JUICE August 2014 - Shigga Shay | Issue #191 by JUICE

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ISSUE #191

LION CITY RAP•RESENT! the majulah issue

16.SAT

23.SAT

ZOUK

ZSS PRESENTS MAT ZO UK WITH HONG

ZSS PRESENTS MISS NINE GER WITH HONG

VELVET UNDERGROUND-DANCE

THE M.O.B. SALUTE WITH LINCEY & TINC 27.WED

TEL / +65 6738 2988

TWITTER / ZOUKSINGAPORE

01.FRI

02.SAT ZOUK

THE GREAT TGIW: VARSITY PLAY WITH GHETTO & THE PROFESSOR FEAT. MC EJ

VELVET UNDERGROUND-DANCE

ZOUK

SOLID GOLD: KO FLOW FEAT. MR BOO + THE PROFESSOR

ZSS PRESENTS FORMATIVE & HONG 08.FRI

29.FRI

ZOUK

Zouk / Bounce with Ghetto & The Professor feat. MC EJ Phuture / CHARGED with Hong & Lincey

MAMBO JAMBO REUNION A NATIONAL DAY SPECIAL ( EVE OF P.H. )

EVERY FRIDAY

PHUTURE

DROPIT!!! WITH MATTHEW & ANDREW CHOW FEAT. MATTHIAS (WICKED AURA) LIVE PA

ZOUK

BE:FORMATIVE 30.SAT

PHUTURE

Velvet Underground-Dance / Cue Up! with Jeremy Boon & Lincey Phuture / Bulletproof with Ghetto & Matthew

100% BULLETPROOF WITH GHETTO & ROUGH FEAT. SHIGGA SHAY

ZOUK

22.FRI ZOUK

ZSS PRESENTS SWANKY TUNES RUS WITH HONG

09.SAT EVERY SATURDAY

Velvet Underground-Dance / Cue Up! with Jeremy Boon & Lincey Phuture / DROPit with Matthew & Ghetto

ZSS PRESENTS FORMATIVE & HONG

SINGAPORE 169420

SOUNDCLOUD / ZOUKSINGAPORE

EVERY WEDNESDAY TGIW

ZOUK

VELVET UNDERGROUND-DANCE

ZSS PRESENTS CAZZETTE SWE WITH HONG

POPTART 'A DREAM OF YOU AND ME' WITH WEELIKEME & KIDG DISCO:VERY WITH BETOKO MEX,SG DEBUT! WITH ALDRIN & JEREMY BOON

15.FRI ZOUK

ZSS PRESENTS FORMATIVE & HONG

23.SAT ZOUK

VELVET UNDERGROUND-DANCE

PARA//EL PRESENTS M.A.N.D.Y. GER + JEREMY BOON

ZSS PRESENTS FORMATIVE & HONG

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EDITORIAL editor jazmin kelly six [jazmin@juice.com.sg] senior fashion writer/stylist liyana meer [liyana@juice.com.sg] music writer kevin ho [kevin@juice.com.sg]

DEAR HOMIES OF THIS LITTLE RED DOT, Whaddaya know?! It’s our nation’s birthday this month! But before we head off to the floating platform for the 49th National Day Parade in our glorious red-and-whites, we’re spending quality time and spittin’ rhymes with cover boy Shigga Shay; rounding up the best music schools, stores, studios and producers our scene has to offer; shopping the racks of the newest fash stores in town; and standing in line for the latest tech gizmos. Yup, that’s a whole lotta work in one breath but hey, you already know we’d do anything for you right? Well, almost. Happy Singapore Day people!! Stand Up! Stand Up!

contributors burton tang, chris ong ujine, don shiau, joey liew, li weng fung, mich makeover, teck lim, valerie lim, zennie casann ART DIRECTION designer jackson kang [jackson@juice.com.sg] contributing designer leonardo rusli ADVERTISING & MARKETING account manager lavonne lam [lavonne@juice.com.sg] DID 6325 8031 M 9747 2806 PUBLISHER & DIRECTOR david see [david@lumina-looque.com] DIRECTOR calvin cheng [calvin@lumina-looque.com]

START

REGIONAL CONTACTS MALAYSIA editor alif omar mahfix [alif.mahfix@revasia.com]

INDONESIA editor agiani salima [agiani.salima@mediasatu.com]

is a free monthly publication Published by JUICE Media Pte Ltd Under license from Catcha Media Group Pte Ltd JUICE Media Pte Ltd 28 Maxwell Road #03-12 Red Dot Traffic Building Singapore 069120 T: 6325 8042 F: 6221 2230 JUICE Media Pte Ltd is part of

OOPS! In the July 2014 issue, the Desparados Beer in ‘Flash: Navigate’ was listed as $3.40. It should be $13.80 for a pack of three. Sorry for the boo-boo!

MICA (P) 137/08/2013 shall not, without the written consent of the Publisher or his gerbil, be given, lent, resold, utilised as a religious document, hired out or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or in any unauthorised way; or affixed to any part of any publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever, or we will send the legal dogs for your ass, biatch. While every reasonable care is taken for editorial contributions, no responsibility will be assumed for return of materials or for corrections of contributed stupidity. Opinions expressed or implied in are solely those of the writers, and are not necessarily well thought out, intelligent, interesting or endorsed by the Editor or Publisher. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the Publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach, copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competitive or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy.

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AUGUST 2014 10

LOCO FOR LOCAL

SHAPING THE SCENE

Hardworking homegrown musicians who’ve outstandingly piqued our curiosity..

Get ahead in the music front with a lil’ help from the scene’s finest.

CANVAS SINGAPORE

SONAR SO GOOD

CONTENTS

SHIGGA SHAY

Singaporean hip-hop. Yes kids, it exists. It ain’t something that’s exclusive to ghettos, nor bling-flashing hustlers and bullet-scarred thugs. Proving that you don’t need all that to spit some ill-flowing rhymes, Shigga Shay has been pushing the local hip-hop scene since his teens, and it’s looking brighter than ever, thanks to his admirable dedication and keen sense of hit-making.

Highlights from this year’s Sonar Festival in Barcelona, Spain.

Ex-Home Club’s head honchos tell all about the newly rebranded CANVAS Singapore.

HOMEMADE GOODNESS

Local artisanal products that deserve a spot in your kitchen.

FRESH IN THE +65

A list of the latest fashforward stores that should be on your radar.

STAND IN LINE

Four hottest tech contenders worth queuing up for.

LION CITY REMIX

Relive the good ol’ days in style as we celebrate 49 years of independence.

BOTTLED NOTES

Exotic fragrances that recreate the best summer memories.

SINGAPORE

JUly 2014 free every month

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ISSUE #190

INBOX

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

COLOUR CRAZY

Hey ! I have never been a magazine lover until happened. I love your indepth knowledge of the scene, the design, and I’m totes kicking myself for missing all the previous issues. I’m going around town asking people to let go of their stash but to no avail. What should I do? Nidhi

“Oh she can wait for what I can give. She knows what I am but she won’t believe me. Is it all ok?” Tell us at inbox@juice.com.sg

Wow, you terrible stalker. We’re flattered though. Here’s a clue: there’s some in our office. Good luck with your treasure hunt!

MAIL of the

COMING FULL CIRCLE the beat the heat issue

month

FESTIVAL BABY

SCHOOL OF ROCK

Hey , Just dropping y’all a note – did you know my professor too? He’s my reads psych prof in NUS, and I’m shocked as hell. Might have offended him when I asked if he was too old for it, but he replied that he loves the music column, and that one is never too old for good music. How cool is that?! Val

YO !! IT’S AS IF I GOT WHAT I WISHED FOR WITH YOUR JULY ISSUE. HOW DIVINE! I JUST PUT MONEY DOWN FOR A FESTIVAL TRIP TO EXIT! AND YOUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE HAS JUST THE INFO I NEEDED. THANKS FOR ALWAYS BEING ONE STEP AHEAD TO SCHOOL US ON CLUBBING ESSENTIALS. WISH ME LUCK FOR EXIT!. IT’S MY FIRST FESTIVAL TRIP EVER! MAY

HEY GURRRRL! WE’RE TOTES STOKED FOR YOU TOO! JUST FOR YOUR UPCOMING TRIP, WHY DON’T YOU EXIT WITH SOME LOCAL GOODIES SO YOU CAN TAKE A PIECE OF HOME WITH YOU?

Dear , I love July’s summer fashion spread with the bright colours and fun prints! Except, I feel overwhelmed every time I wear something similar. Is there a way to pull it off while not having everyone stare at me? Samantha

Remember what ma said – take everything in moderation.

ANXIOUS CRITTER

Dear , Do you think Zouk’s gonna close??? I really don’t want Zouk to die; I’ve really gotta get my Pop Tart fix. What’s going on? Help! Arissa

Sign the petition at save-zouk.com and keep your nimble fingers crossed.

Yup, he’s definitely a cool dude. We need more profs like him around fo’ sho.

THIS MONTH’S MAIL OF THE MONTH WINS FOUR BUS TICKET CUSHIONS AND FOUR GAME COASTERS WORTH $147.60, COURTESY OF WHEN I WAS FOUR.

SINGAPORE

SERVIN’ UP THE FRESHEST CONTENT

OUR EXCLUSIVE WEB HIGHLIGHTS THIS MONTH! ORIGINAL TUNESDAYS AT OUTPOST BAR & BISTRO CASHEW CHEMISTS’ FRONTMAN YUJI KUMAGAI OPENS UP ABOUT HOSTING HIS OWN ORIGINALS SESSIONS.

HEINEKEN ‘CITIES OF THE WORLD’

AIMED AT INSPIRING ONE TO LIVE WORLDLY ADVENTURES, HEINEKEN INVITES CITY-DWELLERS TO OPEN UP THEIR PERSPECTIVES OF THE WORLD THIS MONTH.

SINGA SCREENTIME

LOTS OF WORK GOES INTO MAKING MUSIC VIDEOS TOO! GET CLICKIN’ FOR SOME OF OUR FAVOURITES FROM THE SCENE.

YOUYOU FALL/WINTER 2014

THE LOCAL LABEL SHOWS US WHY IT’S OK TO BE A LITTLE STRANGE, HAVE A BIT OF FUN AND SPIN AROUND.

PRODUCING TALENT

JUST AS SIGNIFICANT AS THE TUNES THEY POLISH FROM THEIR STUDIOS, OUR FEATURED PRODUCERS DIG A LIL’ DEEPER ABOUT THEIR CRAFT

NATIONAL TALONS

PSST, PAINTING THE NATIONAL FLAG ON ’UR FACE IS SO PASSE. HOW ABOUT SHOWIN’ SOME SG LOVE ON YOUR NAILS COME AUGUST 9? WE SHOW YOU HOW.

LING WU FALL/WINTER 2014

FALL IN LUST WITH BAGS AND CLUTCHES IN EXOTIC SKINS WITH RUBBER-LIKE FINISHES.

CHAT: THE ELECTRIC AMBASSADORS

STORIES FROM THIS SPINNING SUPER-DUO ABOUT THEIR FATEFUL UNION, PLAYING FULL STEAM AHEAD, AND KEEPING THINGS ELECTRIC

STAY CONNECTED JUICE.COM.SG

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MUSIC GEYLANG GARANG Unless you’re a superstitious sadist who embraces the eerie ‘10 Courts Of Hell’, Haw Par Villa’s one theme park that’s plagued us with nightmares since we were young’uns. But not for the duo of O$P$, who’ve given the establishment a revamp with a viral video of Harlem-shaking Chinese Gods, gyrating to the bass-y gritty beats of single “Ghost Vision”. Taken off their freshly minted debut EP, DCD & GCG, the motley four-tracker conveys stories of local haunts like Chin Swee and Geylang through genres of trap, dubstep and neo-soul (with contributions from fly girl Vandetta) – an amalgamation that Master Race and Wasabi Green (Zushan) have proudly labelled ‘Geylang Crunk’. Indeed, it’s an endorsement of local culture that even the deities will bless.

soundcloud.com/ owemoneypaymoney

Text Kevin Ho Image Master Race / O$P$

COTTON BASEBALL JERSEY AAPE AT I.T JEANS RED SEAL AT BREAD & BUTTER SHOES ATMOS X PALLADIUM CAP REASON AT LEFTFOOT ENTREPOT NECKLACE & BRACELET 77TH STREET RINGS & SILVER BRACELET (WORN THROUGHOUT) SHIGGA SHAY’S OWN

TEXT KEVIN HO PHOTOGRAPHY TECK / LUMINA PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANTS BURTON TANG & LI WENG FUNG ART DIRECTION JAZMIN KELLY SIX STYLING LIYANA MEER GROOMING MICH MAKEOVER USING BURBERRY BEAUTY & SEBASTIAN PROFESSIONAL

ON HIS GRIND S H I G G A S H AY SINGAPOREAN HIP-HOP. YES KIDS, IT EXISTS. IT AIN’T SOMETHING THAT’S EXCLUSIVE TO GHETTOS, NOR BLING-FLASHING HUSTLERS AND BULLET-SCARRED THUGS. PROVING THAT YOU DON’T NEED ALL THAT TO SPIT SOME ILL-FLOWING RHYMES, SHIGGA SHAY HAS BEEN PUSHING THE LOCAL HIP-HOP SCENE SINCE HIS TEENS, AND IT’S LOOKING BRIGHTER THAN EVER, THANKS TO HIS ADMIRABLE DEDICATION AND KEEN SENSE OF HIT-MAKING. BUT WE DIDN’T JUST WANNA HEAR ABOUT “LIM PEH”, WE WANTED TO GET THE INSIDE SCOOP ON SHIGGA’S CHILDHOOD, PRODUCTION ETHICS, AND HIS PERCEPTION ON THE STATE OF THE SCENE. AND WE DARE SAY, WE’VE NEVER QUITE MET ANYONE WITH A MOTIVATION THIS FLY. “So where are you flying off to?” we asked earnestly upon securing a phoner with the tightly-scheduled emcee. As it turned out, Jin (short for Pek Jin Shen) was scrambling to make his imminent departure for Vietnam, where he was slated to open for Flesh Imp’s branch opening the next day. And come October, besides touring in Malaysia and The Philippines, the freshly ORD-ed wunderkind’s made plans to self-immerse in the hoods of L.A. for two weeks, where he’ll be collaborating with resident hip-hop artistes and YouTubers while refining his craft. Such is the dedication of this tenacious rapper. Not only has he opened for Wu-Tang Clan’s elite, he’s been inducted into Red Bull’s Singapore Seven at the mere age of 20. He also packs a mean string of releases that’s cemented him as perhaps, the most successful hip-hop artiste in Singapore. An enthusiasm that was inculcated from young, Jin’s first ‘performance’ was for his late dad’s birthday when he was just 14. Though apparently it was a fascination that sprouted even earlier, “When I was 12 or 13 in school, I would just challenge whoever claimed to be a rapper,” Jin reminisced. Logically, this made us question if he was reppin’ the ‘thug life’, even as a youngster. “I was actually an average kid! But I was always trying to find shortcuts [laughs]. If the teacher were to tell me to go through 10 steps to solve a problem, I would try to do it in eight,” he divulged. And that’s who Jin was – a regular lad, who happened to fall in love with the wild art of hip-hop. “Hip-hop is the only genre where you can be so free,” Jin acknowledged, “Whatever message I wanted to convey, I could do so transparently; there are no boundaries in hip-hop”. Which is a shame, considering how limited the hip-hop scene is here. And don’t just take our word for it. “There’s just not enough content,” he explained, “not enough people writing songs for hip-hop. In a year, there’s only a handful of us putting out songs and doing it athletically like a sport”. We did ask for his take on why this seemed to be the case, to which he attributed this crisis to the dilution of hip-hop culture in Singapore, that the “mainstream people” just haven’t caught on yet. It was a pickle that sounded slightly familiar, albeit one that was less frustrating in the more dominant indie scene. “But I don’t really see a genre separation in Singapore, man,” he responded, “It’s a very small circle of people, and we’re all trying to do the same thing; doing what we love. We’re a huge family of Singaporean musicians”.

FROM DA HEART

BOMBER JACKET STUSSY NEOPRENE T-SHIRT KYE AT SUPERSPACE JEANS H&M CAP NEW ERA AT LIMITED EDITION CHAMBER CHAIN NECKLACE 77TH STREET

Jin’s adoration for the scene didn’t just show in his open declaration for all music in Singapore besides hip-hop, it also revealed itself when he spoke about his Grizzle Grind Crew’s recent mixtape release, Leaders Of The New Skool, one that was distributed for nary a cent. “Yeah we were just giving that away free on the website,” he clarified, “I totally understand from an artiste’s perspective, that when they put something out for free, they’re afraid that it’ll devalue their product. I used to think that way, but I realised that I shouldn’t let a price tag dictate the value of what I feel about my product. If my art is good and people like it, I just wanna share it. That $1 on iTunes is great? But it isn’t everything”. And you wonder why this dude gets loads of our respect?

REPPIN’ SINGAPURA

Besides promoting the efforts of his crew – one that he regards as a “sworn brotherhood” – he also gave us a sneak preview of his October full-length, “We’re about to shoot the music video for the first single, and the rest of the songs are still in progress”. And when it boils down to the actual progress itself, Jin impressed us yet again with his devoted hands-on ethic, “I am at every step of the production process; the beats, instruments, melodies, and even direction. I make sure that things get done according to my vision”. So what was his vision for this upcoming album then? “There are lots of Singaporean representation,” he replied, “When you listen to it, you’ll hear a lot of lingo inside that Singaporeans would understand”, which eventually brought us to the question on everyone’s minds.

PULLOVER DANIEL PALILLO AT SUPERSPACE BERMUDAS AAPE AT I.T CAP KEITH HARING X JOYRICH AT SUPERSPACE DOG TAG CHAIN 77TH STREET

“So was “Lim Peh” meant to be a serious track?” we inquired. “It was meant to be a joke, man. But everyone took it seriously!” Jin admitted. Though judging by how popularly viral that track ascended – even clinching a #1 iTunes spot – we did worry if Jin would have to keep up the jokes to satiate listeners’ demands, and so did he. “I’m doing it in a tactful way,” he explained, “I was always thinking about how to connect to Singaporeans more, yet remain relatable on a level that hip-hop should. If you listen to “Lim Peh”, there’s a lot of Singaporean lingo, but it’s not really Singlish? The English is still hip-hop English. This new album in fact, is full of that balance. The tracks might not be as heavy as “Lim Peh”, but it will be a reflection of Singaporean culture”. So there we have it, our scene’s own patriotic kaki, all while trying to develop his childhood dream – Singaporean hip-hop. “But you can’t compare my songs to Jay-Z, that’s like comparing a TV to chicken rice.”

SPECIAL

ENGINEERED SOUND

Having hatched from a humble one-storey workshop in 1962, dedicated solely at the time to manufacturing state-of-the-art phonograph cartridges, Japanese audio equipment company Audio-Technica has since evolved into a global enterprise that’s etched its place in the art of music appreciation. Wishing to endorse comparable cases of successful development that have arisen from the fruits of one’s labour, Audio-Technica is embracing musicians who’ve put their heart and soul into their careers with its Elites Of Audio-Technica Programme. An initiative to raise the profile of local musicians, Audio-Technica selects quality artistes who’re passionate about their craft and identity, constantly reach out to their fans through shows and social media, and have faith in Audio-Technica and its products. As such, Audio-Technica lends these dedicated individuals a helping hand through the provision of key products, helping them reach heights never before imagined.

AUDIO-TECHNICA x TIMBRE GROUP

We don’t just love Timbre establishments for their tasty thin-crust pizzas and premium golden ales, but mostly for their unwavering niche in the local music scene – a like-minded passion that clinched the interest of Audio-Technica. Since sponsoring the microphones used by performers in Switch By Timbre in 2011, the audio equipment powerhouse now provides the Official Microphone For Timbre Group as a whole – equipping all affiliated venues such as Timbre @ The Substation, Timbre @ The Arts House, and Switch By Timbre with its Artist Elite series of vocal and instrument microphones. Audio-Technica’s latest collaboration with Timbre Group extends to the latter’s Singapore Originals and Xin Chuang, two monthly showcases that promote independent original music works. So the next time you’re wondering why the live music’s sounding so darn good and crystal clear at Timbre establishments, it’s all kudos to Audio-Technica!

“We are confident that this timely synergy with Audio-Technica for Singapore Originals, as well as the other exciting showcases in the pipelines will empower our homegrown bands to perform at their best” – Danny Loong, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Director of the Timbre Group.

JOSH WEI Some of you might already identify this scene-shaking prodigy as the ‘super intern’ of Snakeweed Studios, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of his outstanding reputation. Josh hasn’t just worked with notable producers like Leonard Soosay, Roland Lim and Geoffrey Low, but also with local artistes such as Gentle Bones, The Sam Willows, MONSTER CAT and more. One of Audio-Technica’s freshest talents, Josh himself is a devoted musician with a natural flair for the violin, an instrument he picked up at the mere age of six. Do keep an eye out for this 18-year-old boy wonder, he knows exactly how to pluck at your heartstrings.

“To be a part of Audio-Technica’s endorsement programme is an immeasurable prestige and it’s a privilege to be representing them. I choose Audio-Technica for its consistent high performance, aesthetics and the value it places in its products and consumers. Personally, the ATM350 paired with the Wireless System 10 creates the most ideal situation for me on any stage” – Josh Wei

GENTLE BONES

SONIC ESSENTIALS

Once a vital stage tool used solely by audio technicians and professional musicians, In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) have become increasingly popular with consumers as well, thanks to its crystal clear quality and accurate sound details. So whether you're a stage-stomping rockstar or an everyday music fiend, plug in to Audio-Technica's new IM-Series In-Ear Monitors and you'll never miss a beat.

ATH-IM04

The big daddy of Audio-Technica’s new IM series, this piece of craftsmanship performs with quad balanced armature drivers for unparalleled reproduction of original source material. Lightweight in design (8g) but heavy on audial delivery, it’s power-packed with natural tonal balance and punchy bass that’s both warm and intimate.

ATH-IM03 We called it back in May when Joel Tan was one of our top picks to catch at this year’s Music Matters Live. And for those of you who wisely heeded our advice, you’ll concur in a heartbeat that there ain’t nothing gentle about how this singer-songwriter is soaring through the scene. Altogether, this Audio-Technica Elite’s first two original singles “Until We Die” and “Elusive” have racked up over 150k views on YouTube, taking the delicate forms of emotional pop anthems that follow the likes of Ed Sheeran and For This Cycle. And this kid hasn’t even released his debut EP yet! Doesn’t that just send shivers down your spine?

Gentle Bones plays on August 30 at TAB. Tickets available at peatix.com.

VOX

ATH-IM02

Constructed with triple balanced armature drivers, the complex tuning circuitry stuffed within divides and distributes incoming audio signals to deliver accurate sound reproduction. Its specialised network design also provides for a smooth playback of wide-ranging frequencies so you’ll catch every single detail.

A lighter model at 5g, the IM02 is designed to provide a brilliant balance of sound with its dual balanced armature drivers. Equipped with a horn-shaped conductor pipe to reduce acoustic radiation resistance, listeners are awarded with a pure and clean output to dissipate all your picky pet peeves.

ATH-IM01

ATH-IM70

Like its counterparts in the IM series, this single balanced armature driver inner-ear headphone also comes with a handy detachable cord and a firm high-quality connector to prevent any accidental detachments while jumping on stage. It is also equipped with Premium Comply Foam ear buds for snug comfort and effective sound isolation.

Despite flashing a price that’s easier on your wallet, this model doesn’t compromise on performance with its dual symphonic drivers for monitor-like sound reproduction. It doesn’t just sound pretty, it looks the part too with a stylish hybrid body of hard resin and aluminum. Move over Bond girls, we’ve got our very own crossover string quartet right here! Comprising three girls and one guy – armed with an instrument each, from violin, cello, and viola to guitars (which apparently all possess names like Kosmo and Tommy) – these classically-trained musicians are putting their spin on popular classics via pop-rock glossed covers and mash-ups. Having graced high-profile stages like F1 and the Youth Olympic Games, they’ve boldly displayed their versatility of song selections – from Daft Punk to Muse, Nirvana to even Mozart! Make a date with these Audio-Technica Elites – Lester, Huiwen, Melissa and Justine – and you’ll be losing your vox screaming to these timeless trendsetters.

VOX plays on September 27 at Zouk. Tickets available at sistic.com.sg.

ATH-IM50

The most affordable option from the IM series, this is a model that even casual consumers can enjoy! Weighing in at just 3g, it also houses dual symphonic drivers for high-resolution sound reproduction. You don’t need a spot on stage to deserve a smooth listening experience!

Now available at Stereo Electronics at ION Orchard and Plaza Singapura. Get a super Limited Edition A-T tote bag with every purchase of the IM series, exclusively at Stereo.

NO PANTZ

THE GIRL-POWERED SUPERGROUP

Go away Ya-Ya Sisterhood, this dream team is showing y’all how girls have fun! Made up of feisty scene-stirrers Amanda Ang (ATTAGIRL!), Gracinia Lim (The Powderfuls), Lennat Mak (Obedient Wives Club) and Natalie Pixiedub (FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp), their formidable star power instead makes way for an adolescent Riot Grrrl-themed project of punk-rock proportions. Distorted power chords, belligerent drumming and shrieking vocals of “Kimchi!” and “Sushi!” that Karen O would endorse, these rebellious gals embody the very essence of rock & roll – no pantz attached. facebook.com/nopantz

LOCO FOR LOCAL Naturally, this wouldn’t be a local-loving issue if we didn’t cast our affections towards hardworking homegrown musicians! We’ve picked 10 acts who’ve outstandingly piqued our curiosity – from freshly assembled garage-rockers and Riot Grrrl supergroups, to even classically-honed singer-songwriters and electronic communities. Don’t you dare say “where got talent?”!

