JUICE February 2016 - CÉ LA VI | Issue #209

SINGAPORE

FEBRUARY 2016 ISSUE #209

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CÉ LA VI

the bittersweet issue

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

DEAR LOVELIES, Are you feeling da lurve yet? ’Cos we sure are prepping for this romantic season ahead. Whether you’re coupled up or flying solo, this issue is packed full of bittersweet tidbits that’ll put you in the mood. On one hand, we look into oustanding musical team-ups, defining fashion moments, tantalising dessert must-trys, and sugary sweet Valentine’s beauty gifts. On the other, we tackle pretty-ugly style buys and discuss if modern-day romance is doomed to digital hell.

JUICE Media Pte Ltd is part of

CATCHA MEDIA GROUP group head of publishing luke elliott chief operating officer ken tsurumaru chief executive officer patrick grove regional advertising enquiries voon tze khay [tzekhay@catchacorp.com T: +60-12-307-6737]

But before you get into it, take a minute and check out what CE LA VI’s residents have to say about their sky-high party temple and why you should #votecelavi into 2016’s DJ Mag ‘Top 100 Clubs’ list (page 12).

Distributed by Mediawheel Singapore 31 Toh Guan Road East, #07-01 LW Technocentre, Singapore 608608.

Printed by KHL Printing Co Pte Ltd 57 Loyang Drive Singapore 508968.

All We Need Is Love,

EDITORIAL editor jazmin kelly six [jazmin@juice.com.sg]

ART DIRECTION designer cinthia tjayadi (cinthia@juice.com.sg)

music editor indran p [indran@juice.com.sg]

ADVERTISING & MARKETING sales & marketing manager lavonne lam [lavonne@juice.com.sg] DID 6325-8031 M 9747-2806

fashion writer/stylist aaron kok [aaron@juice.com.sg] lifestyle/online writer trent davis [trent@juice.com.sg] contributors alika tatakorn, austen choo, chris ong ujine, chuck reyes, keith bryant lee, ng jun sheng

JUICE.COM.SG

sales & marketing executive cedric phang [cedric@juice.com.sg] DID 6325-8032 M 9176-6580

FACEBOOK.COM/JUICE.SG.FANS

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PUBLISHER & DIRECTOR david see [david@lumina-looque.com] DIRECTOR calvin cheng [calvin@lumina-looque.com] REGIONAL CONTACTS MALAYSIA editor alif omar mahfix [alif.mahfix@revasia.com] INDONESIA managing editor agiani salima [agiani.salima@mediasatu.com]

INSTAGRAM.COM/JUICESG

MCI (P) 062/08/2014 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 behind, 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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CONTENTS CE LA VI Perched 200 metres above ground, CÉ LA VI at Marina Bay Sands has acquired a far-reaching reputation as the destination for glitzy, exciting thrills – with a 360° view that can’t be beat. It’s high time this sky-high party temple earns its place on DJ Mag’s annual ‘Top 100 Clubs’ list.

Here’s why you should #votecelavi.

THE EX-FACTOR

Te n b a n d s w h o s e m u s i c h a s o u t l a s t e d t h e m .

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The pair takes us through their journey, ahead of debut, Begin.

CROSS RECORD T h e i n d i e - v e r s e ’s m o s t b u z z i n g t w o s o m e .

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against the grain

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Non-conforming style that became legendary.

courtney & kurt

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E m u l a t e r o c k ’s f a v o u r i t e c o u p l e w i t h grunge-inspired threads.

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Shopping for V-Day gifts need not be a bitter affair.

swipe for spontaneity Should digital dating be the new norm?.

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GOING THE DISTANCE Gadgets that close the gap for LDR couples.

FEBRUARY 2016

social

#juicesg Tag us on Instagram and you might score an Insta-worthy prize!

SNAP OF THE MONTH CONGRATULATIONS @UNINTENDEDWORLD! FOR RE PPIN ’ # T H ISR EDDOT LI KE A PRO, HERE ARE SOME KICKS THAT’LL MAKE YO U WALK LI KE ONE TOO.

THIS MONTH’S SNAP OF THE MONTH WINS A PAIR OF CONS ONE STAR PROS WORTH $119.90, COURTESY OF CONVERSE.

JUICE.COM.SG

FACEBOOK.COM/JUICE.SG.FANS

TWITTER.COM/JUICESG

INSTAGRAM.COM/JUICESG

obsessions

in the mood for love WHAT THE TEAM REALLY WANTS THIS VALENTINE’S.

Jazmin Kelly Six Editor @adoseofprety

GOLD STANDARD Chocolates, flowers, jewellery and a nice meal. Sure, traditional V-Day stuff is nice but this year, I’m trading in the snooze-inducing predictables for a relaxing, pampering sesh instead. Enter the 24K gold-infused babies from Peter Thomas Roth. Start with the Cleansing Butter, which has a solid-to-oil texture and removes stubborn makeup in a jiffy; and finish with the precious Lift & Firm Mask – where flecks of gold re-energise dull skin and caffeine tightens up the mien. A pure luxurious indulgence that is sure to put me in a loving mood.

POA, available at Sephora.

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Aaron Kok Fashion Writer/Stylist @ak.ok

I have a neverending love affair with scented candles.

People collect snowglobes and espresso cups, while I’m a candle hoarder. Hush Candles is a local set-up that’s staving my wax yearnings with its line of hand-poured soy candles.

With essential oils carefully sourced from across the globe, choose from one of five scents including Bergamot Basil and Lavender. Each candle jar features a clean, minimalist design that will sit prettily by your bedside, helping you set the mood for V-day. $18 (4 oz.) or $32 (8 oz.), available at Naiise.

PLUS-SIZED MODEL Few can resist the curves of the Gibson Les Paul. Sure, she’s been in the arms of countless others – from the likes of Jimmy Pages, Ace Frehley and Slash – but the iconic solid body six-string still has plenty of love left in her. And with the Standard 2016 T model, it looks like she hasn’t changed a bit . With a classic wide neck , gorgeous carved maple top on mahogany body, updated Burstbucker Pro humbucker pickups, and sustain that can go all night long, the way this baby sings will put any guitarist under her spell. $4,199, available at Swee Lee stores.

Trent Davis Lifestyle/Online Writer @trentobentogram

Stop Torturing Me, Bae! For months, Rihanna has been teasing ANTI , her eighth album and follow-up to 2012’s Unapologetic . All the rumoured drop dates came and went without so much as a single snippet of new music surfacing. Sure, she launched the ANTIdiary , an interactive website where listeners could scroll around a mansion and play excerpts of songs. But I’ve done all that and I want more . I know the lyrics to “B*tch Better Have My Money” and “FourFivesSeconds” so well, I could sing them backwards. So, Riri, by this Valentine’s Day, I hope you bless me (and the world) with ANTI . And if you don’t, I’ll still be waiting – ’cos that’s what love is.

Available soon on Def Jam Records

Indran P Music Editor @bigocean

SINGAPORE

SERVIN’ UP THE FRESHEST CONTENT

OUR EXCLUSIVE WEB HIGHLIGHTS THIS MONTH LOOKING TO SCORE

MUSICIANS WHO BROUGHT ON ALL THE FEELS WITH THEIR CINEMATIC SOUNDTRACKS.

REPETTO SPRING/SUMMER 2016

WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING FOR LOVE OR READY TO ROCK DANCE FLOORS, THE PARISIAN SHOEMAKER HAS YOU COVERED.

THE ANALOG ASSEMBLY

GET READY TO DIG INTO THOSE CRATES AS THE ANALOG VAULT PAIRS UP WITH THE PROJECTOR FOR ITS SECOND POP-UP EVENT.

MEN WITH MANY VOICES THESE FRONTMEN’S PIPES CAN SOOTHE YOUR SOUL AND SCARE YOU TO DEATH.

DAVID BECKHAM X H&M

BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM WITH TWO DAPPER COLLECTIONS EXCLUSIVE TO H&M.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

THE FRESHEST BRANDS FOR YOUR BEAUTY REGIME ON THE SHELVES AT SEPHORA.

THE STILL LIFE OF SEX DOLL PHOTOGRAPHY WE GO BEHIND THE LENS WITH STACY LEIGH TO EXPLORE THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHING SEX DOLLS.

SERIES YOU NEED TO SEE CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE AND CATCH UP ON THESE GOLDEN TV SHOWS YOU MISSED OVER THE YEARS.

STAY CONNECTED JUICE.COM.SG

FACEBOOK.COM/JUICE.SG.FANS

TWITTER.COM/JUICESG

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Text Indran P Images Various Sources

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“It is a diverse record; it is a happy record, a sad record, a happy-sad, sad-happy, mad, glad, quiet, dark, poppy, fast, slow, heavy, fast, peaceful, angry, chaotic, beautiful, lost/found, ugly, dry, wet, heartbroken, in love...”, says DIIV frontman Zachary Cole Smith of his band’s long-gestating and finally forthcoming second showing, Is The Is Are. Dramatising the simultaneity of antithetical states has always been his gift to us as a songwriter, and as a unit, the band knows how to make sun-burnished, swooning rock & roll swell with a heart-sick, lovelorn beauty. Whether or not you’re nursing a broken heart, the message is clear: listen up.

diiv.net

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CÉ LA VI

WRS RI WKH ZRUOG IN 2010, THE SINGAPORE SKYLINE WAS GIFTED WITH AN ARRESTING ADDITION IN THE FORM OF MARINA BAY SANDS. BESIDES ENRICHING THE ‘WORLD’S BIGGEST/BEST’ SEGMENT OF OUR NATIONAL RESUME, THE TOWERING STRUCTURE BEAMS IN LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS AS A SYMBOL OF THE PROGRESS THIS COUNTRY HAS SINCE ATTAINED. AND WITHIN ITS UPPERMOST REACHES RESIDES ITS MOST GLITTERING AND TANTALISING PRIZE: CÉ LA VI. PERCHED 200 METRES ABOVE GROUND, AT THE VERY TOP OF MBS, THE SCENE-STEALING VENUE HAS ACQUIRED A FAR-REACHING REPUTATION AS THE DESTINATION FOR GLITZY, EXCITING THRILLS – WITH A 360° VIEW THAT CAN’T BE BEAT. IT’S HIGH TIME THAT THIS SKY-HIGH PARTY TEMPLE EARNS ITS PLACE ON DJ MAG’S ‘TOP 100 CLUBS’ ANNUAL LIST. TO SHED LIGHT ON WHY YOU SHOULD #VOTECELAVI, HEED THE GOOD WORDS OF RESIDENT DJS BRENDON P AND RAMESH, ENTERTAINMENT MANAGER JOSHUA P, AND ASSISTANT ENTERTAINMENT MANAGER YA5TH, ALL VETERANS OF THE LOCAL DANCE SCENE WHO ARE TAKING THEIR COMBINED 90 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE TO THE TOP.

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ya5th

Hey guys, tell us why CÉ LA VI should get a place in DJ Mag’s ‘Top 100 Clubs’ list.

Joshua P: It’s rare to find a club that takes pride not just in its entertainment programme, but also in every detail – from the cocktails to food and service. Our entertainment and music programme is also quite diverse, with guest DJs, theme parties, Live Sessions, Sunset Sessions, etc. Not many clubs carry such a curated yet wide-ranging entertainment lineup.

Brendon P: I’ve always believed that being immensely underground should not be the defining criteria for a good club, but rather, its constant attention to hosting new and interesting nights. And then, there’s that view....

YA5TH: Four reasons: 1) Each year we attempt to up the ante to emerge better than the previous year in every aspect; 2) The drive and passion of this team in creating an entertainment establishment that is one of a kind; 3) Its unique place in the heart of the city is unmatchable; 4) Stunning view, people and atmosphere!

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How would a place in the ‘Top 100 Clubs’ add to the CÉ LA VI brand?

Y: CÉ LA VI being in the ‘Top 100 Clubs’ list would allow people to really recognise how serious we are about making a mark in the industry, locally and globally.

B: I think it will create a greater awareness of the brand and its concepts globally. It’s always been common knowledge that a city with vibrant nightlife has a thriving economy.

J: The norm in the entertainment world is that Western clubs expand internationally into Asia.

With CÉ LA VI, we are proving that an Asian club from Singapore with homegrown local talent can make a mark in the international sphere as it expands to other markets.

What would you say has been your most memorable experience at CÉ LA VI? Y: Last year’s Halloween party with Cirque Le Soir definitely! Any night where all the resident DJs get to play together and just jam on the decks is always a night to remember.

J: For me, it would be our first Sky High Brunch during the F1 weekend. The DJs were playing at the restaurant and SkyBar from noon and once Sky High Brunch ended, the party came over to the Club Lounge! We were going on late into the night and people were just partying non-stop!

R: It has to be last year’s F1 parties, in particular the Sky High Brunch and Weekend BBQ with Brendon P, Deepak and international guest Jose Marquez. The vibe and atmosphere were beautiful!

B: Oh, there have been quite a few actually – the little ‘all-star jam sessions’ where the residents come together, Sky High Brunch parties, and heaps of other fun nights. It’s always a different one on that rooftop.

What keeps you playing music and flying the flag for CÉ LA VI? B: ’Cos I still love it – there’s so much to learn and move forward with. This industry still has so much to offer and there are still good people

Text Indran P Images & Interview courtesy of CÉ LA VI Singapore / Colossal Photos

It’s known that CÉ LA VI has the largest pool of local DJs. What unites the individual members of your team and what do you think is special about your relationship?

Ramesh: I am very fortunate to work and exchange tips with some of the best DJs on this island. We all have our strengths and we do our best to use them accordingly.

J: What makes our team so unique is that each DJ specialises in a certain genre and we all learn from each other. Along with this, we love and respect each other as family.

B: I would say that, apart from working together, we have special and diverse individual skills and knowledge of not just music, but also the local and global nightlife industry – based on the fact that a lot of us have travelled extensively and played gigs at clubs and festivals across the globe. Also, there’s a camaraderie between us that’s quite hard

to describe, really.

Y: With 14 resident DJs, it’s a big challenge to even have a simple lunch get-together. But when we manage to round everyone up, it’s always good times. Whether a DJ is playing once or five times a week, we treat every single DJ on an equal standing and try to help everyone in every possible way. A big family is always fun.

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out there who enjoy quality concepts and just love a good vibe.

Y: My passion and love for music!

R: Music is as fundamental as food, to me. The excitement of being able to sample a wide variety of genres on the menu keeps my hunger fed as a collector. And as a DJ, I am glad that I am able to use music as an art form to entertain our discerning crowd.

J: Yes, I love giving that feeling to the people on the dance floor. When they are dancing to the music and you’re on the decks, it’s an awesome shared experience.

And looking ahead, what is CÉ LA VI’s direction for the future?

J: We’ve relaunched our newly renovated Club Lounge space this month with a spectacular new entertainment programme. Also, after opening in Hong Kong last year, we have plans to carry on expanding in St Tropez, Dubai and Taipei. We are in talks about doing our own music festival as well.

Keep your eyes locked on us; we’ve got a lot of things coming your way!

B: We’ll definitely grow and get better at it and come up with new, interesting concepts to keep the people who walk through our doors surprised and entertained. We’ll keep raising the bar!

Vote CÉ LA VI into DJ Mag’s ‘Top 100’ list at vote.top100clubs.com.

To stay up to date on all things CÉ LA VI, proceed to celavi.com and follow the club on social media @celavisingapore.

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the ex factor RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

THE SMITHS

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Unlike the recently ‘reunited’ Guns N’ Roses, The Smiths are rock relics that will never, ever emerge from the dust of history. While Coachella money might be unignorably enticing to bring Axl Rose and Slash together, no amount of dollars, or fans’ tears will be enough for Morrissey and Johnny Marr, The Smiths’ shot-callers, to ever share a stage.

From thinking that “The Smiths would run for at least 30 albums”, The Moz dropped this recent hate-bomb: “I don’t know a single person who wants a Smiths reunion!” He’s so bitter, he’s even lying to himself. (insert weeping emoji)

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS “Lovely girl, you’re the beauty in my world / Without you there aren’t reasons left to find”, sang Billy Corgan on “Ava Adore”. Alas, that sentiment didn’t apply to his band. The original lineup of Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D’arcy Wretzky, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlain, is one of the most embattled in rock history. While the usual breakup causes like drug addiction and infighting led to the Pumpkins’ implosion, it’s Corgan’s (in)famous megalomaniacal control-freak personality that’s made the rest of the band reunionimmune. Tellingly, as of late-2000, Corgan is the only member of the band; now, he literally is The Smashing Pumpkins.

For those of you still wondering about the fate of the broken-up-but-not rap-rock icons, we refer you to comments drummer Brad Wilk made in 2014: “Well, as far as I know, we played our last show in 2011 at the Coliseum”.

This was sort of confirmed just last year by bassist Tim Commerford, who said that RATM might regroup “tomorrow or 10 years from now”. But until then, if ever, we’ll have to call it as we see it. Recovering from internal tensions after its first breakup in 2000, the band reunited in 2007 – playing scattered dates till 2011 – when it fired its last salvo at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; its future more a wish than a certainty.

CRYSTAL CASTLES

JAWBREAKER

Whether or not you feel like the band is no more depends on how you feel about new singer Edith Frances. The latter was recruited by producer Ethan Kath after the very public and acrimonious split between him and original singer Alice Glass, over, to quote Glass, “reasons both professional and personal”. Subsequently, Khan revealed that he’d continue to play as Crystal Castles, with Frances as the new addition, releasing an absolutely meh new song, “Frail” in the process. If, like us, you believe that Glass “was a founding member of Crystal Castles and shaped the sound and aesthetic from the very beginning”, then this ‘band’ should be dead to you.

Some fans are so passionate to see their heroes play together again, they’d form a band just with that cause in mind. Yes, there’s actually an active band called Jawbreaker Reunion. It’s hard not to see this as a desperate hope for something that can never be and a way of mourning for the passing of something great. The story goes that by the time the Bay Area emo legends had released their major label debut Dear You, the relationship between frontman Blake Schwarzenbach and bassist Chris Bauermeister had soured irredeemably – with the latter still seething over the former’s decision to make the band sound more mainstream. So you see, don’t ever sell out.

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YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD THAT LCD SOUNDSYSTEM IS ON THE TOURING CIRCUIT AGAIN AND HAS A NEW ALBUM IN THE WORKS. BUT IN THE MERCILESS WORLD THAT IS THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, NOT ALL REUNIONS ARE THIS SEAMLESS, IF THEY HAPPEN AT ALL. BEHOLD THE PROOF: HERE ARE 10 BANDS WHOSE MUSIC HAS OUTLASTED THEM.

