NOVEMBER 2016 ISSUE #218
SINGAPORE www.juice.com.sg
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tiga REALITY CHECK
the throwback issue
HEY KIDS,
is a free monthly publication Published by JUICE Media Pte Ltd Under license from Catcha Media Group Pte Ltd
Besides having grown up in a wonderfully analogue era – where fun-time involved rolling in the mud and playing catch in the fields – the best thing that happened to us in the ’90s was the birth of . And with the celebration of our 18th birthday this month (we are fiiiiiiinally legal!), we are paying tribute to the decade we so love and miss.
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We would admit, however – the ’90s were an odd mish-mash of anything goes. Music was torn between sappy boybands, gritty grunge, emo, hip-hop (da best!), pop punk, and even the occasional J-pop. Fashion, too, had to deal with tacky Hawaiian-print shirts, and jeans that came in different colours on each leg, or that were five sizes too baggy, while beauty saw a mixed bag of awkwardness that we will reminisce between these pages.
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So whether you were legit can’t-touch-this cool back in the day, or an obiang nerd trying to find his way, we want you to join us on November 11 for one last bash at everybody’s favourite playground on Jiak Kim Street (that’s Zouk, duh!). Cheese optional.
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Stay Kewl & Funky 4eva,
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CONTENTS TIGA
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It’s the consensus of the dance world that Tiga James Sontag’s 15-year run has been an otherworldly hot streak that reconfigured dance music. That whatever comes out of club speakers doesn’t have to be some ridiculously esoteric faux-cerebral amble – but something liberating and interesting all the same – is a guarantee that he has played a big part in establishing. Before his forthcoming ZoukOut landing, he catches the beat with us. Image courtesy of Femme de $arkozy.
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where are they now? We investigate some of the hottest pop and rock ambassadors of the ’90s.
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JUICE 18TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY
Come blow out the candles with us at our coming-of-age bash this month.
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SUPER STYLIN’
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Four ’90s style tribes you can get with.
neon demons
Bask in the electric glow with the best of this season’s grunge.
the prince's new clothers
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Vintage-inspired prints and faded denim.
BEAUTY BACK THEN
Iconic beauty looks from the ’90s, and today’s equivalent.
miss you like crazy Relics of the ’90s that made it such an awesome decade.
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aaron campbell
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70
The Vancouver-based artist talks more about his vaporwave art.
NASTY BY NATURE The nastiest bits of nostalgia we’d rather leave behind.
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OCTOBER 2016
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SNAP OF THE MONTH CONGRATULATION S @ALFIANMOHAMED! F O R GET TING CREATIVE WITH OUR OCTOBER C O VER, HERE’S SOMETHING THAT’S SURE TO FUEL SOME FOODIE FLATLAYS.
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obsessions
TALK IS CHIC Many great things happened in the ’90s –
; the Internet; and,
for beauty junkies, Urban Decay. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the unabashedly bold makeup brand is bringing back lippies in old-school shades, updated with lusciously creamy textures, intense payoff and deep hydration. Featuring nine colours from the original lineup, the Vice Lipstick Vintage Capsule Collection comes in craft paperboard packaging that harks back to the early days of UD. My top picks include the stunning p e r i w i n k l e U V - B t h a t f o u n d e r We n d e u s e d t o w e a r constantly back then, and Asphyxia, a sweet lavender
FACT OR FICTION When discussing the impact of the ’90s, it’s impossible to exclude the groundbreaking comics that made their start on Saturday Night Live . It follows that any discussion on the show’s golden era must include Norm Macdonald. Revered for his role as anchor of the show’s ‘ Weekend Update’ segment , the writer and actor’s inimitable delivery has earned him a cult following. Just when fans think they ’ll finally get the juice in his memoir, Based On A True Story , he derails the narrative as he would for one of his famous non-sequiturs. Premised on the notion that no memoir can truly be 100 per cent factual, Macdonald throws fact out the window entirely, retelling his career through incredulous, hilarious, purposefully distorted anecdotes.
with blue micro-glitter.