SPACEDAYS

PIXEL APARTMENT

HYBRDTHRY

Our stance on anything video game-y is no mystery, but this band’s visual homages to Space Invaders isn’t the only thing that’s pushing our buttons. Conveniently clear-cut as “psychedelic groove rock”, it’s a classification that rings true after we caught firsthand, their recent set at Baybeats. Visibly revitalised from a hiatus last year, the quintet blasts off once again with catchy melodic basslines, new-wave synth effects, and arrangements that flicker between post-punk, alt-rock and psychedelia. And you bet your extra lives it’s quite the trip! spacedays.bandcamp.com

You’re not likely to find those one-man-band buskers around here, but there’s always Jordan Chia. Besides occupying himself with abstract DIY visuals for .gif’s live shows and keyboard duties for MUON, we’ve seen this singer-songwriter wow us senseless on percussion, synthesisers, MIDI controllers and vocals – all at the same time! Though hearing his tracks alone simply ain’t enough. Soak in the nine-minute post-dubstep ballad that is “Eyes”, and it’ll leave you wishing you had more hands yourself, to give this humble chum the applause he so very well deserves. facebook.com/pixelapartmentmusic

Not to be confused with a collective or label, H Y B R D T H R Y is a community for bedroom musicians, brought together by chillwave producer, Fauxe. Having related to his own personal struggles on getting his music out, Fauxe is now paying it forward by connecting similarly afflicted artistes, both to each other and the world. Supporting sounds like jazz, hip-hop and even cassette recordings – with names like GINDARA, Bravepaper and Mxnd Krft on board – this is one theory that passes in practice. soundcloud.com/hybrdthrysg

THE PYSCH INVADERS

THE VISUAL MULTI-TASKER

THE FACELESS COMMUNITY

KNIGHTINGALE

YUMI

ANISE

So most of us probably won’t have the space to jam in a garage, but that’s not stopping this swooping trio from living the dream! An alumnus of Noise Singapore’s The Music Mentorship, Ashwin Rao banded together with his fuzz-loving comrades through Soft’s music forums, and blazed their way to recognition with a garage-rock tenacity similar to that of The Vines and Jet. Clocking up appearances at Sofar Sounds and 100 Bands Festival, these songbirds caw with gritty, aggressive tunage that will make you feel seventeen all over again. facebook.com/knightingaleSG

Don’t make the mistake of deeming them kawaii cuties, these screamo/ post-hardcore zealots will chew you up and spit you out for breakfast. An abbreviation for “You Underestimate My Intelligence”, they’re not only influenced by their Japanese counterparts, Anode and Envy, but even released a split EP with Tokyo’s Heaven In Her Arms back in ’12. Don’t worry if you feel tardy for the party though, they’ve got a full-length lined up so keep those fists clenched and screams at bay. yumisg.bandcamp.com

Anyone who’s been nomadically floating around the open-mic circuit will be familiar with The Diarists and their cosy acousticbased sessions. In which case, you might’ve also caught this lean lass who’s extraordinary on both the guitar and violin, blessed with a voice that will wrap you in comfort and uneasiness all at once. It’s a voice that tells stories; one that she isn’t afraid to bare at rooftop shows and improv showcases with loopers, through evocative melodies that flutter above dark folk-pop arrangements. youtube.com/user/AniseSGmusic

RIOT !N MAGENTA

BABUSHKA

COSMIC ARMCHAIR

The boundaries between organic soul and digitalised synth-pop were blurred when the duo of Eugenia Yip (The Steve McQueens) and Hayashida Ken (The Karl Maka) joined forces in 2011. And word has it, another album is slated for release later this year, following stellar line-up additions (The Great Spy Experiment, Obedient Wives Club) and their 2013 R3B007 EP, which seethed with snippets of downtempo, post-dubstep and microhouse. Don’t ctrl-alt-del just yet, the next riot is loading and on its way! facebook.com/riotinmagenta

You’ve heard of music that takes you places, but this is one trio that takes the metaphor quite literally! Babushka – referring to a Russian headscarf – composes soundtracks that are themed on exotic parts of the globe, including “Sherpa”, a placidly breezy instrumental that soars as high as Tibetan mountains, and their self-titled cover with Bolshy-leaning guitar solos that would fit appropriately within a game of Tetris. Combining foreign musical influences with universal undertones of folk and jazz, their musical map’s as expansive as their imaginations. facebook.com/BabushkaWorld

Whoever came up with the whole ‘life ends at marriage’ myth should get smacked with a reality check from this classy couple. Juggling their law degrees with educative stints at the Electronic Music Lab, it was love at first byte for these two synth-geeks, piecing together their techno-pop fantasy project in 2008. Combining Cosmic Ben’s production brilliance and Cosmic Jane’s crystal-clear vocals, they’ve even recently released their We Are Watching EP on Belgian label Alfa Matrix, with old-school electronic hymns that educe the rave days of the ’90s. cosmicarmchair.wordpress.com

THE GARAGE UPSTARTS

THE HARDCORE INTELLECTUALS

THE SYNTH REBELS

THE GLOBE WANDERERS

THE DIARIST ON STRINGS

THE ELECTRONIC MATRIMONY

Text Kevin Ho Images Clarence Aw(Anise), Daniel Halim(Spacedays), Shawne Koh(Babushka) and various sources

SHAPING THE SCENE

Muster all the musical talent you may, it's hard to get ahead in the scene without a lil’ help. Your guitar solos simply won’t pop without the right notes or equipment, and you’ll never perfect those drum rolls without a conducive environment to practice. So get acquainted with the scene’s finest producers, studios, schools and stores right here.

PRODUCERS LEONARD SOOSAY (SNAKEWEED STUDIOS) STAYIN’ ALIVE FROM YOUNG

I've been producing music professionally for about 17 years though my interest started back as a kid when my parents bought me the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever vinyl. I played that disc out, analysing every nuance and harmony. After listening to more music, I realised that I could, in my head, make out the different parts to many songs. That got me started on a journey of self-discovery.

RECORDING HISTORY While recording a song back at Keong Saik Road's Snakeweed Studios, which was then a red light district, I hung a microphone out of the window and it captured a Chinese orchestra rehearsal, taxi cabs driving by, and a couple quarrelling in Cantonese. I didn’t know it then, but realised that I had documented a moment in time that has long since changed.

KEVIN FOO (BEEP STUDIOS) RISING FROM THE SHADOWS OF LEGENDS Much of what I know about producing and engineering was picked up from shadowing the mentor figures in my life – the legendary Sydney Tan (Dick Lee, Jacky Cheung), the inimitable Joshua Wan (Tanya Chua, The Steve McQueens), and five-time Grammy-winning Kevin Killen (U2, Peter Gabriel). The process of taking what I learnt from these guys, and applying it to artistes I’ve had the privilege of working with has helped in honing the skills, the technical know-how, and the ability to critically listen and suggest changes when necessary.

A STORYTELLING PRODUCER I’d say my production style is extremely organic. I like to figure out the artiste’s identity and his/her intention. I believe that a producer should not stand in the way of the art, although it might be my responsibility to add a bit of clarity to the narrative.

ROLAND LIM (SYNC STUDIOS) DISPERSED STYLINGS Some bands just want me to produce and mix the best sound for them without touching their songwriting or music, but I can co-write and arrange together with them if the job requires it. Ultimately, what keeps me happy and waking up every day looking forward to ‘work’ is that every client has vastly different requirements and challenges for me that keep me motivated till this very day.

TIPS FOR CLIENTS The most important thing for artistes is to be really open-minded, to do their due diligence researching the producer they wanna work with, and most importantly, be really prepared – do pre-production or live demos, and be really well-rehearsed beforehand.

PATRICK CHNG (THOM’S LOFT) BEGINNING AS AN ODD FELLOW I started going into the studio from 1990 when my band, The Oddfellows, began recording. From there, I picked up tips and stuff from Shah Tahir, who recorded my band’s first album. And I started ‘producing’ bands like The Pagans and The Ordinary People in the ’90s. This was back in the day of analogue equipment and tape reels, before the digital age revolutionised music production.

ON SHIFTING MENTALITIES Back in the days of expensive studios and tape reels, indie bands on tight budgets left a lot of mistakes and imperfections in the recording due to limited resources. There was a lot more spontaneity and edginess then. These days, the attitude is “I won’t release anything until everything is perfect”. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just a general observation.

STUDIOS THE LITHE PARALOGUE Picking up the pieces of prominent gig series like Identité and MAAD Sounds, this comfy haunt is home to its very own Sound Of Feeling showcase that’s evolved into a bona fide stepping stone for aspiring musicians. But far from just a performance space, Lithe Paralogue has endured nearly a fiveyear reputation thanks to its deeply cherished “Five Pillars” ideology – Practice, Rehearse, Record, Perform, Promote – fundamental touchstones for the development of any band. 1B Aliwal Street facebook.com/litheparalogue

THE BASEMENT Founded by musicians Ritz Ang (The Summer State) and Yazzit Ismail (Wicked Aura), the two ex-coaches of The Music Lab clicked immediately upon meeting at an overseas gig, and subsequently opened a premium studio that musicians could patronise even after midnight. The two fixed up the basement joint from scratch, and now provide quality services such as monthly slots, equipment storage, and even instant recording so you can take home your hours of hard work in a thumb drive. #B1-84, Golden Mile Tower thebasement-studio.com

LIVE AMP Conceptualised by brothers Ernest and Roland Diano and their wives, the siblings' goal is to fill the dearth of good and clean practice spaces; a comforting factor that stimulates the creative progress of any striving songsmith. Maintaining the gleam of their spotless philosophies since August 2010, the four-room establishment comes furnished with top-notch equipment and accommodating studio managers who’ll cater to your every rock & roll need. #B1-08, Chinatown Plaza liveamp.com.sg

PINK NOIZE Pink Noize prides itself on its superior equipment and affordable rates, run by proficient staff who’ve handled concerts for Muse, Sigur Rós, and Metallica. Initiated by Danial Bober who wished to add an alternative gig space to the stage-deficient scene, Pink Noize also fits crowds of 120, an achievement we witnessed for ourselves at Postiljonen and Dirty Beaches shows. From indie to hardcore, to even poetry recitals, this locale sports a hue that matches everything. 744 North Bridge Road facebook.com/pinknoizesg

SHOPS

SCHOOLS SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND THE ARTS You don’t need rehab if music gets you intoxicated, just check into this 10-year establishment where its founders and coaches share the same symptoms as you. Its multiple performance labs offer doses of assistance for all budding musicians, regardless of whether you’re a wannabe jazz vocalist, rock guitarist, or metal drummer. soma.com.sg

CITY MUSIC Boosting the careers of local starry-eyed musicians, this treasured store has grown and evolved just like the scene – from starting with Zoom effects pedals to stocking up with Korg synthesisers, to stabilising a supply of world-class amps from Line 6 and Hartke. citymusic.com.sg

THE MUSIC LAB

SINAMEX

Unless you’re making productive progress on your own, put an end to your feeble DIY experimentation and turn your musical hypothesis into reality. Through its team of seasoned instructors, this facility offers more than just vocal and instrument lessons, but also courses on composition, theory and production. themusiclab.com.sg

If you have retarded hands that are dreadful with conventional musical instruments, this is where you’ll wanna go hunting. Carrying software-savvy contraptions from Akai, Novation and Ableton, you’ll find what you need to twist knobs and loop samples like Baths and SBTRKT. sinamex.com

THUNDER ROCK SCHOOL

SWEE LEE

Combining all of their powers like a musical Super Friends, this is one institute that roars with star power. Polish those pipes with Esther Lowless and Charlie Lim, tighten ’em chords with Nick Chim and Hentai Cat (MONSTER CAT), and even master your DJ mixes with Amanda Ling (In Each Hand A Cutlass). thunderrockschool.com

Having just opened a spankin’ new store at Katong 112, the long-running conglomerate (founded in 1946!) now has five local branches, and two elsewhere in the world. You’ll find the top brands here – Epiphone, Fender, Gibson, Nord – you name it; so take your pick and start taking over the world. sweelee.com.sg

Text Kevin Ho Images Various Sources

ORGANISING AN ORCHESTRA

CHAT

RICHARD REED PARRY 22

“Internal, introverted, intimate” – not exactly words you’d use to describe the gargantuan nature of Arcade Fire. Yet, these are ideals that core member and multi-instrumentalist Richard Reed Parry is intent on materialising, with a classical solo album that comes from the heart. Doing away with metronomes and programmed cues, Music For Heart And Breath comprises pieces recorded in sync with the heartbeats and breaths of its contributing ensemble members; an organic undertaking that this maestro was stoked to tell us all about.

Let’s start with a light-hearted question based on the bodily nature of this concept. Are you a big exercise junkie? Yes! If I don’t exercise enough I’ll go crazy. I don’t watch calories or my heart rate; it’s more of an internal response. You know when you haven’t done enough exercise ’cos there’s a certain level of radiant health that you don’t feel, and I’m really sensitive to that, especially when I’m travelling. Okay, so what was the real impetus behind this concept? Just to invent a new kind of music really – one that was in sync with the involuntary things that the body does, such that something else was having influence over what you wanted to play. I also wanted to make something that was super calm, internal, introverted and intimate, and beautifully quiet so that you could hear the internal rhythms you play to. It’s this packaged deal of quietude. How did you go about the songwriting process? Did you start with one person’s heart rate? It depends on the piece. A lot of the time you’re hearing everyone’s heart rate so you don’t have to pick who’s leading the ensemble. It’s not improvised and it’s supposed to go really specifically, yet that specificity includes this loose, cloudy, rough-around-the-edges feel that comes from everybody playing to their own heartbeat. Everyone will follow their own breathing or pick cues from one of the other musicians. So everybody’s kinda doing their own thing while still being together in different ways. What if one of the key players gets too excited? If they’re leading the ensemble and their heartbeat gets really fast, then the whole thing accelerates and the score flows really quickly. But otherwise, the pieces are constructed such that if you finish what you’re playing and it’s not time to move forward yet, you repeat what you’re playing.

We heard you actually acquired stethoscopes for this experiment? Yeah, people wore stethoscopes and monitored their own hearts. You’re strapped in with a bandage on your chest and a stethoscope to your heart so it stays there, it’s a lil’ bit physically awkward but it worked! How many of ’em did you get anyway? Well I started writing this music when I was experimenting with different kind of ensembles and got commissioned to write for orchestras, so I was like, “Yeah, I’m gonna have to get a lot of these”. So I immediately got ’em all on eBay, 50 minimum so I got them in bulk! As compared to the rowdier crowds you get at Arcade Fire shows, do audiences remain cooperatively quiet for this project? People get it. People don’t come expecting it to be an Arcade Fire show. But the goal is for this music to reach the people it needs to reach. I grew up on lots of different type of music; I went through a teenage phase of ambient music and earlier electronic stuff like Aphex Twin and The Orb, so I can relate to having been a young person and being into music that was immersive and expansive. That was so important to me. Speaking of your diverse background, do you have one favourite instrument to play? I love playing double bass! Although, I’m someone who loves all the different extremes of the musical spectrum; sometimes I love to play a nylon-stringed guitar and finger-pick, and sometimes I just love the power and vibration of the double bass. I’d love to give so much unlimited time for every instrument, but sadly it doesn’t work like that.

richardreedparry.com

Text Kevin Ho Image Guillaume Simoneau / Deutsche Grammophon Interview Universal Music Singapore

CHINA

global CITY soundscapes CITY LISTENS DUCK FIGHT GOOSE When it comes to Chinese cooking, we can’t pick a winner between these two birds of choice either. But with these artsy kraut-rockers, we’ll gladly have the full course! Mixing morose post-punk with experimental synths and psychedelically processed vocals, this supergroup takes the cynics of Shanghai-born creativity to school.

SIESTA Yes, there’s an underground dance scene in Shanghai too! Having opened for Goldie and starting her own Phreaktion collective, this drum & bass diva knows a thing or two about nonconformity. Beginning her DJ career in Hong Kong, she’s since found a new lease on life in the hottest nightclubs of Shanghai. No snoozing allowed!

HEINEKEN DIGS DEEP INTO THE BOROUGHS AND METROPOLISES OF THE WORLD, INTRODUCING THE NATIVE SOUNDS OF THEIR STREETS AND SCENES. EXPAND YOUR PLAYLIST, ONE CITY AT A TIME.

SHANGHAI BUND-LE OF JOY

Without a doubt, China sure is moving forward in global matters of business, environmentalism, and the role-playing of X-Men characters. So it ain’t surprising to find a vibrant pool of local musicians with the chops to fit into the audial climate of the world. And where better to look than the most cosmopolitan city in China – also a cultural melting pot of citywide proportions with its vibrant nightlife and colonial/sci-fi architecture? Elevating the appeal of Shanghai beyond its commonly recognisable landmarks like The Bund and Xin Tian Di, a skin-deep glimpse into its music scene reveals art-rock groups, kraut-rock bands, and even female drum & bass DJs, all sharing a fiery conviction of reppin’ their bustling metropolis. So quit chowing down on xiao long baos and other Oriental munchies, music’s the only craving you’ll have with a selection this precious.

PINKBERRY Punk culture is synonymous with any society that fights to have its voice heard, so it’s only apt that you’ll find such a band on the battlefield. Fronted by dynamite-girl Xiao You, the outfit is a pop-punk heavyweight that channels their spunky attitudes with hints of ska and hip-hop.

DISCOVER THE WORLD IN SINGAPORE WITH HEINEKEN!

BOOJII

In the spirit of exploring and discovering the world in your city, Heineken is launching a series of limited city edition bottles named after six great metropolises in the world – New York, London, Amsterdam, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai and our very own Singapore of course!

Much like how Shanghai’s cityscape is so heterogeneously designed, such too is the free-forming art-rock of this avant-garde posse. Generated from the hysterical output of the group’s leading lady, San San, their sounds fluctuate from nightmarish xylophonedriven tunes to cacophonous pedalpowered fuzz.

Are you constantly on the lookout for new experiences? Open your city with Heineken and discover new adventures within Singapore. Dig a little deeper and there will always be something new popping up in the city with an eclectic mix of cultures and experiences waiting to be discovered in a new hip enclave or an old forgotten street.

HEINEKEN SPOTLIGHTS

Whenever you need some inspiration, check out heineken.com/openyourcity for some of the coolest hangouts in your vicinity. Tweet about your own adventures and share them with @wherenext and include the hashtags #heinekensg and #opensg!

CHAT

TAKING IT PURR-SONALLY 24

MISS KITTIN

Much like how kitties are talented in landing on their feet and chasing after lasers, so is this French feline who’s been yanking our yarn since the noughties. While she recently lit up Zouk’s Velvet Underground with an un-para//eled set of techno and electro bumpers, some of you might remember her as the “First Lady Of Electroclash”, with vocals as sassy as her jaunty personality. We cosy up with Kittin for a lil’ reminiscing, along with some personal tidbits about her childhood and tattoos.

To satisfy the curiosities of all our feline-loving readers, do you own cats yourself? I grew up with cats and owned a bunch, but not anymore. I miss it, but I have a dog now, which is more like a cat in the body of a dog though!

You’ve got quite the feisty personality. Were you a wild child growing up? I was actually a pretty lonely child in my own world, very creative, dreamy and quiet. My parents knew from early on that I had an artistic temper. I did get wild as a teenager, being one year advanced in school; I was the youngest in the class hanging around with the oldest. Quickly, I understood I’d have to work hard to write my own life, sometimes against the social rules, especially as a woman. You’re also known for going on the mic and singing during your sets. Have you ever muttered anything embarrassing from maybe…being too drunk? [Laughs] Yes probably! The intention is more important than singing right, so when you feel like it, go for it. I always sing in my head anyway. You’ll often see me singing to myself while playing, even if I don’t take the mic. Speaking of singing, is the “First Lady Of Electroclash” title something you still embrace? Or do you feel has it become a distant memory of a period long abandoned? I don’t really care. Better to be the first lady of something than nothing right? I am honoured of course, but what touches me the most is when I hear my fellow DJ friends like Heidi, Maya or Magda tell me what I represent to them, as a woman. It gives me a lot of self-confidence. Everything in life is a loop, so I won’t be surprised if one day we see some kind of ‘electroclash 2.0’! You’re known for your saucy vocals, which packs allure even when you’re merely speaking over the music. How did you come to realise that you actually sounded good by talking instead? Simply because I didn’t know how to sing. Dopplereffekt was a huge influence for us. We found it more Text Kevin Ho Image and Interview courtesy of Zouk Management

interesting to add vocals on music than trying to be techno copycats. It started in The Hacker’s bedroom. We tried some stuff, naively, without thinking whether people would like it or not. It was all very spontaneous and that’s why it got big. Nothing was planned. It was fresh.

You released your Calling From The Stars album last year, where you featured a song called “Manaki Neko”. We reckon that Japanese culture is pretty big with you? Yes. It was my biggest dream to go to Japan, so when I got there 15 years ago, it was love at first sight. I don’t know why I am so connected to that country, maybe because you can’t compare it with anything you know. It’s a full experience – makes you feel alive. And with respect to “Manaki Neko”, do you view yourself as a very superstitious person who believes in luck? I have a Maneki Neko tattooed on my shoulder – my first tattoo – and I did it in Japan. And yes, I am superstitious, in a grounded way. Every artiste is! You also revealed in an interview with Mixmag last year that you made your first mix after an altercation with your first love. Are you a very competitive character? I am so not competitive. Especially in art; how can you compare pieces of work, entities, universes? It’s not like in sport where you can measure performances with numbers. But we live in a competitive world, I see it every day. Male DJs especially, are often obsessed with how much money their colleagues earn, if they have better slot times in festivals, how many ‘likes’ they have on Facebook etc. I never went there, because I think it’s lame and I have other things to do.

misskittin.com

HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF CHAT

DEON

What’s not to fancy about wolves? They’re wild and fearless, resplendent with a sliver of savagery, and packing a distinctive howl that’s both proud and poignant; all qualities you might just find with this seasoned singersongwriter. After all, this lupine creature’s brazenly embellished on the front cover of DEON’s debut LP, Antiphobic – an “antidote of positivity” that had us asking the multi-talented artiste about darker times and periods of healing. So inch yourselves closer to DEON. He won’t bite. Lupine Instincts “Wolves” is the name of one of the tracks on Antiphobic. The song talks about breaking out of a bad relationship, and the metaphor of a wolf embodies fear and being trapped. When designing the album, I told designer Hana Wohlf to run wild with a design that represents all the songs, and the motif of a wolf came up very strongly. Battling Through Bruises I’ve gone through some darker, challenging times, way before producing the album. From dropping out of Berklee College of Music, to fighting depression, to going through breakups, to going on the verge of quitting music altogether – writing songs got me through those times. When I pulled everything together, I realised that a common theme was that of working towards positivity, hence the title Antiphobic. Getting In The Mood Writing is really introspective for me. It’s like constant conversations on overdrive. I’m usually quite a chatty person, but I hide my deepest emotions away. My songs are a way of getting those emotions out there. Most times, my best works are spontaneous but I can work in a focused environment as well. Recently, I went on a songwriting trip to Iceland with Leonard Soosay (producer) and Lim Jie (guitarist). And in the grandeur of Iceland, there was so much inspiration to leech on that I wrote enough material for another album!

From Drummer To Frontman I was petrified when I first started. I’ve had the privilege of working with two really talented singer-songwriters before starting out on my own – Dru Chen and Charlie Lim. I drummed for Dru and worked with Charlie while we were both in the Music And Drama Company. Both set really high standards and I knew I had a lot of work cut out for me. From sitting behind the band, to moving all the way out front, I had a really hard time. When I first started, I couldn’t even look audiences in the eye. Thankfully, things have gotten better since then. Giving Back To The Scene I’m just about to graduate from the National University Of Singapore, and turned down all other job offers in order to focus on creating and teaching music. Working at Thunder Rock School has given me the flexibility to do so, plus I get to interact with so many musicians in the scene. I would say I’m more of a mentor to my students, hoping that they will eventually take whatever they learn beyond the classroom. Touring Woes The planning of my tour (Toronto, London, Liverpool) was pretty horrific. I didn’t mind the planning, though it took pretty long and the cost was very heavy. If not for support from the National Arts Council, I wouldn’t even dream about going on tour. We had to go into ‘Spartan Mode’, dragging over 100kg of gear and luggage to and fro, up and down stairs, Text Kevin Ho Image Lim Jie

squeezing into trains, and into small, cramped apartments. Even before performances, we were knackered. Proportionate Pay-offs But on a positive note, the reception at our shows was fantastic, and the band grew extremely close. We had never gotten so many encore requests before. Also, we got offers to return to play more shows and made so many new friends. These experiences influenced the way I write my music. I grew so much and wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything. Taking Roads Less Travelled The tour title, Always Take The Scenic Route, was based on a philosophy I use in making decisions at the current crossroads of my life. I’m a worrier. Before going on tour, I was worrying about whether this would be the right step for me, and whether it would damage my chances of landing a proper corporate job. I guess all of that is out of the window now. I just went with what made me happy. Life is too short – ain’t nobody got time to think about that.

deontheband.com

SINGING FROM THE SOUL GARETH FERNANDEZ

Hey Gareth! Where does your Fernandez heritage come from? Well, my dad is Eurasian of Portuguese decent, and my mum’s Chinese, but we’re really all just people. So how long have you been working on music now? I started singing in school bands from about 17. I spent a couple of years just jamming with buddies, but got my first real gig on really short notice at the Esplanade in 2011. After which, I did the usual bar circuits like Wala Wala, Balaclava and Clarke Quay, before I finally decided to form a band and work on original material last September. I’ve never looked back. Your single “Subliminal Love” addresses the topic of bad relationships. Don’t mind us asking, but are you speaking from experience? Yes, definitely. I went through a phase of dating women who had some not-so-great histories, and that took a toll on me, inspiring me to write songs. I believe that songs that come from personal pain/ experience are the ones that are most relatable. Also, “Subliminal Love” is a play on the usual r&b topic of a dude telling some girl he likes that her boyfriend’s a douche. “Subliminal Love” instead explores the aftermath, when the girl has dumped her douche and is now with him, but starts to reveal all the residual issues and baggage from her previous bad relationships. That’s heavy, Gareth. How did you first get into soul music? For the longest time I didn’t know what suited me best. It was only much later in 2012 when I realised that soul is the genre for me. It’s people like Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder and John Legend who really inspire me. Soul music is a mix of jazz and r&b, and has its roots in the African American experience. The twirling vocals combined with the deep grooves of soul music truly resonate with me. Text Kevin Ho Image Daniel Ho

Speaking of your band, how is the songwriting distributed? For most of the songs, it’s usually just a single line that pops into my head. From there – often at 4am in the morning – I’ll make a voice memo on my phone and then obsess with that lyric or motif until I have some basic chords, lyrics, melody and song structure. After that, I bring it to my band and we work on specific arrangements. They’re a very talented bunch and they really take my music to the next level. You seem like a rather smooth fellow. Have you attracted your share of crazy female fans yet? And on a scale of one to 10, how much of a sexy beast are you? I do have some people coming up to take photos with me, and they are generally female, but I don’t think I have any crazy fans. I’d say I’m a 12…out of 100? Maybe a seven, for the beast part. Breaking away from your whole polished image, do enlighten us on some of your more…‘sloppy’ habits. Oh my, I’m not sure if that’s the best idea, but here goes. When I hit the gym, I just can’t be bothered so I dress how I want. And I can be quite scatterbrained, so my room sometimes looks like Godzilla has been through it. Also, I don’t always dress to the nines for all occasions, though I do make it a point to groom myself for events and performances – with contact lenses, nice clothes, and copious amounts of pomade.

facebook.com/garethfernandezmusic

CHAT

Possessing a voice as sharp as his suits, it’s no surprise that this dapper gentleman’s been dubbed “Singapore’s Bruno Mars”. Though it’s a compliment that – despite his suave showmanship and confident presence – has him modestly baffled by its very notion. Having melted hearts across YouTube and notable gigs like Music Matters Live, where he unveiled his debut single “Subliminal Love” and its funky brand of soul, Fernandez spills more about songwriting, sour relationships, and being perceived as one sexy beast.

How do you feel about the Bruno Mars comparison? Now that is really an honour! I’m a huge fan of Bruno Mars; I got up an hour early to buy tickets to his show earlier this year and I sang my heart out and danced like a lunatic at the indoor stadium. I even made a bunch of calls to the organisers then to see if they would like to have an opening band.