THE KNIFE

R.E.M. “We said we’re done and we’re done”, said Mike Mills in 2013, thus closing the book on the pioneering alt rock icons. It definitely was a sad day for fans (cue “Everybody Hurts”) but it’s worth noting that unlike most parting of ways in the realm of rock & roll, this one really was amicable. Free of punch-ups, vitriol and tear-streaked Facebook status updates, the Athens, Georgia quartet called it quits because it sincerely felt that the world was at a place where it didn’t need any new music from the band. As per Mills: “We can walk away as friends and feel like we’ve accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish”.

Text Indran P Images Various Sources

THE TALKING HEADS

PINK FLOYD The enormity of this English outfit’s influence on entire cannons of rock music cannot be overstated. Yet at the same time, when the stakes in their endeavour are so high, when there’s so much vested in their every move, betting that bad blood’d result within its members wouldn’t be as cynical as it’d seem. So, as it stands, Roger Waters and David Gilmour hate each other, with the latter calling the former a “dog in the manger” he intended on fighting. After his departure from the band, Waters continued to lob lawsuits at the Gilmour-helmed incarnation, letting off in 2005, when he rejoined them for a set at Live 8. After Gilmour recorded Pink Floyd’s 2014 album, The Endless River, without Waters, he declared that Pink Floyd was “done”.

How’s this for a final kiss-off: “We don’t have any obligations to continue, it should only and always be for fun”, said singer Karin Dreijer Andersson in 2014, just before the Shaking the Habitual tour – the “final statement” by the Swedish electronic surrealists. Fun, of a gloriously next-level shade, was exactly what the duo trafficked in, confounding the world with four albums of abstract yet dancefloor-ready sounds. With their Venetian masks and lyrics about “elf pee”, they’ve created a mythos that will endure in public consciousness lastingly. Fifteen years is a long time in the game, and few played it as well as they did.

ORBITAL Two years ago, brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll announced their decision to hang up their iconic torch-glasses and “part ways for the final time”. Recording and performing together as Orbital for over 25 years, the two have eight albums of path-lighting music to their name – each a touchstone, enriching techno, IDM and ambient sounds in their kaleidoscopic thrall. Breaking up first in 2004 because they both felt their creative wells had dried, they regrouped in 2008 to release their eighth album, Wonky. Though universally celebrated as a lushly vivid techno masterpiece, it wasn’t enough to keep the brothers at it, together.

“Celebrity is a funhouse mirror. It amplifies certain characteristics of those who live within its frame”, muso Jonah Bromwich wrote recently, expertly describing the magnified egos of limelight-doused personalities. This diagnosis applies to Talking Heads honcho David Byrne who has consistently prevented his band from carrying on without him and threatened them with legal action when they wanted to reunite with Debbie Harry in his place in 1996. Unfazed, the remaining three recorded the sneering eff you-album No Talking, Just Head, before things eventually simmered down. Still, there’s no reunion on the horizon since Byrne doesn’t “need the money badly enough”.

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LAIDBACK LUKE, AFROJACK, SIDNEY SAMSON, THE BINGO PLAYERS, HARDWELL AND STEVE AOKI HAVE ALL TESTIFIED TO THE FACT THAT THIS DUTCH DJ-PRODUCER – KNOWN TO HIS MOTHER AS ABDESAMAD BEN ABDELAOUID AND TO RAVERS AS APSTER – HAS ALL THE HITS. HIS SELF-DESCRIBED “FILTHY” TOUCH HAS GIFTED DUTCH HOUSE WITH A HARDER, MEANER EDGE, WHILE USHERING A NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD DYNAMISM INTO THE LEXICON OF UNSUBTLE ELECTRO SOUNDS. HIS HANDLE ON RAW BASSLINES AND COMPLEX CHORDS HAS COLOURED THE CATALOGUES OF A HOST OF TOP-SHELF LABELS, NOT TO MENTION THE EFFECT IT HAS HAD ON DANCE FLOORS WORLDWIDE. HERE, THE SCENE-STEALER TALKS US THROUGH HIS WINNING WAYS.

APSTER

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LET THERE BE HITS! Congrats on your new single “Soundboy” with NLW. How did that project come together and what was your vision behind it?

NLW and I were in the studio and we wanted to make a nice club banger for everyone to play but also add parts in the track that would surprise and stand out, production-wise, from other tracks. It’s great that we got support from all the top DJs. You love for “filthy electro house” is well known. What drew you to that sound?

“Filthy” for me stands for different styles combined together in a “filthy way”. I love to make different kinds of music, via combination.

It can be bleepy, progressive, electro, or deep,

mixed up with my recognisable beats so you can always hear that Apster sound.

How does it feel to have support from the biggest names in EDM, like Afrojack and Steve Aoki?

I’m really happy, of course, with all that support.

It made me who I am today as a DJ and producer.

I respect them all. Shout out to Laidback Luke for being the first one to play one of my tracks, and props to Afrojack for always being there like a mentor and brother to me and for supporting me through the years.

You’ve teamed up with numerous artistes in such a short span of time. What collaborative project are you most proud of?

I did a track with Firebeatz and Spree Wilson that I’m really proud of. It just got more than a million views on YouTube, which is amazing. It’s one of my favourites at the moment!

Looking back, how do you feel about the success of “Goldcoast”?

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“Goldcoast” is one of the tracks that got me a lot of awesome gigs worldwide. It’s a track that was born in Australia from when I toured there. I’m happy that it came out on Afrojack’s label, Wall Recordings, and that it did it well in the EDM scene.

In your opinion, where is EDM at today and what direction do you think it’ll take in the future?

EDM is getting bigger all over the world. I’d like to hear more diversity, though. I see it going more in the direction of the garage sound, a style I really love and used to listen to a lot 10 years ago. It’s nice to hear it coming back!

Lastly, what are you working on presently?

I’ve got a lot of new music lined up, even more than ever. I’ve been working a lot in the studio lately and even started projects with different kinds of music, so we will see where that goes.

And of course, there’ll be solo shows as well as ones with the homie, Afrojack.

soundcloud.com/apster

Text Indran P Image Ace Agency Interview Courtesy of The Livescape Group

You had a massive 2015. What was the highlight?

2015 was a year of a studio work. I’m always trying to improve myself and make new and unique productions, which I think worked out really well last year. For me, that was the best part of 2015!

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SETH HALEY CALLS HIS ALTER EGO “THE WORLD’S FIRST SYNTHETIC/ROBOTIC ASTRONAUT”. SUCH A CLAIM WOULD BE EASY TO DISMISS IF IT WAS JUST ANOTHER SPIRITED NERDGASM AND NOT A DECLARATION OF INTENT BY SOMEONE STANDING ATOP A BODY OF SPACE-AND-TIME WARPING, ALTERNATE-UNIVERSE-READY SYNTH-LED TRANSMISSIONS. FETISHISING ’80S SYNTH TROPES THROUGH REINVENTION, HIS DEBUT LP, GALACTIC MELT, WAS AN ICY, PUNISHINGLY UNBLINKING EXPLORATION OF SOME OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC’S STARKER SOUNDS, WHILE HIS 2012 FOLLOW-UP IN DECAY MINED LEFTFIELD BASS AND FUNK FOR AN IMPECCABLY STYLISH AND UNDERSTATED GROOVE. IN A RECENT CHAT, HE LETS US INTO HIS OTHERWORLDLY HEADSPACE. Your fans (us included) want to know: can we expect a follow-up to In Decay anytime soon?

Yes, I hope to have it finished by this spring.

In the critical press, Galactic Melt has been described as a slightly “melancholic” record. Do you feel the same way?

Yes, I set out to capture a melancholic sort of feeling. It’s not based on my personal experiences but of a fictional character I created.

We enjoyed your recent remix of El Ten Eleven’s “Thanks Bill”. Could you take us through how you reinterpreted it?

Sometimes I find it very challenging to remix an instrumental track. With that said, their guitar work spoke to me in a vocal sense so I really tried to let that shine through the vocabulary of the remix, while adding my own flair.

It’s known that you’re a synth obsessive. What do you think of chillwave?

I think it was a hastily assembled term to describe the resurgence of ’80s sounds as they were being repurposed. I don’t hate it or love it. It’s just easy when you put a label on something for people to attach to it. I think it’s a very loose genre.

Do you see your early drum & bass work as separate from what you do as Com Truise?

The main difference was my focus on melody – I didn’t focus on it as much when I was producing drum & bass. It’s almost my main obsession apart from drums when producing for the Com Truise project.

Do you ever get annoyed by people mentioning “nostalgia” when referencing your music?

Not really; I’m very nostalgic and it drives the creation of my ideas at times. I do feel, however, that it is also a very loosely-used term to describe anything with an ’80s drum sound in it.

Where do you think your music stands in relation to club-ready EDM? It’s a strange landscape, being on the same bills as some larger EDM acts, but it’s always thrilling to see that people are still interested in something that is more experimental and not as trendy.

You’ve said before that you couldn’t “think of one time where someone has said it’s too ’80s”. What are the three things you like most about the era?

I love the technology, the designs. The films and music production equipment are a huge inspiration for me. Obviously the music, too, but I never set out to create ’80s music. I just wanted to use the same equipment and do something a bit more updated.

Lastly, You’re also a well-known lover of science fiction. What are your thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

I haven’t seen the new film but I’m looking forward to seeing it!

Text Indran P Image Ryan Muir Interview Courtesy of Moonbeats Asia

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KITTY PRIDE

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MAKING MUSIC IN SINGAPORE IS A MERCILESS UNDERTAKING. BUT IN EVERY RESPECT, MONSTER CAT HAS PASSED THROUGH FIRE AND COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE, BIGGER, BOLDER AND DASHINGLY NEXT-LEVEL. SHAKING OFF THE DEPARTURE OF CO-FRONTMAN AND GUITARIST, RJ, THE BAND HAS BOLSTERED ITS RANKS WITH FOUR NEW MEMBERS AND DEEPENED ITS CATALOGUE WITH THE RECENT RELEASE OF REDUX – A LIVE EP COMPRISING REWORKED SONGS OFF ITS BEWITCHING 2014 DEBUT FULL-LENGTH, THE VIOLET HOUR. HERE’S FRONTMAN WANG WITH THE LOWDOWN ON HOW IT ALL CAME TO BE.

First off, it must be said that we really love Redux. What made you want to reinterpret the songs in a live setting?

Thanks! It was recorded live at Snakeweed Studios with all seven of us in the same room. Each song is one full take, no edits. When RJ left the band at the end of Baybeats 2014, we were faced with the question of what to do. We had the option of calling it quits. But The Violet Hour had just come out and I wanted to do it justice. I wanted to play the songs to people, so Shaun [drummer] and I sat down together and decided to get backup singers and expand to a seven-piece.

What was it like for you playing these songs under these circumstances and in a new way?

I felt that the approach of copying what existed didn’t do the new members any justice. So we got together and worked on rearrangements of the songs that we’d be playing live. By the end of this whole journey, which took up six months to a year, I realised that this was the first time I felt I was in a band. It just gave me this amazing feeling of joy.

It was an incredible privilege to be in that situation.

Take us through the change-up for “Take Me To Love”.

That was the trickiest one because RJ had such a big part to play in it. He was responsible for the main guitar riff and dual vocals with me.

What’s great is that the other singers added their own inflections and ways of singing to it.

Instrumentally, too, Ahmad [guitarist] took on the lead parts and made them his own. Everything happened organically.

“Circling” is also radically different here. No one saw that climax coming.

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We felt that there was that space for it to go from a folk beginning to a White Stripes-esque freak-out at the end. I think what the band really adds, that wasn’t there before, is the groove.

When we were working on it, we felt that we had to wait for the kick and snare to drop to get that kind of anticipation going. Everything’s more controlled in the album; it’s very freeform.

So, what’s the status of MONSTER CAT now?

Right now, my main focus is my solo material.

But what I want to do with MONSTER CAT is still open. I don’t think we’ll be focusing on shows but I still want to do justice to the songs. There are deeper cuts that people haven’t heard and I’m working on some others on top of Redux that’ll hopefully come out soon.

That’s good to know. What’s changed the most with the new lineup?

In the past, it was suicide mode; all or nothing.

On the creative side of things now, seeing how invested the current version of the band is in the music really helps take some of the pressure off Shaun and me. That brought a lot of joy back to it.

And what do you have planned next for your solo guise?

Besides two more Redux videos and a write-up

by Samuel Caleb Wee that might be released for download on PDF, I’m working on a solo project called YLLIS. I’ve got an EP ready and I’m just figuring out how to release it. It should be out within the first quarter of the year.

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Text Indran P Image Benjamin & Marcia Ong

MONSTER CAT

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WHEN IT’S FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, HAVING THAT “WHAT IS THIS?” REACTION TO MUSIC IS THE BEST THING A FAN CAN ASK FOR. HOMEGROWN PRODUCER MANFRED LIM IS ONE SUCH MAKER OF FASCINATING QUESTION MARKS, AND RIGHT NOW, HE’S IN AN ABSOLUTE ZONE. THE CLASSICALLY TRAINED 21-YEAR-OLD’S SEAMLESSLY DEFT MELDING OF R&B, POP AND POPULIST DANCE MUSIC HASN’T ONLY EARNED HIM A SPOT ON DIPLO’S OWN MAD DECENT ROSTER, BUT ALSO LIT A PATH TO SHOW THE HIGHLY EVOLVED FORM THAT BROADLY APPEALING, CUTTING-EDGE SOUNDS WILL TAKE IN THE FUTURE. HERE, HE FILLS US IN ON HIS DOINGS, AND THAT EMINENTLY INFECTIOUS DEBUT EP, SOFTSINS. Tell us about Softsins. What was your vision for it and how did the songs come together?

With this EP, I didn’t have a particular underlying concept. I just wanted to dissolve my far-flung influences into something new and original that was easy to listen to at the same time. So, in it, you hear influences along the lines of R&B, high-energy EDM, Jersey club, downtempo and a touch of soul. It started with “Rainflora”, as an exploration of more unconventional soundscapes.

“Jeune” happened on a rainy Sunday over the hum of Kenny G.

be-all, end-all: it’s always on the artiste to keep working and to keep being on people’s minds. But Mad Decent has exposed my music to a diverse majority of curators and producers, especially forward-thinking markets like the West Coast and Australia, which I am extremely grateful for.

It also put me at ease with the likes of Cashmere Cat, What So Not and Major Lazer when I shared a stage with them last month at the Djakarta Warehouse Project! This has definitely encouraged me to take more risks musically.

It’s known that you’re a classically-trained pianist. Has your training in that area helped you make the music you do now?

It was composing and studying music theory that strongly influenced my music in certain ways: having an ear for melodies, memorising and reinterpreting progressions of a particular genre, or finding resolutions from tricky chord places. It also taught me to be fully satisfied with my work before releasing it to anyone. I had all these awful classical exams I had to pay upwards of a few hundreds for, so I always made sure my pieces were ready and rehearsed. I’m grateful that bled off into my work ethic. It’s also made me feel a level of confidence for improvisation that made for some interesting live shows.

Yes, we think “Rainflora” is emblematic of your aesthetic on Softsins – a genrebending, collage-like approach with a strong pop sensibility.

Thank you. That was the idea I had in mind: to use existing sounds from the underground scene, but to rearrange them in an approachable, popfriendly way. It was also an exploration of lush soundscapes and textures – that was when the name “Softsins” came to me.

And what does being part of the Mad Decent roster mean to you?

It was nice to get co-signs from the biggest in dance music, but ultimately, part of it was personal – reassurance that the sounds I’ve taken an interest in hold some weight in the global electronic arena. The deal itself isn’t a

Text Indran P Image Ghostly International Interview Courtesy of Moonbeats Asia

“To U (Myrne Redux)” was the song that piqued Paul Devro’s interest. What inspired your expanded take on the original?

It was already such a unique song, to be honest, so it was exciting to take the challenge of focusing on details and exploring new techniques to make it different. Tension and release are two things I enjoy very much in my productions, and this song inaugurated my love for it.

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ONE DIRECTION THAT THE TWO BIG RICKS OF MUSIC – RUBIN AND ROSS – HAVE NAMECHECKED THIS NEW YORK DUO IS NO SMALL OR CHARMING COINCIDENCE. AS LION BABE, JILLIAN HERVEY – LOVELY-MANED CHANTEUSE AND DAUGHTER OF ACTRESS VANESSA WILLIAMS – AND PRODUCER LUCAS GOODMAN MAKE STYLISH, THROWBACKMINING, FUTURE-FACING FUNK AND DISCODOUSED POP THAT’S EXPLOSIVELY JOYOUS. AHEAD OF THEIR FORTHCOMING DEBUT ALBUM, BEGIN, THE PAIR TAKES US THROUGH THEIR JOURNEY SO FAR.

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And now you’ve got Pharrell, Mark Ronson and Dave Sitek weighing in on your sound. Has that changed how you approach music?

Lucas: Definitely. In different ways, working with each of them has been an amazing experience for us. They accomplished so much with their own projects and it was great that we are able to learn from them when we were making our record.

How did “Hourglass” with Disclosure come together? What was it like working with them?

J: A mutual friend of Disclosure’s and ours was working with our label and he helped facilitate it. We found out that they were fans of us and as we were getting more into their music at the time, the collaboration was a result of us being on their radar. So, we sat down together one day, and just wrote the song. We all clicked as friends and artistes so the whole session was nice and organic. Doing that with them was a great addition to what we’ve been doing as Lion Babe.

And speaking of what you do, your new single “Where Do We Go” sounds like a Parliament Funkadelic-meets-Erykah Badu romp.

L: Wow! Thanks! In the hands of its original producer, it was a sweet, thoroughly disco song. After it was given to us, we wanted to make it our own but still retain that vibe. I added in the drums and bass that were sort of faithful to the old funk and disco sound but new in their own way, too.

“Jump Hi” features a very empowering sample by Nina Simone.

Do you think pop music should provide more than pleasure?

J: Thanks for bringing this up. I’ve been thinking about this too. I think that there shouldn’t be a format for what pop music should be. Everything should depend on what the artiste wants to say. On our end, we want to continue with our themes of empowerment and positivity. These have become very relevant to us, personally, and to our process of making music. We want to inspire people as we get inspired.

We’re at a curious point in pop culture where a lot of artistes are looking to the past to make the sounds of today. Why do you think that is?

L: I think it’s always been that way, but you’re right about it being more pronounced today. People aren’t self-conscious about digging up their favourite records anymore. With us, it’s about tapping into the sounds and movements we’ve lived through and making something new. After all, in the broader scheme of things, what we have now is always a result of what’s come before.

And will we get to see you in Singapore sometime soon?

J: One of the most exciting things about this job is that we get to travel with our music to different places. If there were an invitation to come and play in Singapore, we’d love to head over. Over the course of the year, we just want to build more, do more collaborations and grow, so when we eventually come over, it’ll be awesome!

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Text Indran P Image Misha Taylor Interview courtesy of Universal Music

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Congrats on Begin. How does it feel to finally have it out in the world after grinding for so long?