US$16.80, available on amazon.com. $29 each, available exclusively at Urban Decay, #01-13 VivoCity and #01-16 Bugis Junction.
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making a comeback OUR FAVOURITE ’90S-INSPIRED MUST-HAVES THIS MONTH.
hole in one Most streetwear brands can come off as a little pretentious because they take themselves too seriously. Thankfully, Golf Wang veers far from that course. For its Fall/Winter 2016 collection, Tyler, the Creator is unleashing a barrage of neonshaded pieces that are totes apropos for a ’90s throwback moment. Intense colours, retrothemed patterns and animal prints are thrown together in a chaotic mix, and then splashed onto a series of tracksuits, polo shirts and tees. It’s a riotous jumble of references from the ’90s updated in an ironically humorous way that relooks at the atmosphere of streetwear through a neon-tinged lens. I’d be down for any of this. golfwang.com.
THE NEW OLD
Grunge bands and rappers of a particular strain of New York hip-hop have unfairly monopolised the discourse on ’90s music. I realised this when just last month, emo linchpin Jimmy Eat World released its ninth album, Integrity Blues . It’s a marvellous record, consummately hummable and catchy, but incredibly high-stakes – the kind whose bare-naked emotion makes you shocked that you get it . I dug deeper and realised that JEW got its start in 1993 and released its debut album a year later, subsequently releasing material throughout the decade. Yet, the hype bypassed the quartet, favouring more photogenic and headline-friendly acts. Has this changed? Not entirely. But it’s comparatively better now. More than any decade, the ’90s were a lesson in the vagaries of fame – that’s a big reason why I love this album. US$11.31, available on amazon.com.
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SERVIN’ UP THE FRESHEST CONTENT
OUR EXCLUSIVE WEB HIGHLIGHTS THIS MONTH CHAT: FAUXE
THE RECENTLY-UNMASKED PRODUCER OPENS UP ON WHAT’S BEEN COOKING IN THE STUDIO.
LIMBS BY OMITIR CONCEPTS
THE LOCAL LEATHER CRAFTSMAN PRESENTS A COLLECTION OF BAGS INSPIRED BY HUMAN MOVEMENT.
COMEBACK KIDS
THE BANDS THAT GOT YOU INTO BLACK NAIL POLISH ARE BACK – BUT SHOULD THEY BE?
SOLE SUPERIOR 2016 WHY THE ANNUAL SNEAKER-CENTRIC EVENT WILL SOOTHE YOUR SOLE LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
CHAT: MONGOL800
THE VETERAN OKINAWA-BASED TRIO LOOKS BACK ON ALMOST TWO DECADES OF ISLAND PUNK.
REMEMBERING THE RUCKUS A CASE STUDY ON WHY GIGS WILL NEVER BE AS GOOD AS THOSE IN THE ’90S.
GOOD OL’ DAYS TWO HOTTEST #THROWBACK PARTIES AT ZOUK FOR IBIZA KIDS AND NEW RAVE FREAKS.
COO BISTRO THE TIONG BAHRU ESTABLISHMENT HOUSES A PLACE IN WHICH YOU CAN SLEEP WHERE YOU EAT.
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girls aloud Text Indran P Images Various Sources
New York’s reputation as a fount of culture is both a blessing and hindrance to its creatives. But WALL seems to be above the pigeonholing tendencies of hype. The quartet, founded by bassist Elizabeth Skadden, exists in fundamental resistance to simple categorisations. Far from being a fashion-friendly posture, their all-caps aesthetic is grounded in the spirit of the ’90s riot grrrl femme-first ballast – imbued with an inherent grit from its New York origins, but world-facing in completely cosmopolitan ways. The tapestry of alienation is global in its scale. It is in this context that the music of WALL functions as a means by which four people stake their claim to their individuality, while raising a fist to those who don’t get it. Hit play on “Cuban Cigars” and get in line.