10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT

CANVAS SINGAPORE

1) Roy, owner of Home Club, is positive about the change. Roy: It’s a little sad, naturally, but I don’t consider it as saying goodbye. It’s more of a rejuvenation; to evolve and grow. 2) Fret not, for you’ll see some familiar key players, alongside new ones. R: Other than Mahen and myself, Ming Yuen is the Head Of Entertainment, Razi Razak is the Head Of Curation, Genevive Yip handles our Graphic Design, Hafiz Rasid in PR & Marketing, and we have a new Head Of Operations, Shah Sulaiman. The music and art direction will be mentored by an advisory panel, consisting of Woon Tai Ho (National Gallery), Alvin Tan (Phunk Studio), Lucas Burrows (Untitled Project), and Mikael Teo (OhLuckyMe Films). 3) The new establishment will still appeal to ol’ Home Club junkies. R: CANVAS Singapore offers many of the same things that people have come to expect of Home Club. Many of our long-standing supporters are looking for a different way to experience what Home Club had given them – including familiar programmes like Beat!, Speak and Identité, all of which will be returning, but in a more curated form.

4) And also to a new target audience as well – the creative thinkers. Mahen: We would also like to attract the creative-minded and the discerning crowd. They may or may not be part of the creative community in Singapore, but they certainly appreciate and engage in creative thinking. CANVAS provides a space for them to gather and converse about the artworks on display, accentuated by the music that will be played. 5) There’s a wicked musical and artistic direction in store. M: The art curation will be very exciting, as we will be curating content from a broad spectrum of local and international artists in various mediums, from photography to street art to digital art. On the music front, CANVAS will continue bringing in international acts very much along the lines of Home and BED Concepts, but you can still expect us to be pushing boundaries, with our three residents, Ming, Jerls and the newest addition to the roster, William J. 6) The decor of the premises is getting a major face-lift! R: The venue will be undergoing a whole transformation both inside and al fresco. It

will be a multi-functional space that will allow us to transform it from gallery in the day to full-on club at night. Two new bars will be built inside, with a brand new sound system and lights coupled with state-of-the-art digital projection technology. 7) Except for that notorious pillar that we share a love/hate relationship with. R: Yeah, that pillar holds up the ceiling and we kinda like it that way. 8) Bands will still get to perform. R: We will still have performing bands, but they will have to audition before performing at CANVAS Singapore. The selection of bands will also be curated to ensure that the style of music will fit the works that are being exhibited at the same time. 9) They’re having a launch party! M: Yes, look out for it! On the music front, the DJ line-up will showcase the signature sound of CANVAS Singapore. And the gallery will feature works by local artists, some of whom are specially commissioned just for the launch. 10) So you heard it here folks, CANVAS Singapore is here to stay. M: With CANVAS Singapore, we aim to provide a space where anyone can come and experience art in all its different forms. By doing so, we hope to inspire conversations between people and art. We also wish to make the signature elements of Home Club more accessible to everyone, thus exposing them to genres of music that they might not have had a chance to experience. The official launch party of CANVAS Singapore happens on July 30. Visit facebook.com/canvassingapore for more details.

Text Kevin Ho Images and Interview courtesy of Canvas Singapore

CHAT

Yeah we know, we were blowing our noses too when Home Club closed its doors for good. But like a phoenix from the ashes or whatever party creature you’d rather conjure up, our home away from home is being resurrected as the newly rebranded CANVAS Singapore, helmed by faces we’re more than familiar with! Speaking with renowned representatives Roy Ng and Mahen Nathan, we earth out a couple more reasons why you shouldn’t leave the nest just yet.

NOISE MAKERS OF THE MONTH 2 HALFS

Never mind the walloping fact that they’ve got seven members in their alt-/pop-rock ensemble; this group is fronted by not just one, but three vocalists! Oh, and one of them’s a girl, a co-gender deet that the rest of the guys joke about “pimping out”. But setting aside their humour in personalities and music – with original compositions on cockroaches and ‘radio-friendly’ songs – they’re all serious biz when it comes to punchy power melodies and full tight harmonies – qualities that rightfully earned ’em a spot on Noise Singapore’s The Music Mentorship (TMM).

You guys sure are a big bunch. Can you sum up how y’all got together? Kinwee: We formed as the hall band for NTU’s Hall Of Residence Ten back in 2010 and found chemistry jamming and performing together. We decided to keep at it and have been playing together ever since. Shermaine: Yup! We were all hall mates back then. It started out with Kinwee roping me, Vincent and Ziyang into the band with a simple agenda of doing covers. John and Owen joined soon after to give our band more versatility. Daryl was a guest vocalist for a one-off performance, and somehow we all hit it off pretty well, and the line-up has remained this way ever since. Does the name, 2 Halfs, represent anything in particular to you guys? K: Thematically, 2 Halfs represents the two sides to our music. We place strong emphasis on vocals, with complex harmonies and multiple vocal parts in most of our songs. We then back it up with a strong instrument section, with the aim that these two halves interplay well with each other while remaining distinct. S: As cheesy as it sounds, two halves make one whole. And that’s our motto: to be bonded as one tight unit, in friendship and music. Does having one girl amidst six guys spice things up within the band dynamic? K: Band dynamics? We only use Shermaine for marketing purposes. S: Yeah, they like to pimp me out unabashedly. I don’t think they see me as a girl, really. It’s a lovehate relationship. We squabble and take jibes at each other so often, but it’s all tough love.

CALL OUT

Don’t believe us when we say young Singaporeans are talented? Come see for yourself! The Noise Singapore 2014 Festival celebrates the creativity of young aspiring artists in a series of exhibitions and concerts through August and September. Join us and be inspired by their creations. For more updates and details, check out noisesingapore.com or follow @noisesingapore on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Apprenticeship Programme Exhibition Aug 16 – Sep 7, Singapore Art Museum at 8Q Festival Exhibition Aug 27 – Sep 14, ION Orchard The Music Mentorship Concerts Sep 12 – 14, Esplanade

Out of the seven of you, three take charge of vocal duties. What inspired that artistic preference? S: We want to break away from the convention of having one frontman. We treat our vocalists not as singers, but as instruments. I think it makes us pretty unique in terms of appeal, but that can also be a

double-edged sword if we do not utilise our three vocal resources tastefully and cohesively in our songs. So what have you gained most from the TMM experience so far? K: The single most valuable gain from TMM to me is exposure. Not just in terms of letting people know you, but being exposed to all the current music that’s put out by people in the Singapore music scene. S: It has been really insightful and fun so far! Our mentor, Saiful Idris (The Great Spy Experiment), has opened our eyes up to the nuts and bolts of songwriting, and learning to be critical of our own work. You used to do Top 40s. What pushed the transition into original compositions? K: We started out doing Top 40s because that was what was required of us as a hall band. But ultimately, we wanted to be more creative with our music. I would have this riff I was dying to play but couldn’t fit it into a cover, so we’d explore around that and start writing original stuff. S: I guess after doing covers for close to two years, and building rapport as a band, it became a natural progression for us to delve into writing originals. You fellas have a track called “Cockroach”. Was that written from personal experience? And also, who would you say is the bravest of the bunch? K: Shermaine is by far the most courageous of us. She braves the perils and dangers of being vertically challenged every day. S: More like brave the onslaught of height jokes the boys make about me... Ah yes, there was this cockroach that came out of nowhere while we were jamming one day, so I wrote a song about it. So what’s next for 2 Halfs? Any EP on the way? S: As of now, we’re more confident in what we can deliver in a live setting rather than in a studio recording, so we’re planning to make a series of live video recordings soon. An EP will happen eventually for sure!

soundcloud.com/2halfs

RESONATOR REEL DANIEL SASSOON

Don’t grimace if you’re feeling uneasy or insecure about your musical project. Just confide in this distinguished mentor, and you can expect a constructive landslide of opinions that will enlighten you with a brand new perspective or two. We know this best of course, ’cos Sassoon openly speaks his mind as one of ’s very own guest columnists too! And just as resounding as his views, his reputation as an iconic guitarist precedes him with stints with Livonia and Electrico, and currently with prog-rock supergroup, In Each Hand A Cutlass. Keep an open mind now!

RECREATION OF SPACE INTRIGUANT

Consider us biased or unconditionally supportive when it comes to local talent, but this producer right here is bona fide world-class material. And that’s hardly an exaggeration; we can’t be wrong if his music’s even reached the borders of Slovakia and Israel, not to mention established NY publication, The Fader. But before he got the world intrigued, Louis Quek actually started out as a hip-hop/funk turntablist, residing behind the decks under the pre-evolved alias, Intrigue. Following a trip down trip-hop avenue, and further explorations within electronic music and left-field hip-hop, the bulbs in Quek’s head were lit and ‘on’ came the persona change that was subtle in aesthetic, yet dramatic in creativity.

FOCUS ARTISTE

Intriguant’s innovation isn’t hard to find, least of all in his unorthodox attachment to field recordings, spontaneously recording everything from traffic to the dropping of coins in a Bangkok temple. Using these to reconstruct elements of nostalgia, Quek has channelled them into his Ellipse debut EP – “a collection of perceptions from spaces occupied and cherished; a rendering of spatial cognition into audible sounds”. It’s a remarkable release that showcases works like “Touch Matters” – an ambient voyage that surfaces from glitches and static; “The Nostalgist” – an eerie downtempo discordance that finds solace in grounded beats; and its title track – the pad-hugged key single that’s won international recognition with its placid pace and subdued vigour. It’s hence no wonder that this experimental producer’s backed by audio-visual collective, Syndicate, which even gave Quek the privilege of opening for Brainfeeder artisan, Teebs. Though you might’ve caught him going solo with his Akai Pro MPD 32 Controller, Quek also likes to push the boundaries of his introverted creations by upsizing his sets with full bands, a marvel he’s displayed at Identite and 100 Bands Festival. To top off all that audial artistry, he’s even intent on traversing beyond the music with contributions to film, theatre, contemporary dance and art installations; all embellished with the idiosyncrasies of Intriguant. We might not be fully aware of the originating nooks and crannies of Quek’s sound-sculpted adaptations, but we’ll always locate that happy space of ours; one that inhabits within his brilliant imagination.

soundcloud.com/intriguant

IF YOU LIKE THAT, YOU’LL LOVE THESE…

MASSIVE ATTACK

MEZZANINE

Setting aside its relative generosity of leading vocals – albeit, an artistic factor that Intriguant has been looking into lately – these trip-hop visionaries paved the way for Quek’s transition, particularly through this commercially celebrated record with tracks like “Angel” and “Teardrop” (yes, the creepy singing foetus song).

PORTISHEAD DUMMY

We still remember the monumental hype when these fellow trip-hoppers returned from their hiatus with 2008’s Third, though such hoo-hah was undoubtedly siphoned from the influential significance of this ’94 debut. Blending mechanical hiphop beats with jazzy chords and orchestral samples, this marked experimentation at its finest.

BONOBO

THE NORTH BORDERS

Hands up if you want Bonobo back on our shores! It’s understandable if you’ve been itching since his last set at Zouk. The producer had us seeing stars with his ambient sweeping layers and electronically tightened beats, delivered in a more danceoriented nature that’s inversely related to Intriguant, yet resting on the same innovative spectrum.

Text Kevin Ho Images Various Sources

MAX LANE

BRIGHT//SHINE

In case you’re wondering why Intriguant’s blipping strongly on the Syndicate radar, it’s really quite a no-brainer once you’ve exposed yourselves to previous Syndicate-released records. Take this electronic journey from Max Lane for instance – a whirl of minimal inorganic beats, frenzied synthwork and crafty vocal sampling; elements that beckon the Syndicate seal of approval.

JAWS Not to be confused with the James Bond villain nor everyone’s favourite Hollywood shark, Jaws is a four-piece from Birmingham that swims smoothly up our alley. The title track off their upcoming debut album, Be Slowly, is a welcome recycling of jangle-pop; radiant melodies articulated by chiming guitars and echo-dipped vocalwork that the bandmates themselves liken to The Cure. Whereas “Think Too Much, Feel Too Little” is a hypnotic indie-pop lullaby that matches the effortless sharpness of Bombay Bicycle Club. Though it seems like they’re navigating calm waters for now, they’ve trudged through their fair share of choppy starts too with just 10 people at their first gig, and crippling anxiety attacks that submerged their spirits. But they’ve kept themselves afloat with positive mentalities proportionate to their affirming sounds – along with the moralising assistance of their fifth honorary member, Pip The Cat – and are chomping down on the scene one bite at a time. jawsjawsjaws.co.uk

ONE BIT We’re calling it – this duo might just have what it takes to be the next Disclosure. Sure they aren’t brothers by blood, and they don’t have squiggly-lined faces for a logo either, but their salient talent for slick dance-tuned production and catchy pop rudiments is a tried-and-tested formula for scene stardom. Warming up to the masses with debut single “Cold” – taking a stab at all ice queens of the world with its “You don’t have to be so cold” hook – its slowed-down house beat and snappy swells attracted over 10k plays on SoundCloud in just a week. Assembling their tunes from the comfort of their self-owned One Bit Productions studio, the Hertfordshire pair of Joe Murphy and Jonty Howard have kept the momentum going with the r&b/house leanings of double-edged track “Daydream”, and the garage-pop lustre of latest release “Not About You”, which bounces perkily to a velvety vocal performance that ain’t shabby one bit. Not at all. facebook.com/OneBitMusic

LIDO To us locals, the name might evoke recollections of popcorn-stuffing trips to the cinema. But to the inhabitants of Oslo, Lido’s selling out tickets in a whole different way. Exporting his identity outta Scandinavia with head-twisting remixes for a multifarious mix of artistes – ranging from the pop familiarities of Bastille and Justin Timberlake, to the r&b customs of Banks and Bill Withers – Lido makes it all his own with a bubbly dose of aquacrunk. Retracing the video game-y footsteps of Rustie and Lockah, this experimental Norwegian emulates fittingly with stuttering glitchy beats, big bursting synths and chipmunk-vocoded vocals. Released just a couple of weeks ago, his I Love You EP flows like an expert-mode medley of boss fights; with each of its four tracks standing out in skill and substance. Select the title track for a hectic frenzy of electrofunk, and level up with “Lost” and its wonky-fied myriad of r&b and trap. So sw33t! soundcloud.com/lidogotsongs

PAJI Just look at all that hair! That’s a giveaway right there that this producer’s stuffing a throng of ideas in that fuzzy cranium of his. The Germany-born musician doesn’t just stand out with his exotic Kurdish roots and appearance, but most crucially with his take on the DJ’s ‘live’ performance. Delicately frothing through speakers in their deep house forms, Paji’s crafts are organically accompanied by live violins – a trade he picked up from the age of five. Putting digitalised samples to shame, the result is a warm, cushy fusion of contemporary production techniques and timeless classical elements, all with an intimately dance-y ambience that would make a boogie-man outta Beethoven. Following the evocative Middle Eastern melodies of “Six o’Clock”, Paji has recently unveiled “Children Of Love” – a tranquil floor-filler with riffs conveyed emotionally through his trusty fiddle. And yes, it’ll have you jumping over the moon. pajimusic.com

Text Kevin Ho Images Various Sources

LISTEN UP

ON OUR PLAYLIST THIS MONTH

ESSENTIALS

RUNAWAY (1997)

In the ’90s era of dancepop, hip-hop and hardcore, Runaway stood out for its pugnacious punk-rock sounds. Tracks like “Cindy Crawford” and “Hey You” have put early naysayers in their place with how they’ve matured into classic scene faves. Simply put, a debut album that started a revolution.

“When the sun rises again, I will be there with you my friend.” – Jonathan Chan

THROUGH THE WINDOW PLAINSUNSET

Every aspiring artiste worth their weight will have heard of Plainsunset, veteran rockstars of the local scene who have been livin’ it up for a jaw-dropping 17 years. It’s pretty hard not to fall in love with these guys, with their solid heart-thumping drum-beats, affirming guitar riffs, and simple, sensitive lyrics pulled together by Jonathan Chan’s powerful vocals. Even after all those years, they continue forging impressions all around town, from pulling fans 10,000 strong at Baybeats ‘12, to having local peers like Weish, Inch Chua and The Summer State pay homage with covers asserting the agelessness of their anthems.

THE GIFT (2003)

Third time’s the charm; this one gave hope for the comeback kids and lovelorn fools amongst us. Arguably their most popular album – turning out to be a real gift to the fans 10 years later – this package came wrapped with the anthemic “Girl On Queen Street”, “Photos Of Us” and the heart-breaking “Closure”.

Off-stage though, it’s hard to imagine these guys as generation-shaping icons just by looking at them. These undercover musicians hold respectable day jobs like art lecturers and graphic designers, and have members who’re even happily married. These humble dudes also have a sense of humour, cracking jokes about pre-performance warm-ups being an “ancient Japanese transcendental meditation ritual” AKA Asahi bingeing, boob-flashing foreigners, and even performing in their boxers. Except, that last part was no joke…they’ve actually done it!

LOVE SONGS FOR THE EMOTIONALLY WOUNDED (2001)

While their debut introduced them as the new punks on the street, this was the album that made them every lovefool’s new best friend. The title track’s a classic lighterswayer, and opener “We’re Not In” gave heartbroken casualties the courage to burst out from Mopes-ville.

Gazing into the distant past, the sun rose for the pop-punk outfit in 1996, bashing past the horizon of stale sounds with their ’97 debut Runaway, which prompted two more scene-adored albums in the years to come. Though bumps on the winding road led to a brief disbandment in 2004, they regrouped for Baybeats in ’06, where they witnessed a crowd that openly revolted against the notion of ’em gone. It’s no wonder they got the response they did at the 10th anniversary event of The Gift earlier this year – an intensely emotional affair which had long-time fans roaring their lyrics back to them, while the band crowd-surfed and moshed like legends. Of course, why wouldn’t anyone embrace those lyrics? Jon’s always known for being a sensitive songwriter, with compositions dedicated to special ones and bittersweet last words (we’ve all been there, haven’t we?). Lingering on the side of sentimentality, the band also made news when they disrupted the set of the aforementioned 10th anniversary show, to literally pull old founding drummer Ronny Laily on-stage for a powerful moment, jamming to familiar oldie “Plain Sunset” as the audience went wild in that magical moment. These guys definitely who know a thing or two about heart, and take it from us, they still have a good grip on ours.

plainsunset.bandcamp.com

Text Valerie Lim Images Various sources

PLAINSUNSET (2008)

Back from their break-up with a stronger identity, this one returns to their roots (hence the eponymous title) with its crystal clear capture of every strum and chord, and the characteristic timbres of Jon’s relatable voice that set the tone for local industry standards of what a record should be, with its rollicking single “Johari Window”.

orangecove pleasantry

aspectrum

caracal charlie lim

stopgap bear culture

IGNITE! MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014

Now on to the music! Besides, you must be curious how this festival’s been attracting masses the size of 15,000 and beyond. They’ve done so, no less, by keeping in touch with the buzzworthy bands at the mo’, never hesitating in pushing the newer talents to broader audiences. Godzilla-sized pop-punkers Aspectrum get a main-stage boost following their smaller showcase last year, and ORANGECOVE join the bandwagon with a colourful pop-punk brashness of their own. YouTube addicts will squeal upon catching singer-songwriter Gentle Bones, whose tender pop ballads are as endearing as his appealing boyish looks. Left-field dwellers will get their indie fix too with Stopgap, whose post-punk charms will have you bending at every bodily angle; and wyd:syd, representing the new wave of musicians with their reverb-y dream-pop escapades. More than being just the innovators behind this monolith of a concert, RP’s also been brewing some star-power of its own with its resident projects, Replug and Jammerz Arena.

wyd:syd

53a

anechois

If all that isn’t enough to lug your butts to Woodlands, just wait till you hear who they’ve gathered from the established tier of musicians. Ignite! favourites and alt-rock/hardcore champions Caracal are booked for the bill, and pop-punk heroes Plainsunset are all set to display just what 17 years of experience sound like (start mugging those lyrics y’all). cover artiste, Shigga Shay, won’t hold back in Our preaching the word of hip-hop; and also a former cover boy of ours, soul prince Charlie Lim will have those lenses foggy with his sensual vocals and bespectacled bravado. You might wanna also pack those earplugs for the blistering showmanship of prog-/alt-rock outfit Bear Culture, as well as a vivid imagination for the experimental post-rock of ANECHOIS. Plus, the pleasurable indie-pop of supergroup Pleasantry, and radio-friendly tunage of scene-stars, 53A and The Sam Willows. Yeah we know, our excitement’s on the brink of detonating too; but if we were you, we’d save it for this dynamite delight of a show.

Ignite Music Festival takes place from August 4 to 14 (Main Festival Stage from August 15 to 16) at Republic Polytechnic. Visit facebook.com/ignitemusicfestival for more details. Text Kevin Ho Images Ignite! Music Festival

ALERT

READY TO BLOW

You must be off your rocker if you’re still insisting there’s no thriving local scene! In case you missed the memo for previous showcases like 100 Bands Festival and Baybeats, here’s one more event to light those dry sparks of yours. Back for its seventh consecutive year, run by the steadfast kids at Republic Polytechnic – over 600 of them to be exact – the stellar music festival doesn’t just electrify with its consistently splendid line-up, but also with its informative fringe programme that educates masses on the building of our scene. Encompassing the thoughtful theme of ‘Passion & Compassion’ this year, the RP young’uns are seeking to promote youth volunteerism through music; just look for their Volunteer Welfare Organisation booths in the festival village and you can switch up your peace signs and devil horns for a helping hand towards the needy. Kudos to the kind souls at Ignite! – that’s how they (rock &) roll.

TURNING THE TABLES SINGAPORE PIONEER DIGITAL DJ BATTLE 2014

ALERT

Everyone wants to be a DJ these days, and that’s hardly a bad thing. Whatever your motivation may be – whether you hope to someday join the commercial EDM universe and play sold-out arenas, or record an underground set with The Boiler Room – trust us when we say that it’s an appeal we acknowledge far too well. And it’s one that’s embraced just as abundantly, by the Good Samaritans behind Pioneer. Ushering budding beatmeisters one step closer to realising their untapped potential, the DJ equipment brand is once again organising its reputable DJ Battle arepresent Singapore at the Asia Digital DJ Battle 2014 in The Philippines. You bet, the career-making title of ‘Asia Champion’ sure has a good ring to it.

Having recognised the booming trend of DJ-ing at the start of the century, Pioneer introduced its Pioneer DJ Battles in 1998, precisely for the purposes of seasoning future stars for the stage. What began as a considerate gesture, has evolved into a global benchmark for young DJs to meet the industry standards of perfection – an initiative that demonstrated its credibility at the Singapore Pioneer Digital DJ Battle 2012, which produced results that have since shaped the local DJ scene as we know it. How else do you reckon DJs like Zushan got their big push? We know him today as the (Geylang) crunk-crafter of O$P$, and a resident at The Butter Factory and The Spaced Out Show. But just two years ago, he was a starry-eyed hopeful who had to whip out his wits and tricks to earn his hard-earned #1 spot. And it wasn’t just Zushan whose career was fortified thanks to Pioneer’s opportunity, as he also competed against familiar names like DJ Casie Lane, one half of Parental Control with SWTLKR; and DJ Tinc, who’s been a killer resident at Zouk, Dream and Mink. Ensuring that the results were tallied with legit precision, 2012’s battle even sought the professional judgment of revered figures like Godwin Pereira, DJ Aldrin, and Japan’s DJ Murakami. Bursting back into prominence after a gap year in 2013, the Pioneer Digital DJ Battle is looking more inspired than ever, and we can only imagine the quality of aspiring mixers just waiting to be dug up and unleashed. Support your favourites or discover someone new at the semi-finals at The Vault, where a final eight will be handpicked to joust it out at the finals at Zouk’s Velvet Underground; pining for that prestigious slot in The Philippines. Hey, even if your personal pick doesn’t make the cut, just remember that you’re witnessing the making of local DJ history, one BPM match at a time.

The Singapore Pioneer Digital DJ Battle 2014 holds its semifinals at The Vault on July 30, and its finals at Zouk’s Velvet Underground on August 20. Pioneer is giving away two sets of HDJ500 DJ headphones, worth $169 each. To win, tell us who won the Pioneer Digital DJ Battle 2012, and send your answer to grabs@juice.com.sg. Text Kevin Ho Images Pioneer

S õ KO

GEARED TOWARDS GARAGE

Do enlighten us, what is SõKO anyway? SõKO is Singapore’s first and largest UK garage event, which brings you the best tunes from UK’s finest underground producers. SõKO is a Japanese word and translates to ‘warehouse’, where UK garage parties were originally housed back in the day. The team behind SõKO has a huge common love for Japan, so once we heard the word SõKO we instantly went for it. Being the founder of SõKO and all, where did your love for UK garage come from? I first started listening to UK garage at a very young age through a good friend of mine who DJ-ed when UK garage first came onto the scene. From then on, I was hooked and would lock into pirate radio stations at every chance. Since I moved to Singapore, I would hear the same music being played, so I started to mix it up a little during my sets and sneak in a few UK garage tracks; and the crowd loved it! Soon, many of my British friends approached me multiple times about the idea of holding a UK garage event. So, we went for it and the rest is history!

Speaking of your set, will we find other genres slipped in besides garage? We generally start off with a warm-up set of r&b classics, and we’ll throw in a bit of UK funky and deep house to spice it up a little. But we’ll be sticking to mainly UK garage.

Why do you think UK garage has cemented itself as a bona fide genre that’s become much loved outside of UK? UK garage has returned with its loyal followers keeping it alive. It fuses really well with popular deep house music and it’s mixed with vocals, attracting a whole new group of music lovers. I suppose one of the main factors for the appeal in Singapore is the big UK community this city has, and the nostalgic tracks take them back to their glory days when they were young, and it’s great to reminisce through music! What’s been most pleasing however, is the positive feedback we have had from both our Singaporean and international crowds, some of which haven’t heard UK garage before or had much exposure to it.

And what were you up to before running SõKO? Before running SõKO, I was playing at events all over Singapore such as Avalon, Kilo Lounge and Ying Yang. Being a part of the Chroam team, I also play at Lime House, Kickback Sundays at Nosh, and Cue The Music at Blu Jaz Cafe, alongside my day job in the finance industry.

Could you drop us some essential garage tracks that we’ll never find missing in your set? “Fly Bi” by Teebone Feat. MC Kie & MC Sparks, “Over Here” by M Dubs, “Sorry” by Monsta Boy Feat. Denzie, “Bring Me Down (Stantion Warriors Mix) by Zac Toms; this is so hard as there are too many!

Tell us about yourself Benny; we heard you picked up the turntables at the age of 14? Male/Single/27. Yeah, I first started DJ-ing at the tender age of 14, when I built a bedroom studio and enrolled into a music technology course to pursue my love for music.

Now that SõKO’s found its home in Altimate, what can you tell us about the classy, sophisticated venue? UK garage events were originally played in small underground warehouses attracting loyal followers, but SõKO aims to take the music out of the social setting and combine it with club goers of a metropolitan city to educate more people about what UK garage is all about and broaden the boundaries of music. Located in the CBD with a sleek interior, digital installations and a sea of neon lights, Altimate is the best place to help us achieve this. Plus, there’s a sick 360° view!

facebook.com/UKGSingapore

Text Kevin Ho Image and interview courtesy of Altimate

RESIDENCIES

Don’t beat yourself up about it, even we occasionally find ourselves in a pickle when it comes to genre classification. But let’s be clear, UK garage should by no means be confused with its gritty garage-rock counterpart. Featuring whirling basslines, hi-hat heavy beats and buttery accompanying vocals, UKG is a timeless form of dance music that you can copiously embrace at Altimate’s newest garage residency. We caught a chat with chieftain, Benny Campbell, to tell us why UKG fits right here in the SG.