Jillian: Thank you! It’s just great to be able to share something we worked so hard on with the rest of the world. The whole journey has been so exciting. I think I speak for the both of us when I say that we’re looking forward to having a body of work out for a while now.

We’ve wanted this for a very long time.

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PLAY THAT

FUNKY MUSIC

B. BRAVO ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THE WEST COAST LIVES ON IN POPULAR CONSCIOUSNESS AS A LIMITLESS EXPANSE OF ENCHANTMENT IS BECAUSE IT IS SO CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH FUNK MUSIC. WHETHER EMBEDDING A SONG IN YOUR MEMORY OR UNLOCKING YOUR LIMBS, FUNK DOES IT ALL WITH A TRANSCENDENTAL VERVE – ADAM MORI AKA B. BRAVO WILL TESTIFY AS MUCH. AS A DISCIPLE OF THE SOUND, THE CALIFORNIA DJ-PRODUCER HAS MADE A CAREER OUT OF SPREADING THE GOOD WORD THROUGH HIS OWN LUSHLY DETAILED, EXTRATERRESTRIAL BRAND OF DANCEABLE FUNK, SERVED UP ON HEAPS OF BASS. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE FUNKMASTER BEFORE HIS SET AT LANEWAY FESTIVAL SINGAPORE 2016 TO BRING YOU HIS ADDRESS ON THE STATE OF FUNK. What would you say is the funkiest song ever?

Hmm... Ohio Players’ “Funky Worm”, or Parliament’s “Theme From the Black Hole”.

Text Indran P Image & Interview courtesy of St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival

You played in China for the first time recently. How was that experience for you?

Beijing was incredible. I was totally blown away, especially since I had no idea what to expect, but the crowd was just amazing. It was at Dada Bar. Front to back, the crowd was going crazy from start to finish. Definitely one of the best crowds I’ve ever played for, to be honest.

“Computa Love” is one of our favourite tracks of yours. How did you develop your musicality?

Cool, that’s really dope to hear! I was listening to a lot of UK style music at that time – like dubstep and half-time style tracks – so I was experimenting in that tempo. I’ve always loved spacy synths and lush jazz/r&b chords, so I just put them both together. I had a vision for this track right before I made it, and was like, “yes, I have an idea for something here”.

And on that note, would you describe your sound as “futuristic”? Is funk itself “futuristic”?

To me, “futuristic” is a fun word, but I still don’t quite understand it. I’d describe my sound as “now”. There really is no such thing as “future”, we only have each moment, today, and then it is the past. Funk itself is just a state of mind, a feeling.

We love your recent remix of Michael Jackson’s “Love Never Felt So Good”. It’s such a sleeker, sexier take on the original. What inspired your interpretation of the track?

I wanted to make it a little “sleeker and sexier”. The original is obviously great, but it’s pretty disco and uses lots of old-school instrumentation, so I just wanted to give it a little R&B club treatment.

With all the exposure that Brainfeeder and Low End Theory have gotten over the past few years, the West Coast itself has become synonymous with cutting-edge electronic music. What are your thoughts on this phenomenon?

A lot of people are coming to the West Coast, especially to L.A. from all over the world so the creativity being spawned there is unreal. Everyone there is just looking to meet new people and make music and do cool stuff, so it’s a very exciting place to be right now.

Where do you think funk is at in 2016?

I think funk is gaining popularity all over again and even making a comeback in the mainstream. One of the biggest songs last year was “Uptown Funk”, which is like a super throwback Rick James-style song that would have been big in the early ’80s. Or The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face”; that’s some funk too. These are international smash hits. The local funk scenes in L.A. and S.F. are doing well, too, getting more press, with lots of new music being released.

It’s in a good place and hopefully it keeps growing.

And for you, personally, what do you want people to get out of your brand of funk?

Really, I just want everyone to dance and have a good time. Hopefully, my music can make people feel good and happy to be alive.

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BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES

In the midst of all of the noisy, headline-screaming, feed-obliterating and assiduously memed events that 2015 will be remembered for, something quietly beautiful and infinitely monumental was happening: PJ Harvey was recording her ninth album. In public. Yes, as part of an art installation at London’s Somerset House christened Recording In Progress, Harvey worked on her as-yet-untitled album in a purpose-built studio, separated from spectators only by a sheet of one-way glass.

“I hope visitors will be able to experience the flow and energy of the recording process”, Harvey said of her intentions behind the project. Coming from her, that aim, framed in the rather innocuous-sounding title, belies the powerful significance of the whole enterprise. Since she emerged in the early ’90s, she’s been one of the most singularly enigmatic and uncompromising artistes to ever touch a guitar and sing a word. That she’s ‘Recording In Progress’ in this day and age of the Insta-drop SoundCloud delivery system – giving the world a front-row seat to the labour that goes into the very personal endeavour of making an album – is a move that is up there with her best albums.

As the follow-up to 2011’s Let England Shake, this project, which will be out in Spring, undoubtedly has a lot to live up to. With the former album, Harvey became the only artiste to ever win the Mercury Music Prize twice. But she thrives best when all eyes are on her; the new teasers of music mark a return to her blitzing blues-rock mode and transfixing upper register singing style. In a year where the world tilts dangerously close to the whims of unsavoury characters like Donald Trump, it will surely come as a ray of light.

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PJ HARVEY HEED HER CALL

DRY (1992) Her first stride; the one that started it all. The first time Harvey revealed herself to the world, she did it in her rawest, most aggressive guise.

Equal parts feminist manifesto and unblinking confessional, Dry also announced Harvey’s post-rockreinventing guitar playing.

Remember “Dress”?

RID OF ME (1993) While recovering from a nervous breakdown in seclusion in her native Dorset, Harvey wrote what would be the name-making album of her career and some of her most bloodcurdlingly darkest songs yet. Steve Albini’s deliberately crude production also drew him praise.

STORIES FROM THE CITY, STORIES FROM THE SEA (2000) On this joint, Harvey was, well, happy. She’s said that the sunnier ethos of this particular album was a result of her wanting to produce “absolute beauty” after consciously experimenting with “nauseousmaking sounds” in her earlier work.

And it couldn’t be further from being a cop-out.

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LET ENGLAND SHAKE (2011) Operating to the double-facing principle of the best art, Harvey looked to the past to make sense of the present. Let England Shake is a folk-led indictment of the Western world, for the Great Wars, the Russian Revolution and the invasion of Iraq and all its tangential conflicts.

Text Indran P Image Various Sources

PJ HARVEY IS ESSENTIAL LISTENING

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“BREAKING DOWN” RIOT !N MAGENTA I heard this song for the first time last year and I’ve never let it go. It’s on all my playlists. I especially love it because it was made right here at home. Also, I have so much love for this band.

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BENEATH MEDICINE TREE COPELAND This is an album I just can’t stop listening to. It’s dreamy, painful but still hopeful, and it takes me back to my college days – that’s always a fond memory.

ANOTHER ETERNITY PURITY RING This album reminds me of my sister.

She’s away studying in Providence now and listening to it makes it feel like she’s just a little closer.

“LOSING YOU” SOLANGE The lyrics of this song are heartbreaking but it just makes me want to turn it all the way up and dance, barefoot, whiskey in hand, and cry!

023 SYNAPSES PLEASANTRY The best way to start a dreamy weekend.

Text Indran P Images Various Sources

ONLY THE POETS MIXTAPE (VOL. 1) MARC E. BASSY There’s just something so damn sexy about R&B mixtapes. Of course, it was THELIONCITYBOY that got me hooked on this.

CMPLX MIXTAPE CHELSEA REJECT Sometimes I stumble upon music that makes me wish I had a studio to sit in all day to write, too. Chelsea Reject is a lyricist who keeps me going back because she is so amazing.

PURPOSE JUSTIN BIEBER Ain’t no shame in it. It’s a good album, man.

IF YOU’VE EVER HAD THE SUPREME PLEASURE OF TAKING IN A LIVE PERFORMANCE BY THE NOW-DEFUNCT LOCAL OUTFIT SIXX, YOU’D BE FAMILIAR WITH THE LUSH POWER OF ITS FRONTWOMAN’S VOICE. ADDING TO THE THRALL THAT HER FUNK-SOUL-R&BHIP-HOP-REIMAGINING BAND WAS KNOWN FOR, HER BEYOND-DIVERSE RANGE MELTS THE ENTIRE COMPENDIA OF SOUNDS IN ITS HONEYED, VIVIDLY ENCHANTING DELIVERY. AND HERE SHE IS WITH THE MUSIC THAT SHE SO ADMIRES.

“FOREVER” THELIONCITYBOY This song is on my daughter Zola Mae’s playlist, which automatically puts it on mine. Her daddy says her name in it and I love watching her face light up when she hears it.

4 BEYONCÉ 2012 was a tough year and I found myself taking this album everywhere I went. This woman inspires and every song on the album took me through the year and brought me out stronger. music music

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THE HAPPY COUPLE CROSS RECORD

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The best-case scenario of any boy-meets-girl set-up is obviously the happily-ever-after. But what’s better than that is a union that pays dividends to not just the pair in question – one with spillover effects we can all get in on. Cue musical couples. Emily Cross and her husband Dan Duszynski are currently the indie-verse’s most buzzing twosome, bound together by an obvious love and a commitment to chiming in on the world’s most universally beloved artform.

Theirs is a story both dullingly familiar and glitteringly fairytaleesque. Both Chicago natives – Cross, a visual artist and Duszynski, a sound engineer – they merged paths in the local scene before moving to the Moon Phase Ranch, a sprawling 18-acre property in the town of Dripping Springs, Texas. As Cross tells it, the move was her “stipulation for marrying him” since she hated the Chi’s gloomy weather and high crime rate. It was in their new home, surrounded by unspoiled green, that they could do “whatever [they] wanted, literally”.

And in this idyllic retreat, their forthcoming album Wabi-Sabi was born. Inspired by the eponymous Japanese aesthetic philosophy that emphasises beauty in imperfection and impermanence, and guided by nothing more than the “visual images” in Cross’ head, the pair recorded a bewilderingly complex set of songs. Adeptly understanding the value of power accrued through rhythm, Cross and Duszynski inserted a hyphen between the ‘folk’ and ‘noise’ canons, bringing ethereal light to bear on gnashing intensity on highlights like “High Rise” and “Basket”. Kids or no kids, we hope they’re together forever.

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THE WHITE STRIPES

THE DEARS

Hip-hop has Jay and Bey, while rock & roll has/had Jack and Meg White.

The relationship between the two is all the more remarkable for their insistence to the media that they were siblings and the fact that they had actually divorced just before the band exploded. And that discography, though…

As the world continues to watch on in encouragement and disbelief, the Canadian prog-grunge outfit is still fronted by the husband-and-wife team of singer Murray Lightburn and keyboardist Natalia Yanchak. Their marriage is a testament to the band’s own almost two-decade existence – and that’s a beautiful thing.

THE ARCADE FIRE

SONIC YOUTH

They own the paradoxical honour of being the ‘Biggest Indie Band In The World’ and also one with a marriage as its beating heart. According to co-founder Josh Deu, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne met at McGill University while practicing, with the latter agreeing to join the band despite there being no pre-existing music at all. *wink*

It finally happened. The most formidable couple in all of indie rock called it quits in October 2011 after what Kim Gordon calls Thurston Moore’s “midlife crisis” affair with a “starstruck” woman. The band is now, to quote Moore, “on hiatus” and it’s unavoidable that the end of the frontcouple’s 27-year marriage was the cause.

Text Indran P Images Bryan Parker and Various Sources

A COUPLE THAT PLAYS TOGETHER (SOMETIMES) STAYS TOGETHER

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The sheer surge in global interest in our neck of the woods is now an unignorable fact of everyday life. But even if you don’t watch the news, you undoubtedly feel it in the dance floors and DJ booths of your favourite clubs. Asia is rapidly ascending towards the prominence that the ancient dance temples of Ibiza, Chicago and Berlin command. It was with this in mind that the International Music Summit Asia-Pacific convened – and we sat in the midst of some of the most decorated players in the game as they analysed and celebrated Asia’s new place in the ecosystem of dance music.

Like last year’s, the second edition of the summit gathered global and local figures intimately involved in both the creative and commercial aspects of dance at W Singapore Sentosa Cove. That it took place as last year’s did on the opening day of ZoukOut, one of the biggest dance festivals in the world, affirmed its significance to the fact that Asia was weighing in heavily on the zeitgeist of dance music. The stargazing lineup of speakers also said it all.

Following the opening remarks by IMS co-founder Ben Turner, the proceedings took off with a discussion between Sharam, one-half of Grammy-winning house legend Deep Dish, and Richie McNeil, head of Beatport Asia and Australia. Theirs was an inspired conversation about everything from the deep house craze and the Paris attacks to dance music’s everincreasing pool of audiences worldwide. And though EDM has vaporised all other sounds within earshot, Sharam stressed the age-old truth: “A DJ’s job is to educate and entertain”.

Inspiring and insightful, the whirlwind of panel debates and interviews, though covering a host of disparate topics, all at various points converged on the fact that as a consumer and talent base, Asia is inextricably connected to the rest of the world.

In their own addresses, Wayne Lee, assistant general manager of Zouk, author Simon-Napier Bell, and Emily Hou, senior manager

of China’s preeminent dance party, Storm Festival, testified as much.

In the liveliest artiste panel, featuring Singapore’s own Midnight Shift honcho Kavan Spruyt alongside DJ Sabrina, Blink, Kaz James, Scarlett Etienne, and DJ Tennis, this theme was examined with gusto – with the latter nailing it with, “It’s not about creating just a ‘scene’, it’s about creating a ‘community’”.

On the hot button issue of sexism, Etienne confidently snarled, “I’ve never experienced sexism because I’ve never let it happen to me”, giving the best other-side-of-thecoin response to a thorn long embedded in the side of the dance scene.

Things got even more personal later when giants in the form of Armin van Buuren and Kaskade gave us a heart-side seat before how they arrived at their places of power today. Going on first, in a keynote interview with local legend Chris Ho, Armin stressed the importance of adapting and growing in a climate of fickle tastes and musical cross-pollination – while at the same time assuring us all of something he’s been questioned about a lot over the years: “My heart is with trance. I’ll never leave that”.

Kaskade, too, maintained the importance of tuning out the noise of hype and being open to new influences, citing his recently released ninth album, Automatic, as a marker of his own aesthetic growth. During a Q&A with the audience, he pleasantly surprised everyone by accepting a thumb drive of demos by an aspiring producer in the crowd. The applause that ensued was a poignant reminder of the fact that IMS had more than fulfilled what it set out to accomplish and a testimony of the unifying, barrier-torching power of music.

A necessary platform for the universe that orbits closely around all of popular culture, IMS 2015 was a thoroughly enlightening and delightful experience. See you at this year’s – at the front row.

SOUNDING BOARD Text Indran P Images Colossal Photos

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SUMMIT ASIA-PACIFIC

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SWISH

Snap, Crackle, Pop “Angular” is a tired descriptor that marks a very particular tendency of artier members of the indie sect. But Field Music has always eschewed such predictability in favour of more jaw-dropping behaviour. On their fifth album, Commontime, the Brewis brothers continue this streak – embracing jazz in their enduring effort to reconfigure catchy music. “Disappointed” is a good place to start – leaving you feeling anything but. field-music.co.uk

just be natural “The initial goal for this record when I started writing it was that I wanted it to sound more organic”, says Wild Nothing honcho Jack Tatum of his forthcoming full-length, Life of Pause. As one of the contemporary indie world’s most enigmatic auteur-types, him acting on his artistic anxieties spells great things for us listeners, and on the bassinflected, Philly soul-inspired shoegazing teasers, “TV Queen” and “To Know You”, he sounds right at home. wildnothingmusic.com

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Satisfied with making shoes (for now), Kanye West sees fit to divert our attention from the sidewalk to his studio doings. At the first blush of 2016, he blessed the Internet with a new song, “Real Friends” and, more monumentally, news that the long-awaited follow-up to 2013’s Yeezus, Swish, will be released into the ether on February 11.

Though he’s worked with forces as disparate as Paul McCartney, Rihanna, Sia, Vic Mensa, Ty Dolla $ign, Hudson Mohawke, and composer Caroline Shaw over the past two years, what it’ll sound like is still anyone’s guess. Will we get a Yeezus-esque frag grenade? A back-to-basics Chipmunk soul romp? We’ll soon find out. kanyewest.com

Darker Days

We’re Back

Soundtrack For The Witching Hour

There’s no way to subtly say this: WOLF PARADE IS REUNITING! “Hey-o everyone, the hiatus is over!”, went the rallying Tweet from the band’s account, announcing the end of the band’s four-year-long slumber. No new music has been teased but it’s not too much to expect that something awesome is coming our way. wolfparade.com

Porches is the guise of Aaron Maine, boyfriend of punk’s It-girl, Frankie Cosmos (who plays drums here).

Echoing the mystique of his moniker, his music is haunting, chillwavey and incredibly stylised. So much so that we won’t hesitate to claim that his debut reveal, Pool, spells the dawn of goth hipsterdom – and we’re actually pumped for it. porchesmusic.bandcamp.com music

Some might argue that in 2016, “indie darlings” is an obsolete tag. But however merciless taste levels are these days, Ra Ra Riot’s track record is good enough reason to get intrigued every time they announce a new one. Later this month, the band will release the successor to 2014’s digitallyminded, Beta Love, Need Your Light. Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, one of the enlisted producers, lets on that the record was inspired largely by Achtung Baby, U2’s darkest record. And with its pained hook, “Don’t punish me for what I feel”, lead single “Water” is telling of what we can expect – yet, they still sound so damn charming. rarariot.com

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in memoriam Join us as we pay our respects to to the three influental musicians who climbed the stairway to heaven.

DAVID BOWIE As you know, we lost a few good men last month.

New’s of Bowie’s passing was the first to flood our feeds and break the Internet in a wholly tragic way. Nothing more can be said about him that hasn’t already been waxed, raved, and now, cried about. He was one of pop culture’s most uninhibitedly original figures, forever light-years

Why? Just Why? In this month’s edition of Much Ado About Nothing, rock & roll legend Linda Perry is plenty mad with Lady Gaga for earning an Oscar nomination for the sexual assault siren-call “Til It Happens to You” that Gaga co-wrote with Dianne Warren – despite her only writing one line. Feeling, to quote her, “spunky”, the former 4 Non Blondes frontwoman called out Gaga on Twitter with, “Is that writing? Not in my book”. Understandably, the “Bad Romance” singer hasn’t responded and Perry has since apologised.

ahead of us Earthlings. Fittingly, besides the gush of eulogies from fans and musicians alike, he was honoured with his very own constellation – seven stars shaped in a lightning bolt grouping near Mars. Fare thee well, Starman.

GLENN FREY Here’s Eagles lead Don Henley on the recent passing of his compadre: “I’m not sure I believe in fate, but I know that crossing paths with Glenn Lewis Frey in 1970 changed my life forever, and it eventually had an impact on the lives of millions of other people all over the planet”.