wearewall.com
music
cover feature
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“I DON’T LIKE KANYE WEST”, MONTREAL NATIVE TIGA JAMES SONTAG TELLS US, “AS A GRADE-A SUPERSTAR, I DON’T THINK HE STANDS UP”. THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO OUR QUESTION ABOUT WHAT HE, A NOTED DAVID BOWIE SUPERFAN, MAKES OF A BOWIE-LESS MUSICAL LANDSCAPE AND WHO, IF ANYONE, COULD FILL THE STARMAN’S SHOES. EVIDENTLY, HIS STANDARDS ARE INCREDIBLY HIGH. IT’S THE CONSENSUS OF THE DANCE WORLD THAT HIS 15-YEAR RUN HAS BEEN AN OTHERWORLDLY HOT STREAK THAT RECONFIGURED DANCE MUSIC AS IT’S APPRECIATED IN THE BROADEST SENSE. THAT WHATEVER COMES OUT OF CLUB SPEAKERS DOESN’T HAVE TO BE SKY-PUNCHING UNTZ UNTZ FARE, NOR SOME RIDICULOUSLY ESOTERIC FAUX-CEREBRAL AMBLE – BUT SOMETHING LIBERATING AND INTERESTING ALL THE SAME – IS A GUARANTEE THAT HE HAS PLAYED A BIG PART IN ESTABLISHING. THAT’S WHY HIS FIRST ALBUM IN SEVEN YEARS, NO FANTASY REQUIRED, IS SO APTLY TITLED. BEFORE HIS FORTHCOMING ZOUKOUT LANDING, HE CATCHES THE BEAT WITH US.
THE TAO OF TIGA music
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WELCOME TO NOW Perhaps the reason Tiga isn’t always mentioned in the same breath as Daft Punk is because costumery isn’t part of his schtick. Still, the parallels are there. Both are veritable legends in the dance pantheon – their long-cemented legacies testify to the best of dance music’s capabilities: that it’s infectiously and always dependably uplifting. Then, there’s the fundamental fact of how much Tiga and the helmeted twosome have, in their own ways, updated and galvanised disco, the precursor of electronic dance music.
“Club culture should start and end with a party. You’re going out to dance – that’s it. The trappings, clothes, VIP status – all of that is secondary”, he offers. Coming from one of the more gifted shapers of a culture that hundreds of millions the world over are actively involved in, these words carry an empowering freight. As he sees it, the essence of dance music isn’t its club-defined manifestations, nor its chin-stroking underground compulsions, but its fundamental power of making people dance. When we ask him about the notion of credibility in the DJ world, he scoffs at us: “Though, on the inside, I don’t consider myself an insider and I don’t take it seriously”. He affirms that self-seriousness inspires within him a reflexive drive to tease. That’s why No Fantasy Required is suffused with a Pucklike sense of humour. The songs, two of which are titled “Blondes Have More Fun” and “Bugatti”, unspool like amazing non-sequiturs; in-jokes whose punchlines can be felt and not thought of logically. Over these 11 club-crushing tracks, Tiga flirts with the bacchanal in a mock-sinister deadpan halfway between singing and speaking, and makes proclamations like, “I never want to be apart from you my dear / I guess it must be true / My lucky number’s two”.
Disco is a signifier of fun and it’s how a DJ operates within that rubric that dictates how they’ll be judged by the people that look to them to make them dance. And in this climate of impending EDM fatigue, people are more selective than ever about whom they give their bodies too. In that respect, No Fantasy Required is positively irresistible. Making good on pop’s urge to surge, Tiga moulds techno, house and electro into a heaving, disco-inflected, floor-shaking singularity. “My starting point has always been to write songs in slightly different ways”, he says of the album’s premise, affirming that in its stark-yet-propulsive bent, he is seeking to transcend even his own catalogue.
His rationale for the album’s cosmic but bizarre sense of humour is illuminating: “Music should be fun and exciting. It should hit you in a very instinctual way. That’s why childlike energy – that more naive, more automatic side of things – is so important to me, especially in dance music”. Like the music that results from it, this too, justifies why Tiga’s aesthetic is an established language. He doesn’t want to numb the brain, but to turbocharge its synapses.
