Here, in no particular order, he picks out his Top 5 local metal releases for 2015 and lets us know what he's lookig forward to in 2016. 12th Ode - The Awakening 2015 was a great year for NWOBHM in general, with a number of very good releases, among them Iron Mai

A veteran of local TV and Maltese radio as well as a popular club DJ back in the day, Ray Bajada returned to the airwaves after an indefinite hiatus to helm Radio 2's overhaul. Here are some of the local talents Ray feels stood out among their peers in 2015. CORAZON I was very impressed with Corazon's album Hawn Jien, which was reissued this year with bonus tracks. Personally I find it carries on where classic tunes such as New Cuorey's Il-Bajja tal-Mellieħa left off. Id-Dar

A familiar face on the local alternative scene even before he grew his bushy beard, Robert Pisani is known not only for his extensive knowledge, music collection and reviews, but also his Vindictive Jukebox radio show (bring it back Bob!) and of course his own music project The Suburbanite. Counting up, here are Robert Pisani's Top 5 songs from the local music scene for 2015: Dolls for Idols – Berlin Wow!! what happened? Honestly, Dolls For Idols were always great but this is