Yes, for reasons including “Hotel

You Don’t Know Me If you think that you have Tinashe figured out, stop playing yourself and think again. Sure, she’s got the looks, moves and quivering singing style that’d make pegging her as an R&B minx all too obvious. But to do so would be lame, given the sense of mystery she brings to her immaculately chosen beats.

If she came out fully formed on her 2014 debut, Aquarius, imagine how headily sensuous her second showing, Joyride, would be. Can’t wait? Sneak a peek at banger-ballads “Party Favours” and “Player”. tinashenow.com

California” and so much more, what Henley feels as a personal loss is a very public one. Both indie and mainstream spheres owe too much to Frey for us to pretend otherwise.

James Franco’s In A Band

BLOWFLY Clarence Reid may not look like he spawned the drrty trap rap you love so much, but hits like “No Type” or “Lollipop” certainly wouldn’t be possible if not for him. When he wasn’t making superlatively

Text Indran P Images Various Sources

fantastic R&B cuts in the late ’60s and ’70s, he pioneered pounding, puerile sex-drenched hip-hop under the alias, Blowfly. He was also the first rapper to have a song banned. His death may not faze the more ‘righteous’ out there, but if you love the state of ‘urban’ music today, you best be sad.

Fresh off writing a book about Lana Del Rey, the Pineapple Express star has turned his learned and infinitely erudite gaze to another musical endeavour: a band called Daddy, with former schoolmate, Tim O’Keefe.

“The motivation behind Daddy is to push beyond the sonic space of music into the surrounding ecology”, is the band’s principal aim, because James Franco. Shocking enough, The Smith’s Andy Rourke plays bass on their impending debut album, Let Me Get What I Want. soundcloud.com/wearedaddy music

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INSIDE OUTSPOKEN

BY MAURICE SIMON

BITTERSWEET

In the nebulous underworld of underground nightclubs, physical permanence is uncharacteristic. Ranging from short-lived and fleeting lives to dominant reigns of a dynastic scale, the lifespans of club venues are hard to predict. Yet, throughout the annals of history of the clubbing meccas of the world, a bittersweet theme runs through it all – if the place mattered to the people, a blueprint was always left behind.

On January 2, 2015, iconic London venue Plastic People closed its doors for the last time after a 20-year run that saw it incubate the birth of dubstep in the UK and leave behind a legacy of parties – including the legendary residencies of Theo Parrish and Floating Points. In the words of Floating Points, one of Plastic People’s legacies was a blueprint that sought perfection.

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Take things forward exactly a year later to January 2, 2016, and we have what many will remember as the day that the parties at Kilo Lounge called it quits in Singapore. It may seem far-fetched to draw comparison between the demise of one of the world’s true legendary venues and a short-lived Singapore club little known beyond its own shores, but to the people in the local communities who lived through the journeys of these two clubs, that bittersweet aftermath tastes just the same.

What then, would Kilo’s inner circle have to say? In the words of Kilo co-founder, Joshua Adjodha, “It’s always sad when you have to let go of something you love” – but for him, better days lie ahead.

“Love for the space, love for the music, love of the people and love for the experiences we helped to create. It’s always hard to let go, but that is usually when better things come...we are looking forward to elevating what we were doing to new heights”. For its regular DJs like Zig Zach, there is a sense of nostalgia and also of hope: “Kilo Lounge will be missed dearly by all the party animals of the night.

But we eagerly await its return and look forward to what lies ahead, and what they bring to the table in the next chapter of Singapore’s electronic music scene”.

TECHNOSELF DEANTONI PARKS (LEAVING RECORDS)

Those who’ve watched the movie Whiplash would know what a man with two sticks beating on drums and cymbals can so mightily do. Now just change up the frenetic jazz work for hip-hop rhythms executed with just a drum kit, a sampler, one drumstick, no overdubs, and played live – that’s Deantoni Parks’ solo debut for you. Having played with Flying Lotus, Sade and Mars Volta, the man’s got experience, expertise and damn good dexterity. “Black Axiom” sounds like an early DJ Shadow organic hip-hop experiment; “Ashes” and “Bombay” are kinetic, glitchy pieces that stun; while the man shows depth and breadth on the strolling blues of “Down” and the retro-funky “Automatic”.

Delving a little deeper, it becomes clear that despite its short-lived run, Kilo’s spirit was vibrant – with those involved in its creative direction, like Doralin Kelly, expressing a sense of pride for its mission: “It’s sad that the parties at the Lounge won’t happen at 66 Kampong Bugis anymore, but I know Josh, and he’s only going to bring it back in full force, bigger and better”.

After listening to those close to the venue, Kilo’s own unique blueprint starts to come into focus – a blueprint to be a community with a unifying force. In closing, Kilo event coordinator, Nadia Rahmat, sums it up with this: “Kilo Lounge wasn’t just a club. It was a community. It was a safe haven. No matter who you were or where you came from, there was that one intangible force that united us all. Everyone vibrated on the same frequency. There were no barriers, no pressure to conform, no fronts to put up.

You just be”.

What then might the future hold for Kilo? With a blueprint like that, one might say it’s looking pretty sweet.

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BLACKSTAR DAVID BOWIE (RCA)

He must have known, somehow, when the bell would toll – one only needs to read into his song titles like “Lazarus” and his lyrics. David Bowie supposedly had the intent to craft an album proper after Blackstar, but sadly that will not come to be – the cancer had returned, too swiftly. His last foray into music sees the Thin White Duke sauntering with ease into the territory of freeform jazz. It was a natural progression that started with Bowie returning to his first beloved instrument, the saxophone. Bowie invited some jazz fellows led by modern jazz saxophonist Donny McCaslin to pair up with him, and what emerged are seven jazzy, avant-garde pop numbers, markers of his great return and, final farewell.

Even if the man succumbed, the visionary triumphed.

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PICKS OF THE MONTH

LATE NIGHTS

PURPLE

(Def Jam Recordings) If all you remember of Jeremih is “Birthday Sex”, grow up, ’cos he sure has. He took his time with Late Nights, and it pays off. This is an album of nocturnal R&B jams that’s low on flashiness, but smooth on impact.

“Don’t Tell ‘Em” and “Giv No Fuks” may be primed to be hits, but it’s songs like “Pass Dat” with its quietened synths, and the acoustic closer “Paradise” – where he pushes himself just that little bit more – that matter.

(Abraxan Hymns) Some may crawl from a wreck, but Baroness is not one of them. The band comes back from a bus crash that had left them hospitalised, sounding louder, faster and stronger. The psych metal rock band bursts out of the gate with “Morningstar” and “Shock Me”, venturing into gentler expressions, “Chlorine & Wine” and “If I Have To Wake Up (Would You Stop The Rain?)”, that speak of survival and recovery.

GLOBAL CHAKRA RHYTHMS

SPRAINED ANKLE

THE CATASTROPHIST

SEEMS UNFAIR

(6131 Records) In a room, an old wearied soul inhabiting a young 19-year-old sings of depression, loneliness, and death. In a husky, melodic voice, over strummed guitar and harmonised vocals, she pulls you into her interior world with nine songs that are sparse and quietly beautiful. It’s one Julien Baker, spiritual kin of Sharon Van Etten and Torres. A new, transcendent voice for the young, lost and lonely.

(Thrill Jockey) The Catastrophist is the Chicago instrumental post-rock outfit’s first record since 2009’s Beacons of Ancestorship. Commissioned by the City Of Chicago to produce music “rooted in its ties to the area’s noted jazz and improvised music communities”, the band has turned in a sumptuous set of songs that – whether batteringly heavy (“Shake Hands With Danger”) or dreamy (“Yonder Blue”) – unspool with an unmistakably jazzy free-form spirit.

(Turnstile) Unpretentious, indie jingle-jangle rock that makes for a carefree listen; Trust Fund does it well, enough to release two albums within eight months. Ellis Jones and pals manage to keep the interest on the second, not as Waxahatchee soundalikes, but as a UK band making unaffected, teenage pep-energised rock.

Live (or relive) your youth through “4th August” and “Mother’s Day”.

Jeremih

JEFF the Brotherhood

Text Chris Ong Ujine & Indran P Images Various Sources

(Infinity Cat Recordings) Freed from major label restrictions and woes, Nashville garage-rock duo, JEFF the Brotherhood, has finally and truly let its inner stoners loose on its latest. It’s cosmic, psych-rock spiralling out (or in, depending on your state of mind) from the straightforward “Radiating Fiber Plane” to the trippy sci-fi world muzak that is “Liquid Onyx”.

MAKING TIME

KING PUSH

Baroness

Julien Baker

Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude – Pusha T

(Def Jam Recordings) If this is just a ramp up towards the real King Push deal, it’s a highly elevated one. The Pres of G.O.O.D Music knows his game, and with Timbaland, Puff Daddy and Kanye West playing on his team, the album’s a kicker. The songs are skeletal and clanking, with Pusha T, erm, pushing out his mean persona with old school rhyming steeliness on “Untouchable”, “Crutches, Crosses, Caskets” and “Sunshine”.

Tortoise

RIGHT ON! Jennylee

(Rough Trade Records Ltd) Warpaint’s Jenny Lee Lindberg tries her (bass-playing) hand at going solo.

Sludgier and rawer than her band’s work, she softly drawls her way across the 10 tracks, a slatternly goth girl trying to pull each song out of herself into a stream of ’90s college rock. Some work, some are downers, some just drag.

Delve into the moodiness with “Boom Boom” and“Long Lonely Winter”.

Trust Fund

Jamie Woon

Dave Gahan & Soulsavers

ANGELS & GHOSTS

TRY TO BE HOPEFUL

SHAPE SHIFT

(Polydor Ltd) When Jamie Woon came out, he was immediately bunched with the likes of James Blake and the post-dubstep ilk. His debut Mirrorwriting was sadly underwhelming and uneven. On his sophomore, Woon sounds more confident and sure, even if the songs sound less edgy. It’s classy, intimate, slow-burning neo-soul and R&B, with Woon’s OOAK velvety voice, unhurried and at ease.

(Venusnote Ltd) Dave Gahan’s baritone is a natural fit with Soulsavers’ gloom-and-doom churchy gospels, so much so that the Depeche Mode singer has now worked on a second album with the British production duo of Rich Machin and Ian Glover. At a couple of songs, it’s intriguing; at nine, it’s all a little heavy, deadening, overly dramatic, and mood-killing, rather than inspiring.

(Fortuna Pop!) If Bristolian indie rock is not your thing (see Trust Fund), maybe indie rock from Edinburgh might be your cup of tea. They may also thwack out “indie rock”, but The Spook School appeals for different reasons. Their songs are more strident and deal with harder-hitting issues of identity (owing to singer and guitarist, Nye Todd who identifies as trans), but sound no less jaunty. Take “Burn Masculinity” as their totemic anthem.

(Relapse Records) Hustle John Carpenter and Goblin into the present and you will get Zombi. The duo of A.E. Paterra (drums) and Steve Moore (keyboards) has been making synth flavoured post-prog rock music for more than a decade and on their fifth album, they still create electronic mathrock compositions fit for a soundtrack for a lost retro-cult movie.

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The Spook School

Zombi

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EP!C PRESENTS DASH BERLIN

STARS - LIVE IN SINGAPORE

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5 AT ZOUK Whether or not trance is your ‘thing’, you’d have to agree that Dash Berlin stands amongst the greatest to ever drop a party-hardy beat.

From remixes for A-listers such as Justin Timberlake, Junkie XL and N.E.R.D. to his own future-reaching cuts, the Dutch outfit led

by Jeffrey Sutorius brings a dance-ready verve you can’t shake off. zoukclub.com.sg

HYPHENICS PRESENTS BROTHA FROM ANOTHER MUTHA

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 14 AT VICTORIA THEATRE If you’re going to catch one musical performance on Valentine’s Day, why should it not be Stars? Seven years after their first showing here, the Canadian indie greats will bring the love again with an even bigger payload of songs in tow. Bae or no bae, this is unmissable. facebook.com/symmetryent

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 AT D’MARQUEE “And I’m nothing more than a line in your book” – remember that? Of course, you do. It’s probably scrawled in a bottom drawer-residing notebook somewhere. Come scream this and other teenage screeds at the band’s only Asia stop on their final (yes) tour before they, too, lock up their diaries for good. downtowneast.com.sg

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5 AT CATO SINGAPORE Usher in the Year Of The Monkey with a beyond-eclectic array of sounds, courtesy of local hero Gerald Ang – known for his deft, house-informed cuts – Shanghai techno icon Rob Young, and Kiwi hip-hop and jazz wiz Arctic Penguin. Members of the Hyphenics collective, this trio will give you plenty to ‘huat’ about! hyphenics.com

TROPICLAB FEAT. CHRISTIAN SMITH

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20 AT KYO Need to rage/vent/get it outta your system? Why not have one of the best in the game help you out? Synonymous with hard-driving techno, Christian Smith has made a career out of lacing thumping onslaughts with a measure of groove – whether you’re with or against it, it’s coming for you. clubkyo.com

KING OF REGGAE: BOB MARLEY BIRTHDAY BASH FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5 AT REFUGE This night, honour one of the greatest musicians in all of pop culture. Icon and iconoclast, Bob Marley inflected the universal message of “One Love” through the sweetly dashing mode of reggae. So be prepared for a whole lotta dub. refuge.sg

BON IVER LIVE IN SINGAPORE

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26 AT THE STAR THEATRE Grammy-bedecked and rap game-endorsed, Justin Vernon’s hushed indie folk outfit has evolved into a concern too large to be contained by the log cabin from which he sent his first transmissions. We’re lucky to have him, since “Skinny Love”, “re: stacks” and “Perth” have all been there for us at some point. facebook.com/secretsoundsasia

PARA//EL PRESENTS CATZ ’N DOGZ

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12 AT VELVET UNDERGROUND – DANCE Even if you didn’t know that these longtime friends were prolific bass impresarios with a breathtaking catalogue to their (weird) name, one listen of their 2015 album, Basic Colour Theory, would be enough to clue you into the fact that they’ve got a next-level sound. Head over and feel it. zoukclub.com.sg

PLEASURE FACTORY FEAT. KIDNAP KID

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 13 AT KYO You know you’re destined for greatness when you get to tour with Disclosure and TEED in your post-grad years. Yes, having won iTunes’ ‘Best Electronic Song’ in 2012 for his pulsing “Vehl”, the English producer has only seen his star burn brighter with ever more dazzle. Miss him at your own risk. clubkyo.com

MACHINE NIGHT WITH KIRK DEGIORGIO & CYRILLIC

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27 AT KYO At the mere mention of his name, techno heads gasp before bowing in reverence – Kirk Degiorgio is a huge deal. Techno itself owes the existence of some of its best music to him and when his dark-but-soulful sounds hit the floor, you’ll get a more personal testament. clubkyo.com

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Text Indran P Images Various Sources

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Text Aaron Kok Images Ria Keburia

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European royals have long been looked upon as the pinnacle of beauty and fashion, but leave it to Ria Keburia to shake things up. The Russian designer finds her fascinations often fixated on the quirky, as she comes up with polarising pieces to synthesise often differing inspirations. Turning to the dresses worn by the monarchy of yesteryear, Keburia slices and splices thick boucle wools and jacquards into outrageously shaped dresses and skirts. Puffy sleeves and lockets hark back to the Renaissance era, but Keburia’s designs are forward-looking no less – with colour blocks, industrial zips and angular hemlines to prove it.

riakeburia.com

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THE BODY BEAUTIFUL

BOW(IE) DOWN, B*TCHES

In the early ’80s, fashion was a sprightly force with its dependence on lurex, power shoulders and all things ostentatious. So it was in this hyper-glossy climate that Rei Kawakubo made a name for her brand, Comme des Garçons. Notably famous for her upheaval of ‘pretty’, it’s her Spring/Summer 1997 collection that really shook the industry. Titled ‘Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body’, her clothes were stuffed with pillows in true Quasimodo fashion – suggesting a parody of the curvaceous bodies that were considered the ideal standard of beauty back then. Fast forward to today, and fashion insiders still get giddy over the mention of that collection, proving that clothing with curves and bumps can still excite.

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Whether you know him as The Thin White Duke, Davie Jones or Ziggy Stardust, there’s no denying that David Bowie was one of the most influential musicians to have had an impact on fashion. His on-stage persona was only challenged in the brash costumes that he sported as he slicked around the stage. Whether it was his penchant for harlequin stripes or a slouchy suit and shirt in coordinating shades of blue, Bowie’s influence on modern-day fashion is palpable – with a growing number of high fashion designers citing Ziggy Stardust as a source of design inspiration.

And if that’s not enough fash cred to his name, Bowie was also voted the ‘Best Dressed Briton’ in history.

against the grain THE C WORD

BIONIC BRILLIANCE

The interlocking Cs are recognisable anywhere in the world, whether you’re visiting the heralded hallways of Rue Cambon or grabbing a perfume while on the go. But many forget that in her time, Coco Chanel was considered a notorious bad*ss when it came to her legacy in fashion. Eschewing the extravagance of the ’20s for comfort and practicality, her designs thought of luxury as something that should serve the women who wore her clothes. Through this process, Chanel introduced menswear staples, fuss-free fabrics and austere silhouettes that would eventually stand the trends of time. At first, she found it hard to find a market for her designs, but looking at the multi-billion dollar fashion house it is today, there’s no doubt about her forward-thinking style.

Every now and then, a fresh perspective of fashion is offered up to those who dare to wear. When Gareth Pugh made his debut on the runway, he sent waves of shock and thrill across the fashion industry – inspiring even the jaded of hearts to sit up and watch. With a penchant for the dark and devious, his designs cover everything from Edwardian collars to circus folk, all done in high drama. At his Spring/Summer 2007 show, models sported obscured faces and humongous Lucite platforms on a runway that billowed like clouds under their steps. Checkerboard patches and monstrous sci-fi structures sprouted out from his pieces, cementing his rep as one who bravely ventures ahead of his peers.

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PUNK NEVER DIES

LINGERING LINGERIE

Fashion has an undying love affair with all things punk and it has Vivienne Westwood to thank for that.

For her, the idea of defining her label in the roots of the punk movement was a form of self-preservation from current affairs. “I was so upset with what was going on in the world,” she said in an interview once. “I just couldn’t stand the idea…that we even had such a thing as war. Punk was a callto-arms for me”. Teaming up with her then-boyfriend, Malcolm McLaren, manager of the Sex Pistols, to start her foray into fashion, Westwood became known for her bleached shirts, ripped jeans, DIY leather jackets and studded-everything – all of which were ground-breaking in a time when fashion was staid and stuffy.