No Fantasy Required is the sound of now, done transfixingly right. Two of our hyperdigital present’s biggest fixations are the idea of an absence of boundaries, and the eradication of taste as an aesthetic marker. Throughout the album, and particularly on highlights such as “Having So Much Fun” and “Always”, Tiga clashes together the populist appeal of disco with the au courant bass-first ethos of deep house. This is symptomatic of his finding a “new voice, a new way of singing and a new sound that felt more honest”. He chalks this up to experience – now, he’s less interested in the technical side of things and more concerned with what the sum total of a song can mean to his listener-dancers. And as you know, meaning is everything.
LICENSED TO ILL It’s clear that Tiga is not averse to complexity but to the pretences of complexity. No conversation about the state of dance music in 2016 is worth its words if EDM is absent from it. And with a winning wit and uncanny clear-headedness, he puts the interminable for-andagainst debate to rest. “EDM is such a massive term that everything gets thrown in there. Steve Aoki is a completely different artiste from Marcel Dettmann. Yes, they’re both making ‘dance’ music, but the comparison is as valid as saying that Avril Lavigne and David Bowie make ‘rock’ music” – he doesn’t even pause for a symbolic mic drop.
Text Indran P Image Femme de $arkozy Interview courtesy of Zouk Singapore
NO FILTER How does a serial genre rule-breaker become known as an upperechelon techno maverick? Via Tiga’s example, the answer is by being amazingly self-aware. Dance music is unreservedly the most popular musical form right now. As such, it’s also the most polarising, and discourse about it mostly orbits around the dichotomy between EDM and its advertised antithesis of ‘real’ dance music. Tiga, however, isn’t having any of it.
As much as purists might resent tank-topped, salon-tanned bros fist-pumping to infinity, the simple mathematics of supply and demand, and, undercutting that, the instinctual response large sections of humanity have towards gloriously multi-hued and propulsive aural stimuli, the present form of mass dance music is just as credible as its lesser-known variants, and its fans are legion. But as Tiga stresses, “what matters is that within this big group, there are those who do love or are falling in love with the music”.
TIGA
So, as you get your rave on at ZoukOut 2016, as panoramic a view of dance music as it gets, keep in mind Tiga’s words and dance like you mean and love it.
Catch Tiga at ZoukOut 2016, happening from December 9 to 10 at Siloso Beach, Sentosa. For tickets and more information, visit zoukout.com. tiga.ca
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SILVERCHAIR Status: Defunct
Some of you Tame Impala diehards weren’t born when Australia’s biggest non-AC/DC band ruled the roost. But from the early ’90s to 2011, the band’s brand of pop-filtered rock and metal was a consistent presence on charts and stages all over the world. Unlike their one-trick peers who didn’t evolve beyond the constricting parameters of grunge, Silverchair very successfully crossed over into the mainstream with lusher, more pop-oriented arrangements, while maintaining their hard rock bona fides. Case in point: its final album Young Modern featured both orchestral and glam elements throughout. But in 2011, citing a loss of the proverbial creative spark, the band announced its “indefinite hibernation”.
where are they now ? BABES IN TOYLAND
Status: Active In a nutshell, these all-girl grunge legends succumbed to intra-band conflict and subsequent legal issues before going their separate ways and, surprisingly, announcing their reunion in 2014, 13 years after calling it quits. The breakup of the Babes was a devastatingly extended affair and, from a PR standpoint, a lesson for all bands wherein discord is unquenchable. The trouble began when frontwoman Kat Bjelland’s new band Katastrophy Wife began to displace Babes as her main concern, costing the band their record deal. After levelling lawsuits at each other, the band was quiet until their 2014 ‘everything’s okay’ announcement.