SONAR SO GOOD All things aside, Barcelona has picture-book weather, good-looking people and copious amounts of sangria to make any living there a perpetual beach holiday.

REPORT

Barcelona’s Sonar Festival, as any serious festival-goer can attest to, is a firm highlight on the electronic music world’s calendar with a pull 80,000 strong. In terms of artiste line-up, it’s usually a case of not who is performing, but who is conspicuously absent for the year. Label after label were in clubs round the corner to showcase their artistes. And this is not to mention the numerous workshops, conferences and exhibitions held as part of the festival called Sonar+D, which mixes artistic disciplines and industrial sectors in one cutting-edge creative and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

This year alone, the festival presented 155 performances over three days, including world premieres of new shows by Massive Attack, Plastikman as well as Chic and Neneh Cherry. Other heavyweight acts included Audion AKA Matthew Dear, Caribou, Moderat, Gesaffelstein, Oneohtrix Point Never, BEE MASK, DJ Harvey, Kid Koala and Despacio (2manydjs and James Murphy). Part of the tradition too is the Red Bull Music Academy hosting its own tight crop of affiliate musical talent on its dedicated stage, SonarDôme. This year, guests included TOKiMONSTA, Koreless, Octo Octa, Dengue Dengue Dengue and the great Dâm-Funk, who launched a candid commentary during his set on DJ-ing with vinyls AKA “real DJs used vinyl” et cetera. Taking over the decks with his blend of funk and soul before bursting out the keytar, his high, infectious energy stole the show. But first, a rewind. How did three Singaporeans find themselves in the land of tapas and in deep with thick summer vibes?

audion

Sent on a music immersion trip, Club Kyõ’s PR & Marketing Manager Kavan Spruyt and EJ Missy from the Marketing/Music team found themselves with five days to experience what the world of Sonar had to offer. And through the welldocumented process of musical osmosis, we were tasked to transmit its energy back to Singaporeans at home. With a mission this critical, the team got to work, poring over the endless scroll of Sonar parties both official and unofficial (called Off Sonar). Mind-boggled by the sheer volume of parties and the prospect of multi-universes waiting to unfold, the kiasu Singaporean gene gave way to an easier way of life. Letting things go and going with the flow inevitably became the name of the game as the team strived to make sense of the disparate venues, clashing show timings in betwixt countless meetings with artistes, agencies and the like. From the broad sweep that is Sonar’s music programming, we narrowed our schedule to acts we had never seen before. Also no indulgent sets, experimental noodling or overtly pop-ish acts were to be consumed on this trip. We strove to dance on the middle ground, the sweet spot between overground and underground where harmony between all genres existed. And this is the story of the ones that made the cut. First memorable stop on Day One, Thursday: the off-Sonar Pull Proxy party at Moog club, an intimate club that has seen the likes of Jeff Mills in its best days. That night, Developer, Agaric, Adriana Lopez and others took to the decks as a showcase for the Berlin-based booking/PR agency. Packed with techno lovers from all walks of life, the night gave us our first satisfying hit and a promising taste of things to come

SONAR FESTIVAL 2014

chic

massive attack

The following day, we headed to the festival grounds’ Fira Montjuïc area in Plaça d’Espanya good and proper. A new location for the festival after 19 years, the grounds were laid with artificial lawn while many of the sunglassed patrons across the spectrum from hippie to hipster stomped freely. Clusters of music folk lay back soaking in the summer, while the speakers pumped with tunage provided by the likes of Jessy Lanza and Theo Parrish. By a mile, DJ Harvey, dripping with original swag and sophistication, took to the stage and met all expectations. Dishing out an effortless flow of disco, house, Italo, and mostly other genre-less dance numbers, he had the crowd eating out of his palm from start to finish.

Naturally, no electronic music festival would be complete without paying homage to some of the pioneers. And on Sunday night, we hit Carl Craig’s Somewhere In… series of parties at Bloc club where Octave One, Derrick May, Kenny Larkin and Carl Craig himself were ruling the roost. A straight-up, no-frills techno night helped us end the festivities just as it began – with good ol’ club culture bringing people together for the love of music, dance, resonance and harmony. In between the music, we surprised ourselves by finding time to catch up with artistes that we had formed friendships with through their visits in Singapore (hey, clubbers have got to eat too). Coffee with Funk D’Void and Octave One, dinner with Deetron, lunch with Surgeon, KiNK and Exercise One…our meal itinerary easily resembled a dream line-up in itself, only with great Spanish cuisine. Final festival comments: to be expected, the team was beleaguered by every festival-goer’s fundamental problem of too many acts, too little time. But in our own way, we found a gold nugget of festival experience that is now imprinted in our cellular memory to be referred to for better times ahead. Perhaps then, you’ll see these sonic vibrations manifest in your neck of the woods soon.

matthew dear

plastikman

Text Debbie Chia Images Sonar Festival

laurel halo

REPORT

At sundown and on the last night of the festival, we trooped over to Sonar By Night where Massive Attack, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Daphni b2b James Holden, James Murphy, and Laurel Halo amongst many others were performing. Looming class-A soundsystems and equally world-class acts delivered the full festival experience so highly sought after. From disco workouts to grand electronica concertos, sing-along indie to head-nodding mental grooves – all were to be had at Sonar.

BLEW THE HOUSE DOWN STONES THROW RECORDS WEEKEND OPENING – PEANUT BUTTER WOLF

REPORT

From the shady-looking building front to its claustrophobia-inducing, graffiti-covered crank-and-shaft lift, we thought we were headed for an illicit underground party we weren’t coming back out of. But when the lift door of Kilo Lounge suddenly opened into a luxuriously designed, tasteful space filled with floor-to-ceiling windows that displayed a breathtaking panorama of the rolling Kallang river, it was as though we had tumbled into a Diagon Alley of our own. The trip didn’t stop there; our highlight was indeed just a stone’s throw away. We were presented with an autobiography film of Chris Manak, AKA Peanut Butter Wolf, whose life played like a deliciously trippy music video, featuring slices of his San Jose/California life overlaid with heavy hip-hop beats, shaken up with a mish-mash of famous gigs, record-making, and enlightening party shots.

From the outrageous to mushy tales from pals Charizma, Madlib, and Kayne West, and even his mother, it was clear this crazy talented guy played a significant role in the lives of many. Nevertheless, even if it was hard to believe that that shy, wee lad grew into the bad*ss maestro before us, it was all beats and business as the Walter White look-alike dropped everything from electrifying hip-hop to swingin’ funk, to sensual touches of soul and jazz, that had the whole crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. And what a feast we all had; we’ll be back for seconds any time, even without the jelly. Text Valerie Lim Images Sideshow

FAR FROM IMAGINARY THE VAULT’S SECOND ANNIVERSARY FEAT. THRIS TIAN

Anyone who’s caught the fantastical film The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus would fathom why naming a party after such would drive us loony with enthusiasm. Celebrating two years of party-pushing, The Vault spared no expense with their back-to-back weekender event – Day One featuring resident DJs, and Day Two with a celebrity that had us pinching ourselves blue in disbelief. But unlike the fictional setting of an imaginarium, what we faced was the real deal; Boiler Room chieftain himself, Thris Tian, in the flesh. Hitting the decks around midnight, we must admit the floor could’ve been a lil’ fuller as the online-series selector took things easy with chilled house assortments; from disco to deep, to oldschool Chicago. Chilled – just like the Boiler Room.

In between dancefloor swaying, there was indeed plenty that appealed to our momentary ADD tendencies, like The Vault’s bulbous ceiling fixtures and flamingo sock puppets, cosplaying stilt-walkers and fire-twirlers outside, and neon visuals that interchanged between Super Mario and Adventure Time. But as we got deeper into the night, with more chummy revellers approaching the decks, Thris Tian seemed to soak in the influx of affection, and cranked up the feels with sharper garage grooves and snippets of reggae. Our favourite part however – and yes, this was a fanboy moment – was when we saw him pick up the console mic. “Happy Birthday, Vault!” he exclaimed, in that signature spoken tone that always greeted us on episodes of Boiler Room. Yeah, that’s when we totally lost it. Thanks for pandering to our imaginations, Vault! Text Kevin Ho Images Colossal Photos

ALTER-NATIVE EXPOSURE

BAYBEATS 2014

It’s been a good 13 years since its first inception in the scene, and there’s still no refuting the cornerstone status of this dearly lauded festival. Exposing attendees to music from around the region – including the cosmic stadium rock of Indonesia’s Lightcraft and the organic two-man math-rock of Korea’s Ssighborggg, and of course, the local likes of singer-songwriter DEON, who enthralled all with his falsetto-painted indie-pop – this widespread accessibility and perpetual support for homegrown acts make up the consistently irrefutable tour de force of Baybeats. That’s why this festival continues to strike the right chords with us, year after year.

Eagerly setting the tone for the three days to come, finalist Attention! The New Portsdown launched the festival with a rowdy pop-punk avalanche of mic-swinging and impressively contained body-surfing at the Outdoor Theatre (Arena). Sword-crossing post-punkers Stopgap followed suit at the adjacently bigger Powerhouse, filling the role of Singapore’s own The Strokes with their dual complementing guitars and animated bass licks. We were treated to heavier doses of atmospheric post-rock and two-stepping hardcore from Sphaeras and Straight Forward respectively, and blasted off soon after with the psychedelic indie-rock of Spacedays – complete with finger-snapping interludes and cowbell breakdowns! We’re also awfully grateful for Thailand’s Two Million Thanks and their live-looping art-rock, and the breathtaking return performance of Giants Must Fall – seamlessly articulating stories in dream-pop, indie-rock and ambient forms; a mature metamorphosis from their 2007 Baybeats debut.

Day Two had us bumping into Macau’s Fall To Fly and their stripped-down Cantonese tunes at the Esplanade Concourse (Chillout Stage), before we made our way to the Arena for the serene and good-humoured indie-pop of Lost Weekend. Post-hardcore rebels False Plaintiff had the moshers entertained at the Powerhouse, and Enec.e soothed listeners indoors with their leading ladies’ cushy harmonies. Indie-rock quintet wyd:syd were the lucky ones who got the NDP fireworks treatment, coincidentally illuminating the Arena backdrop as the band indulged in delay effects and lavish anthems. But if there was one musician who really lit up our senses, homecoming heroine Inch Chua took the cake with her Metric System backing band and blue-haired pixie-ness. As aptly blazing as the final day’s scorching heat, finalists The Livid Sun gave it their all with a howling alt-rock showcase. Scurrying back inside for air-con comfort, we managed to observe the electronic capers of trip-hop duo .gif, who exhibited their deadpan demeanour by triggering loops while wearing cutesy animal hats. Besides providing visuals for .gif, Pixel Apartment went up next with his eccentric combination of live pianos and gizmo-controlled trickery. On that chilled-out note, we cranked the knobs back up outside for the rap-rock charisma of While The Kids Are Surreal, the math-/indie-rock soundscapes of Atlas, and particularly, the show-stealing prog-rock magnificence of MONSTER CAT. Though we’re sad to say we couldn’t catch ’em all, we certainly witnessed enough to regard this year’s Baybeats as one of our favourites thus far. Text Kevin Ho Images Esplanade

REPORT

THE rumour mill GOSSIP, NEWS, AND EVERYTHING fROM

BUZZ

RIP DEATH GRIPS Well, it’s hard to deny that we saw this coming! We didn’t just catch glimpses from their unhinged assaults in experimental hip-hop and extremely savage live performances – excluding their frequent impulses of no-shows without notice, which 42 even included one riot-inducing absence at Lollapalooza ’13 – but also their off-stage antics like public spats against their label and the macabre display of fan suicide notes. Aptly following suit, the erratic “art project” announced their departure with a letter they shoddily wrote on a napkin, “We are now at our best and so Death Grips is over”. Glad to see they’re still making statements, even till the grave.

NO GRAFFITI FOR KURT VILE It’s not just us who get deprived of graffiti, it seems like singer-songwriter Kurt Vile can’t get his cake and eat it too. Infuriated with the painted mural that graced the cover of Vile’s Wakin On A Pretty Daze LP, lest it’d “attract graffiti to the neighbourhood”, a local Philadelphian (ironically, a graffiti artist in his teens) took it upon himself to whitewash over the art; an act of deluded vigilantism despite approval from the building’s owners. Thankfully, the crisis (or lack of it) has been averted, and a restoration process is underway. So don’t let this ruffle up your locks, Vile!

BARAT AND DOHERTY TOGETHER AGAIN Much like the endless dispute between Morrissey and Marr, we frankly thought this wasn’t ever gonna happen. After a brutal falling out between The Libertines’ co-frontmen in 2004, it turns out the two are back to being buds again, with Doherty even saying that he was “ready to die” for Barat, who was conversely trying to ensure that Doherty not die from his notorious drug habits. This too-good-to-be-true revelation follows a sold-out reunion show at Hyde Park, where the crowd response was so fervid that it left 38 fans injured. As long as this doesn’t bruise the duo’s relationship once more, we’re ecstatically welcoming them back.

CHVRCHES TRADE BLOWS WITH LINKIN PARK Everyone loves Chvrches’ doe-eyed singer, Lauren Mayberry, and the band’s skip-in-thefields synth-pop, right? Not Mike Shinoda! Out of line with his band’s aggressive alt-rock, Shinoda drew first blood by referring to the Scottish trio as “Disney commercial music”. And if you didn’t think sweet lil’ Mayberry had it in her to expose claws of her own, she amicably responded, “It’s not an opinion I would worry about hugely. They’ve been on the radio for how long, and I just don’t listen to that radio station. I will continue to probably not buy Linkin Park albums”. Booyah Shinoda, you just got sunk by Mayberry.

Text Kevin Ho Images Various Sources

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PAUL MCCARTNEY…THE PRIEST? Nah, not quite. But the 72-year-old Beatle did recently bless a marriage during a recent live show! Spotting an engaged couple in the crowd with matching signs, stating that they could not marry till they encountered the Fab Sir, McCartney was game enough to invite both on-stage. Upon which, he let the hubby-to-be (aged 64) serenade his starstruck fiancé with – you guessed it – “When I’m Sixty-Four” as McCartney cheekily accompanied with the bass notes he’d written way back in ’67. Publicity stunt or romantic coincidence, your guess is as good as ours. We’re just relieved she said yes!

WATCH

SUFJAN STEVENS – “YEAR OF THE TIGER” Even with a reputation for pushing the boundaries of eccentricity with magnificent concept albums and angelic neon costumes, Stevens still manages to intrigue us with this glitched-out fantasy – melting our senses with floating tiger heads with lipstick-painted jaws, striped sperms fighting for fertilisation, and rapidly flashing hues that epileptics should keep away from.

CHROMEO – “FREQUENT FLYER” We don’t know about you, but we personally don’t mind the comforting in-flight safety videos shown before takeoff (food’s a different matter). The electro-funk duo has heard your feedback however, and have conjured up one of their own with fictional airline, Mallard Air. If only we had fashionable life vests and emergency disco lights too.

INTERPOL – “ALL THE RAGE BACK HOME” There’s nothing conceptually fancy about this video, yet it’s a fancy one all the same with these long absent postpunkers spruced up in suits and pomade. Sharing screen time with abstract footage of surfers, it’s a co-relation that shows these professionals back in form in spite of momentary wipeouts, and looking so darn slick in the process.

ROYAL BLOOD – “FIGURE IT OUT” Shot entirely in red and blue filters that correspond to the sirens of a police car, the short film fittingly shows a crime drama with a twist. More than just adding aesthetic value, the switching shades flip between alternate universes of sorts, exposing two sides to one complex story. We’re not gonna spoil it for you!

DORIAN CONCEPT – JOINED ENDS

JULIAN CASABLANCAS + THE VOIDZ – TYRANNY

It’s easy to get carried away with the swarm of ideas in your head. Not wanting to get lost himself, this Austrian producer has dabbled in the art of “reduction”; reforming the construction of his craft to something that’s simple and rudimentary. Technologically speaking, that meant putting away his dearest MicroKorg synthesiser, and taking his gizmos down a notch with a Wurlitzer electric piano and an array of analogue synths. Yet on a musical note, his progressive creations like “Draft Culture” are no less complex – hypnotising with irregular chipped beats, looped synth motifs, and bell-embellished intros that skim the surface of his instrumental ingenuity. dorianconcept.com

The Strokes frontman has never been one to give hoots about authority, taking open disses at New York City cops and spouting the motto “You Only Live Once” before #YOLO became an overused meme. So it’s no shocker to find Casablancas taking his latest jab at ‘diabolical’ music corporations, likening their monopoly on profits to the oppression of a “medieval king”. But this is hardly round-table music; this boomboxer is teaming up with backing band The Voidz (hope it’s temporary, Strokes fans!), and coming up with compositions that combine ’70s world underground music with a pinch of punk. We know; it’s hard to explain. juliancasablancas.com

RONI SIZE – TAKE KONTROL

RUSTIE – GREEN LANGUAGE ALT-J – THIS IS ALL YOURS Our heart always skips a beat whenever we hear about the departure of a core member from a newly rising band (RIP WU LYF), but this fortunately wasn’t the case for the Mercury-winning trio despite the news-stirring absence of bassist, Gwil Sainsbury. Yet, this shift in dynamic didn’t just spark off new radical ideas like the sampling of Miley Cyrus in “Hunger Of The Pine”, but also peculiar transitions into Black Keys-like Americana with “Left Hand Free” – which they’ve mentioned is ideal for “American truckers with ‘Good Riddance To Bin Laden’ stickers”. Well, at least they are still experimenting! altjband.com

Takes a geek to know one! In case you didn’t get the impression that this Scottish producer was one himself (well, he did popularise the video game-y genre of aquacrunk), he’s now dismissing all those doubts with an album that draws inspiration from “medieval literature and Renaissance magic”. And you’d be overjoyed to hear that he’s still got some sorcery up his sleeves. Indeed as vicious and intelligent as a “Raptor”, Rustie’s newest track pounces ruthlessly with the wonky-ness of pitch-bent synths, armed with the belligerent beats of trap. With rapper Danny Brown locked in as well, it’s a comeback that will have you spin-dashing to the next level. soundcloud.com/rustie

FLASH: MUSIC

Fanatics of beats at 160bpm and yonder should know this name far too well; though this drum & bass pioneer won’t fault you if you don’t, considering how it’s been over 10 years since his last solo album. Assuming full responsibility for his dissipating reputation – one that took a back seat to raising his kids – Roni is taking the bull by the horns and re-developing his skills from scratch. And going by his revitalised 2014 rework of classic bumper “Bite The Bullet”, and the hyper energies of “Made In Korea”, it sure sounds like Roni’s ready to dominate the d&b scene all over again. ronisize.net

MERCHANDISE – AFTER THE END These Florida boys sure know how to market themselves, having summed up a successful debut with last year’s Totale Nite EP, which even tied in with a self-directed short film involving pistols and psychedelia. Very much like a toxic-tinted bullet to the brain, they were unforgiving in emitting sullen Ian Curtis-vibes through a filthy lo-fi filter that made Dirty Beaches sound spotless. They’ve since cleaned up their act however, introducing their current pop-leaning incarnation with the melodic indie-rock of “Little Killer” – a polished earworm that clings with easygoing guitar hooks and structured lyrics, with a groove that Curtis would’ve manically jiggled to. wmerchandise.com

FLASH: MUSIC

DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 – THE PHYSICAL WORLD 44

HUXLEY – BLURRED Unlike music-makers outside of the dance realm, it’s not quite as common to see DJs rolling out an album or two. Which is why after numerous house hits like “Let It Go” and “Box Clever”, regular Rinse FM podcasts and over 70k likes on Facebook, we’re stoked to see Huxley set the roof on fire with his debut LP. Apparently the full deets are still hush-hush, but we do know that it’s being endorsed by Will Saul’s Aus Music label, and that it arrives in the wake of potential tracklist-landers like “Callin” – a classy house thumper featuring Roger Sanchez, and the slick dark 4/4 jaunt that is “Oil Spill”. soundcloud.com/huxley_uk

Yes this is real; these prodigal sons have returned! Rocking the two-man show before outfits like Japandroids and Royal Blood, we haven’t seen a record from these Canadian noise-rockers since their one and only album in ’04, You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine. Sounding fresher than ever with comeback single, “Trainwreck 1979” – which goes berserk with crunchy guitars and hammering percussions – they’re attributing the miraculous fruition of this full-length to the perseverance of their resilient fans, who’ve kept their fingers crossed for a reunion even through a bleak five-year hiatus. You heard your supporters, fellas – no dying yet! deathfromabove1979.com

FOXES IN FICTION – ONTARIO GOTHIC The passing of a loved one can be a powerful impetus, especially if that grief is channelled into something more uplifting. Warren Hildebrand found his release in the comforts of Brian Eno and Atlas Sound; his passage for coming to terms with the death of his younger brother. And from that musical succour came his partiality for ambient dream-pop, which he gracefully interpreted in 2010’s Swung From The Branches. He’s roped in some strings support from Owen Pallett for this follow-up, and he’s evidently putting them to good use within the wall-of-sound confines of “Shadow’s Song” – a lulling ballad that’s an ode to the oldies. foxesinfiction.ca

THE JUAN MACLEAN – IN A DREAM While we may eternally dream about that LCD Soundsystem revival which probably won’t happen anytime soon, we can always lust over the side-project of “Pow Pow” princess, Nancy Whang. Though we’re fully aware that this dance-punk alias was originally the brainchild of fellow DFA Records ambassador, John MacLean, it seems like their ongoing collaborations have officially evolved into a legit tag-team, with an upcoming album that’s even dubbed “The Nancy Show”. But it doesn’t matter to us who’s leading the pack, as long as they keep shooting out electronica opuses like “A Place Called Space”, which matches our imaginations exactly with its arpeggiated synths and sci-fi swagger. thejuanmaclean.com

5 MINS WITH

XHIN PORTER ROBINSON – WORLDS This electro-house icon sure pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes when he unveiled his “Sad Machine” to the world; leading to a controversy that was so alarming, he even had to thoroughly explain himself on a Reddit AMA. Gone were his fist-pumping beats and big room drops, and in came experimental dips into ambient, synth-pop and wonky, with extravagant pieces you’d expect to hear from the scores of Passion Pit and Sigur Rós (listen to “Sea Of Voices” if you don’t believe us!). Soak in the statement that simmers in every track; each one embodying the results of his self-declared “anti-EDM” phase. porterrobinson.com

TRUE ENOUGH, WE DON’T EXACTLY HAVE THE LARGEST OR MOST EXPANSIVE DJ SCENE IN THE WORLD, BUT THAT DIDN’T STOP THIS LOCAL VETERAN FROM LIVING THE DREAM OF GLOBAL EXPOSURE. XHIN HAS HAD THE WELL-DESERVED PRIVILEGE OF BEING PICKED UP BY GERMAN RECORD LABELS, EMBARKING ON EUROPEAN TOURS, AND EVEN PLAYING FOR A BOILER ROOM SET…RECORDED IN THE BASEMENT OF A SHIP. WE WERE JUST AS CURIOUS AS YOU DJ ASPIRERS OUT THERE, SO WE SNAPPED UP A QUICK CONVO WITH THE TECHNO EXPERIMENTOR.

Some would say that with the remarkable border-crossing career that you’ve had, you’re living the local DJ’s dream. Do you still find yourself trying to pinch yourself awake every now and then? I’m not quite sure if I’m actually living the local DJ’s dream, but I would say I’m just one of the many fortunate ones who has had the opportunity to showcase my work abroad. To me, this is a career that’s very important and hence, it has become second nature.

ZOLA JESUS – TAIGA We didn’t need a collaboration with M83 to recognise the celestial talents of this shape-shifting siren, who’s swept us off our feet with journeys into synth-pop, dark-wave, and even neo-classical as per her string quartet-accompanied Versions. Here to steal our breaths once more, Zola is taking us back to her childhood – an audial flashback into the taiga forests where she was raised. She promises to welcome us into a “feral untapped world that could happily exist without us”, dropping a teaser with the fluttering synths and galloping beats of “Dangerous Days”. Take us where she may, we’re certain it’ll be a sound that’s native to our tastes. zolajesus.com

SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO – WHORL Why make it hard for yourself when everything can be done with computers, right? This electronic duo quashed that mentality with the making of this ambitious album; recorded not just with a rack of modular synth gear and one sequencer each, but also live in front of 900 people, in the middle of the Mojave Desert. You won’t catch any shoddiness in quality however, if you took a listen to the quaint warmth of “Tangents”, pulsating calmly to its tech-house form. Without the artificiality of retakes and over-production, what you’ll hear is raw perfection that’s hardly monkeying around. simianmobiledisco.co.uk

Do you still remember the sensation you felt upon receiving the nudge from the Meerestief label? I remember when I first posted my stuff up on Myspace, I wasn’t really serious about anything, least of all expecting having someone from some label to check my stuff out. I just wanted to put up some tunes on that player so that my page would look better with some music. Few days later, some guy from the label wrote me and I was like “OK, why not? Take it from here and see how it goes…” So what’s your current overseas touring schedule like? Is it a hectic one? Not really…I love travelling though. Whenever I have my European tour, I normally will be on the road for about two weeks to a month. We understand that despite your success and appeal overseas, you’re still based right here in Singapore? Why would you wanna stay here if the market’s there? I’m still pretty much enjoying being here. I’ll never know what the future is like; maybe I will decide to leave this city for good in the near future, maybe I will stay. You’ve been quoted saying that “not a lot of people are into genuine stuff in Singapore”. Do you still feel that the club scene in Singapore is a limiting one? The club scene here or rather the whole art/music scene is really small. Most of us prefer stuff that’s accessible and easy to digest. We can’t really change anything. All we can hope is that it will get better each year.

xhin.com

Text Kevin Ho Images Various Sources

Text Kevin Ho Image and interview courtesy of Club Kyo

THE MAIN HOOK BY DON SHIAU

SINGAPOREAN MUSIC: WHY I CARE

I confess: I support local music. This shouldn’t have to be a confession, but a fondness for homegrown acts is something of an anomaly in these parts. Welcome to Singapore, where frustrated musicians, producers and managers constantly find themselves bemoaning the apathy of audiences; the indifference of radio stations; the shortage of high-quality live music venues; and the preference of nightspots for crowd-pleasing covers over originals. I’ve never been able to relate to this state of affairs. Ever since Radio Active’s rustic ballad “Changes” switched me on to the potential of local English pop back in ’93, I’ve actively followed the development of the scene. From The Oddfellows to Monster Cat; The Substation to Esplanade; Substitute.com to Bandwagon.sg; I’ve had an interest so natural and instinctive, I’ve never questioned it.

SOUNDS

But I do understand why many people don’t care. They fall broadly into two camps. First, there are the generally clueless, casual listeners of mainstream radio hits. Then there are the music geeks who are in the know, but have harshly decided, after stacking our acts against international ones, that local music simply isn’t worth exploring further.