Ask anyone what the most famous bra in pop culture is and you’d expect to be collectively pointed to Madonna’s conical bra, designed for her by Jean Paul Gaultier. First displaying her pointy costume in Chiba, Japan in 1990, the costume from her Blonde Ambition tour has since gone on to inspire a thousand Halloween costumes. Gaultier meant for the design to be an evolution of the traditional corset, and he based the peaked cup silhouette off his 1987 collection, which also featured similar-if-not-more exaggerated cones. While boudoir-dressing is now considered a norm today outside of the bedroom, it’s always helpful to remember that Madge’s iconic bra was once dubbed “The Madonna Bomb”.

SOMETIMES, WHAT’S DEFINED AS UNATTRACTIVE TRANSCENDS ITS SHOCKING AESTHETIC TO CREATE FASHION MOMENTS THAT WILL SHAPE THE WAY THE WORLD SEES BEAUTY. WE TAKE A LOOK AT EIGHT ICONS WHOSE NON-CONFORMING INTERPRETATION OF STYLE HAS BECOME LEGENDARY IN TODAY’S STYLE CONVERSATIONS.

Text Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

A STEP ABOVE THE REST

CLUB COUTURE

He’s known for his crotchbaring stunts and models carrying other models down the runway, but Rick Owens literally took it a step further when he sent out an entire dance troupe onto the runway. Aptly titled ‘Vicious’, his Spring/Summer 2014 runway show was a muchneeded performance that entertained tired editors, as much as it took on the debate on racial and body image issues amongst the modeling industry. His dancers wore gothic threads custommade to facilitate their athletic bodies, and each dancer hit the runway sporting a menacing snarl, while executing perfectly-timed choreography. Dancing has already shown up on the runway before, but to see a major designer unabashedly champion sizes that are not a double zero is impressive.

While club attire these days ranges largely from skinny jeans to skin-tight dresses, there was a moment in time where patrons would dress in exuberant fashion that certainly got more than a few furrowed brows on the midnight train. Leigh Bowery was one such personality, with a larger-than-life character that matched his manic outfits. The Australian club promotor and performance artist is known for his eccentric take on fashion, and takes the idea of ‘dressing up’ to the next level with clashing prints, oversized accessories and dripping colour from his DIY looks. Even after his passing in 1994, Bowery’s influence still prevails till this day, having been referenced by everyone from Boy George to Meadham Kirchhoff.

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JUST DANCE VETEMENTS FALL/ WINTER 2015 It’s an electric mood in fashion now, when you take into consideration the buzz that new designers have surrounding their creative pursuits. And with streetwear continuing to shepherd the fashion scene along by its own rules, it’s a ripe moment for Vetements to begin making waves now.

The first thing that sets Vetements – the French word for ‘clothes’ – apart from most other designers is the fact each collection is produced by a design collective, rather than by a solo designer.

Headed by Demna Gvasalia, such a set-up can only benefit from having a few minds thinking together in perfect synchronisation, as evidenced in their Fall/Winter 2015 outing.

Vetements moves between the lines of streetwear and high fashion – not quite easily adaptable, yet too grimey for the latter.

Take, for example, the brand’s version of haute sportswear. In one look, a hoodie is worn underneath a hulking biker jacket, with the word ‘Vetements’ rendered in a Metallica font, while jumpers are spliced and reassembled in mismatched placements, before being presented with those nostalgic armbands that you’d use to keep your phone in. These pieces prove that the perfect harmony of wit and humour can make clothing exciting again.

For the chilly night winds that pick up outside of a warehouse party, Gvasalia and company have an arsenal of magnificently-cut coats. Generously proportioned and hastily thrown over vintagelooking jeans and a loose shirt or a turtleneck, the louche look is only further emphasised by the prairie dresses that follow. Though they may be floral-printed silk dresses, the three frocks from the collection lean far from innocence, especially when paired with co-ordinating leather gloves and boots.

Simplicity is where the brand’s design focus thrives the most – and this comes in the final part of the collection. Oversized suit jackets – that look like they were rummaged from your disapproving father’s closet – are haphazardly thrown together with disco boots, almost suggesting a rebelliousness to the stiff rules of dressing up. And in closing, a series of LBDs rounds up a stellar showcase with subtlety and aplomb.

vetementswebsite.com

fashion

Text Aaron Kok Images Vetements

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The brand’s fascination with the deconstruction of fashion tropes is reinvigorated in the looks that the collective has put out. Set in the dank surroundings of one of Paris’ famous leather bars, the clothes are as savage as they are visceral to the club pack.

This is what you could imagine wayward youth wearing to spend more than a night out in the good company of their fellow outliers, sipping rum and coke and dancing up a storm.

hit list

distressed denim T-shirt, $89, cult of nine

distressed denim tunic, $119, cult of nine

canvas jack purcell sneakers, $139.90, converse

Star Piece From Your New Collection The men’s denim T-shirt and the women’s tunic! They’re the key looks for the collection, and each denim piece will look different as they age with each wear and wash.

Favourite Fashion Brand Undercoverism! We want everything, specifically this knitted sweater.

leather boots, $320, ash shoes

One Clothing Item You Can’t Live Without We can’t do without quality basics! We have a lot of Uniqlo basics because they’re made well and sized for Asians. supima cotton tee, $14.90, uniqlo

wool cashmere jumper, $715, undercoverism at havenshop.ca

One Thing You Share Shawn: Sunblock from Aesop.

We don’t exactly share it, because Rach just steals it from me.

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WISE SAGES OFTEN SAY THAT COUPLES SHOULDN’T WORK TOGETHER, BUT RACHEL TAN AND SHAWN TAN – CO-OWNERS OF LOCAL FASHION BRAND, THE CULT OF NINE – HAVE FOUND THEIR PERFECT PARTNERS-IN-CRIME IN EACH OTHER. AS THEY ROLL OUT A NEW COLLECTION FOR 2016, WE CHECK IN WITH THEM TO FIND OUT THEIR FAVE FOOD SPOTS AND THE ONE THING THEY CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT. thecultofnine.com

Favourite Bar Stop We recently adopted a straight-edged lifestyle, so that means no bar stops, and only chocolate bars for us.

protective body lotion SPF50 (150ml), $53, aesop

One Guilty Pleasure Late-night dim sum at Wen Dao Shi (126 Sims Ave)! That’s one guilty pleasure that happens all too often. Damn, that’s bad!

coffee and cardamom chocolate, US$6.95, antidote at antidotechocolate.com

Best Gift From Your Partner Rachel: Shawn gifts me with overseas trips every year. We’re off to Tokyo in February. (image: fun-hideout.blogspot.com)

Best Date Spot Nothing fancy, just hokkien mee from Swee Guan at Geylang Lorong 29. We’re all for local food, nothing beats that!

Music Of The Moment The one band that we both really enjoy is The Doors. We can’t help but to sway to the music and Jim Morrison’s amazing voice singing “People Are Strange” fashion

(image: thesilverchef.blogspot.com)

Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

THE CULT OF NINE

Favourite Shoes Shawn: The Converse Jack Purcell. It’s always included in my weekly shoes rotation. I’ve lost count of how many JPs I’ve bought over the years! Dear Converse, if you are reading this, please hook me up with more!

Rachel: Chelsea boots.

The perfect everyday footwear; a true staple in my wardrobe. Besides, who doesn’t own one?

GTC

RECEIVE A FREE SET OF SONICGEAR LEAF EARPHONES WITH $100 NETT PURCHASE ON TANGS.COM* *Only applicable to purchases made on TANGS.com with payment made by Citibank Credit Cards.

Available in 4 assorted colors and will be given out at random. While stocks last.

BECOME A TANGS MEMBER ON TANGS.COM TODAY TO ENJOY: all-year on every $10 spent for every $10 spent UP % rebate % rebate TO at TANGS stores and TANGS.com on special days

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courtney & kurt EMULATE ROCK’S FAVOURITE COUPLE WITH A SELECTION OF THIS SEASON’S GRUNGE-INSPIRED THREADS.

PHOTOGRAPHY CHUCK REYES STYLING AARON KOK STYLING ASSISTANT AUSTEN CHOO MAKEUP KEITH BRYANT LEE / FAC3INC USING M.A.C COSMETICS HAIR ALIKA TATAKORN USING REDKEN PROFESSIONAL MODELS VICTORIA T AND CALEB B / AVE

ON VICTORIA POLYESTER DRESS WITH LACE TRIM PULL & BEAR NYLON JACKET THE CORNER SHOP LEATHER HEELS CHARLES & KEITH RINGS (WORN THROUGHOUT) FOREVER 21 LEATHER WALLET CHARLES & KEITH ON CALEB COTTON SHIRT ZARA COTTON TWILL DUNGAREES THE CORNER SHOP CANVAS SHOES SUPERGA AT PEDDER ON SCOTTS DENIM JACKET H&M SILK SCARF THE CORNER SHOP

COTTON TEE FRITO PROJECTS AT ACTUALLY COTTON SHIRT UNIQLO DENIM JEANS H&M FAUX FUR COAT FOREVER 21 KNIT BEANIE ZARA COTTON SCARF UNIQLO PLASTIC SUNGLASSES SPITFIRE AT ACTUALLY

ON VICTORIA DENIM DUNGAREES H&M NYLON JACKET ANDREA CREWS AT SUPERSPACE ON CALEB COTTON PULLOVER SSUR AT ACTUALLY COTTON SHIRT AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS DENIM JEANS UNIQLO COTTON CARDIGAN JEREMY SCOTT AT SUPERSPACE ACETATE SUNGLASSES EMPORIO ARMANI

COTTON DRESS WITH POMPOMS LAZY OAF AT ACTUALLY COTTON SHIRT FOREVER 21 LEATHER JACKET SANDRO ACETATE SUNGLASSES PRADA

ON CALEB COTTON TEE TOPMAN COTTON SHIRT LAZY OAF AT ACTUALLY DENIM JEANS AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS SUEDE JACKET H&M

VISIT YOUTUBE.COM/JUICESG FOR A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THIS SHOOT.

ON VICTORIA SILK DRESS H&M NYLON JACKET I LOVE UGLY AT SUPERSPACE

wardrobe trend

patched dress, poa, raoul

WHETHER FOR DURABILITY, KINK OR A STREAK OF PUNK, THE DRAW OF INKY BLACK LEATHER IS UNDENIABLE. NO MATTER THE GRAIN OR GLOSS, WORK A HTT LEATHER LOOK THIS SEASON, BEGINNING WITH THIS PATCHWORK DRESS THAT’S PERFECT FOR AN AFTER-HOUR TIPPLE.

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alexander mcqueen

hermes

loewe

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marc by marc jacobs

LEATHER LOVIN’

wardrobe trend

biker jacket, $249, h&m biker jacket, $429, topshop

faux leather dress, $267, MICHAEL michael kors

metal necklace, $14, mango

diamond and silver earrings, poa, wendy nichol at wendynicholnyc.com

leather shoulder bag, $359, coach

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leather shirt, $149, h&m

leather and mesh cropped top, poa, alice + olivia

embellished leather cuff, $22, h&m

metal rings (pack of 3), $15.90, h&m

Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

faux leather pleated skirt, $148, j.crew at jcrew.com

faux leather pants, $15, h&m

faux leather boots, $300, pedder red

heels, $150, nine west

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panelled trousers, $180, helmut lang at club21b

wardrobe trend

etro

GENTEEL FRONDS

dries van noten

antonio marras

cotton t-shirt, $160, MSGM

burberry prorsum

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TAKE A LEAF – QUITE LITERALLY – FROM THE DANDIES OF YESTERYEAR FOR A FORWARD-CUTTING LOOK AND WORK PAISLEY INTO YOUR OUTFIT. TO STEER CLEAR OF BEING A SARTORIAL BORE, LOOK FOR ABSTRACT PAISLEY SHAPES AND EXPERIMENT WITH COLOUR SCHEMES. A PINK TOP LIKE THIS FROM MSGM WILL KEEP YOU BLOOMING FOR THE MONTH AHEAD.

fashion

wardrobe trend

canvas bucket hat, poa, stussy

biker jacket, $249, h&m

wool blend jacket, poa, just cavalli cotton shirt, $59.90, h&m

silk neck scarf, $36, river island at riverisland.com acetate sunglasses, poa, oliver peoples

cotton bow tie, $41, barneys at barneys.com

047 watch with leather strap, poa, timex at timex.com

leather wallet, $119, ted baker

woven belt, $30, gregory’s at gregorysshoes.com

Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

canvas backpack, $855, want les essentials de la vie at mr. porter.com

cotton jumper, $146, ra-re at lyst.com

cotton shorts, $131, polo ralph lauren

leather shoes with reptile embossing, $99.90, zara

fashion

selvedge denim slim-fit jeans, poa, levi’s

shop

pu holographic hip pack, $30.90, extreme 80s at tillys.com

cotton hip pack, $25, eastpak at asos.com

cotton hip pack, $23, hype at asos.com

cotton glow-in-the-dark hip pack, $22, spiral at spiraluk.com

THE PACK IS BACK NO SOCCER-DAD VIBES HERE – THE HIP PACK IS RIDING THE ’90S WAVE BACK INTO FASHION. HOW DO YOU MAKE IT COOL TO PACK? BY OPTING FOR ONE WITH INTERESTING MATERIALS, AND PAIRING IT WITH AN OUTFIT THAT’S UNABASHEDLY STREET.

polyester blend hip pack, $88, nati con la camicia at yoox.com

leather hip pack with tag, $327, frye at zappos.com

polyester hip pack, $35.90, vans

faux fur pack, $35, christopher shannon at wrongweather.net leather hip pack, $267, yvonne koné at coggles.com

fashion

Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

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paint-splattered cotton hip pack, $18.90, mi-pac at thehut.com

vault

metal watch, poa, casio at lazada.sg

wool fedora hat, $135, rag & bone at outnet.com

metal aviator sunglasses, $254, ray-ban

MISSIONARY MAN polyester blend jacket, $109, topshop cotton contrast trim shirt, $55, mango

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leather belt, $160, maison margiela

Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

wool tie, $97, eleventy at farfetch.com

FOLLOW ANNIE LENNOX’S LEAD AND DIMPLE YOUR TIE AS THE SEASON WINDS AROUND THE GENDER BENDER. A FINE SUIT ON A LASS IS THE SWEETEST DREAM.

viscose pants, $420, j.crew at jcrew.com

pu platform brogues, $79, mango

fashion

leather convertible bag, $175, skagen at nordstrom.com

profile

MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR

On Choosing His Career When I was studying in school, I had to make a decision to choose what I wanted to work as.

My choices were either to become an actor or a designer. In the end, I chose the latter, and till this day, I have no regrets about it.

On What Inspires Him Music has always been a passion of mine, and I love seeing how the worlds of music and fashion can come together. Kitsuné is a great example.

People in my country know how to have fun, so one day, I decided to merge both passions into one. It’s difficult of course, what with the global slump happening. The main thing is to believe and not give up in any case. The feeling of freedom inspires my work and my choices.

On His Fall/Winter 2015 Collection The ‘Revolution Is Not My Boyfriend’ collection and a capsule collection called ‘Conqueror Cats’ are about generational changes and eternal values. ‘Revolution’ is based on the idea that the

world is a fragile place, and humanity is hanging by a thread. There’ve been many wars and so much aggression. I gorge on the news and feel a sense of hopelessness. We become angry and cynical, and I don’t like this. The ‘Conqueror Cats’ collection is an attempt to investigate the issues of racism, sexism and other prejudices in the dictatorial world ruled by cats. The idea of the collection is inspired by the history and philosophy of the Japanese martial art of judo and traditional costumes in the sport. They are designed based on the principle of the most efficient use of body and spirit, as well as the Japanese philosophy of kaizen – the continuous improvement of practices.

On His Androgynous Designs The looks reflect changing world views, and the changing manner that people wear their clothes with.

On Designing Jewellery I began to experiment with facial jewellery back in 2012, when it wasn’t so popular. Then I decided to create something more wearable, made of a single piece of gold or silver. I began my search for the ideal form, which would decorate the face but not make it look strange or ugly. I was attracted by the fact that few jewellery designers don’t just design rings and

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earrings, but embellish the face as well. Years ago, there was a moment when piercings were fashionable. Of course, you have to know how to wear these jewellery pieces. On the one hand, I think one should have sufficient charisma and self-confidence to wear something daring like this, but on the other hand, I try to design jewellery that could be worn every day in different situations, like when you go out to buy some bread, or when you are invited to a gala opening. You complete your total look with these jewellery pieces and all the men pay attention to the beauty of your eyes and the shining jewellery on your face.

On Making Statement Collections When you are from a country that’s not a trendsetting city in the global scene, and when the lion’s share of its fashion achievements is only a replica of American and European fashion trends, you have to change the way of your thinking, and make something that would surprise and draw attention.

On Future Plans I want the fashion community to see jewellery and clothes by Jean Gritsfeldt on famous celebrities worldwide very soon.

jeangritsfeldt.com

Text Aaron Kok Images Jean Gritsfeldt

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JEAN GRITSFELDT

FASHION’S NORMATIVE ROLE IN COMMENTING ON THE ZEITGEIST OF MODERN SOCIETY HAS REMAINED THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. ABOVE JUST CLOTHING PEOPLE IN STYLISH THREADS, DESIGNERS HAVE LONG SEEN THEIR CRAFT AS A WAY OF DISCUSSING BROADER TOPICS IN THE WORLD. JEAN GRITSFELDT IS A UKRANIAN FASHION DESIGNER WHO USES HIS TALENTS IN FASHION AND ACCESSORY DESIGN TO FURTHER PROBE THE IDEAS OF SEXISM, WAR AND HIS PATH TO WORLDWIDE FASHION DOMINATION.

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SEOUL THREADS

ATELIER SWAROVSKI Enlisting a line-up of designers each year to collaborate with, Atelier Swarovski has teamed up with London-based design duo Frederikson Stallard to create a line of architectural gems that are bound to get heads turning. The centerpiece of this collection comes in the form of the Armory neckpiece – a hulking structural metal beauty with three encased crystals suspended amidst the scaffolding.

Show-stopping in every way.

There’s no need to book a ticket to Seoul to shop for new clothes. Thanks to Zalora.sg, Korean fashion is now available at our doorstep – including KODZ and these three must-haves.

Wear your heart on your sleeve with a fiery shade of red.

Acrylic asymmetric cropped sweater, $45

$4,000, available at Swarovski, #B1-17/18 ION Orchard.

WALKIN’ ON SUNSHINE

If your wardrobe needs a prim update, this shift dress will do the trick.

For a vamp night out with the girls, team this skirt with your highest heels.

Polyester dress with ruffled neck, $55 Beach babes with a tropical destination listed in their travelogues this summer will want to pack a pair of stylish sandals that are high on comfort.

For Spring/Summer 2016, Melissa pays homage to Rio de Janeiro with its ‘Wanna Be Carioca’ collection. Comprising six models, the sandals come in exuberant pops of colour, each drawing inspiration from the culture-rich streets and shores of Rio. We’re crushing on the Good Vibes sandals, which feature criss-cross elastic straps and a pointed toe, but if you need fuss-free footwear, the Boemia sandals and Flox III sandals are great alternatives. $115 to $235, available at MDREAMS.

Polyester skirt with lace overlay, $35

Available at zalora.sg.

FRENCH CULT WOMENSWEAR LABEL JACQUEMUS LANDS IN SINGAPORE BY WAY OF CLUB21B.

go bananas

Ain’t no monkey business when it comes to dressing you for a stylish CNY.

H&M When it comes to the perfect CNY outfit, it’s tough to settle on something you can wear even after the pineapple tarts have been wiped clean. H&M saves the day with a women’s line that consists of red, black and white pieces – featuring vibrant floral prints, gold metal accents and a tongue-in-cheek print of emoji monkeys.

For the fellas, the primate is rendered into an

Kipling Known for its cheeky monkey bag charms, the Belgium brand takes on its popular icon for the Year

abstract black-and-white print as seen on T-shirts,

Cath Kidston

button-down shirts, scarves and jumpers.

With all the ang paos you’ll be receiving, be sure

$5.90 to $59.90 (women’s), and $19.90 to

to get yourself a new money-stuffer that’ll hold all

$39.90 (men), available at H&M.

your ‘gold’. Enter Cath Kidston’s line of bags and

Of The Monkey. The print in focus is a reimagination

accessories, where monkeys playfully pick bananas

of a monkey’s face, with bright geometric patterns

off bunches of flowers, against a setting of red for all

set against a deep navy backdrop. Choose from five

the luck you’ll need. Aside from a wallet and a tote

bag styles, including the Caralisa handbag with a

bag, you can cop a sunglass case, cardholder and

removable strap, or the Reth cross body bag, for a

pencil case from the same line to complete

touch of whimsy to your look.

your collection.

$55 to $269, available at Kipling.

$19 to $2099, available at Cath Kidston.

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lovey dovey

HERSCHEL

Still searching for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift that isn’t chocolates and flowers? Look this way.

Renowned for its durably stylish bags, Herschel returns with a new selection of carriers for Spring 2016, each available in two colourways.

Opt for the classic grey range for a safe bet, but if you’re looking to make an impression, go with the ombre-toned bag in a striking shade of blue. Reminiscent of the crystal clear waters on a sun-drenched beach, this backpack from the Gradient collection is igniting a serious case of wanderlust.

FOR HIM Show your better half some affection with a pair of limited edition espadrilles from Pedro. Its simplicity in design and subdued colour tones will appeal to those who want a pair of pared-down

$109, available at Bratpack.

slip-ons for a casual date on the weekend.

Featuring a bird motif in masculine colours of black, grey and vermillion, the

ANKLE-DEEP

men’s espadrille is made from breathable canvas fabric with a leather trim, and soled with rustic hemp and rubber.

$99, available at Pedro.

FOR HER Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. But if her tastes don’t lie in a hulking rock on her finger, look to agnès b. to sort you out with tastefully designed jewellery

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, online streetwear giant 10.Deep is teaming up with Timberland for a third collection, bringing forth an exclusive release of Timberland’s 7-eye chukka boots named ‘The Duck Hunt’. Available in extremely limited quantity, the boot features hairy suede in tan, alongside a dusty patch of duck camouflage. Each pair is hand-sewn to reflect Timberland’s commitment to heritage, quality and authenticity, while the reflective orange 3M tongue pushes 10.Deep’s contemporary street style further. $339, available at Timberland, #01-30 Raffles City.

to impress. The label’s BIJOUX series presents the Iconic collection, which features two key designs – including a set of rose gold-plated stainless steel thin bangle and ring, both embedded with a line of glittering Swarovski zirconia stones for that added glint.

$120 to $185, available at agnès b..

FRESH OFF THE PRESS This season, show off your personality feet first. Designed in Singapore and produced in Korea, Freshly Pressed Socks’ catalogue offers socks in every colour, stripe, pattern and length to suit various occasions and needs.

Extra points go to its playful assignment of characters to every sock – including ‘Alex’, named after Alexey Pajitnov who invented the classic game Tetris, and ‘Taro’, which is perfect for the modernday warrior who exhibits intelligence and respect. freshlypressedsocks.com

STYLE MILES Whether out on the tundra plains of Africa or strolling down a flea market in California, Scotch & Soda is taking you on a whirlwind journey across the world with its Spring/Summer 2016 collection. Starting in the African safaris with military khaki and earthy brown, the line brings you to Tokyo, where technical sportswear fabrics and quilted jackets take centre stage. Morocco follows, manifested in the form of Aztec prints in the men’s collection and bohemian layers for the ladies. Lastly, hit the surf with printed swimwear and raw edged details framed in ecru, violet, yellow and pops of palm green and pineapple yellow. Plane ticket not included. $69 to $599, available at Scotch & Soda, #B1-31 Ngee Ann City.

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Text Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

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Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources

spice girl Whether it’s Cara’s bold brows or Kylie’s caramel pout, we have ’em both to thank for bringing these beauty trends back into mainstream consciousness. Yes, makeup from the ’90s is wiggity, wiggity, wiggity back! But not before it’s given a modern-day update. Taking inspiration from the era of slip dresses and velvet chokers, this season’s look involves rose-brown smoky eyes for subtle definition, full arches that are tamed into place, tawny-taupe lips that flaunt a soft lustre, and a canvas of natural skin that’s not a shade too light. Finish with an effortless, deep comb-over – held gently in place with a texturiser – and you’ll be steppin’ out all fly and phresh.

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SEPHORA BE ATOMIC

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WITH HECTIC LIFESTYLES AND BUSY SCHEDULES ALL AROUND, TAKE THE TIME THIS VALENTINE’S TO INDULGE YOUR BAE WITH THE GIFT OF RELAXATION AND BEAUTY. SURE, TRADITIONAL GIFTS LIKE FLOWERS AND CHOCOLATES ARE SAFE BETS BUT EVEN BETTER ARE THESE SENSORIAL, COSMETIC TREATS THAT’LL PUT HER IN JOYFUL BLISS AND EARN YOU BROWNIE POINTS.

Just what you need to transform the bathroom into a loved-up sanctuary.

This adorable Bath & Velvety Body collection livens up the space with its sweet pink packaging, adorned with cutesy graphics that’ll put a smile on Bae’s face. Run the tub and fill it with the Bath Confetti – made out of mini red hearts that dissolve on contact – or slather on the Bubble Bath & Shower Gel, which features the same mini hearts suspended in a quick foaming formula.

From $8 to $29, available at Sephora from February 4.

BURBERRY BEAUTY LONDON WITH LOVE The art of contouring has made a huge comeback recently so for the on-trend woman who knows her makeup, this lovely gift will check off all the right boxes. Set in a nifty compact that features the brand’s famous Scarf Bar prints, the limited edition palette combines a bronzing and highlighting duo that promises a sun-kissed complexion that’s radiant.

Apply the shades separately for a more targeted approach, or blend the two to warm up skin with subtle illumination. $94, available at burberry.com.

DAISY MARC JACOBS BLUSH

It’s safe to say that this trio would be a welcome addition to every lady’s vanity; just look at the lovely flowers sitting on the bottles! A re-imagination of the earlier three – 2007’s Daisy, 2011’s Daisy Eau So Fresh and 2014’s Daisy Dream – these pretty-in-pink updates deliver a bright and fresh bouquet of florals that are instantly uplifting and sweet. Hints of water lily, pear and honeysuckle set the tone for the scents, while a selection of precious woods anchor them in a warm drydown.

From $115 (50ml) to $125 (75ml), available at Sephora from February 4.

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BYREDO LOOSE LIPS

While Byredo is a pretty new entrant to the beauty market here, the brand has already won over many fans – especially those who dig its classic, minimalist aesthetics that’s super Insta-worthy. Light up her heart with this handsome candle, housed in a sleek black tinted glass holder with a clean, elegant label. The delicate scent combines accents of rose petals and violet with nuances of cherry, orris root and rice powder. A tender fragrance that will set the tone for a romantic night in.

POA, available at Escentials.

TOO FACED CHOCOLATE BONS BONS

Even if she’s not a fan of sweets and confection, she’ll love this girlie addition to her makeup stash. Scented with chocolate and infused with antioxidant-rich cocoa powder, this third palette from the brand’s Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow collection includes 14 brand new shades and two cult favourites – offering both satiny and matte textures. Besides neutral hues for natural smoky eye looks, it also offers pans of brights – like pinks and purples – for an added pop of colour.

POA, available at Sephora.

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LUSH VALENTINE’S

Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources

When it comes to pleasurable bath rituals, you can’t go wrong with LUSH. This Valentine’s, our favourite bath-time buddy rolls out a series of shower companions that’ll get you in the mood for love. The Lover Lamp bath bomb – packed with organic cocoa butter, Brazilian orange oil and vanilla bean – scents skin in a sweet citrusy fragrance; while the Roses All The Way soap nourishes with Turkish rose oil and rose syrup. Finish with The Kiss, a delectable lip scrub that’ll buff and moisturise your puckers.

From $10 to $20, available at LUSH.

FRESH COCOA & CANNABIS ROSE

Surely you love to run your hands across her soft skin; this enchanting combo from Fresh will make cuddle time all the more enjoyable. Enhance her bath experience with the Cocoa Exfoliating Body Soap. It’s a triplemilled formula infused with natural cocoa and coconut shell powders to scent the skin, while cleansing and buffing away at dry flakes. Finish with the Cannabis Rose EDP, which combines floral notes of rose with sexy tones of hemp with a sensual, feminine touch. $27 (soap) and POA (EDP), available at Fresh.

DIPTYQUE X OLYMPIA LE-TAN ROSAVIOLA

The luxurious wares from Diptyque are a sure way to win hearts and its timely collaboration with quirky bag and accessories designer, Olympia Le-Tan, makes this collection even more covetable. Dressed in a girlie pink with the designer’s signature embroidery style and cheery lip motifs, the capsule line includes two candles (70g and 190g), a scented oval, and a solid perfume. The rose scent is also a modern iteration, with notes of violet leaves, leather and raspberry blended into a charming bouquet.

POA, available for a limited time at Escentials.

THE BODY SHOP BRITISH ROSE

Harnessing the goodness of roses grown organically in an award-winning English countryside farm is the brand’s latest British Rose collection. The collection offers the goodness of chemical-free, hand-picked roses that’s blended into fresh mountain water, resulting in petal-soft skin that smells divine. Star picks include the Exfoliating Gel Body Scrub, infused with real rose petals that refine the skin for a smoother touch; and the Instant Glow Body Butter, which is lightweight and velvety soft.

From $8.90 to $36.90, available at The Body Shop from February 4.

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trend

color riche star collection lipstick in barely moka, $21.90, l’oreal at watsons, guardian and sasa.

soft matte lip cream in berlin, poa, nyx at sephora

satin lip pencil in hetloo, $37, nars

lipstick in 270, $27, inglot

rouge artist intense in 25 satin caramel, $38, make up for ever

patentpolish lip pencil in my flip side, $35, m.a.c cosmetics

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matte revolution lipstick in 1993, $33, urban decay

rouge volupte shine in 23 rose in wood, $49, ysl beaute

COCOA LOCO

AS ALL THINGS ’90S CONTINUE TO DOMINATE OUR WARDROBE AND VANITY, THIS SEASON SEES NUDE LIPS TAKE A DEEPER TURN IN PLACE OF BARELYTHERE PIGMENTS. KEEP THINGS UP TO SPEED WITH A HIGH-SHINE FINISH THAT’S CURRENT, OR TAKE IT DOWN THROWBACK LANE WITH A MATTE TEXTURE – A LA BRENDA WALSH, KELLY TAYLOR AND DONNA MARTIN FROM HIT TEEN DRAMA SERIES, BEVERLY HILLS 90210.

made up

rouge coco stylo in script, $49, chanel beauty

Text & Coordination Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources

melted chocolate liquified lipstick in candy bar, poa, too faced at sephora

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pout paint Perfect your kissers this Valentine’s with these oil-infused formulas that boast intense colour.

ZA VIBRANT MOIST VIVID DARE

L’OREAL COLOR RICHE STAR

Matte lippies are notorious for drying

On slow days when you dig a touch of

lips out but this collection keeps the

colour but are looking to lean on the

pout feeling comfy and hydrated for

softer side, this capsule range offers

hours. Its staying power is also notable

nude tones that are versatile and easy

– with strong pigments that last well

to wear. From the super on-trend soft

throughout a meal and beyond.

brown, to girlie pink and peach, and

Channel your inner Barbie girl with

another in between, these lippies dress

the bright bubblegum pink (PK404)

the puckers in delicate colour while

or welcome spring with the energetic

Watsons, Guardian and Sasa.

$18.90, available at Watsons.

NEW LAUNCH: CLUB CODE DECO 058

In the perfect scenario, we’d have a robust fragrance wardrobe with a myriad of scents on rotation to fit our every mood. Yet, the reality of cost and modest vanity space deem it hard for us to indulge. Bent on making scent discovery and appreciation a more accessible hobby, perfumer Gauri Garodia launches Club Code Deco – a fragrance subscription service that allows you to sample niche creations from the brand, including existing offerings and upcoming scents. Expect a selection of three sample vials (3ml each) every month, tailored to your preferences, which can be a neat addition to your perfume portfolio or sent as a gift to Bae. $45 a month, available at clubcodedeco.com.

caring for ’em at the same time.

$21.90, available at

orange cream (OR402).

MAC & ZAC We’ll call it: when it comes to M.A.C Cosmetics, we can hardly catch a breath. Only the second month into this new year and we’re yet again gifted with one of the most covetable team-ups coming our way – this time with runway wunderkind, Zac Posen. True to his modern, timeless aesthetic, the beauty collection comes dressed in an opulent, deep jade green, and rounds up 10 daily essentials for your makeup bag. Star lust-haves include the Powder Blush Duo with a pearly pink-coral and matte brown; Eyeshadow palette with purples and neutrals; and lipsticks in fuchsia, orange and nude.

From $36 to $95, available at M.A.C, #B1-13/13A Ngee Ann City from February 25.

STARTING THIS MONTH, BEAUTY JUNKIES CAN SHOP THE WARES OF SEPHORA 24/7 AT SEPHORA.SG, INCLUDING LIMITED EDITION ITEMS AND SPECIAL ONLINE EXCLUSIVES.

ABSOLU DELIGHT Two years after her first drop, designer Tory Burch returns to charm our olfactory senses with her sophomore fragrance, the Tory Burch Absolu. Housed within an elegant glass flacon dressed with the brand’s signature orange and gold fretwork and beveled edges, the aurulent liquid is a bolder, more intense update. Rose and jasmine notes open with a fresh floral take – accentuated by pink pepper and tuberose – while vanilla, sandalwood and vetiver anchor the scent with sensual feminity. $153 (50ml) and $197 (100ml), available at Tangs, Takashimaya and Robinsons at Heeren.

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DESIRES AT DAWN YSL TOP SECRETS INSTANT MOISTURE GLOW Besides a burst of fresh floral fragrance and a cooling gel sensation on application, we also dig this skincare/makeup hybrid for its super smooth texture that transforms the skin into soft satin. A long-wearing moisturiser that functions as a makeup primer, it keeps the visage feeling comfortable and supple throughout the day, while lending it a blurring hand to reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores. A multi-tasking time-saver that’s an absolute modern-woman essential. $79 (40ml), available at YSL Beauté.

SHEA WIN You don’t need another reminder of how L’Occitane’s Shea Butter gems are one of the most comforting textures that’ve cocooned our skin, but its latest Melting Honey collection is well worth a mention.

Created from organic lavender honey and blended with velvety shea butter, the range combines all the nourishing goodness of the two to deliver creamy, skin-loving formulas. Buff skin with the Exfoliating Sugars for a gentle scrub then slather on the Ultra Soft Cream for a dose of bedtime pampering.

From $15 to $46, available at L’Occitane.

clean up your act The last thing we wanna deal with after a long day is removing layers of makeup with a gazillion cotton pads. Thankfully, these skin savers make cleaning up that much easier.

A cloth that removes makeup solely with water?

BROWHAUS ERASE MAKE-UP REMOVER

No, we’re not kidding. The secret of this nifty

As impressive as waterproof formulas are, they

wash sink companion lies in the weave of its

won’t be a joy to use if we’re not able to remove ’em

Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources

MAKEUP ERASER

fabric. Use the shorter side for washing and the

just as easily. Infused with oil for a swifter, gentler

longer side to exfoliate for a deeper clean. No

clean without tugging on lashes or skin, this cleaning

chemicals; no gimmicks. You just have to try

formula takes out pigments effectively without any

it to believe it – waterproof eyeliners ain’t got

oily residue. No cotton pads needed; just emulsify

nothing on this.

with water, massage to clean, and rinse.

$30, available at Sephora.

$18.90, available at Browhaus.

made up

Juicy, vibrant and exceedingly energetic. This is the personification of rush mornings in a springtime urban jungle, where the heartbeat of the city throb in unison with fresh floral notes wafting in crisp air. The latest addition to the Be Delicious franchise, DKNY Be Desired is yet another welcome addition to our vanity, thanks to its enchanting scent and adorable apple flacon. $99 (50ml) and $133 (100ml), available at leading departmental stores.

OUR CUP OF TEA When it comes to your visage, nothing is as unforgiving as the hands of time. Add to that daily stressors, like sun exposure and urban pollution, and skin will be quick to go down south. But not if you pay it keen attention with this mighty potion. Promising to slow down the effects of ageing with its anti-oxidant- and peptiderich formula, the Fresh Black Tea Age-Delay Firming Serum prevents free radicals from wreaking havoc on skin, while smoothing out lines and reinforcing its structural support for a plump, youthful appearance. $123 (30ml) and $161 (50ml), available at Fresh, #B3-45/46/47 Ion Orchard.

PUMP TO PLUMP We love our facial creams in tubs but the repeated dipping and potential contamination that follows is sometimes a buzz-kill. If working with mini spatulas isn’t your thing either, look to Bottega Verde for the germaphobe’s lazy-girl answer. Besides delivering a 100 per cent organic formula that boasts botanical actives and anti-ageing properties, its packaging is a big win. Press down on the right side of the raised nub and slide left to dispense formula for a hygienic and controlled dose of hydration. $79.90 (50ml), available at Bottega Verde, #02-454/455 Suntec City Mall.

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BIRTHDAY TREATS

CLEAN AND MEAN Boasting six new revolutionary improvements to the existing LUNA tool, FOREO’s LUNA 2 now comes with a bigger brush head – 50 per cent bigger, in fact – so you cover more surface area in less time. Longer touch-points and a brush head tailored to male skin types will allow a deeper cleanse, as the brush glides smoothly over your facial contours. The motor is also twice as powerful, with 12 adjustable pulse settings for enhanced efficiency, while the cleansing and anti-ageing system helps to clear away dirt and dislodge oil-clogged pores.

POA, available at Sephora.