AURORA

BEN FROST (MUTE)

Ambient electronic music’s all wallpaper flowery music that’s nothing more than vibrations of air molecules arranged for urbanites too lazy to feel for any music that’s not an aural massage. Fu*k Buttons debunked that, showing us that such music can be danceable and unholier-thanthou. Now Ben Frost stomps on the speed pedal to push this to new extremes on A U R O R A. The Iceland-based Aussie has been making music for theatre and film with live instrumentation, and his ability to create atmosphere is evident here, with a focus on laptop work this time around. The electric “Nolan” thumps on like a tribal chant even as serrate synths saw through the air and overwhelm your auditory senses, “Diphenyl Oxalate” is really just a 1½ min sonic spoonful of ear-acid, and “Venter” builds, drills and ultimately thrills as bells, drums and synths collide in a cyclonic pool of noise.

The community of musicians here tend to get rather defensive about the latter point. The case they’ve built for their craft has always been, “We do have the talent; we’re just as good; but support isn’t forthcoming”. I’m not so sure about this. I do think we’ve come a long way in terms of technical virtuousity and production quality, and the scene is brimming with good ideas and energy. But the hard truth is that most Singaporean bands I’ve seen still lack that polish and larger-than-life presence which their international counterparts – who have the benefit of full-time involvement, and the support of mature industries – have in spades. So perhaps the real confession I need to make isn’t that I support local music, but that I don’t do it for the usual reasons. I don’t do it because I feel obliged to as a Singaporean (I’m not into loyalty for its own sake). I don’t do it because many of my friends are in bands (I was following the scene long before I knew anyone who could play guitar). I don’t do it because I think all the bands are amazing (many aren’t; let’s not kid ourselves). I support local music because I know the kind of country I live in. It’s an efficient, pragmatic, competitive society with prescribed notions of success. It’s a young country with a perpetual identity crisis. It’s a very expensive city where people work exhausting hours to pay the rent. And yet, in this unlikely place, a small miracle happens every day. Groups of people write, jam, record, perform, pose for photos, make videos, design merchandise, tweet and organise gigs. They do this in between the suffocating confines of work and school. They do this without any realistic hope of recognition beyond their personal social networks. They do all this for no better reason than wanting to respond to a crazy sound they heard on the radio years ago, from thousands of miles away. And unlike armchair music geeks, these musicians respond to that sound by breaking it open, living inside it, and replicating it. Maybe deep down I’m still an impressionable 14-year-old reading his first issue of BigO. Maybe I’m an old fart with an overblown sense of romanticism. But every time someone here picks up the gauntlet of music, I feel that same tingle when I heard Dulcie Soh sing “life’s full of changes / they say” all those years ago. And I can only listen on in wonder. And that’s why.

IN CONFLICT

OWEN PALLETT

(DOMINO)

It’s easy to hide behind concepts and techniques like a wizard when you got dem skillz. Owen Pallet is a genius multi-instrumentalist and composer, known for his talent as a violinist and his ability to write complex yet enthralling orchestral music with pop as its beating heart. Yes, we dare say Pallet is a pop artiste, as borne out in his fourth solo album. Testing himself by singing open-heartedly (albeit with a civil tone), his lyrics written in confessional-mode, while songs are crafted like magical mille-feuilles of pure pleasure – light, airy, and layered. Pallet has been compared to other pop-experimentalists such as David Byrne, St. Vincent, Kate Bush and Brian Eno (who lends his vocals, and synths and guitar playing here), and it is no lip service; “I Am Not Afraid”, “Song for Five and Six” and “Chorale” stand as some of the most illuminating modern orchestral pop songs you will ever hear this year.

PICKS OF THE OUTSIDER sub:shaman

(SELF RELEASED) If you like Coachellatype indie-pop, then skip sub:shaman. They like to doodle outside the ambit of the casual indie band, and on their first six-track EP, they make sure the lines are drawn to express their experimental sensibilities. Centred around the idea of a murder-mystery, these “prog-indienoir” songs pull, push and twist in myriad ways, ambient effects snaking behind Weish’s silvery susurrations as guitars intertwine into melodic curlicues, characterising this most involving experience.

ULTRAVIOLENCE

Lana Del Rey

(INTERSCOPE) “(H)It” girl/“Hate” girl, Lana Del Rey returns despite all the critical brickbats she suffered for Born To Die. Bad boys, violence, drugs, money, sex, love – the subjects she loves doling out about remain, but working with Dan Auerbach (the Black Keys) has made her lose the hip-hop affectations. Less radio-friendly, more hazy and downbeat, it’s Del Rey not just sounding dirtied, but also dusting herself off to repeat the same obsessions through a pop-culture adjusted lens, projecting invented noirish pop songs.

DO IT AGAIN

Röyksopp & Robyn

(INTERSCOPE) Math time kids! Röyksopp = love. Robyn = love. So Röyksopp + Robyn = 2 x love! But ÷ by ½ an album (EP) = just love! The Norwegian synth-pop duo and the Swedish dancepop star have made their careers on catchy electronic music that resonates, with ambient beautification in the case of the duo, and for Robyn, personal emotions. However, this EP’s just a little too straight arrowed. If only all the tracks are as strong the nine-min+ opener “Monument” and techno-thumping “Do It Again”.

ANTIPHOBIC Deon

(SELF RELEASED) Sometimes, despite our Insta-glam pretenses, all we want out of our lives is to live, love and be happy...and listen to some uncomplicated, well meaning indie-rock music that charms instead of just making us go “but first, let me take a selfie”. Fulfill that void with Deon Toh and his band mates, Esther Low, Brandon Tan, Manson Koh and Mark John Hariman. Like fellow peers, Dru Chen and Charlie Lim, the music Deon percolates is a sturdy brew – familiar, comforting, and uplifting.

UNDER COLOUR OF OFFICIAL RIGHT

LAZARETTO

Jack White

(THIRD MAN) Let it not be said that Jack White is Protomartyr not an entertainer, (HARDLY ART) a revisionist and If Protomartyr’s a pissed-off man debut, All Passion No (ex-wife Karen Elson Technique, felt like just and neighbours, loud, stabby shears at The Black Keys, re-invigorating postfigure significantly) – perfect for his favoured genre of punk, their sophomore take is a more measured, and thus, kerranging garage rock-blues. It’s a sophomore that more rewarding approach. World weariness, black humour is even more of a blunderbuss than his debut, with and violent tendencies commingle in sub-three-minute, a crazed breakdown on the title track, a ballad-duet bitterly whip-smart, indie-pop pills, of which “Tarpeian on “Temporary Ground”, an instrumental “High Ball Rock” is the most pointed and to the point, with lead singer Stepper”, and violins everywhere. Royal rumpled mess, Joe Casey declaring that “gluten fascists”, “emotional but hella entertaining. cripples” and the like, should just be thrown off a cliff.

SUNBATHING ANIMAL Parquet Courts

(WHAT’S YOUR RUPTURE?) Pavement takes point, flanked by Cake and The Futureheads, as Blur scouts ahead. That’s the formation that Parquet Courts take their musical references from. For their third album, the band synthesises their inspirations into a 14-song tin box of polished, jam-style gems of garage rock and NYC post-punk. The title track seethes frenetically, “She’s Rollin” rolls right along with a brill harmonica ‘breakdown’ and “Black and White” chugs ahead with handclaps, electrocuted by a brief squawking guitar solo. .

REALITY TESTING Lone

(R&S) Matt Cutler AKA Lone may be known more for his neo-rave outputs in the last decade (“Pineapple Crush”), but in his oeuvre, there have always been undercurrents of hip-hop, house and ambient music coursing through. For his latest, these influences are now worn as shiny badges of inspired honour. Won’t break new ground nor test reality, but fluid manoeuvres like “Restless City” and “Aurora Northern Quarter” do showcase Lone’s versatility and adroitness.

LOVE FREQUENCY Klaxons

(AKASHIC) A year in the dance music world travels at the speed of light; it’s been four years since the Klaxon’s ‘rock-y’ (in both senses of the term) sophomore so...who’re the Klaxons again? Why, they were once the masters of the nu-rave universe. What’s nu-rave you ask? Why... nevermind. With the help of Erol Alkan and James Murphy, the London trio pulsates (“Children Of The Sun”), but also fades (the radio baiting “Show Me A Miracle”) with a relatively low-watt Love Frequency streamed for the masses. Text Chris Ong Ujine Images Various Sources

ZABA

Glass Animals

(WOLF TONE) Glass Animals makes cool music – the velvety, ambient, neo R&B beats, the dazed tropicalia rhythms, singer David Bailey’s detached yet sensual delivery, even the slightly off-kilter lyrics (“Ride my little Pooh Bear”, Bailey serenades in “Gooey”). It’s like alt-J hotwired into Massive Attack’s trip-hop blueprint to debut new-fangled, meticulously cultured, indie-chillout musical forms. Repeat experiments “Gooey”, “Walla Walla” and “Cocoa Hooves” for the best pleasurable results.

STAY GOLD First Aid Kit

(COLUMBIA) We first met First Aid Kit when they were mere fawns, two young Swedish tween-agers covering a Fleet Fox song on YouTube. Fast forward seven years later, and now, Johanna and Klara Söderberg are industry vets, releasing their third album, still sweetly a-swinging in the rollicking bough of the all-accommodating music tree of country-folk. The gentle harmonies are still present, but life’s experiences (touring being one) have brought a bittersweet ring to the Swede sisters’ melodious evergreens. .

N*GGAS ON THE MOON

Death Grips

(HARVEST MOON) Death Grips are evil. They make aggro noise-rap so abrasive, it makes you wanna smash your speakers. They set off critical polemics with both praise and hate, and are such screwy bass-tards they drop releases whenever they feel like and change up members (Zach Hill, MC Ride and Andy “Flatlander” Morin form the unstable core). Their latest eight-track release even features an omnipresent Björk, her voice manipulated to the point of unintelligibility. So in-yer-face, so anarchic, so-must-listen.

BANDWAGON: THE MUSIC MARKET 2014

POPS OF THE TOP

And this is why they’ve won our ‘Best Contribution To The Scene’ award! More than being just a web-based gig-finder for all music fans to rummage through, Bandwagon’s also reputable for organising communal bashes like this one. They’re replicating the success of last year’s predecessor, and are promising more pop-up stores, poetry showcases, and a musical line-up that will sell like hotcakes. Rock & rollers Cashew Chemists returns to take you on a road trip, and there’s even a rare collaborative set between Two Seas and Sphaeras. Get your folk on with The Diarists and The Sam Willows, and find yourself intrigued with the trip-hop of Intriguant. bandwagon.sg

We honestly don’t know what pushes our buttons more, that this newly launched residency pays cheeky homage to the good ol’ British music show Top Of The Pops, or that this purports to potentially fill the gap of Home Club’s foregone (but not forgotten) indie nights. No beef with other indie parties that are doing their thang of course, but we’d be remiss to not harp on the dream-team collaboration of Ginette Chittick (ex-Beat!) and Jinmart (ex-Poptart), combining their powers and repertoires for a monthly blitzkrieg of post-punk, synth-pop, new-wave, and everything that’s accepted under the umbrella term of ‘indie’. loof.com.sg

thursday august 7 at loof

saturday august 2 at hard rock cafe

DUB SKANK’IN HIFI SOUNDSYSTEM PRESENTS: BASS REBELS

V5 FEAT. DJ SHINTARO AND SATIN JACKETS

saturday august 9 at artistry

SPIN

saturday august 9 at ku dé ta

Ascending up the heights of Marina Bay Sands isn’t just for romantic super-dates and gazing into the future from its Infinity Pool, but also for getting high from KU DÉ TA’s giddying entertainment, 57 storeys above ground. In celebratory conjunction with our nation’s b-day, KU DÉ TA and Grey Goose are adding more icing to the cake with a doublebill edition of its V Series. Swoop to the SkyBar for the nu-disco and chilled house selections of masked Germans, Satin Jackets; and get your scratching fix at the Club Lounge with Red Bull Thre3style champion, DJ Shintaro from Japan, who decimates turntables with hip-hop, trap and commercial house. kudeta.com

A LAUNCH PARTY: DARKER THAN WAX FEELINGS IN COLOUR VINYL & COAST CYCLES

The reggae force has always been strong in these DSHS originators, but this time they’ll be filling ’em dancehalls with some international back-up, including an import from the birthplace of the Rastafarian spirit itself. Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, Conkarah will be testing the strength of your flailing dreadlocks with ragga flavours that simmer between the traditional and contemporary. And he won’t be the only one conquering this bashment session, as MC Kaztet D from France rocks the mic with some grimegripping rapwork with a reggae twist. It may be National Day and all, but we’re painting ourselves red, green and gold for this Jamaican jam. facebook.com/dshsoundsystem

GIGS WE DIG

saturday august 9 at the vault

We’ve seen some pretty whacked out decor in club spaces…but bicycles? That shifts things up a gear alright! Innovatively collaborating with the Darker Than Wax label, Coast Cycles will be displaying their latest models while you’re bouncing along to the tastefully curated tunage of DTW and Cascades Records (FR). Together, they’ll be launching Feelings In Colour – an exclusive double LP vinyl that showcases the international likes of Milo Mills (Aus), Trian Kayhatu (NL), and Samuel Truth (NZ) – who’s even slated to drop down for a live set of chillwave and wonky, alongside the garage and house beats of Maxx Mortimer. Just remember, don’t drink and ride! darkerthanwax.com

DISCO:VERY PRESENTS BETOKO friday august 22 at velvet underground – dance

His prominent career aside, we must mention our piqued fascination with the way this Mexican DJ names his mixes – not with dates or categorical distinctions, but with an overarching title that foretells the pace that’s within. “A Grey Day In May” for instance, is a shadowy concoction of tech-house, with melodies communicated through murmuring bass notes and minimal synths; while “You Are My World” aptly matches its bubblier depiction with sprightlier dips into deep house and electro. But no matter where he takes his listeners, he always brings them home to house; an art he’s perfected in the last eight years. zoukclub.com.sg

ZSS PRESENTS CAZZETTE saturday august 9 at zouk

Our generation might’ve become a sucker for nostalgia with the returning popularity of vinyl and cassette tapes, but these two Swedes were already ahead of the game by donning their signature cassette helmets, joining the ranks of other charismatic masked DJs. But their gimmicks weren’t solely in their choice of headgear and daring vision to keep away from labels – releasing their material exclusively on Spotify – Cazzette’s best tricks lie in their electro-house energies; unleashing commercially accessible anthems with drops as massive as their vocalpolished melodies. There’s no rewind button on this gig so don’t miss out! zoukclub.com.sg.

LOOF PRESENTS GOLDROOM saturday august 23 at loof

The Lo & Behold Group’s always had a snazzy ear for laid-back sounds that’s both placating to the soul and boogie-licious to the feet. And they’ve outdone themselves yet again by bringing back nudisco/Balearic house producer, Goldroom, who graciously made his debut at Loof in 2012. Possessing an effortless penchant for chubby basslines, trickling synths and an acute focus on elevating vocals, this Californian resident gave goosebumps to critics with his Embrace EP last year, featuring artistes like Chela and Say Lou Lou. Let’s just hope he can give us some too; we’re expecting a chill that’s as good as gold. loof.com.sg

Text Kevin Ho Images Various Sources

FASHION RISING STAR The beating heart of fashion on our little red dot, Lasalle College of The Arts breeds bright talents ever so often and we’ve set our eyes on Diploma in Fashion graduate, Samuel Xun. His graduate collection titled ‘(x, y)’ reflects themes of modern architecture and the symbolism of uniformity in the grid system – all explored in great detail with the use of structured grids that were taken apart and reorganised to create enigmatic silhouettes. Xun plays with exaggerated proportions and cuts that are wadded, creating a soft quilted finish on oversized dresses. Xun’s designs come from a place of honesty and passion to his craft and it is this purist trait that will take the bright-eyed designer places. Just watch.

conceptualnaturalism. tumblr.com

Text Liyana Meer Image Samuel Xun

FRESH IN THE +65

FEATURE

LIFE IN SINGAPORE IS FAST AND INTENSE BUT OUR HUMBLE INHABITANTS DON’T JUST KEEP UP WITH THE PACE; THEY SET IT. CASE IN POINT: INDIVIDUALS AND COLLECTIVES WHO ARE FORGING NEW PATHS FOR THE FUTURE OF THEIR SARTORIAL PURSUITS, AND HAVE DONE SO SUCCESSFULLY. PAYING HOMAGE TO LOCAL VISIONARIES WITH A KNACK FOR PUSHING BOUNDARIES, HERE’S A FRESH LIST OF FASH-FORWARD STORES THAT SHOULD BE ON YOUR RADAR. FROM UBER-COOL INTERNATIONAL LABELS TO LOCAL BRANDS BRIMMING WITH QUALITY MERCH, THEY ARE PROOF THAT OUR TINY RED DOT HARBOURS SOME SERIOUS SWAG.

SUPERSPACE

There’s a new kid in town and she’s not afraid to shine. Fashion designers Gilda Su of Revasseur and Samuel Wong of evenodd, along with Bobby Luo and Ritz Lim, co-owners of Butter Factory and online multi-label store, Nightvision, have joined forces to open a hybrid concept store that’s mighty bold and unorthodox. Enter SUPERSPACE, a half-retail half-salon (Ritz Salon) 1800-sqft store that marries eclectic fashion and grooming. The capacious area sports a minimal decor, allowing instead for the loud threads on display to speak for themselves. Certainly not for the wallflowers, it stocks an energetic blend of urban and avant-garde pieces, and celebrates local brands like Mashup, as well as edgy cult labels like Joyrich, KTZ, Gerlan Jeans and more. Evidently, these kids are too cool for school. What: Daniel Palillo, KYE, Andrea Crews, Bas Kosters, Revasseur, Evenodd and unique, off-kilter wares. Where: #02-18 Orchard Gateway

PLEATATION

Deconstruction, reconstruction and rebirth. This three-step process is part of PLEATATION’s design philosophy, where basic products are broken down and recreated with textures, clever constructions and manipulated fabrics. The brainchild of Chiang Xiaojun, you can tell as you enter the store that the brand aims to make you feel right at home. From the roof-like structure to the silver frames that resemble a door, each section displays items according to categories and in order, making the open-concept store experience a cozy one. From her humble beginnings at a pleating production factory, owner and designer Chiang has come a long way to finally set up a brick-and-mortar of her own and the wide array of pleated wares further proves that she has perfected her art. Collections are launched quarterly and key items from the brand includes signature maxi dresses, clutches, totes, notebooks and cushion covers. What: Perfectly pleated everything from fashion, stationery, lifestyle, to home and living offerings. Where: #02-K6 Orchard Central

WHITE ROSE PARLOUR

TUCKSHOP & SUNDRY SUPPLIES

One part urban, two parts heritage, Tuckshop & Sundry Supplies is a specialised store for men that offers a clued-in selection of utilitarian apparels and accessories. Incepted by six well-travelled friends who were inspired by concept stores around the world, Donald Choo, Johnny Low, Johnny Peck, James Dung, Roz Tang and Mark The, have a collective goal to grow old in style. The masculine space features rugged workwear, leather products, accessories and heritage denim brands, and is also home to local leather artisan, Obbi Good Label. In addition to the team’s serious buying taste, the store’s premise is painted in aged green and exudes rustic and industrial vibes with furnishings like wooden cabinets and steel pipes. Having recently relocated, this treasure trove now occupies a twostorey shophouse that holds regular get-togethers on Friday nights for friends and customers. . What: The perfect pair of denim you’ll wear forever from brands like Rising Sun Jeans, Iron Heart, Red Cloud Denim and more. Where: 25 Bali Lane

A standout boutique on its own, White Rose Parlour towers above most in appeal with its seductive #throwback store concept. Set up by the good folks at The Corner Store, owners Jebson Tan and Jack Leong fashioned their sophomore effort after ’70s old Hong Kong, with the same quirkiness that’s signature of its elder sibling. Designed to evoke memories of yore, the variety of mens’ apparels and accessories is an expert mix of vintage and modern threads, all infused with a cool, off-duty sensibility. The store’s main window display is decked out with vintage window blinds and gold tabletops, while good ol’ Shanghai Swing tunes frolick in the air. On its racks are dapper-style outfits sourced from Korea, Hong Kong and Bangkok, as well as brands like Rivieras and local indie label, The Cult of Nine. . What: Handsome picks including menswear and accessories, from suits, leather goods to hats. Where: #04-06 Orchard Gateway

MUSE

SOME THINGS

Once resellers of streetwear brands like Supreme and Bathing Ape, co-founders Shavinne Tan and Mian’s retail business eventually gave birth to in-house menswear label, Afterlife. But being veterans in the scene also means that their fashion styles and tastes have evolved with time, and eight years on, the products now take a dressier and more sophisticated slant. New to Orchard Gateway, Afterlife has rolled out two new unisex diffusion lines – We Are What We Are and Beautiful Stranger – in collaboration with designers from mainly Korea. The former features dapper, gentlemen-like threads like blazers, shirts and pants with a distinct grown-up taste, while the latter offers feminine and adventurous silhouettes expressed through brighter colours and light fabrics on blouses, dresses and separates.

Founded in 2010 by owner and designer Matthew Ong, Muse was previously at the iconic Pacific Plaza building (remember Tower Records kids?) and is now a one-stop multi-label boutique packed with shoes, bags, jewellery and items du jour. Its modernclassic premises, all decked out in glass and wood, is an apt host for the covetable brands stocked inside – from quirky Bangkok label The Little Pink Rabbit to edgy UK brand Nocturne. Ong also stocks his own in-house brand of ladies’ shoes and exclusive, exotic leather handbags made in Bali. As a fervent supporter of local designers, the store also carries other contemporary names like Hadasity, Indochine With Gaurika and Wynn Bespoke Jewellery – all of which are blood-pumpingly cool and covetable.

What: A diverse mix of apparels and accessories for men and women including blazers, shirts, cardigans and chic handmade jewellery. Where: #03-04 Orchard Gateway

What: Drop dead gorgeous baubles and trinkets, as well as labels like Nocturne, Elektra, and Matthew Williamson. Where: #01-06 Orchard Gateway

Text Liyana Meer Images Various Sources

PROFILE

IT’S A SMALL WORLD 52

CAVALIER, A SPUNKY MINI-ME LABEL IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST ARRIVALS IN SINGAPORE AND IT HAS US WISHING WE WERE LITTLE TYKES AGAIN. HUSBANDAND-WIFE TEAM ANGELA CHONG AND PERRY LAM LAUNCHED THEIR FIRST COLLECTION OF CHILDREN’S WEAR AND THE DEBUT IS A TREASURE CHEST OF CONVENTIONAL SILHOUETTES AND FUN PRINTS THAT ARE BOTH CHEEKY AND BOISTEROUS. WE CHAT UP DESIGNER CHONG TO FIND OUT MORE.

Hi Angela! What were you both doing before setting up Cavalier, and what made you ditch your full-time jobs for this? Perry and I have spent our entire careers in creative industries and in our 10 years as a couple, we spent eight working together. This partnership has taken us from running our own media production house in 2006 to spending the last five years setting up and developing a media production department in an MNC. I have always loved fashion and starting a label has always been on my bucket list. In 2013, Perry and I wanted to seek out a new challenge and chase a new dream. The idea of debuting a kidswear collection came about because we wanted to grow our label following the natural course of life – from birth to old age. Have you ever imagined that you’d be designing clothes for children? Never in a million years. It was always the kind of unrealistic, dormant ‘what-if’ dream that would

cross my mind when our sanity was being blown to bits in the corporate world. Now, hearing the raves on our debut collection, I wonder why I didn’t chase the dream sooner. What does the name Cavalier mean? There are two vastly different meanings. It refers to a chivalrous gentleman or knight, or an attitude of not giving a sh*t. The name came about when I was called cavalier (no prizes for guessing which way it was meant). Being curious about the word, I looked up the dictionary and felt like both meanings were equally befitting of the way life should be led. How would you describe the Cavalier kid? The brave, the brazen, and the intellectually arrogant – that’s a Cavalier kid, young or old. What was the inspiration for the debut collection? Our debut collection is sparked by the thrill of kids playing dress-up in their parents’ closets and the vision to clothe little sartorial people. Inspiration for each piece was drawn from the people closest to me – my family. The Dora Dress, for example, is homage to my mother and Peter Pants, my father. The more casual D range of streetwear was pulled from my sneakerhead brother. I’m extremely lucky to have grown up in a family of tastemakers who’ve moulded my eye for fashion and motivated my fearlessness in style. What’s the biggest challenge when it comes to designing clothing for kids? There are many challenges and additional points of consideration when designing for kids – from basic factors like diaper allowance to understanding the stages of growth. Because kids have such different physical abilities at each stage, design should encourage and not prohibit development.

We can totally see ourselves wearing the designs from your collection! Have you guys considered creating a matching line for adults? Thanks for making our day but don’t be surprised if you spot women in our clothing already! The ladies have been wiping out our Skip shorts, Capture skirt and D-Ray cardigan in the larger sizes. It’s a pleasant surprise to us but yes, we can’t even begin to describe the amount of requests we have gotten to make everything in adult size and we’re super stoked about it. Do you remember any particular piece of clothing that is special from your childhood? Contrary to my style now, I was a ‘flower girl’ countless times when I was little and we have this picture of me in a white tulle bandeau toga dress that my mum sewed for my uncle’s wedding. True to her classic style, my mother always put me in pieces that would never look passé. That dress still amazes me, I only wished she had kept it. What’s the biggest Cavalier dream? I would like to literally ‘un-label’ every piece of clothing that exits in the Cavalier studio because I think it’s unfortunate that a lot of us live within the boundaries of gender and size labels. My biggest pet peeve is when people ask if our clothing is for girls or boys. In my world, everything is unisex because the only labels that you should follow are the ones that you create in your own head. Finally, what advice do you have for parents who want their kids to look stylish and puttogether? Avoid Disney princess dresses and Angry Bird tees like the plague. Your pint-size prodigies are also cute enough on their own so they don’t always need to wear all seven colours of the rainbow and crazy prints to stand out.

cavaliervault.com Text Liyana Meer Images Yasin Rahim

ROXY WEARS DENIM VEST B+AB AT I.T DENIM BRALET GALSTAR AT J RUNWAY HIGH-WAISTED JEANS TRIBE AT J RUNWAY CREEPERES UNDERGROUND AT ACTUALLY NECKLACE IVORY JAR AT SECTS SHOP BANGLES COLETTE BY COLETTE HAYMAN SHAUN WEARS DENIM VEST 21MEN AT FOREVER 21 COTTON & PLASTIC PANEL T-SHIRT ANDREA CREWS AT SUPERSPACE JOGGERS KTZ AT LEFTFOOT ENTREPOT SHOES PALLADIUM

LION CITY REMIX RELIVE THE GOOD OL’ DAYS IN STYLE AS WE CELEBRATE 49 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE.