Erno Laszlo, a brand renowned for its craftsmanship of exquisite and precise skincare solutions, is finally here in Singapore. Its debut offers exclusive products, including the Phelityl Pre-Cleansing Oil, which prepares the skin for effective cleansing when paired with one of its iconic cleansing bars. Look out for the Sea Mud Deep Cleansing Bar, a natural therapeutic exfoliator for soft and smooth skin. Not to be missed also is the White Marble collection, which offers breakthrough formulas like the White Marble Sheet Mask and the White Marble Treatment Bar. From $70 to $420, available at Sasa.

RENEWED ENERGY

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Masking holds a key spot in any skincare routine and brings about fabulous facial benefits. That’s why Kiehl’s is rolling out yet another promising variant dubbed the Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque. Turmeric – with its rich historic profile in Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Egyptian traditions as a natural, efficacious skin cleanser – contains several benefits like detoxifying, sebum-balancing and antiseptic properties. When combined with cranberry seeds – another exfoliator bursting with antioxidants – the formula instantly brightens and energises dull, fatigued skin, paving a way to a smoother and brighter mug. $49 (75ml), available at Kiehl’s.

SNOOZE FEST In the moments where the Zs seem so far away, pamper yourself with one of two products from This Works’ Deep Sleep range. The British brand makes landfall at Sephora, packing with it a line of highly concentrated and natural products for the modern man. Begin your de-stress routine with the Deep Sleep Shower Gel, a gentle cleanser that’s sulphate-free, so skin retains its natural oils. And just before you tuck yourself in, a few spritz of the Deep Sleep Pillow Spray should help you drift faster into restful sleep.

POA, available at Sephora.

WHAT A GENT WANTS Home to many exclusive in-demand men’s grooming products brands, WhatHeWants brings with its 10th anniversary three refined and exclusive eau de toilettes from luxury brand, Gentlemen’s Tonic. Perfectly concocted, this offering presents Honos, an oriental woody fragrance that opens with refreshing notes of bergamot and cinnamon against a frankincense and sandalwood base. For those who prefer an opulent fragrance that blends hints of exotic spices in a cedar wood base, Sinsa will not disappoint. Lastly, Junzi is a fresh and aromatic fougere with warm and crisp notes of clary sage, vetiver, bergamot, and amber. $145 (100ml), available at whathewants.sg.

man up

Text Aaron Kok & Ng Jun Sheng Images Various Sources

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No, this isn’t about the discovery of a special fountain only accessible with magic. Straight from The Body Shop labs comes its latest concoction, Drops Of Youth serum. Harvesting and blending the stem cells of three of our planet’s most resilient plants – edelweiss, sea holly, and criste marine – the formula is a potent potion that promises to unlock a smoother, glowing, and more youthful complexion. Each bottle harnesses the goodness of the plants’ stem cells – a part of the plant that doesn’t age like the rest of the cells – and it’s this same property that allows skin to regenerate on its own. Perhaps there’s some magic involved after all. $79.90 (50ml), available at The Body Shop.

Text Trent Davis Images Compartés

dark love Making a heart grow fonder or mending one that’s been broken calls for some serious cacao, and LA-based chocolatier Compartés has more than one remedy to soothe the soul and sweet tooth. Handcrafted daily from organic chocolate and inventive ingredients, the artisanal bars are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the lips – with varieties including Donuts & Coffee, Birthday Cake, and Salted Pretzel, in packaging that makes a statement. Though customisable for an extra dash of intimacy, there’s no doubt you’ll be dwelling on breaking your date plans to savour these bars all by yourself.

From US$9.95 to US$12.95, available at compartes.com

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swipe for spontaneity AS OUR LIVES MIGRATE INTO THE VIRTUAL SPACE AND APPS BECOME THE TOOLS OF TODAY, IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE DATING WENT DIGITAL. BUT WHILE WE’RE BURIED IN OUR SMARTPHONES SEARCHING FOR A SHOT AT LOVE, WE CAN’T HELP BUT WONDER: WHAT IF LOVE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US AND WE’RE TOO BUSY SWIPING TO SEE?

In any modern love story, the bit that we’re always dying to know is how it all began. We want to know how Harry met Sally; how poor Jack swept rich Rose off her feet; how John Cusack held a boombox over his head and won the heart of a girl out of his league.

Whether it’s destiny, luck, or something as simple as chance, all of these narratives tell of how two people came together to find true love out of pure circumstance. But in today’s world of dating where we look for love on a screen and chance is replaced by choice, what prospect do we have of living out a classic love story of our own?

Visit any reputable app store and the sheer volume and variety of dating apps on the market are indicative of how the game has changed. Apps specially designed to target the race, age, sexual orientation, religion, marital status and even financial position of our dream partners are available at the tap of a finger – and we haven’t even gotten to Tinder yet. The app that has taken the world by storm has matched up a reported eight billion connections since its inception in 2012, with approximately one billion ‘swipes’ per day. With those kinds of numbers, it’s likely we’ve got better odds of securing Saturday night plans by swiping through profiles during our lunch breaks than buying a drink for someone at a bar.

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Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources

REFINING ROMANCE Millions of people are fine-tuning their search for suitors and cherry-picking the crème da le crème of online admirers – so why does finding love feel as loveless as ever? The socially awkward now have the chance to present themselves in their best light through careful profile preparation; confident mavericks no longer need to go from club to club scouting for talent; high-maintenance singles quoting Marilyn Monroe in their bios can lay out their expectations from the get-go to avoid disappointment. Despite the tools and opportunities being at our fingertips, why do we feel an ever-growing fatalism each time we open these apps? If Tinder is “like real life, but better”, then why are we still waiting for Jerry Maguire to burst through the door to tell us we complete him? Perhaps with all of the conveniences of social networking services to do the legwork, we’ve forgotten how to be truly ‘social’ in the process.

In addition to studies suggesting that dating apps are changing the way our brains work by oversimplifying our choices into “yes” and “no” decisions – while furthering a disconnect between our human counterparts – there are more obvious problems that hit closer to home in the landscape of app-aided relationships.

Where’s the line between having casual fun and becoming a booty call? What are the rules on meeting new matches once you’ve clicked with a newfound sweetheart? How soon do you remove the app once you think you’ve found the one? As the anxiety of these questions mount, so too do our fears of commitment when there’s an endless pool of candidates to immediately substitute a contender who isn’t what we thought they’d be.

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BLAME THE GAME OR THE PLAYER? Despite the bemoaned cries of premillenials wishing for simpler times, it wouldn’t be fair to solely blame technology for our increasingly antisocial habits. In the same way a car needs a driver in order to be considered dangerous, an app needs users to inform the kind of behaviour that prevails. As we now have the opportunity to package our personalities in ways we may not be able to with face-to-face encounters, we’re also granted a pipeline with which we can engage in unrestrained, unregulated behaviour. Like the first man who was given fire, we’ve been given speed dating on steroids – and we just don’t know what to do with it. So we swipe past profiles that don’t tick every box, become verbally aggressive when we don’t get what we want, and send photos of our junk to poor, unsuspecting souls just looking for a Romeo. And like inexperienced drivers, some singles just aren’t ready to take the wheel.

The problem exists in applying a rational, methodical approach to searching for something that defies rationality. Like the highlight reels we curate on social media staples like Facebook and Instagram, we omit the vital things that exist between the frames of our splintered personas; the unglamorous moments that directors keep out of the final cut; the mannerisms and imperfections that can’t be translated into an app, but will win over a stranger without us even knowing it. Dating apps may’ve removed the often brutal gauntlet of mustering up the courage to ask someone on a date, but they’ve also severed the spontaneity that makes us human – the spontaneity that could mean the difference between a fling and a lifelong journey.

Perhaps it’s time to rediscover the joys and pains of connecting as humans again, in all its awkward, unflattering, charming, and endearing glory. Maybe then, when we’re looking ahead instead of down into our screens, we’ll get to live out a love story of our own that’s worthy of turning into a movie.

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GOING THE DISTANCE

ANYONE WHO’S HAD THE (DIS)PLEASURE OF BEING IN A LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP IN THE PAST CAN TELL YOU THAT IT’S HARD WORK. BUT COMPARED TO YESTERYEAR’S CHOPPY VIDEO CALLS AND MAMMOTH PHONE BILLS, TODAY’S RANGE OF TECHY TOOLS MAKES ABSENCE EASIER THAN EVER – AND, IN SOME WAYS, BRING COUPLES EVEN CLOSER THAN WHEN UNDER ONE ROOF.

BOOMSTICK

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The foundation of any good relationship – close or distant – is communication, and BoomCloud 360’s BoomStick makes sure you’re all ears when speaking with your significant other. In contrast to lugging bulky headphones on crowded commutes or in noisy spaces, BoomStick improves the sound quality of any set of earphones or headphones by employing algorithms to enhance sound quality. Processing the audio of music, podcasts, movies or voice before it reaches your device’s audio jack, simply plug in and you won’t miss a thing.

US$99, available at boomcloud360.com.

LUMA

While it’s rather unassuming, a WiFi router can make or break the time you spend with your partner, given how much of it depends on the Internet. Luma’s surround WiFi system eliminates the dead spots in your home so you don’t have to worry about dropouts when wandering aimlessly while on the phone (as we often do). Put together numerous Luma units and they’ll intuitively set up a ‘mesh’ network throughout your home, meaning better coverage and less interruptions during ‘us’ time.

US$99 each (pre-order), available at getluma.com.

SKYBUDS

Cramped arms and sore ears are commonplace for lengthy chats with an overseas loved one. Alpha’s discrete wireless earphones, Skybuds, are sure to change that. Eliminating cables and sporting an ergonomic fit for comfortable listening, the miniature earpieces are activated at the touch of a button, seamlessly switching from music to calls with an in-built digital microphone. Small enough for discrete calls in less-thanideal environments, the earbuds can be stowed away and simultaneously charged in a specially designed iPhone case so your S.O. is never left high and dry.

US$279 (pre-order) for iPhone 6/6S, available at skybuds.com.

EZVIZ MINI CUBE

Sometimes, it’s the seemingly insignificant ‘in-betweens’ couples miss the most that a video call won’t capture. Just as you’d check in on a literal baby, Ezviz offers an affordable solution to check in on your bae in HD as they go about their business. Able to withstand outdoor elements and equipped with night vision, the Ezviz Mini Cube can be propped anywhere throughout the home and streamed to a smartphone, allowing you to peek into each other’s daily lives and feel one step closer to being a part of it.

US$109.99, visit ezvizlife.com for updates.

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R A Z E R S TA R G A Z E R

For many, a smartphone’s front-facing camera will suffice for a little one-on-one face time – but for those who won’t accept anything less than a crystal clear image of their beloved, Razer’s Stargazer webcam has got you covered. Whether it’s seeing each other’s reactions in real-time as you indulge in online gaming or simply to witness your lover at an ultra-high frame rate of 60 frames per second, the Stargazer’s lifelike video capture and automatic noise cancelling will deliver an all-new perspective on your long-distance liaisons.

US$200, visit razerzone.com for updates.

IWALK EXTREME TRIO

GAZE

Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources

There’s nothing worse you could do in a LDR than go off the grid without warning. Slim, stylish and unexpectedly lightweight, the iWalk Extreme Trio will make sure you won’t be leaving your love with a ‘Last Seen’ status. Packing 10,000mAh of power and an ultra-fast input that’ll replenish it in just three hours, the rechargeable battery pack has all bases covered with the ability to charge up to three devices simultaneously, while its LED display lets you know when its time to refuel.

US$44.98, available at amazon.com.

LO O P

N A R R AT I V E 2

Strapping a GoPro to your head to share your adventures with your heartthrob isn’t a bad idea, on the presumption that they have the patience to sit through hours of footage. Narrative 2, on the other hand, makes it effortless for both parties. Inconspicuously clipped to any piece of clothing, the miniature device automatically snaps a photo every 30 seconds and sorts out the highlights, allowing you to share up to 30 hours of your best moments without lifting a finger.

US$199 (pre-order), available at getnarrative.com.

Even with today’s technological advancements, something as simple as watching a movie at the same time can be a nightmare for longdistance couples who don’t have lightning fast click reflexes. Enter Gaze, a godsend for cosy ‘stay-ins’ in front of the TV. Linking up two screens with webcam and chat features to make binge-viewing a whole lot more intimate, the Chrome extension allows couples to laugh, shriek and cry with one another over home videos and movies from local files, or embark on endless YouTube journeys together in perfect sync.

Free, available at letsgaze.com.

Digital photo frames may’ve been a short-lived fad in the past, but Loop’s fresh reincarnation of the format will make it hard to look away.

Streaming photos from your smartphone, cloud storage and social media accounts, Loop allows you to share dedicated channels of content with your romantic partner (or more, if that’s how you roll), allowing them to share intimate moments to your Loop even if they don’t have one of their own. And if your lover is giving you grief, simply change the channel.

US$199 (pre-order), available at joinloop.com.

WITHOUT

You’ll likely already have an abundance of apps on your smartphone with which to communicate with your sweetheart – and that’s the problem.

Cutting out multiple messaging services and other human distractions, Without puts you and your flame in your very own social media bubble.

While feeding you information about your dearest’s neighbourhood, weather and local time, the app features quick single-tap selfie notes and a Bluetooth ‘togetherness’ metre, while also counting down the number of days you’ve been without your beau. And there’s a break-up button, just in case.

Free, available for iOS.

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SWEET MONSTER

THE BENJAMINS

The Korean-born concept might seem cute at first, but its cold desserts stay true to its name by being monster in size and formidable when taken on alone. Heaping cups of soft-serve with generous helpings of American carnival sweets, the main attraction is the kiosk’s variety of colourful, candied popcorn on show. While caramel and chocolate popcorn are obvious choices, the Cheese Caramel Mix Popcorn Ice-Cream ($6.80) throws in sweet and salty notes to dress up its thick, creamy, high milk content ice cream base. Cookie Mountain ($6) is a crunchy venture into saccharine territory with chocolate sauce and crushed cookie bits, while the Ferrero Nutella Monster Shake ($7.50 regular, $8.50 large) blends the famed hazelnut spread and chocolates with ice cream and milk for smooth sips of pure bliss.

Various locations, including #M01-K1 Bugis Junction. For more info, visit sweetmonster.sg.

YOU DOWN WITH OTT? IN THE SAME WAY THAT COURTING A PROSPECTIVE LOVER FIRST BEGINS WITH LOOKS, PICKING A DELECTABLE DESSERT NOW DEPENDS ON WHAT COMMANDS THE EYES. WHILE LOOKS MAY DECEIVE IN THE REALM OF OVER-THE-TOP INDULGENCES, THESE OVERLOADED DELIGHTS ARE AS SWEET ON THE INSIDE AS THEY ARE OUT.

HVALA

NEH NEH POP

What’s a waffle without a big ol’ scoop of ice cream on top?

Shifting the diner classic into reverse, Hvala does things the other way around, cramming its brekkie cakes onto the top of an ice cream cup the way you’d try to squeeze yourself into a pair of ill-fitting jeans. The Cake ($5.90, two toppings), the least extreme indulgence on offer, combines blended cake like red velvet and chocolate truffle with thick soft-serve for an easy-to-eat treat. The Waffle Stick ($4.90, two toppings) boasts a fluffy centre and crispy exterior and is drizzled with sauces like chocolate fondue and Speculoos cookie butter embeded with miniature marshmallows toasted on the spot. And then there’s the almighty Puffle ($5.90, two toppings), an extravagant, crispy Hong Kong-style egg waffle on the brink of toppling from its smooth vanilla ice cream base. #B3-50 313@Somerset. For more info, visit facebook.com/ hvalawafflebar.

Aside from its cheeky name garnering attention from both sides of the fence, Neh Neh Pop’s allure is in its balance of attentiongrabbing presentation and the simplicity of good old-fashioned popsicles. When it comes to the taste of these eye-catching sweets, the flavours are anything but simple. Constantly conceiving new pops, frozen delights include Mango Sticky Rice ($7) – a sweet subzero blend of sticky rice pudding, mango, and toasted coconut flakes; and Strawberry Pockie ($7), which sees the classic Japanese snack sticks smashed into a white chocolate coating with strawberry jam at its centre. While brain freeze is a likely result from trying them all at once, we recommend starting with the Baklava ($7), an ode to its namesake that incorporates the Turkish pastry treat in chocolate and cherry blossom ice-cream, encrusted with a crunchy nut dukka coating.

Various locations, including Artichoke at 161 Middle Road. For more info, visit facebook.com/nehnehpopsg.

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Text Austen Choo & Trent Davis Images Various Sources

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While the Orchard bistro boasts a menu of hearty Western cafe grub, mention “The Benjamins” to anyone and they’ll automatically think of the Insta-worthy milkshakes. Packed to the brim with toppings (which constitute a meal in themselves), diners without a strategy for what to eat first will soon see their liquid delight on the table. Each priced at $16++ and made with New Zealand vanilla bean ice cream, Old School Vanilla is the show pony that’ll lure most in for its outrageous candy floss top and eye-catching traditional sweets. Nutella Banana is a chocolate overdose of cake, biscuits, and cream with fresh banana and salted pretzels to balance the sweetness, while our personal favourite, Strawberry Cheesecake, hits the sweet spot by tantalising the savoury side of cream cheese and the tartness of freshly blended strawberries. #01-20/21 Forum Shopping Centre. For more info, visit facebook.com/ bistrobenjaminbrowns.

hit list

Favourite Spirit It has to be vodka, particularly Absolut Elyx. Vodka used to be the most popular spirit in the ’90s and early ’00s, but not many people use it as much in cocktails now. I enjoy working with it because it is a neutral, yet diverse spirit, which can be used in all kinds of cocktails.

(image: hungrygowhere.com)

Favourite Drinking Hole Nobu-Ya Izakaya (#01-05 Fortune Centre).

It is reasonable with delicious, authentic Japanese food and a good range of sake.

(image: rubbisheatrubbishgrow.com)

Remedy For Sad Times I don’t really listen to sad songs or watch sad movies when I’m feeling low. YouTube comedies are the best when I’m feeling down. Laughter is the best medicine.

Text Trent Davis Images Singapore Cocktail Week (Portrait) & Various Sources

One Must-Have Gadget My phone. My entire life is on there, and it has become an indispensable part of my everyday life.

Drink To Mend A Broken Heart I’d recommend something strong to dull the pain. Perhaps an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan or a Martini. You may even like to try Gibson’s namesake cocktail, The Gibson, which we make with Hendrick’s Gin, Monkey 47 Gin and Dolin Vermouth. We serve it with three condiments: smoked tsukemono, smoked quail’s egg and a pearl onion pickled in-house. It is strong and good enough to lift your spirits.

AKI EGUCHI

First Date Spot I’d take a first date out for Japanese food at a casual izakaya. I’m Japanese and can always recommend the best dishes. It’s a great way to introduce my date to my culture through food.

Perfect ‘Falling In Love’ Drink That would have to be rosé champagne – it’s a symbol of celebration, happiness and good times to come. And it’s even better if you’re sharing a bottle with that particular someone you’re falling in love with.

WHETHER YOU’RE TOASTING TO NEW LOVE OR BOOZING THROUGH A BROKEN HEART, AKI EGUCHI LIKELY HAS THE REMEDY. AS THE BAR PROGRAMME DIRECTOR OF THE FLAGSHIP, JIGGER & PONY, HUMPBACK, SUGARHALL, AND MOST RECENTLY, GIBSON, THE AWARD-WINNING BARTENDER TOPS UP OUR THINKING HATS WITH MUSINGS ON THE MAGIC OF MIXOLOGY, AND THEN SOME. gibsonbar.sg

Most Inspiring Artist I am a big fan of Japanese architect, Tadao Ando.

I am always touched and inspired by the beauty of minimalism in his works. (image: thewongcouple.com)

Favourite Drink To Make Crystal Ramos Gin Fizz. This is a classic cocktail that I re-imagined and made lighter with a Ramos fizz that is clarified (as opposed to the regular milk punch). The drink takes me 72 hours to make from start to finish.

Next Travel Destination I would love to visit Africa and Australia! (image: paomagazine.com)

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THE A CCI D EN TA L A RT I ST

IT’S BEMUSING TO IMAGINE, LOOKING AT NOREEN LOH’S INTRICATELY DETAILED BOTANICAL SCULPTURES, THAT SHE MAY NEVER HAVE BECOME AN ARTIST. RAISED IN IPOH AND MOVING TO SINGAPORE TO WORK IN I.T. AT AGE 19, LOH SAW AN AD FOR A LASALLE OPEN HOUSE DAY WHILE ON A BUS, THUS PIQUING CURIOSITY IN HER CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES. BUT AFTER THE CANCELLATION OF A JEWELLERY DESIGN COURSE IN WHICH SHE’D ENROLLED, LOH FOUND WORK AS A FLORAL ASSISTANT, SPARKING AN ARTISTIC JOURNEY THAT HAS GENERATED PRAISE FOR HER HYBRID BREEDS OF LAMINATES AND FRESH FLOWERS. WHETHER IT WAS SERENDIPITY OR DESTINY, SHE’S RELISHING EVERY MINUTE OF THE RIDE. From working as a florist’s assistant, what drew you to using flowers in your art?

The owner of the flower shop taught me a lot about doing flowers; the basic skills. But he flew off not long after, and asked me to take over the shop within a few months. I took up the challenge. That’s probably when I really started to learn how to explore on my own. Being self-taught is very interesting, because when you don’t follow the rules that are given to you, you bend them.

There are actually many ways to get from A to B. What is it about flowers that intrigue you?

When I was working at the florist’s, I would get to be hands-on and learn the essence of flowers – that’s where I got all of my knowledge. I learnt that fresh flowers can be sculptural as well. You can bend the branches to create the shape or form that you want; you can create a different kind of sculptural work just using fresh flowers.

The anatomy of many of the plants in The Marriage series is strikingly close to nature. When using man-made materials like laminates to create your flowers, was there a reason why you didn’t create something too fantastical?

The idea is borrowing the ‘real’ and creating a so-called ‘fake’ item, but you still have that real essence.

My first series was basically to look like real flowers; it was the first exploration. The Marriage II starts to explore something more magical and is more on the alien or hybrid side. One of the flowers looks like Siamese twins, and some plants do grow up sticking together. It’s a form of nature, but because I’m using laminates, it looks unreal. I like the idea of looking at it and questioning, “Is this real or is this fake?”. That’s the intriguing question I have as well.

It sounds like you can’t be tied down to one discipline.

I really enjoy the challenge, even though it’s quite frustrating when you can’t get out of that box in which you’re challenging yourself. But when you manage to find a path out, it’s really fulfilling. I didn’t expect so much attention on the flowers, because I did what I did with every projrect before this, and there wasn’t much talk or interest previously. But after exhibiting at Singaplural last year, there was so much interest, it’s unbelievable. I learnt that flowers are a universal topic. Photography is also universal, but each type of photography is a different kind of language. Like with instant photography, not everyone can relate to it, but when you talk about flowers – whether it’s a small, big, beautiful, or ugly flower – everyone can relate regardless of age.

Works from The Marriage II are available to purchase online at kplus.sg. miun.sg

Text Trent Davis Images Singaplural 2015 (Portrait) & Miun

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What is the next material or medium you’d like to experiment with?

Polaroid film is one of the mediums I really, really love, but also hate at the same time because it’s quite expensive. Every shot is like $4 to $5 each. I explore a lot of that and spend a lot of money on it. I’ve exhibited my photographs in other countries because they’re much more well-received than in Singapore, so I didn’t really get to exhibit that work here. But this year, Singaplural has the perfect theme, so I decided to try to create new works from the previous exhibit. I hope you get to see it in March!

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ASUS ZENFONE 2 LASER Quickly earning the nickname, ‘The Mobile Theatre’, ASUS’ ZenFone 2 Laser is purpose-built for our audial and visual pastimes – elevating entertainment with a dual-driver audio chamber equipped with five-magnet construction and metal voice coil to bring on all the feels with emotive sound immersion. With a 6-inch full HD display and a whopping 72 per cent screen-to-body ratio, the ZenFone 2 Laser enhances the images you capture as well as view, with laser auto-focus capabilities to seize perfect moments with the 13MP, f/2.0 rear camera. True to its name, this smartphone has truly awakened to the new age of entertainment. $379, available at authorised retailers.

HIT THE LIGHTS

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PICTURE PERFECT If you witnessed the bounty of products LG dropped at CES 2016, you’ll know it means business – and nothing says this more than the V10 smartphone. Armed to the teeth with features designed to streamline work and play, the multimedia powerhouse boasts a second screen above its 5.7-inch display to keep notifications and shortcuts handy without obstructing your view. 5MP dual front-facing cameras allow users to capture wide-angle selfies, while a 16MP rear camera offers the versatility of manual video mode – including shutter speed, frame rate, ISO, white balance and focus – alongside a number of enhancements to keep your clips looking smooth and sharp. $1,088, available at authorised retailers.

The announcement that the Northern Lights will become much more difficult to see from next year has definitely been a downer. Before Mother Nature dims the lights, Off The Map Travel is committed to crossing it off your bucket list this year with its bespoke Arctic getaways. Curating tailor-made, ‘soft-adventure’ experiences to travellers of all persuasions – whether you’re a lone wolf or one who moves in packs – the UK-based travel expert knows the best spots to view the natural phenomena, putting you in the right place and the right time.

For more info, visit offthemaptravel.co.uk.

suit yourself Whether it’s a V-Day staycation or a CNY sabbatical, pack your essentials into a suitcase that stands out.

FOR THE YOUNG AT HEART Maybe the Tsum Tsum craze has reignited your love for Mickey and friends, or perhaps it never quite waned – either way, American Tourister’s Disney Collection ensures your luggage looks as playful as your journey. Available in three sizes and prints – each with matching lining and coordinated details – the rigorously tested hardcase spinners travel as carefree as your youthful spirit.

From $150 (55cm), available at American Tourister stores, including #03-110 Marina Square Mall.

FOR THE STREET SMART Keeping your steez on point from the street to the landing strip, BAPE’s signature 1st Camo Print now elevates the luggage carousel. Constructed from Cordura fabric for versatility and durability, the camouflage roller hold-all sports a collapsible stand for stable on-the-go street snaps, while standing out from the crowd without looking like an easy target.

$839, available at Bape Store Singapore, #02-02/03 Mandarin Gallery.

FOR THE DAPPER GENT Sleek, simple and undeniably timeless, Rimowa’s Attaché Case combines the brand’s renowned durability with

Returning for its fifth year, Watch Local: First Shot, First Feature puts one of 10 local filmmakers under the spotlight each night – illuminating both their personal and filmic journeys, from their first short film to first feature film. Ranging from lighthearted comedies to experimental directorial styles, the screenings will also be preceded by discussions on some of Singapore’s most fond and familiar cinematic works.

From February 23 to March 4. For more info, visit objectifs.com.sg.

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understated luxury. Like the steely gentleman it belongs to, its hard aluminium shell guards its vital contents with dual-lever and combination locks, while its 17-litre volume is compartmentalised with protective sleeves and pockets to have your essentials at the ready anytime, anywhere.

$1,100, available at Rimowa stores, including #01-02 Mandarin Gallery.

flash

LOADED DICE Social commentary has long been one of art’s most engaging properties, whether it’s through subtle jabs or going straight for the jugular. Japanese visual artist, Nobuaki Takekawa, leans towards the latter.

Returning to Singapore with a series of paintings that call upon the historical and political issues of his home country and abroad, Rolling The Dice Of History puts the Land Of The Rising Sun under the microscope. An exhibition in which no sinner is spared, Takekawa takes aim at capitalists by depicting the economy as a board game in ‘HONESTY’, while illustrating the punishment that welcomes racists in the afterlife in ‘CLUB BURNING-HELL’.

From February 12 to March 26 at Gillman Barracks. For more info, visit gillmanbarracks.com.

liquid gold

Celebrate the Year Of The Monkey with these limited edition cans.

TIGER BEER RADLER

CARLSBERG

Merging the tradition of giving mandarin oranges

Though the beer is originally from Denmark,

during Chinese New Year with Tiger beer’s

you’d be none the wiser with its festive revamp

timeless taste, Radler rings in the festivities with

in wishing for “probably the best year”. With

a kick of mandarin orange. Combining Tiger’s

Chinese characters for friendship, luck and

bitter but balanced profile with the sweetness of

fortune adorning the green cans to form

the auspicious fruit, put your gastronomic sense

traditional Chinese four-character greetings, you

in a whirl by pairing it with bak kwa

needn’t say a word when sharing a brew with

and pineapple tarts.

your nearest and dearest.

$17.80 (6 x 323ml can pack), available at

POA (24 x 323ml can pack), available at

selected retailers while stocks last.

selected retailers while stocks last.

With spring-cleaning’s mantra of “out with the old, in with the new”, our gadgets are no exception to the rule – and Samsung has been quick to usher in its new Galaxy A series to have us equipped for the year ahead. Beefing up its predecessor of the same name, the new lineup once again caters to users with optimisation in mind, with 4.7- (A3), 5.2- (A5), and 5.5-inch (A7) displays. While screen sizes have increased, the new series watches the waistline with a super narrow 2.7mm bezel and comes dressed in an all glass-and-metal finishing. Featuring quicker processors, brighter f/1.9 aperture lenses, and optical image stabilisation to back up the 13MP rear and 5MP front cameras, the new kids on the block are scoring straight As. From $398 to $698, available at authorised retailers.

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EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSES

Colour-coordinating an outfit is one thing; getting the aesthetic of your gadgets in sync is an entirely different beast. For those who’ve succumbed to the allure of the rose gold iPhone, Beats’ Solo2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones in rose gold are the natural choice for seamless style. Pairing the ergonomic design and comfort with portability and convenience owed to its flexible headband foldable housing, the brand’s renowned dynamic sound and natural clarity come to life with wireless freedom. Suitable for tunes on the move or lazy listening at home, the headphones’ 12-hour battery life and 30-foot range means you can stop and smell the roses without halting the music. $490, available at authorised retailers.

SPRING SPRUCING Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources

THE NEW ‘A TEAM’

’Tis the season to be ruthless with your hoarding habits, and if there’s one good thing that comes out of spring-cleaning, it’s reinventing your home. Fortunately, furniture and homewares e-shop, Stylodeco lets you do just that without even leaving the house. With a range of red and gold items for an auspicious aesthetic from its Spring/Summer 2016 collection, sprucing up your home can start as small as a golden decorative ant to a chic Paulistano lounge chair (get a pair for good luck). And for those looking for a little more versatility in non-seasonspecific home decor, there’s every other colour in-between.

Available at stylodeco.com. navigate

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NEW YEAR’S EVE AT CÉ LA VI PARTY WITH A VIEW

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RADIO ALL STARS AT CÉ LA VI SKY-HIGH TUNES

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ESSENTIAL HOUSE THURSDAYS AT ATTICA THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS

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SHO’STOMPER PRESENTS BURLUXE EPISODE 2 AT ALTIMATE CAN’T STOP, WON’T STOP

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LAST NEW YEAR’S EVE AT JIAK KIM - THE FINAL VICTORY AT ZOUK THE FINAL LAP

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EP!C PRESENTS W&W AT ZOUK DANCE, DANCE, DANCE

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FORWARD FEAT. BEN UFO AT K YO SPACE ODYSSEY

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#REFUGECREWLOVE FEAT. GRIZZLE GRIND CREW AT REFUGE HIP HOP YOU DON’T STOP

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2016 YOU HAD ME AT HELLO AT CANVAS ANOTHER ONE!

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EXPOSÉ FEAT. DJ LUCK Y & MC AK AT CÉ LA VI PARTY AT THE TOP

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BURGER BOOGIE COUNTDOWN PARTY AT OVEREASY FUEL UP AND BOOGIE

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PRECIOUS LADIES NIGHT AT NEW ASIA BAR WHO RUN THIS TOWN? GIRLS!

S H O P AT T H E S E S T O C K I S T S ACTUALLY #03-18 ORCHARD GATEWAY

H&M ORCHARD BUILDING

PEDDER RED #03-04 NGEE ANN CITY

TED BAKER #B1-22 ION ORCHARD

ALICE + OLIVIA #03-17 ION ORCHARD

LEVI’S #01-08 ORCHARD CENTRAL

POLO RALPH LAUREN SHAW HOUSE LEVEL 1

THE CORNER SHOP #03-16 FAR EAST PLAZA

AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS #B1-06/07 VIVOCITY

MAISON MARGIELA #B1-01 THE SHOPPES AT MARINA BAY SANDS

PRADA #01-01 & #02-15 ION ORCHARD

THE SUNGLASS HUT #B2-05 WHEELOCK PLACE

BANANA REPUBLIC #02-04/07 PARAGON

MANGO #02-23/24 313@SOMERSET

PULL & BEAR #B2-08 ION ORCHARD

TOPSHOP/ TOPMAN #01-05/06 KNIGHTSBRIDGE

CHARLES & KEITH #02-46 TO 49 313@SOMERSET

MANIFESTO STORE #02-19 CAPITOL PIAZZA

RAOUL #02-49 PARAGON

UNIQLO #03-27 TO 34 313@SOMERSET

CLUB 21B #01-07 TO 09 FORUM THE SHOPPING MALL

MICHAEL KORS #01-16/17 SCOTTS SQUARE

ROBERTO CAVALLI #B1-10/11 THE SHOPPES AT MARINA BAY SANDS

VANS #01-22/23 ORCHARD CENTRAL

COACH #01-03 TAKASHIMAYA

MSGM LEVEL 2 TAKASHIMAYA

SANDRO #B2-108 THE SHOPPES AT MARINA BAY SANDS

EMPORIO ARMANI #01-12/13 MANDARIN GALLERY

NINE WEST #01-33 RAFFLES CITY SHOPPING CENTRE

STUSSY #03-03 ORCHARD CINELEISURE

FOREVER 21 LEVEL 1 TO 3 313@SOMERSET

PEDDER ON SCOTTS #02-10 TO 13 SCOTTS SQUARE

SUPERSPACE #02-18 ORCHARD GATEWAY

ZARA LIAT TOWERS

FIND

HERE BARS & CLUBS

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final word

SILVER-LINED SINS SIN, BY DEFINITION, IS INHERENTLY BAD – BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THERE AREN’T BENEFITS IN TAKING A BITE OF THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT, WHETHER INTENDED OR NOT. AFTER ALL, IF IT WEREN’T FOR THESE TRANSGRESSIONS FOR EACH OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS, THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD MIGHT’VE PLAYED OUT VERY, VERY DIFFERENTLY.

GREED Arguably the most hated man on the planet, entrepreneur and pharmaceutical executive, Martin Shkreli, made headlines for acquiring the rights to Daraprim – a drug used to treat patients with weak immune systems and AIDS – and hiked up its price by over 5,000 per cent overnight. In response, competing pharmaceutical companies banded together to offer an alternative drug for the humble price of US$1 per pill. Shkreli is now facing securities fraud charges and will have a lot of time to think about what he’s done in the big pen.

PRIDE

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GLUTTONY What kind of grown man feels the need to carry candy in his pocket? The kind who invents the microwave oven. While running lab tests on radar vacuum tubes in 1945, self-taught engineer, Percy Spencer, noticed that the chocolate bar kept in his pocket had quickly melted. After running a subsequent test on popcorn (obviously), the soonto-be inventor discovered that the radiation emitted from his contraption could be used to heat up food, and the microwave oven was born. Enter warm leftovers.

SLOTH You’ve got to be one dirty mofo to leave harmful bacteria lying on your workspace – but the world is still thanking Alexander Fleming for his untidy habits. After returning from a long holiday, the researcher discovered that a bacteria-laden agar plate he’d left sitting on a bench in his lab for the better part of a month had accumulated fungus that killed the bacteria. Deciding that “mould juice” probably wouldn’t catch on, Fleming renamed his newly discovered antibiotic ‘Penicillin’, which would go on to save millions of lives.

ENVY

LUST

WRATH Ridiculed for his persistent failure in trying to prevent rubber from cracking in winter and melting in summer, Charles Goodyear finally found success in figuratively flipping the table. After being mocked for yet another formulation of gum and sulphur at a general store, the inventor accidentally flung the sticky substance onto a hot stove in a fit rage.

Noticing that it had charred rather than melted, the vulcanisation process had weatherproofed the rubber, and thus suitable for the wheels of your car.

Long before he was accused of trying to assassinate Adolf Hitler and forced to end his own life, German military commander, Erwin Rommel AKA Desert Fox, may have doomed the Nazis years beforehand. Put in charge of defending Normandy against an Allied assault for his celebrated military accomplishments, the sly fox was nowhere to be seen on D-Day – Germany’s largest defeat of World War II – as he’d taken the weekend off for his wife’s birthday to do some invading of his own.

Call it class envy or resentment of royalty, but there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have the sights and sounds of punk rock if it weren’t for the vitriolic lyricism of John Lydon, better known as Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols.

Coming from a working class background and tired of being ignored while the wealthy watched England turn to tatters, Lydon took on the Queen herself through anthemic anarchy, kicking off the punk revolution and all the coloured hairdos that would follow.

Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources

This is the face of a guy who just messed up big time. As the unofficial spokesman for the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in 1989, Günter Schabowski inadvertently triggered the collapse of the Berlin Wall and reunification of Germany due to a gaffe at a press conference. Choosing to save face after being asked when East Germans would be allowed to cross the border into the West, the politican took a guess and jumped the gun by decreeing, “Immediately”, resulting in an uncontrollable crowd and the destruction of the wall. #sorrynotsorry