PHOTOGRAPHY TECK / LUMINA PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANTS BURTON TANG & LI WENG FUNG ART DIRECTION JAZMIN KELLY SIX STYLING LIYANA MEER STYLING ASSISTANT VALERIE LIM MAKEUP ZENNIE CASANN USING MAKE UP FOR EVER HAIR JOEY LIEW / D’SIRE HAIR MODELS ROXY J / AVE & SHAUN A / UPFRONT SPECIAL THANKS TO KAM LENG HOTEL & SINPOPO

PULLOVER EVENODD AT SUPERSPACE BERMUDAS DESOUL LEATHER SANDALS DR. MARTENS

MESH DRESS LOW CLASSIC AT I.T TUBE DRESS STYLENANDA AT I.T NECKLACE INCH CHILD AT SECTS SHOP BRACELET ROOM 13 BY MANIQUE AT SECTS SHOP

BLAZER SCOTCH & SODA AT ROBINSONS COTTON T-SHIRT NEW LOOK JOGGERS KTZ AT LEFTFOOT ENTREPOT SHOES NIKE

SHEER DRESS LAZYOAF AT ACTUALLY TANK TOP FEMME X COTTON DRESS (WORN UNDERNEATH) H&M RINGS COLETTE BY COLETTE HAYMAN

TRIBE DUTY

BE IT AZTEC, NAVAJO OR ETHNIC; THESE STATEMENT PRINTS ARE STIRRING UP DREAMS OF THE CHARMING SOUTHWEST. TYPICALLY A COMBINATION OF BOLD GEOMETRIC SHAPES AND HORIZONTAL LINES, ECCENTRIC BOHO PRINTS ARE THE BOON OF SUMMERTIME ADVENTURES. WRAP YOURSELF IN A PRINTED SCARF, THEN PAIR A STAND-OUT PIECE COMPLEMENTED WITH QUIETER ACCENTS FOR A SWOON-WORTHY ENSEMBLE.

card holder, $70, scotch & soda at robinsons

jersey crop top, $11, forever 21

MATCH

WARDROBE

valentino spring/summer 2014

polyester scarf, $17, forever 21

cotton semi-turban (set of two) $19.90, stradivarius

jeans, $369, etienne marcel at bread & butter

leather ankle boot with strap, $180, zara | polyurethane ankle boots, $99.90, bershka | leather double zip ankle boots, $173, topshop

acetate sunglasses, poa, george at john little

sequin top, $ 27.60, victoria jomo

canvas drawstring bag, $49, func deko

bodycon dress, $36.90, new look

viscose tube top, $ 39.90, pull & bear

nylon swimsuit, poa, mara hoffman at shopbop.com

polyester scrunchie, $9, minikin polyurethane & cotton satchel, $39.90, pull & bear

embroidered denim shorts, $104.50, maison scotch at robinsons

ribbon & shell bracelet, $19.90, stradivarius

cotton pelmet skirt, $93, topshop

cotton jacket, poa, miss selfridge

leather ankle boots, $135.23, asos.com | fringe leather ankle boots, $418, h by hudson | calf leather & patent pu ankle boots, $99.90, charles & keith Text & Coordination Liyana Meer

black diesel gold spring/summer 2014

JEAN POOL

denim bucket hat, $65, huf at actually

denim bermudas, $45, 21men at forever21

biker jacket, £361.12, j.w.anderson at mrporter.com

MATCH

WARDROBE

TO STATE THE OBVIOUS: WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT DENIM. FROM OUR TRUSTY JACKET TO EVERYDAY JEANS, OUR BLUE CRUSH HAS EARNED LIFELONG SPOTS IN OUR CLOSETS. AND THE KEY TO LOOKING LIKE A JEAN-IUS? MIX WASHES AND SHADES BY BREAKING UP BLOCKS OF DENIM WITH CONTRASTING LAYERS. GO ON A DOUBLE-DENIM ADVENTURE OR THROW ON A PLAIN TEE TO CHANNEL THAT EAST LONDON LOOK.

watch, poa, nixon

canvas sneakers, $49.90, new look

woven leather belt, $89, desoul | suede woven belt, poa, tod’s | woven leather belt, poa, paul smith

canvas backpack, $770, jack spade at cumulus denim shirt, $149.90, levi’s

hooded denim vest, $59.90, pull & bear

chambray shorts, $19.90, uniqlo

dungarees, $139, zara

denim cap, $24.59, asos.com

denim jeans, poa, sport b

cotton-jersey & lightweight denim t-shirt, £100, wooyoungmi at mrporter.com

denim trainers, poa, vans

denim jacket, $229.50, scotch & soda at robinsons

cotton backpack, $73, topman

woven leather belt, $39, benjo | leather belt, $24, s2vs | leather belt, $150, anderson’s at matchesfashion.com Text & Coordination Liyana Meer

THAT EXTRA LIFT

STRAPPY FLAT SANDALS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A SUMMER ESSENTIAL BUT IT’S THEIR ELEVATED COUSIN, THE FLATFORM SANDAL, THAT’S TAKING THIS SEASON TO NEW HEIGHTS. A STYLISH HYBRID, THIS LOFTY STEPPER STANDS A LITTLE BELOW THREE INCHES BUT PACKS A WHOLE LOTTA PUNCH IN BOTH STATEMENT AND STYLE.

2 1

SHOP

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1. $48.70, myth | 2. $69, shopstyle.com 3. $49.90, mondo | 4. poa, new look 5. $86.06, asos | 6. $109, bershka 7. poa, jeffrey campbell at p.v.s | 8. $253, buffalo at topshop 9. $61.47, river island at asos.com | 10. $39, ii monkii Text & Coordination Liyana Meer

MARIANNE THEODORSEN 1

WARDROBE ICON

STYLE COP THE LOOK

Energetic ensembles with boyish silhouettes.

With her fondness for bright colours and her striking radioactive hair, Marianne Theodorsen, a blogger, photographer and DJ, is the kind of girl who exudes out-of-this-world cool vibes one can only dream of. This Norwegian style star is a regular in Osloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s street-style scene and her gift for mixing bright colours, patterns and textures is flawless. A spunky girl with fearless fashion â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tude? We love!

[clockwise] 1. faux leather jacket, poa, miss selfridge | 2. earcuff, poa, new look | 3. acetate sunglasses, poa, linda farrow at on pedder | 4. polyester textured weave coat, $99.90, h&m | 5. leather satchel, $400, kate spade saturday | 6. denim jeans, $96, topshop | 7. pu ankle bootie, $85.90, charles & keith | 8. cotton top, iroo, $87.80 | 9. necklace, $890, venna at on pedder | 10. watch, $348, dkny at watch station international

Text & Coordination Liyana Meer

SHOW STOPPER

DO IT LIKE A DUDE

FLASH: FASHION

No doubt New York is the epicentre for men who know a thing or two about style. And with the arrival of this Big Apple label here on our shores, gents here will have no excuse not to look their best. Enter S2VS, an independent menswear brand, founded by designer Sean William Salim, that’s steadily gaining an international following. Designed for the modern day male, each garment is made from quality fabrics and fit the masculine form perfectly. We’re lusting after its Spring/Summer 2014 collection that features pastel and neutral colours on shirts, vests and chino pants that exude the brand’s casual-cool flair. S2VS is now open at #04-05 Orchard Gateway.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST Heads up. Puma is rolling out another victorious collection of runners in its Wilderness Pack – comprising the R698 and XS850. Inspired by the barren Sahara dessert, tan tones take over the R698 silhouette, which sports a leather toe box and suede upper, alongside pops of mirage blue and cactus green. Meanwhile, the SX850 model denotes the transformation of a city after dusk, featuring a black leather upper that resembles dark gritty streets, and mesh that reflects lit skyscrapers. $199, available exclusively at Limited Edt Chamber and Limited Edt Vault.

FREE YOUR TOES If there’s any type of floppy footwear you’re sporting, it’d better be a pair from Havaianas. A footwear staple for the summer (or in our case, all year round), the latest collection from the Brazilian brand puts a fresh spin on classic designs. Featuring a more delicate silhouette with shorter straps, the Flat Up series includes bold coloured soles with metallic straps, while the Flat Mix range features fun graphic prints for those wanting to punch up an otherwise dull ensemble. $42.90, available at all Havaianas stores and CommonThread outlets.

Now here’s a collaboration that will put some pep into your step. Keds teams up with Kate Spade yet again to create four fresh designs for Fall 2014. Dipped in splashy hues and covered in animal prints, each lace-up exudes playful femininity that’s fun and cheeky. The Cyber Cheeteh is dressed in oversized spots and pops of brights, while the Cyber Stripe is the latest iteration of the iconic Keds Champion silhouette, accentuated with green and pink cabana stripes. $99, available at TANGS Orchard and authorised retailers.

FORM FIT Ladies, it’s high time you threw out those ill-fitted bodycon dresses in your closets and replace them with Roland Mouret’s incredibly tailored silhouettes in this latest collaboration with Banana Republic. Lending his fashion eye to the popular US-based high-street brand, Mouret creates a capsule collection of skirts, tops, trousers and dresses in a pared-back palette. Other key details in the collection include graphic perforated details and svelte cuts that accentuate a girl’s curves. The French designer incorporated his signature draping and, through the use of Banana Republic’s Sloan fabrics, produced a stellar collection that highlights his excellent craftsmanship. Available at Banana Republic, #02-04/07 Paragon Shopping Centre and #B2-28 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

HAPPY FEET Just in time for the ever-so-fun Colour Run, New Balance reels in a rainbow collection of footwear, apparels and accessories for both men and women. The shoes feature a dual-coloured upper split in the middle, exuding an illusion of being covered in coloured powder, and are designed with the innovative Freshfoam 980, which provides a soft and bouncy ride to cushion the feet. The men’s M980CR model comes in striking blue and neon green, while the women’s W980CR style is bathed in pink and bright yellow. Other must-buys include the multicoloured racer-back, headbands and wristbands in striking hues. So if you’re down for this year’s race come August 30, be sure to turn up at the starting point in these threads – that makes you a winner in our books. Available at all New Balance stores.

as r n o ve l L W re , e M r s a g u, 2 el ity er J . 4 S i ho ss FLASH: FASHION a n f e ld M A p e aU d , a s r il La n m to k r 2 be ve ul c e y 0 1 tic re , l C ils 4 ul a t Ga – el ‘M tu e eb e r a th re t B ra r a lis lis e h te s a m F P u z ilia s , w al g n M Na h i l W h , C ec u l ti c h in a o tic o ul n’ w te r m p c o tu F ill n a s ra a l 2 b e 0 na ci lis l W a v 1 4 B o us m i n a i c o ro t je t h r te la ll h ou r 2 b l ec e r lly e ti s , fo gh 01 th on a o t Sh 4 C i s , M nd w e In Ju e t a oe o M sp h r l i y . lis e D lle c de eli red br e s ti F s s a w bu sa b a a n ig o n N s hi d, an her t a N y ns a o M “T d e t S a th t n i el e o t l m o I re h e i T n c o is s ok od ão on d G s o co – n a m his s. e P w ive oo s ls au a rs a an , c m o h , n a t lle e s c e d o ll d i w l a h a a k i M e s c t io t o • y s s e c le L e a b : n T on rm g a r d e n r e F a on o b r g or f lo rav ,t s o n s k e t e p is c a t en a t s h a e v t m e he a i io d e s i y l w io e n p o y l l m er t e o n n re us a l l g u t h w i o d de W ali ult • s a rld, tr : F o f im w i , w s t D i r ith f le i i G s z n s th e c c a u i e f e b e e p e c th t io u u e g r v th e lf, m k d ltu ci id al om e n ns a r s to e ni ul 2 fo ra to ty’s e: anc b l an an e t o r o lo n o c ti- 01 r ar u on w f c a f v d i et 4 t h l s e • c os c h ho C r e e o g c d e v e a rd E N l c a l hn ( e oc ca Lo m es t e f i x S j e s V o m ue t a r ic P la ie te lly c I A w c o ; sp te com ies plo sa go M co FW be ty, -s re B m u s s u el th ho al: poli th ots d f fo to re tile is riz te a LY n c st 1 l’s o , o sa e e t s r r St an s r t t um 4) t p s e i h m e i B t h s w n F la d en ly yle w e cl g M y b as ck ith tho and all er tyle es , os a E e i o O or t Ti n o s s c s s d i n e h u s s m t c u n e e h o + op la ltu fo h a e is al a ar a es ur r t b i P te a u a p Ka th ity m e n. ig ba wh h nd re r o g s p rl L s of s e ns n o i s s s t h re La a c h . L t e o in e of od m ge tic , a a o h i a g e b ee th e a s e b d s e rfe a o f e t s r s r o a he r n r e b o fa r fe n n e n ar ef njo ti nd ll o e ig n g . “ ou s , ld T e o h , k e l f e v l r d w su d sh c i an a r re y n t h e n w i h te tie d va e r t ho r w a n e m d i v ie n n g up i o h a o w s t t ’ s t id nc go . s r e he er d s d ea es in l a d a n s s a n t y l e im fu nto M e t su h s e h r g s s te y ls o s e lis l l d b y s s i t y ip ey nc t ga sa lt a t e s d m b o a d is to . a , r o ” i f o nd G i n g e i n lo vi on de lo . lo ol b ir op M e s p th r ve si a ; s p b ra v e ok s r t e t t l 9 Lo l h e . f i i ev 0 rin eh c e a n lo or ve on - th ed m e s s a a d ok w er s + g in d a n d n e Ka y th fin th e ’s B “K a c e rl o t d o o L t a m e h e e lle ta la c rli ag M c g e e er t h f la e r e i l o k s m h n n c fe jo ld o t c o l n i c t iv t a le s lis r in T ” y h e le i t y e n n d s b s a g i ie + w it c e r , t c h M io ” s s s e el h e la c G lo o n K M is ve n a , sa el k b v e s a a r l eli ry foc y s w h U ed ik Ilt C i ra u Lo s h La ssa d e gi v e r- v is g + a y s e in d c h rl H er K s rs s ty e ee y t r t f l o on io l e + a d e a r + Ka n s g K e ld l L be rl , m a l L a o of v rl a a ag g er fe th e s L a r k s ty erf ld e . W g in le el d er h c cl ’ i a s th fe is re s s M s i a ld d e d it ec el is c g o , w s i ed o sa M o h gn t nd U ltr e l d ic s o ag c is s e h . T th a irl + s a n is h e p s Ka s e a e m ul rl a U n La c e lt r o f a o ll n h c ge rfe a g h u d a a b im oll ld ir l m p ti o r s e ec t a o o i w r , n tio lf w on ith K o f n h ! h i a rl on w it o s ga e h fa v e of m ou a s

5 MINS WITH

RSVR DYK

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

THERE’S SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT HANDMADE LEATHER GOODS THAT DESIGNER IZZAT OF RSVR DYK KNOWS ONLY TOO WELL. FROM COIN POUCHES TO KENDAMA HOLDERS, THIS LEATHER ENTHUSIAST CRAFTS ONE-OF-A-KIND PRODUCTS THAT REFLECT A NATIVE AMERICAN AESTHETIC, DESIGNED TO AGE HANDSOMELY WHILE GAINING CHARACTER OVER TIME. WE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIS PASSION FOR THE CRAFT.

This sneaker set takes some of Vans’ most heralded models like the Era, Slip-On, Sk8-Hi and Half Cab to a galaxy far, far away. Dressed with unique prints inspired by Star Wars characters like Yoda, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Stromtrooper and AT-AT Walkers, this series of shoes, backpacks and caps includes the bandana capsule, which mashes up one of Vans’ archived patterns with the Galactic Empire’s henchmen; and the Aloha Yoda, which features images of Yoda chilling out with a bunch of flowers. Also available in kid and toddler sizes. Available at all Vans stores.

JELLY DREAMS

Melissa presents its Fall/Winter 2014 collection, titled Melissa Nation – an inspiring riot of collaborations and designs that celebrate the ethnic diversity of a multi-cultural society. The collection features new styles from the in-house range and tie-ups with regular names like Karl Lagerfeld, Gareth Pugh, Jason Wu, Campana Brothers and J. Maskrey. Top picks include Lagerfeld’s fun designs, where heels, sandals and flats adopt iconic references to the Kaiser like a fingerless glove, black tie and sunglasses. We also dig the Melissa Bliss, flat sandals with heart-shaped details, and the Melissa Magda + Jason Wu – a retro silhouette sandals inspired by the ’70s. $85 to $600, available at M Dreams, #B2-03 Wheelock Place.

What are some of the leather goods that you make? I mostly create according to the requests of my customers and they can range from men’s and women’s wallets, hand phone sleeves, passport holders, lighter holders, watch straps, to bracelets and many more. Some of the other interesting items I’ve created are espresso tamper leather holders for baristas, and recently, kendama holders.

What challenges do you face as an independent label? Well, people who haven’t heard of my label would be slightly hesitant to purchase something from me, so I have to gradually build my brand and let my works do the talking. I rely a lot on word of mouth, thanks to loyal customers. Also, since I’m a one-man-show, I don’t get much funding so I have to rely on my profits and savings to slowly expand my brand.

DIGITAL FANCY Remember the ’80s when the square-framed Casio Baby-G was all the rage? 20 years on, the Japanese timepiece expert celebrates this significant milestone with a throwback featuring a nostalgic set of timekeepers reminiscent of the classic Baby-G DW-520. Taking on the BGD-500-3 style, the repertoire of watches embraces a simple but striking colour palette of yellow, cool matte black, and green. Fans will remember the staple watchface protector bars, the 200-metre water resistant body and EL backlight for after-dark time-telling. $129, available at all G-Factory stores.

So what are your future plans for the brand? I want to have a proper medium to market my leather goods, like a website, so I can reach out to a larger audience around the world. Most importantly, I’d love to have my own workshop – with a full-time team to back me up – and build the brand as a made-to-order leather goods specialist.

facebook.com/RSVR.DYK

Text Liyana Meer Images Various Sources

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How did RSVR DYK come about? I’ve been crafting leather goods since 2011 and what started out as a hobby turned into a full-fledged passion. My then-partner and I would bring our tools and leathers to our ‘workspace’ – essentially a void deck in Bedok Reservoir Road – to create and craft. However I currently operate from a small corner in a barber shop in Geylang, which is more conducive for me to do my work. My main objective is to create traditional native-inspired leather goods and seamlessly integrate it with modern society. Most of my leather items are made-to-order with personalised specifications. All of my creations are handmade and hand-stitched with minimal hand tools and no machines.

So Izzat, what exactly does RSVR DYK mean? RSVR DYK simply stands for Reservoir Dayak. Reservoir reflects where I’m from – Bedok Reservoir Road – where my craft began. As for Dayak, it means tribe, and in my case, a tribe that chooses to create and craft with leather.

MADE UP STILL GOING STRONG An instant mood-lifter. A glamorous polish. A statement maker. Such is the power and allure of a show-stopping scarlet lip. While summer celebrated high-shine jelly crimsons that are fun and decadent, fall calls for a more sophisticated, grown-up take. Enter the new-season red lip: slightly darker with berry tones, but bold all the same with a matte finish. Backstage at Altuzarra, the mod red lip is complemented with velvety skin, chalky white eyes and a sleek, low ponytail. And just in time for this National Day, we say thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no better occasion than now to rock that classic red-and-white.

Text Jazmin Kelly Six Image M.A.C. for Altuzarra Spring/Summer 2014

BOTTLED NOTES THE SEASONS ARE A-CHANGIN’ BUT THESE EXOTIC FRAGRANCES NEVER FAIL TO RECREATE THE BEST SUMMER MEMORIES. 1

FRESH LIFE EDP

FEATURE

This is the clear blue sky, morning sun, and sweet sun-kissed air captured in an artisanal bottle. A celebration of the zest for life, this fragrance is made up of four components. Velvet bergamot, vanilla grass and dreamy cypress as ‘Earth’; grapefruit, lilac leaves and magnolia as ‘Air’; silk amber, warm orange and tonka flowers as ‘Sun’; and sweet cucumber, sparkling moss and morning dew as ‘Water’. Lighthearted, playful and sparkling. $144 (100ml), available at Sephora.

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DKNY MYNY EDT

Like a sexy summer siesta in the heat of a New York night, this energetic concoction channels the urban spirit of the Big Apple right into its heart-shaped flacon – with fruity raspberry, the spice of pink peppers and a touch of galbanum. Egyptian jasmine, freesia and orris enter in the middle to seduce with a floral allure, while patchouli, ambergris, vanilla absolute and musk add a grown-up, womanly punch. $133 (100ml), available at Metro Paragon and Robinsons Orchard.

CARIBBEAN ISLAND WILD FLOWERS EDT

As its name suggests, this soft concoction of florals and tropical citrus fruit conjures images of a warm summer night on a yacht. A bright opening of bergamot, mandarin and sea air accord teases ever so gently, while exotic blooms like spider lily, blooming jasmine, osmanthus, neroli and gossamer combine to exude a sexy sophistication. As it settles, warm tones of driftwood and tolu balsam ground the scent. $85 (100ml), available at Crabtree & Evelyn.

ATKINSONS THE NUPTIAL BOUQUET EDP

A woman’s scent from the charming English brand. Fashioned after the very flowers in Queen Victoria’s bridal bouquet, this fragrance is a tale of royal romance that’ll have you in love almost immediately. The combination of lily of the valley, violet leaves and exqusitive myrtle flowers evokes a sense of femininity and youthfulness, which is elevated by sandalwood and delicate white musk for a soft, gentle union. $193 (100ml), available at Atkinsons at Robinsons Orchard.

JO MALONE WOOD SAGE SEA SALT EDP

An energetic burst of sweetness that charms you at first spritz. Made for both genders, the opening ambrette seed – a relative of the hibiscus – exudes a fresh zest that illustrates the allure of English coastal winds in the summer. The perfume then delves into a heart of sea salt and sage, which adds a hint of sand and stone, and combines with driftwood to form a sensual and slightly musky departure. $200 (100ml), available at Jo Malone.

CHANEL BEL RESPIRO EDP

While less common than its No. 5 sibling, this fragrance at first whiff is unmistakably Chanel; a sublime concoction that calls to mind early spring mornings with a hint of crushed grass. At first whiff, it has a slight citrus tang mixed with dry iris that slowly develops into a warmer sweetness with a hint of leather. Slightly vintage-y with a touch of pepper yet modern with crisp florals and earthy nuances, this is class and sophistication in a bottle. $415 (200ml), available at Chanel Beauty counters.

PRADA CANDY FLORALE EDT

This third installation from the series combines all kinds of girly sweetness into one. Full of life and playfulness, the floral nectar starts on a saccharine note that takes us straight into a whimsical candy shop. The heart is romantic with a powdery blend of limoncello sorbet accords and peony, while the base comprises a rich mix of caramel, honey and musk. $176 (80ml), available at TANGS Orchard and Takashimaya.

FREDERIC MALLE EAU DE MAGNOLIA EDP

Dominated by light, lemony top notes, the dainty magnolia is soft and clean and comes through ever so slightly. The scent’s sparkling opening soon follows with sweet bergamot, green moss and minty vetiver, resulting in a green, floral composition that’s fresh and citrusy. While it is anchored by woody notes that give it depth and sensuality, the velvety florals balance the juice and give it a well-rounded quality. $395 (100ml), available at Malmaison by The Hour Glass, #01-01 Knightsbridge.

5 4 3

7 8 6

Mary Katrantzou SS14

Altuzarra FW14

Manucure Transat in 750 $45, Captain, Dior With a thinner brush, this nail lacquer applies smooth to a glossy finish in two coats.

TREND

Full Glamour Lips in 29 Pure Red Swatch, $46, Lunasol A satin-y red that is hydrating and adds natural-looking colour to the puckers.

Nail Textile in My It Bag, $19, Sephora Long-lasting with a polished finish, simply mould stickers to the nail, shape, and seal with top coat for chip-free wear.

Lip Gloss in Scandal, $37, Nars With both updated packaging and formula, the gloss feels extremely light on the lips and delivers a sheer cherry tint.

RED ALERT BE IT BANDS ACROSS THE EYES, VARNISH ON YOUR NAILS OR A SLICK OF SCARLET ON THE LIPS, FLAUNT YOUR PATRIOTISM WITH THE HOTTEST SHADES OF RED COME AUGUST 9.

Aqua Lip Liner in 25C Orange Red, $34, Make Up For Ever at Sephora Bleed-proof and water-proof, wear this intense colour on its own or as a matte liner. Lip Glow in Oxblood No. 2, $39, Burberry Beauty With nourishing oils that leave lips feeling plump and moisturised, the gloss adds a hint of colour for a natural finish.

Amplified Hair Colour in Pillarbox Red, $32.90, Manic Panic at 77th Street This semi-permanent fire-red glows in the dark so you can turn heads in the club.

Eyeshadow in Bad Seed, $9, NYX at Sephora Super intense yet highly blendable, wear this at the outer eye corners for a touch of fierce.

Rouge Artist Intense in 52 Rebellious Red, $37, Make Up For Ever at Sephora Its soft texture, thanks to a mix of waxes, applies evenly for colour that lasts.

Levres Contour Edition in 06 Tout Rouge, $15.80, Bourjois Its long-lasting pigments glide on smooth and create a barrier to prevent bleeding.

Text & Coordination Jazmin Kelly Six

LANGLEY FOX WHAT'S IN A NAME? LANGLEY FOX PROVES THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER. THOUGH BORN A HEMMINGWAY (YES, IT'S ERNEST'S GREAT GRAND-DAUGHTER HERE), SHE CHOSE TO GO WITH HER MIDDLE NAME, FOX, TO CUT HER OWN PATH IN THE WORLD. FROM SPORTING TOUSLED BANGS WITH A HOT LIP TO ROCKING CHUNKY BOOTS AND PRINT DRESSES WITH OVERSIZED COATS, IT'S EASY TO SEE HOW SHE'S TAKEN STREET FASHION BLOGS BY STORM. MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE, THE TALENTED ARTIST AND PART-TIME MODEL IS ALSO MAKING WAVES IN THE FASHION AND DESIGN CIRCLES, LANDING COMMISSIONS BY LOUIS VUITTON AND ALICE+OLIVIA, AND WALKING AT A SHOW OR TWO AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEKS.

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[clockwise] 1. lovemarc lip gel in 128 seduce me, $42, marc jacobs beauty at sephora | 2. alluring aquatic lip pencil in half-red, $30, m.a.c cosmetics | 3. brow envy brow shaping & defining kit, $55, too faced at sephora | 4. lash king in bk999, $25.90, majolica majorca at watsons | 5. eye paint in baalbek, $40, nars | 6. les beiges healthy glow multi-colour, $80, chanel | 7. moisture surge cc cream swirl compact spf 30 in natural fair, $53 (refill) and $20 (empty compact), clinique | 8. quick eyeliner a in jet black, $17, kate at watsons | 9. bamboo beach summer ocean waves, $26, alterna at sephora | 10. my name eau de parfum, $149 (100ml), trussardi at sasa

Text Valerie Lim Coordination Jazmin Kelly Six

MADE UP ICON

Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins™ Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Collection (Reformulation) Some see Reishi, we see Resilience.

POWER SHROOMS

Singapore 19th June 2014 - Everyday emotional stress and environmental aggressors can interfere with tissue regeneration, triggering a cascade of cellular signals that lead to chronic inflammation. Given that skin is our largest organ, the impact of stress becomes immediately visible, manifesting in the form of sensitivity, redness, dryness, breakouts and dry patches.

Workaholics and party people have the Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief line to thank. It combines soothing powers of the buckthorn berry, cordyceps and reishi mushrooms in a line of products that calm sensitivity and soothe inflammation to rejuvenate and refresh dull, tired skin. We especially love the Advanced Face Serum, a skin-strengthener that helps combat stress-induced woes, and the Soothing Face Lotion, which is lightweight and comforting. $53 to $123, available at all Origins counters.

Harvard-trained medical doctor, botanist and worldrenowned pioneer in integrative medicine, Dr. Andrew Weil and Origins have developed a new formula for The Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Collection that takes a modern, integrated approach to protecting our skin from the effects of these harmful internal and external factors. The collection contains a new cocktail of Sea Buckthorn Berry, mushrooms long used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and other powerful ingredients that target skin’s response to emotional and environmental stress at the root of inflammation, helping to promote skin’s resilience, evenness and an overall healthy appearance. POWERED BY NATURE

CHEEKY BUSINESS

Strengthen and Anti-Irritation

Getting your visage nipped and tucked for perfection might be all the rage now Sea Buckthorn Berry: Traditionally used in Chinese, Tibetan and Mongolian but we still prefer achieving beauty the medicine for over 1,000 years, the anti-irritant ability and anti-oxidants found in good ol’ way. Here to lend a hand is the berries help shield skin from aggressors that can lead to increased sensitivity Klarity, with its Lasertox V-line Shape and irritation. Up treatment that helps to tighten Chaga Mushroom: Originating from Germany, the Chaga mushroom isjawline said to be one of in a week, and its contours the many medicinal mushrooms with powerful anti-irritant and antioxidant abilities. It Slim Up mask that Lasertox V-line helps to strengthen skin bymost promoting natural cellular integrity andcombines reducing cellular While fingers might be the convenient marjoram leaf extract and a byproduct of chronic inflammation. tool,damage, they can’t beat precision brushes when an active cell-boosting ingredient that it comes to accurate makeup application. breaks down to fat and firms skin. Cordyceps Mushroom: This legendary miracle mushroom native to China is known to a set of sleek Triphosphate), tools with Make $12 to $59, available at BHG and Sasa create cellularUpgrade energy called ATP (Adenosine whichUp is necessary for skin’s protective barrier. For Ever’s new range of 75 Artisan Brushes stores, and klarity.sg. Reishi Mushroom: overin2,000 years of history, thebodies Reishi Mushroom primitive to China is also known – thatWith come eco-certified wood as the “mushroom of immortality” and immediately skin. and soft, engineered fibres thatcalms are the animalfriendly. Four essentials for your vanity: #124 Kabuki Brush for powder foundations, #154 Buffer Brush for liquid foundations, #158 Sculpting Brush for blushes, and #204 Eye Brush to smudge and blend eyeshadows. $20 to $95, available at Make Up For Ever Pro Loft, #01-06, 36 Armenian Street, and Sephora.

FLASH: MADE UP

BRUSH UP YOUR ART

BEACH GODDESS Go beyond tanned skin and make like you own the beach with NARS’s Summer ‘Adult Swim’ Collection. Daring and provocative, the series turns heads with vivid hues and bold shades. Giving peepers an alluring pop are neon lemon lime and icy lavender, while smokey rose quartz and bronze add definition. Cheeks are veiled in a sultry peach champagne tint, and nails go bold in an orange-red. Limited edition summer boxes that come with matching lipstick, lipgloss and nail polish in a lacquered box are also available. From $30, available at NARS.

TAILORED TO PERFECTION From tailored skirts to well-fitting lingerie, every lady should have something that fits her to a tee. This month, treat yourself to the Ma Creme customised skincare range by IOMA that’s based on the comprehensive understanding of your skin with the brand’s high-tech analysis machines. Available as a custom-blended light day cream, or a richer night cream, these products are made to fully address every skin concern you have, be it blemishes, dark spots, dryness, or lines. $250 (day cream) and $480 (night cream), available at IOMA at Robinsons Orchard.

FAIR PRINCESS

COMPACT SOLUTION

The sun is blazing this time of the year but Neutrogena’s Clinical Fine Fairness range is here to protect our skin from formidable UV rays. It contains minerals that boost energy to disperse accumulated melanin, while the essence of lily nectar inhibits melanin formation to keep skin even-toned and fair. The line includes a Radiance Cream for nightly use, a Multi-Protect UV Fluid SPF50++, and a Radiance Essence that targets persistent dark spots. $34.90 to $45.90, available at Watsons, Guardian and leading supermarkets.

NIFTY LIFESAVERS FOR A QUICK TOUCH-UP AFTER A HOT DAY OUT.

MAYBELLINE WHITE With its new Clean-Touch Powder System and an improved formula that’s five times more absorbent, it effectively clears up sebum from skin, leaving it fresh and oil-free. $22.90, available at Watsons, Guardian and major departmental stores.

HEROINE MAKE SMOOTH COVER HEAD HUNT Glossy, luscious locks are yours with these sleek creations from John Frieda – known for its impressive ability to tame frizz and style even the most unruly hair. The latest Frizz Ease collection comes in three variants: Dream Curls offers a shampoo, conditioner and styling spray to create stylish, voluminous waves; Flawlessly Straight smoothens frizzy hair for a more behaved mane; while Complete Solution treats badly damaged hair with its revitalising serums. From $15.90, available at selected Watsons, Guardian and Cold Storage stores.

Win the fight against the hot sun with this dark warrior. It contains SPF 32 PA++ for better UV protection, as well as veils skin in a soft, matte finish. $23.90 each. Heroine is available at select Watsons, Guardians and major departmental stores.

L’OREAL MAT MAGIQUE ALL-IN-ONE Developed just for the Asian skin type, it provides a sheer coverage and instantly absorbs shine. Use it as a base or touchup for mid-day skin. $30.90 each, available at Watsons, Guardian, Sasa, and select departmental stores.

COLLECTION COSMETICS

WATER BEAUTY Here to battle summer heat, Majorica Majolica ups its game with a new series of makeup that’s resistant to sweat. The collection introduces a smooth, waterproof liquid liner with a soft felt tip, a waterproof lash king mascara, and two new Jewelling Eye palettes with shimmery eyeshadows reminiscent of sunlight glittering on the waves. The crown jewel though has got to be the Water-Based Nail Cologne: a polish delivering an adorable pop of colour without the sharp acerbic chemical smell, and thanks to its water base. $7.10 to $27.50, available exclusively at Watsons stores.

Look bright and perky all the time with this Brightening Compact Foundation compact. It conceals dark spots, redness and blemishes with silky smooth particles that leave a satiny finish. $18.90, available at Watsons and BHG stores.

Text Valerie Lim Images Various Sources

PORE OVER THIS REFRESH YOUR MUG WITH THE LATEST CROP OF DEEP CLEANSERS THAT REMOVE GRIME AND REJUVENATE THE SKIN AT THE SAME TIME.

FIRST AID BEAUTY SKIN RESCUE PURIFYING MASK

KIEHL’S OIL ELIMINATOR DEEP CLEANSING EXFOLIATING WASH

Made with red clay, this creamy mask draws out skin’s impurities and dirt from clogged pores, while the rosemary leaf oil within soothes irritations and redness. Dermatologically-tested, allergytested and fragrance free, it leaves skin feeling lighter and softer just after 20 minutes. $49 (90g), available at Sephora.

Using space-inspired Aerolite Technology, with the lightest solid material on earth, this cleanser delivers a foamy weightless feel that effortlessly lifts sebum, dirt, and oil from our skin, minimising the appearance of pores while mattifying the skin. $38 (200ml), available at all Kiehl’s outlets.

BOSCIA DETOXIFYING BLACK CLEANSER + KONJAC CLEANSING SPONGE

MAN UP

LUSH OCEAN SALT FACIAL SCRUB

With a cocktail of lime, vodka, fresh avocado, coconut and ocean salt, this thick cookie batter-like recipe invigorates your skin as it scrubs away gunk for a face that’s fresh and rejuvenated. The avocado and coconut enriches, the lime brightens, while vodka relieves skin of impurities. $25.50 (120g), available at Lush.

With its activated charcoal absorbing excess oils and impurities, and artichoke leaf extract and vitamin C that help to brighten skin, the cleanser warms upon contact to deliver a soothing and thorough wash. Pair with the pillow-soft konjac sponge for an extra clean scrub. $39 (150ml) and $26.90, available at Sephora.

BLISS MICROMAGIC MICRODERMABRASION TREATMENT

ETTUSAIS PEELING MILK N + PEELING SHEET

Invigorate your mug for a confident clean look with this hard worker, formulated with fine volcanic pumice, vitamin E and soothing aloe. It effectively rids pore-clogging impurities and dull skin,and comes with refreshing peppermint extract that leaves skin feeling cool and rejuvenated while blemish-free. $71 (90ml), available at Sephora.

If your face is showing signs of inflammation, repair the damage with Ettusais’ Peeling Milk N, a topselling exfoliator milk that ensures you put your best face forward, with Lemon and Peony Extracts to remove dead skin and brighten the skin tone. Couple this with the Ettusais’s Peeling Sheets once a week for softer, perkier skin. $26 (125ml) and $18 for 45 sheets, available at Ettusais counters.

COLLISTAR TALASSOSCRUB: SMOOTHING AND REVITALISING

PUREHEAL’S VOLCANIC PORE HEATING GEL

The Dead Sea is infamous for its toxicity, but the minerals and products that come out from it are anything but. A creamy, grainy paste made with over 90 different types of Sea Salt from the region, it renews and revitalises skin while boosting it with nourishing oils, leaving the skin feeling smooth and invigorated. $66.90 (700g), available at Sasa.

The PureHeal’s Volcanic Pore Heating Gel is a rich, translucent gel that warms up gently upon contact with skin, opening up plugged pores so that the line’s active ingredients from fine clay and minerals can deep cleanse the skin for a smoother, clearer complexion. $33 (20ml), available at Sephora.

Text Valerie Lim Images Various Sources

NAVIGATE LOCAL LOVIN’

We love our art and we love our food, so why not throw ’em altogether in a huge bash? Proving that Singapore really does harbour some unique talents, the CREATORY festival gathers top names in food, music, art, design, architecture, entertainment, and retail, over a weekend bash that celebrates some of the brightest names in the scene. Housed within the industrial confines of Tasty Plaza – a shared working space for emerging F&B players – the two-day bonanza features some of our well-loved food brands including &SONS, Jones the Grocer and 2am:dessertbar, as well as collectives like Syndicate, Haystakt, The U Press, Makers of Singapore and Kult. With a line-up this impressive, you bet we’re already itchin’ to get the party started. CREATORY happens at 37 MacTaggart Road from August 23 to 24, 11am till late. Tickets at $28 (day pass) and can be purchased via creatory.sg or at the door.

Text Valerie Lim Image CREATORY

FEATURE

HOMEMADE GOODNESS

GSH CONSERVES Fascinated with nature and food, owner and creator Joey Gan designed a line of all-natural spreads that feature tropical fruit sourced mostly from Malaysia and Thailand. Prepared at the appropriate ripeness to maximise flavour, Gan pairs various fruit to come up with unique and unusual flavours. With six flavours in the line-up, including a sweet chilli dip, Gan is now working on a calamansi jam that will soon be available. Verdict: The fruity jams boast extremely robust yet light flavours that aren’t cloyingly sweet. Passionfruit stood out, with its crunchy seeds lending a nice texture, while Pineapple is a spreadable version of our favourite festive tarts. The Spiced Pumpkin and Sweet Chilli go best with savoury grub.

From $4 (50g) to $10 (210g), available at authorised retailers including Cat Socrates, #02-25 Bras Basah Complex. gshconserves.com

MOFO CHILI During their studies abroad, co-founders and sisters Monica and Foi missed local chillies so much that they decided to create their own. Made from chillies, onions, vegetable oil and salt, the dips quickly became a hit – even after graduation and at farmers’ markets, which led the duo to focus on the brand full-time. Available in two spiciness levels, the dips can be enjoyed with both Asian and Western dishes, and also used in cooking. Verdict: Try Dodge The Bullet if you’re less adventurous. Hot yet bearable, it envelops your palate and coats it in an even-fired heat, making it a nice condiment. For the more gutsy, dive straight into Final Destination, which is a few notches spicier that’ll get your nose runny and forehead sweaty.

$10 (200g) Dodge The Bullet and $12 (200g) Final Destination, available at authorised retailers including Take Out, Kampung Junction, 12 Clementi Road. mofochili.com

BREW BY A. MUSE PROJECTS Bent to prove that tea is one of the most versatile beverages, avid fan Angela Phua sources for and concocts some of the most interesting blends we’ve laid eyes on. From research to experimentation to finalising the actual flavours, Phua goes through many steps of trial-and-error to bring us unique mixes of wineand alcohol-inspired tea leaves that are intriguing and inviting at the same time.

EASTERN GRANOLA Food writer and all-round foodie at heart, Chin Huiwen doesn’t just write about recipes, she creates them with granolas. To come up with exotic flavours like 5C (coconut, cashew, curry, chocolate and chilli) and Thai Mango Salad (mango, chilli, peanuts and fish sauce), Chin dissects individual dishes and combines various components to recreate them as granola mixes – resulting in unorthodox flavours that are fun to eat.

Verdict: With a variety of aromatic and pretty-looking flowers and leaves, the teas are not just pretty to look at, but also flavourful to boot. Top picks include the Riesling – a tangy blend of lemongrass, lemon and flower petals that’s delightful and fragrant; and Sauvignon – a ‘pick-me-up’ concoction of organic grapefruit peel, green tea and marigold flower petals that’s fresh and delightful.

Verdict: If you like it sweet, try the Original Granola – the mix of sweet dried pineapple, coconut and cashews pairs perfectly with full cream yoghurt; or enjoy Milo Granola – filled with rolled oats and dashes of dark chocolate and milo powder – with milk. Thai Mango Salad adds an interesting pop to fried rice, while 5C is a great compliment to iced cold beer.

From $11 (10g) to $32 (50g), available at authorised retailers including Mondays Off, 76 Haji Lane. amuseprojects.com

$12.50 (250g), available at authorised retailers including Cafe@The Showroom, 79 Tras Street. easterngranola.com

SOME CREATE TO FILL A VOID, WHILE OTHERS CREATE WITH A MISSION FOR HEALTHY EATING. BUT NO MATTER THE MOTIVATION, THESE LOCAL GOURMET CRAFTSMEN ARE SET TO SHAKE THE FOODIE SCENE.

SECOND HELPINGS

BRUNEUS

Frustrated with the lack of healthy-yet-tasty peanut butter, husband-and-wife Ezra Nicholas and Tannie Tang started making their own versions and upon perfecting the recipes, decided to share the joy with their beenut butters. Available in three variants – Ori (original), Cocovan (coconut and vanilla) and B3: Black (cocoa), the all-natural spreads top off banana, ice cream, bread and pastries perfectly, and can also be used to recreate desserts like cupcakes and pancakes.

With an aim to push the raw food movement here in Singapore, former biologist and founder of Bruneus, Angeline Lee, chanced upon unprocessed cacao during a trip to Bali and fell swiftly in love. Having imported that nutty, chocolate-y goodness to our shores, she now combines the cacao nibs with nuts – almond, walnut, and cashews – to create assorted clusters that, when glazed with unrefined coconut flower sugar, make addictive, crunchy snacks.

Verdict: The Ori is to-die-for – with its light texture and full, creamy taste, but we give five stars to Cocovan, which has a distinct vanilla flavour that’s perfumed with hints of fresh coconut. A little on the saltier side, we found B3: Black to be slightly thicker in consistency but still bursting with the same robust peanut flavour.

Verdict: Consider yourself warned. These guilt-free munchies are so good, you won’t (can’t!) put ’em them down until you’re done gobbling down the pack. We thoroughly enjoyed the walnut, cashew and almond variants, which left a pleasantly smokey aftertaste on the palate. The chia seed version, however goes better within a milkshake.

From $8 (100ml), available at authorised retailers including The Redundant Shop, #01-22A Block 5 Everton Park. facebook.com/secondhelpings.sg

$7.90 to $8.90 (75g), available at authorised retailers Eat Organic, 619H Bukit Timah Road. superlativefoods.com

THE HUNTERS’ KITCHENETTE Herbert Salim’s mission is clear: to encourage clean eating instead of choosing store-bought processed foods. Walking the talk with his concoctions of six oil-, chemical-, and preservative-free nut butters, Salim’s passion for healthy ingredients is apparent. He sources quality nuts from local wholesalers, then carefully roasts and blends them to create these dreamy, creamy spreads. Verdict: Yes, these awesome spreads will have you eating straight from the jar. Bursting with full, nutty flavours – from pistachio, hazelnut cocoa to cashew – the spreads are rich, thick and comforting, each with a gentle touch of sea salt that elevates the taste. The unique pistachio is a firm favourite, with its balance of salty and sweet that best complements muffins and breads.

$14 to $19 (200g), available at authorised retailers including Strictly Pastry, 267 Joo Chiat Road. facebook.com/hunterskitchenette

Text Jazmin Kelly Six & Liyana Meer Illustrations Jackson Kang

3 BITES FULL Stemming from a mutual love for nougats and an undying friendship, co-founders Felix Chung, Daniel Chou, Diana Koh reunited after university to create their own versions of nougat that incorporate tastes of both the East and West. Made with premium ingredients sourced from around the world, these creamy bars offer just the right bite – neither too hard nor too soft – and are chock-full of delectable fruit and nuts like roasted almonds, sesame seeds and dried cranberries. Verdict: At first bite, the richness of the milk is perfectly balanced with fragrant fruit and nuts. The Original is light and sweet, while Cranberry is a luscious treat that greets your palate with a fruity twist. We also love the refreshing Green Tea, which, paired with roasted almonds, has a distinct aroma that’s rich and nutty.

$8.50 (105g), available at 3bitesfull.com.sg

STAND IN LINE HAPPY NATIONAL DAY, TECHIES! TIME TO SHOW YOUR PATRIOTIC SIDE BY ENGAGING IN THE NATION’S NATIONAL PASTIME OF ERR, QUEUING. AT LEAST THIS TIME, GET SOMETHING THAT’S ACTUALLY WORTH WAITING FOR – LIKE THESE TECH CONTENDERS – AND NOT SOME MOUTHLESS SOFT TOY. JOY MACHINE

GEAR

XBOX ONE, $639 TO $739 Set to launch here next month, the Xbox One is crammed full with the latest specs, including stunning visuals and a much-improved Kinect system. The system features a 500GB hard drive, Blu-Ray player, built-in Wi-Fi, and comes with an Xbox One wireless controller and a 14-day trial of Xbox Live Gold subscription for new members. If you’re the sort who likes to brag about your conquests, the game DVR is the perfect feature for you – think of it as a tape recorder that’ll record 30 seconds of your most glorious gaming moments. If that’s not enough to satiate, up your gaming experience by opting for the Xbox One with Kinect that’ll enhance gameplay with motion-sensing capabilities.

Why Queue: The launch includes a mind-bending list of blockbusters, like Forza Horizon 2, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which comes together with Halo 5: Guardian multiplayer beta. Available at leading electronic stores from September 23.

WONDER BROWSER

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S, POA Sharper, brighter and well, just much better, this is the brand’s thinnest and lightest tablet to date. Its Super AMOLED display expresses more colour than ever before, and even boasts a remarkable contract ratio that makes your images more realistic. The visual experience doesn’t end here – its Adaptive Display intelligently adjusts gamma, saturation, and sharpness based on the application being viewed, and the colour temperature of the viewing environment and ambient lighting. Users can also access Samsung’s interactive magazine, Papergarden, which is making its debut here. As well as over 15,000 Marvel Comics free for three months, through the Marvel Unlimited app. Why Queue: Its range of specially-designed accessories, such as the Book Cover, which configures to three different display angles to provide the most comfortable position to watch videos, read or type. Available at leading electronic stores from August.

MULTI-TASKER

SMART SHOOTER

SONY XPERIA C3, POA No need for a selfie stick (who carries that around anyway? Oh, wait…) when you have the Sony Xperia C3! What makes this perfect for selfie shots, you ask? A front-facing 5MP camera equipped with a wideangle lens, that’s what! And because selfies are meant to be good looking, Sony has also kindly bestowed it with a soft LED flash so everything looks prettier, and further enhancements to your mug can be done in real time with the Portrait Retouch app. To make selfie-taking even easier, a photo is taken simply by tapping the back of the phone. Other good stuff within includes its 8MP main camera – which captures perfect pictures even in low lighting situations, and the SteadyShot function for crisp videos. Why Queue: Its thin and mean frame – the Sony Xperia C3 measures in at just 7.6mm thick and weighs in at a mere 150g. Available at leading electronic stores from August.

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MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 3, FROM $1,108 Currently the thinnest laptop in the market at just 0.36” deep and 1.76lbs light, it can also be transformed into a full desktop experience with the help of the Docking Station. The hardware is impressive – loaded with a fourth-generation Intel Core processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to nine hours of Webbrowsing battery life. With a full-size USB 3.0 port, microSD card reader and Mini DisplayPort, files can be transferred in a jiffy and peripherals connected without fuss. Thanks to its 12” ClearType Full HD display and Dolby Audio-enhanced sound from front-facing speakers, movies are can now be an immersive experience even if you’re not in a cinema! Why Queue: Designed to look and feel like an actual fountain pen (no more skinny styluses!), the Surface Pen doesn’t just feel great, it is also a nifty device on its own which opens up OneNote with a single click. Available at Challenger, Newstead, and Harvey Norman from end August.

Images Various Sources

PAINTING THE PERFECT STAY

HOTEL CLOVER THE ARTS

Standard issue boutique hotels are a dime a dozen. But when one comes along boasting different artworks and designs in each of its 44 rooms, you can colour us impressed. Welcome to Hotel Clover The Arts, the newest of three in the Hotel Clover chain, located in the heart of Chinatown. A marriage of fine hospitality and the arts, the six-storey hotel is a stone’s throw away from the bustling Clarke Quay and Boat Quay areas, as well as the museum quarter, Chinatown’s Food Street, and Maxwell Food Centre, to ensure you’re right in the thick of all the action.

STAYCATION

AT THE HE(ART) OF IT Intrigued already? Wait till you get in around the back of the hotel building. Armed with formal training in fine arts, local artist Ceno2 – founder of graf crew Artkhalytis – embellished the building’s facade with his brand of ‘Graffiti Fine Art’, which features a realistic cascading waterfall impression. Having lent his creative touch to other establishments like Club Kyo, Ceno2 further decks out the interiors – like the Mount Fuji room, which boasts a beautifully tranquil image of the majestic mountain against picturesque sky, waters and flowers; as well as the hotel lobby and corridor walls.

Other artists commissioned by the hotel include Hua Tunan, known for his traditional-Chinese-meets-Western-graffiti art, talents from the Life Arts Society, as well as invited students from various art and design schools. Yes, students. In a mural competition organised by the hotel, Raffles Design Institute’s Devina Chandra, Vini Kurniawan and Angel Jayayanti came in first to have their vintage travel journal design recreated on the room walls, which doubles up cleverly as a travel guide for tourists. Temasek Poly’s Nurul Ameerah Binte Abdul Latiff took second place with her emotive black-and-white comic-style characters, while Daniel Ade Christianto and Lediana of Raffles Design Institute clinched the second runner-up spot with their beautiful floral motifs and blossoms.

COMFORT IS KEY And speaking of rooms, all the beautiful art in the world will not suffice if a hotel ain’t got the most important factor to back it up: well-equipped and comfy resting nests. Spread across six categories including a Family Premier room that accommodates up to four guests, rooms at the hotel come with thoughtful equipment like a laptop-sized safe, flat-screen satellite TV, hairdryer and toiletries, and a neat capsule coffee-making machine. Beds are luxurious yet firm and the fluffy pillows are just what you need after a long day out. To fully immerse guests in the hotel’s artsy experience, some rooms even come with figurines, soft toys and props that complement the wall murals, bringing the entire space to life.

Hotel Clover The Arts is located at 58 South Bridge Road. Prices for a one-night stay start from $235++ for the Superior room. Enjoy 15 per cent off the best available rate (inclusive of breakfast for two and a gift pack) when you book a stay for the month of August. Call 6439-7088 and quote ‘An Artsy Singapore Staycation’ to enjoy this deal, or visit hotelcloverthearts.com for more details.

Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images Hotel Clover The Arts

VINCE LOW UNDER KUALA LUMPUR-BASED ILLUSTRATOR VINCE LOW’S STEADY HAND, SEEMINGLY RANDOM SQUIGGLES COME TOGETHER IN ORGANISED PANDEMONIUM THAT BECOME INCREDIBLE CELEBRITY PORTRAITS. AT HIS RECENT ‘SIMPLY SCRIBBLY’ EXHIBIT AT THE COFFEE CONNOISSEUR CONCERTO, WE CHAT WITH THE MAN HIMSELF ABOUT HIS ONE-OF-A-KIND STYLE, CELEBRITY ROLE MODELS, AND TRUMPING DYSLEXIA.

and appreciation right? Drawing has been my best weapon to communicate with others. Being dyslexic, did you face misunderstandings growing up? Yes I did. It’s very difficult for me to explain what I’d like to express to a person – I can’t find the words. Also, I only found out I was dyslexic six years ago. Before that, I just thought I was stupid compared to others. It’s gotten better now, but many years ago I almost gave up on myself. Most of the time, I’d just keep quiet and wouldn’t like talking much. After I joined an agency, I realised I had to speak up in order to understand people. That’s how I got chattier!

How did you come to be an illustrator? I graduated from an art college, The One Academy, in 1998 and I was looking for a job as an illustrator. I couldn’t find any opportunities, so I became a designer instead. I didn’t draw anything professionally until about six years ago, when my company formed an illustration department. Something told me that this was what I wanted all along, and I should give it a chance. That’s how I became dedicated.

Walk us through the process of a scribble portrait. It takes about a full day to draw a piece. Before I start, I have to plan the flow of the strokes, the direction, and the overall energy of the piece. Then I do a general outline of the shape, focus on features like the eyes and nose. For the shading, I’d make some guiding strokes in different areas that tell me how dark they should be, before scribbling over it. It takes a few tries to get right and I do have some failed works that didn’t make the cut.

Were you big on drawing in school? I drew a lot as a kid because it was what I was best at. I wasn’t good in other subjects. When I drew, I could capture attention from others. And everyone needs that sort of validation

How do you pick which characters to draw? Usually, I pick ones that can carry the message I want to send. For me, it’s easier to speak through drawings than finding words. For example, with Charlie Chaplin, I wanted to

Text Cherylene Chan Images Art-management.com

tell people that smiling is very important, and you should remember to enjoy life in the midst of work and responsibilities. I wanted to draw something that people could hang in their homes as a reminder not to get too stressed and spend time with their family. We’re guessing you have to go through quite a few reference photos before finding the right one. What elements do you look for? The expression and pose is very important. Often, these things will have a message in themselves. Which celebrities inspire you? Keanu Reeves, not because of his movies – I’ve read articles about his past and how he’s moved on and I find it very inspiring. Angelina Jolie really represents an amazing woman because of her perspective on things, her courage and her care, especially with her adopted children. What will you be working on in the year ahead? I’d like to explore selling art away from my commercial work. I’d also like to try having exhibits in Europe to see how they perceive art.

Check out Low’s artworks at TCC, #01-01, 4 Robinson Rd, and #B1-63/64/65 Raffles Xchange at Raffles MRT station, from now till October 16.

ARTY

We understand your scribbled series was spawned from an ad campaign. How did the concept come about, and why did you continue it after? My agency Grey had the idea of raising awareness about dyslexia last year by celebrating successful dyslexic people like John Lennon and Picasso. The creative director knew I was dyslexic, so he asked me to draw them in a unique style, to show that I can do something special too. I decided to go with scribbling because people don’t usually take it seriously. It’s seen as something you do when you’re bored or out of ideas. After the campaign ended, people who saw the works on Behance asked me to do more, so I continued.

CROWD PLEASERS

HOMEGROWN

JOEL LEONG & MELVIN TIONG

STARTING OUT HUMBLY AS A WAY TO HELP FRIENDS MARKET THEIR HANDMADE PRODUCTS, THE DYNAMIC DUO SOON FOUND THEMSELVES SCALING UP QUICKLY DUE TO HOT DEMAND. NOW, HAYSTAKT HAS OPENED UP AS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING MARKETPLACES AROUND THE REGION FOR GORGEOUS CRAFT AND EDGY FASHION – BRINGING TOGETHER AVANTE GARDE DESIGNERS AND DISCERNING SHOPPERS. A STARTUP THAT’S BOTH CROWD-PRICED AND CROWD-SOURCED, HAYSTAKT LOOKS TO WREST POWER FROM MASS MARKET GIANTS BACK INTO THE CONSUMER’S HANDS. WE CHAT WITH CO-FOUNDER LEONG TO UNCOVER MORE.

Hi Joel! Who is the regular Haystakter? Not just young people, but also more mature adults. I’d say our community is made up of early-adopters, who are curious and amazingly supportive people. Did you ever imagine you’d one day be running your own start-up? I used to be a late technology adopter, and never thought I’d be running my own start-up. Today, I find myself being extremely data oriented, which is a surprise as my background was in the arts. Thankfully, running Haystakt is a combination of multiple passions, and I’m really fortunate to be able to do so. How did the partnership with Melvin come about? We were classmates in secondary school and we also used to play in a band together. It’s worked out really easily for us because we have a mutual understanding and respect for each other’s skillsets. How do you curate the products sold on the site? People shop on Haystakt to find cool products with a story. So we scour the region for uniquely designed items, with a story or concept behind them. We look for people who have promising ideas or unique

backgrounds, and we’re always on the look-out for new makers. What were some of the challenges you faced bringing Haystakt to life? While the number of local independent product designers is growing, the current supply is still limited. So we built a pre-order section on our website to solve the emerging designer’s issue of a small market, enabling local producers to ‘sell’ their designs before they even make them. We saw your blog post about Makerspaces, and we’re intrigued. Do you think Makerspaces will be a thing in Singapore? Possibly. The government has been quite supportive of developing a prototyping and hands-on culture, and in fact are opening up a Makerspace in National Design Centre later this month. Yet, while it’s definitely beneficial to have open prototyping facilities for the public, cultural adoption requires the winds of change to move in the same direction all at once. For us, we hope that’s something our platform can contribute towards shaping. There are some pretty big crowd-funded websites out there already, like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Where do you guys see yourselves, next to them?

Text Valerie Lim Images Haystakt

We actually love what other crowd-funding platforms are doing, and they all have their own niches. Our focus is only on products and we aim to be the best at that. I think at the end of the day, we all get genuinely excited about bringing something new into the world that otherwise wouldn’t have existed. What you think the start-up community in Singapore will grow to be like in the future? We’ve met many great folks from other start-ups wanting to do good things and bring about change. The scene is still really young, yet we’ve seen a few good exits (meaning, the business was successfully sold). Singapore definitely has the talent and geographical advantage. We hope this would make Singapore the start-up hub of the region. Lastly, why the name Haystakt? Were you looking for needles? Haha not quite, though…think like a needle in a Haystakt. The problem with being small is that you get lost in an ocean of bigger fish – and many makers get lost. But when you bind a couple of straws together, strong ties become hard to break – it’s a golden rule. We hope that one day, our collection of little things and makers becomes a giant heap you can’t miss.

haystakt.com

PRESS RELEASE

OFITEL SO SINGAPORE IS NOW OPEN

DESK BOUND If you’re looking for a Pinterest-worthy workspace, look no further than the distinctive Kate Spade Stationery collection. Full of vibrant colours, bold motifs and graphic prints, the line of lifestyle merchandise is an extension of the brand’s playful spirit and is now stocked at the coolest lifestyle store in town, Monoyono. The utterly perky and whimsical collection features bow-embellished push pins, black and white striped washi tapes . Key items in the series includes polka-dot folders, insulated tumblers, a scheduler with cheeky notes, and a 17-inch serving tray. From $15.90, available at #B1-06 Plaza Singapura.

with Singapore Flair Comes to Singapore’s Central Business District

RAINBOW RACE We’ve all seen the insane pictures, and we’ve definitely felt the hype – the Colour Run is undeniably one of the most fun and happy races ever, where coloured powders are doused onto you to mark every kilometre you complete, resulting in a very psychedelic photo opp. Sponsored by CIMB Bank, the run celebrates health, happiness and colour, and ups the ante to 18,000 slots, so more of us lazy bums can get in on the action. The Colour Run happens from Aug 30 to 31 at Sentosa Beach Carpark. Tickets at $55 (includes Sentosa entry, a runner’s t-shirt, headband and other goodies), available at thecolorrun.com.sg.

EAST MEETS WEST

ith a chic blend of culture and cuisine, art and architecture, Sofitel So Singapore

FOOD WITH A VIEW

eart of the Singapore CBD. Set to change the face of Singapore’s hospitality

ll offer guests a luxury hotel experience that is ‘So Singapore’, housed within an Sexy. Handsome. Capacious. Welcome to Cook & Brew, an

inviting gastrobar that boasts not 1927 on Robinson Road. just great views, awesome grub,

but also an extensive selection of beers – a whopping 104 from 18 countries. The recently updated menu features four new additions to the already extensive line-up including Chili Con Carne Volcano, a gooey casserole of melty cheddar topped with meat bits and paired with toasty homemade brioche; and the German Butcher Platter, a hearty serving of sausages complemented with mashed potatoes, pickles, and sauerkraut. Our favourite? The classic Cook & Brew Fried Chicken, which has a crisp batter peppered with Cajun spices, and moist, tender meat accentuated with a punchy wasabi mayo. 33/F The Westin Singapore, Asia Square Tower 2, tel: 6922-6948.

French design house, MIAJA Design Group, led by award-winning designer,

pore will reveal 134 exquisitely designed rooms located within a So Hip wing and

eatures include a light-filled atrium that will welcome guests into a lobby with

ing hexagonal light installation, called L’Hexagone, a plush ‘bed-table’ within the

orous golden-tiled rooftop pool with unsurpassed views of the urban city.

Sinpopo so SHIOK If you’re the nostalgic sort, listen up ’cos Sinpopo’s

ned objects featuring Karl Lagerfeld’s “The Lion’s Seal” emblem are spotted determined to take you down memory lane with

its ultra-retro dining concept. Created by the good

people behind Awfully Chocolate and its sister g the BooKube, DoorKnockers on the So Heritage Wing and the bespoke company, The Big Appetite, this resto channels old Singapore, circa 1950 and serves up famous local

sambal fishballLa and nasi lemak. On the . Anlikeintimate eaturing the red and white ‘The Lion’s Seal’ embroiderycuisines sweet side, the Ais Bor is a staple street dessert from the old days drenched in coconut and coloured

on of books, curated by the maestro himself, sits beside the Xperience The syrup, while theBar. Gula Melaka Jelly and Sng Muay Pop are silky-smooth thirst-quenchers that can cool you

down even on the hottest day. ressed in garde-robe straight from the fashion designer’s namesake collection, 458 Joo Chiat Road, tel: 6345-5034.

sts as they walk through the hotel entrance.

FLASH: NAVIGATE

Offering a novel experience that combines rich French styling with a uniquely Singaporean touch, Sofitel So Singapore houses a hotel, bar, restaurant, and an exclusive rooftop bar that commands a 360-degree view of the urban skyline, with a shimmering champagne-coloured infinity pool. Inside, interiors are luxurious with high ceilings, soft linen beds, glass architecture and accents of the orient that’s chic and modern. Pssst, Karl Lagerfeld’s even played a role in its design, featuring the Lion’s Seal emblem that’s emblazoned throughout the hotel. And you know; if it’s good enough for the Kaiser, it’s surely good enough for us. Visit sofitel.com for more information

TREASURE HUNT Take something more from your Big Apple experience than the usual tourist traps! Hit the pavements of this famed city with The Hunt’s Guide to NYC, your pocket guide that makes navigating the ins and outs a whole lot easier and smarter. Written by those in-theknow, this definitive guide’s been curated for cafe-hunters, city-lovers and visitors who are hungry for an authentic cultural experience – a ticket to the backdoors, alleys, poetry slams, cafes, and local favourites of the New York’s best spots. US$16, available at thehuntguides.com.

CHOCOLATE WONDERLAND

FLASH: NAVIGATE

The stuff of wet dreams for candy addicts, you can try to control yourselves or just succumb to the saccharine goodness at Fantasia by Escriba. The mammoth confectionary extravaganza rolls in this month, combining live theatrical production, majestic themed pavilions with elaborately designed edible sculptures, and chocolate master classes that will tease and tempt your sweet tooth like no other. Be sure to catch the 8.5m tall chocolate waterfall and life-sized animal sculptures made from chocolate, fondant, sugar, and pastries. Fantasia by Escriba happens from August 22 to 24 at Hall D & E, Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. Tickets from $88 (child) to $98 (adults), available at fantasiabyescriba.com.

(BEL) OF THE SUMMER Famed for throwin’ the best parties with cool folks like The Misshapes, Belvedere returns with its summer poolside party at the luxurious W Hotel Sentosa. Chill out with a bespoke Belvedere cocktail in hand or dance deck-side as Los Angeles-based mash-up maestro DJ AgentSmith mixes the hottest EDM tunes with splashes of indie-pop and hip-hop. It’s gonna be one helluva summer siesta alright! The Ultimate Belvedere Pool Party happens on Aug 23. Tickets from $30 (via urbanjourney. com) to $50 (at the door), inclusive of pool access and one Belvedere cocktail.

BULLISH MARKET In celebration of racing and sport, Red Bull has created a special Formula 1 Edition Energy Drink that’s refreshing and energising. This drink balances the mix of ruby orange and assorted fruits, with a hint of herbal juniper berry and vanilla. Though stocks were initially exclusive to the Formula 1 race, the limited supply is now available to public so go grab yourself a few before they run out. Available at major stores islandwide for a limited period leading up the 2014 Formula 1 Grand Prix.

TOAST TO THIS Savour the light sweetness of Chandon’s Brut Sparkling Wine. It blends classic chardonnay and pinot noir, with extended yeast ageing for added complexity, making for a refreshing yet sophisticated drink on a hot summer’s day – whether at picnics, casual soirees or paired with seafood and antipasto. Now launching in a new limited edition bottle, the body comes wrapped in rich blue nautical stripes, making it the gift or display at chic dinner parties. Available at CMPB, Poolside (the American Club), Freemantle Seafood Market, and Cold Storage stores, until September 30 or while stocks last.

Text Jazmin Kelly Six, Liyana Meer and Valerie Lim Images Various Sources

HITTIN’ THE RIGHT NOTES After a recent makeover, the newly expanded Blackbird Bistro & Bar now serves up a menu of delectable fusion grub, and a full bar of beer on tap, stiff cocktails and healthy fruit blends. A sexy space decked out in black, the main attraction lies in its innovative eats, including the Crispy Pork Belly, which is flavourful yet non-greasy, paired with pea puree and tempura onion rings; and the Balsamic Tuna, which is pan-seared and coated with a balsamic glaze that gives it a sweet, tangy bite. We also love the Miso Cod Fish, served with parsnip puree, sauteed baby spinach and tempura courgette flower. 6 Handy Road, tel: 6337-3448.

SOLID GOLD WITH KOFLOW FEAT. KEVIN LESTER & THE PROFESSOR AT VELVET UNDERGROUND – DANCE ALL GOLD EVERYTHING

POPTART 'WATCH THE STARS NOW MOVING' WITH WEELIKEME & KIDG AT ZOUK EVERYBODY STARRY-EYED

SUPER FRIDAYS AT MANSION

SCENE

T.G.I.F!

DJ OLIVER DEUTSCHMANN AT KYO ICH LIEBE TECHNO

FULL STEAM AHEAD PRESENTS: SUMMERTIME MADNESS MAD RAD!

Hello There. Thanks for p picking g up p this free copy py of and holding it in these beautiful hands of y yours. We hope p you y love reading it as much as we loved p putting g it together. g Because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re FREE, we really y need as much support pp as we can, so that we can n do bigger gg and better things. g is forward, takes chances, and veryy understanding g of current and future trends in n Music, Fashion, Nightlife g and Street Culture. Besides hugging gg g our readers and feeding ng them with loads of healthy y content, we also love to help p our advertising g clients reach out to an alpha-consuming p g market that is g getting g bigger gg by y the day and highly receptive p of cool ideas and what can offer them. If yyouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested to be a p part of the dream, and to market your y brand or product p in the most innovative and effective of ways, do contact sales@juice.com.sg +65 6325 8042

Thank y you for y your support and we love you.

LOOF PRESENTS: LATE NIGHT TUFF GUY ROUGH 'N TOUGH

SHOP AT THESE

STOCKISTS II MONKII FAR EAST PLAZA, #03-95 ACTUALLY ORCHARD GATEWAY, #03-18 AGNES B./SPORT B. WISMA ATRIA, LEVEL 2 BERSHKA ION ORCHARD, #B2-09/10/11 CHARLES & KEITH ION ORCHARD, #B3-58 CONVERSE ORCHARD CENTRAL, #03-03/04 DESOUL FAR EAST PLAZA, #03-24A

NEW LOOK 313@SOMERSET, #B2-34/37 NIKE ORCHARD CENTRAL, #01-01 NIXON ION ORCHARD, #B3-13 ON PEDDER SCOTTS SQUARE, #02-10/13 PALLADIUM ION ORCHARD, #B3-12

FOREVER 21 ORCHARD EXCHANGE, #B1-01 TO 18

ROBINSONS ORCHARD 260 ORCHARD ROAD

FUNC DEKO FAR EAST PLAZA, #B3-01

ROCKSTAR BY SOON LEE CATHAY CINELEISURE, #03-08

H&M ORCHARD BUILDING

SECTS SHOP ORCHARD GATEWAY, #04-14

LEFTFOOT ENTREPOT THE CATHAY, #01-19/20

S2VS ORCHARD GATEWAY, #04-05 STRADIVARIUS ION ORCHARD, #B2-15 THE EDITOR’S MARKET CATHAY CINELEISURE, #03-04/06A TOD’S THE PARAGON, #01-48 TOPMAN/TOPSHOP KNIGHTSBRIDGE, #01-05/06

LEVI’S ION ORCHARD, #B2-24

UNIQLO 313@SOMERSET, #03-27 TO #03/34

MINIKIN ORCHARD GATEWAY, #03-K1

VICTORIA JOMO 9 HAJI LANE

MISS SELFRIDGE WISMA ATRIA, #01-27/28

WATCH STATION INTERNATIONAL 313@SOMERSET, #02-00 ZARA LIAT TOWERS

Looking for ? juice.com.sg/find-juice

ICE COLD BEER

180 Orchard Road, Peranakan Place T: 6738 8828 www.peranakanplace.com Music: Live acoustic

ALLEY BAR

180 Orchard Road, Peranakan Place T: 6738 8818 www.peranakanplace.com Music: Nu-groove, lounge, acid jazz and funk

AQUANOVA

The Cannery Clarke Quay, Block C, #01–03, T: 6305 6733 www.aquanova.sg Music: Live

ATTICA & ATTICA TOO

3A River Valley Road, #01-03 Clarke Quay T: 6333 9973 www.attica.com.sg Music: Classic dance anthems, R&B and hip-hop

THE ARENA

PREVIEW ORCHARD CINELEISURE, #03-03A

LAUREN JASMINE WHEELOCK PLACE, #B1-06

ACID BAR

PULL & BEAR ION ORCHARD, #B2-08

DR. MARTENS WHEELOCK PLACE, #02-17A

JOHN LITTLE PLAZA SINGAPURA, #01-10 TO #01-22

HARD ROCK CAFÉ

Level 63, 1 Raffles Place T: 6438 0410 Music: Chill-out

AVALON

PUMA ION ORCHARD, #B2-23

IROO TAKASHIMAYA SHOPPING CENTRE, #B1-52/55

1-ALTITUDE

PAUL SMITH MANDARIN GALLERY, #01-08

DOROTHY PERKINS WISMA ATRIA, #01-27/28

I.T ORCHARD GATEWAY, #B1-13, #01-18, #02-24

CLUBS, PUBS & BARS

Marina Bay Sands Floating Pavilion T: 6688 7448 www.avalon.sg Music: Dance 3B River Valley Road, #01-08, Clarke Quay T: 6338 3158 www.thearenalive.com.sg Music: Live music

BARRACKS & TIPPLING CLUB 8D Dempsey Rd T: 6475 2217 www.dempseyhouse.com

BAR COCOON

3A, Merchant’s Court, Clarke Quay, River Valley Rd, #01-02 T: 6557 6268 Music: Eclectic, new-wave, electro, uplifting house, big tunes & deep house

BAR OPIUME

TO CHECK OUT

50 Cuscaden Road T: 6235 5232 www.hardrock.com.sg Music: Live acoustic and rock 9 Emerald Hill Road T: 6735 9929 50 Stamford Road Singapore Management University Lee Kong Chian School of Business #01-01 T: 6837 3585 www.emeraldhillgroup.com Music: Classic, alternative and adult contemporary rock

INK CLUB BAR

Raffles The Plaza 80 Bras Basah Road T: 6431 5315 www.inkclubbar.com Music: Sexy funky house

J BAR

QUE PASA

7 Emerald Hill Road T: 6235 6626 www.emeraldhillgroup.com Music: Modern & traditional jazz guitar instrumental & acid jazz with female vocals

THE RABBIT HOLE

3C Harding Road T: 6473 9965 www.thewhiterabbit.com.sg

ROYAL ROOM MINK

7, Raffles Boulevard, Pan Pacific Hotel Music: R&b and hip-hop

SUPRETTE

383 Jalan Besar, Singapore 209001 www.suprette.com Music: Top 50’s, R&B

M-Hotel, 81 Anson Road, Level 9 T: 6500 6119 www.millenniumhotels.com.sg Music: Live acoustic, pop, rock, R&B, jazz, contemporary

STELLAR BAR

JIGGER & PONY

442 Orchard Road, Orchard Hotel T: 6493 6952 Music: Live music

101 Amoy Street T: 62239101 www.jiggerandpony.com

KU DÈ TA

1, Bayfront Ave, Marina Bay Sands Skypark T: 6688 7688 www.kudeta.com.sg

KYO

133 Cecil Street, Keck Seng Tower, #B1-02 Music: Contemporary, balearic and house beats

LANTERN

The Fullerton Bay Hotel, 1 Fullerton Road T: 6597 5299 Music: Live cuban band nightly

LOOF

331 North Bridge Road, Odeon Towers (extension rooftop), #03-07 T: 6338 8035 www.loof.com.sg Music: Eclectic, chill-out

9 Emerald Hill Road T: 6735 9929 www.emeraldhillgroup.com Music: Classic rock

TAB

TAKÉ

3 Nanson Road, Studio M Hotel T: 6808 8888 Music: Live music on Fridays and Saturdays

THE CUFFLINK CLUB

6 Jiak Chuan Road 089262 T: 9694 9623 www.thecufflinkclub.com

THE LIBRARY

47 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089151 T: 6221 8338 Music: Chill-out

THE MAD MEN ATTIC BAR 11 North Canal Road,#03-02, Singapore 048826 T: 6222 3529 Music: Live music

THE VAULT

1, Empress Place, ACM T: 6323 1043 www.indochine.com.sg Music: Rosanna & Her Jazz Players, Mon - Sat from 9.30pm

THE MANSION

BLUJAZ CAFÉ

11 Bali Lane T: 6292 3800 www.blujaz.net Music: Live jazz, funk, boogie

The Cannery Clarke Quay, 01-10 Block C T: 6305 6726 www.mulliganspubs.com Music: Live Music

45 Armenian Street (The Substation Garden) T: 6338 8277 www.timbre.com.sg Music: EIC, Ngak & Jack, Timmy and Alemay Fernandez

THE BUTTER FACTORY

NEW ASIA BAR

WALA WALA CAFÉ

NIGHT&DAY

WAVEHOUSE

One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton Road, T: 6333 8243 www.thebutterfactory.com Music (Fash): Eclectic-Indie, electro Music (Bump): Hip-hop, R&B

COASTES

50 Siloso Beach Walk #01-05 T: 6274 9663

DREAM

Block C, The Cannery Clarke Quay T: 6305 6768 Music: Hip-hop, R&B, electro

EM BY THE RIVER

1 Nanson Road, #01-05 Gallery Hotel T: 6836 9691 www.em-n-em.com Music: Weekdays- Down Tempo, Bar Sounds, Weekends- Bar Sounds, Soulful and Deep House

EM STUDIO

1 Nanson Road Gallery Hotel #02-05 T: 6836 9691 www.em-n-em.com Music: All genres of house

FABRIKA

Klapsons The Boutique Hotel, 15 Hoe Chiang Road, 17th Floor Sky Terrace T: 6521 9029

FENIX ROOM

3C River Valley Road T: 6305 6768 Music: EDM, hip-hop, indie

Pacific Plaza, 9 Scotts Road #01-01 - T: 6234 2276 Music: Soul, lounge, hip-hop

MULLIGAN’S

Level 71 Swissotel The Stamford T: 6431 6156 www.equinoxcomplex.com Music: Top 40s & R&B 139 Selegie Road, Singapore 188309 T: 6884 5523 www.nightandday.sg Music: Live music

NO.5 EMERALD HILL COCKTAIL BAR

5 Emerald Hill Road T: 6732 0818 www.emeraldhillgroup.com Music: Acid jazz, blues, R&B and classic charts’ hits

OVEREASY

1 Fullerton Road, #01-06, One Fullerton T: 6423 0701 www.overeasy.com.sg

PLAYHOUSE

3, River Valley Road Music: Hip-hop, R&B, electro

POST BAR

The Fullerton Singapore, 1 Fullerton Square T: 6877 8135 Music: New age and chill-out

POWERHOUSE GALLERY BAR BELLINI ROOM

St. James Power Station 3 Sentosa Gateway #01-01 T: 6270 7676 www.powerhouse.sg Music: Pop, house (Powerhouse), Disco, funk (Gallery bar), Jazz (Bellini room)

23 Circular Road, Singapore 049379 T: 6222 5001 www.thevault.com.sg

TIMBRÉ MUSIC BISTRO

31 Lorong Mambong, Holland Village T: 6462 4288 Music: Live band plays nightly from 9pm onwards 36 Siloso Beach Walk T: 6377 3113 www.wavehousesentosa.com

WOOBAR

W Singapore Sentosa Cove, 21 Ocean Way www.wsingaporesentosacove.com/ indulge

YING YANG

28 Ann Siang Road, The Club Hotel T: 8518 3156 www.yingyang.sg Music: Bar grooves & house

ZOUK PHUTURE VELVET UNDERGROUND WINEBAR

17 Jiak Kim Street T: 6738 2988 www.zoukclub.com Music: Techno, electro (Zouk), hip-hop, R&B (Phuture), deep house, soul (Velvet Underground), downtempo (Winebar)

WHAT’S IN A NATIONAL ANTHEM? IF WE HAD IT OUR WAY, WE’D BE PLEDGING LOYALTY AND WAVING OUR FLAGS TO THESE LOCAL GEMS INSTEAD.

FINAL WORD

The Oddfellows – “So Happy” Back in the ’90s disco-pop era when Dick Lee and Jacintha Abisheganaden ruled supreme, indie rockers The Oddfellows broke that monopoly with “So Happy”, the first local song to top MediaCorp’s 98.7FM’s charts. Ironically though, their success was also the cause of unhappiness within the band, who didn’t want their fans to think they’d ‘sold out’ or ‘have gone commercial’.

Kevin Lester – “Put Your City On” Not rabid football fans, but this rap’s enough to make us feel the loyalty, bravado and roar of the Lions’ team. A true hip-hop soul with big, bold, and unpretentious prose, Lester’s track celebrates all the hardworking Singaporeans and ‘lions’ out there.

Electrico – “We’re Not Made In The USA” A feisty fist-pumper from the heart, Electrico’s standing up for a right we take for granted – the right to “rock & roll just the way we do / with the red & the white but without the blue”; shaking off the tentacles of America’s supposed influence.

Humpback Oak – “Deep Door Down” Irrefutable scene-shapers from the early ’80s, you can’t say you really know the scene unless you’ve heard of this quartet. Though now defunct, whenever someone digs up “Deep Door Down”, we’d go all swoony at the memory of these boys-nextdoor – a indie-folk band of friends from SJI whose song lyrics were penned on good ol’ foolscap paper.

The Great Spy Experiment – “Siti In The City” The best of indie, rock and dance, The Great Spy Experiment’s got us dancing to a good mix of beats and riffs, and it’s little wonder they’ve featured prominently at festivals like Baybeats, Mosaic, ZoukOut, and South-by-Southwest. We’re not entirely sure what they’d have us think of Siti and her crazy party habits, but perhaps that’s what they meant to do – make us reconsider social norms and boundaries.

Force Vomit – “Siti” Easy-going with a dark sense of humour, these scene vets are known for their use of unique six-string guitars to create ‘accidental’ noises that add kook to their sound. They may be on a hiatus, but they’re fondly remembered for hits like “Last Night I Said Goodbye”, “Spacement Over Malaysia”, and, who can forget, “Siti”.

Plainsunset – “The River Song” Undisputed godfathers of the local music circuit, these dudes have been shaping the scene since before your grandfather’s time. Okay, we kid – but “The River Song” about the Singapore River (duh! What else?) is one timeless track alright.

Serenaide – “The Girl From Katong” Remember how we used to secretly check out our crushes while trying madly to catch their attention? Indie sextet Serenaide’s got that exact feeling down pat with this number – which hilariously involves some flirting and a car crash, but ends with a smiley cute girl.

Kevin Mathews & The Groovy People – “I Love Singapore” A long-time contributor to the local scene, Matthews is a pop culture critic who doles out unforgettable tunes like “I Love Singapore” – remembered for its place in the famous Eric Khoo film, MeePok Man.

Text Kevin Ho & Valerie Lim Images Various Sources

Shigga Shay – “Lim Peh” Though it couldn’t be publicly aired for the sheer use of dialect and vulgarities, Shay quickly became the everydayman’s hero with “Lim Peh” – the quintessential Singaporean song about MRT rides, today’s youth and the nation’s growth that’s hilarious and addictive, but also damn spot-on. We feel you, bro.