NIRVANA
Status: Defunct
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Nirvana’s nonexistence is one of the most enduringly mourned tragedies, not just in music but in all of pop culture. Kurt Cobain is the cornerstone of the idiom of ’90s alternative rock and when he put himself on the business end of a shotgun on April 5, 1994, a huge part of the sound and sensibility of the movement died with him. From his ashes, bassist Krist Novoselic went on to start a series of alt-minded rock bands before involving himself in electoral reform. Drummer Dave Grohl, as you know, masterminded the Foo Fighters and is now one of rock’s most wealthiest nice guys .
THIRD EYE BLIND
Status: Active
THE CRANBERRIES Status: Active
Don’t be fooled by the media silence of Ireland’s second biggest – to U2, of course – stadium rock band; it’s still an ongoing phenomenon. Six years after its hiatus, the original lineup got together in 2010 – with tours in North and South America and Europe, as well as its sixth album Roses to show for it. Those looking for drama will be disappointed to know that nothing acrimonious led to the six-year time out. With the solo careers of frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan and lead guitarist Noel Hogan taking off, it was group consensus to take a break, until it was time to go again.
music
Shockingly, the creative force responsible for “Semi-Charmed Life” is still at it. Later this month, 20 years after its name-making hit, the alt-rock outfit will unfurl its new EP, We Are Drugs. This band’s story is a vastly encouraging one because, save for the messy and public ousting of founding member Kevin Cadogan and their outspoken critique of the Republican Party, nothing the band has done has been tabloid-worthy in a bad way. 2015’s Dopamine, its last studio album, was a critical and commercial success, indicating its vitality and viability at a time when its peers have long ceased to exist.
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THE GOO GOO DOLLS
Status: Active
THEY CAME, THEY ROCKED AND THEY VANISHED – OR DID THEY? MORE THAN 20 YEARS AFTER THE ’90S POP AND ROCK BOOM, WE FIND OUT WHAT SOME OF ITS AMBASSADORS ARE NOW UP TO.
BUSH
Despite a loss in hype and a significant shake-up amongst its members, these pop rock giants are still actively touring and releasing music. Frontman-guitarist John Rzeznik’s universally relatable songwriting and ear for catchy hooks is why The Dolls continue to be covered by every bar band worth its salt. But as a scene-defining act, the contemporary band is unable to transcend the hits of its past. While its last two albums, including this year’s Boxes, met with modest commercial success, critics bludgeoned the works for their formulaic nature and lack of timeliness. Sadly, the Dolls of today serve as a lesson to all those hawking an eraspecific sound.
Status: Active Easily one of the most successful bands of the ’90s, Bush enjoyed a level of ubiquity that led many critics to wonder: alternative to what, exactly? The slip from critical opinion occurred in 2002, after the band’s fifth album, Golden State, a commercial flop that established the need for a break a year later. During this time, lead guitarist Nigel Pulsford and bassist Dave Parsons exited the band for good, and frontman Gavin Rossdale cheated on bae Gwen Stefani with their nanny. In 2010, Rossdale declared that a reconfigured Bush lineup was ready to tour and record again. Later this month, its sixth album, Man On The Run, will enter the world.
SCREAMING TREES Status: Defunct
Simply put, the “Godfathers Of Grunge” are no more. After its 1996 album, Dust, the Mark Lanegan-led quartet languished in a four-yearlong creative drought before they were dropped from their label and, eventually, retired. The silver lining in all this is that Lanegan has established himself in a solo capacity as one of the most distinct voices in the rock world. His leathery, whiskey-burnt baritone is instantly recognisable, and besides his trove of solo albums, has graced records by Queens Of The Stone Age, Unkle, Moby and Melissa Auf der Maur, to name just some acts that have sought out him out. His presence ensures that his old band will never be forgotten.
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
Text Indran P Images Various Sources
Status: Unclear
Billy Corgan is insufferable – that’s an inescapable conclusion. Remember how, during the recording of Siamese Dream, he ordered drummer Jimmy Chamberlin to play until his hands bled? But, as it seems, time heals most wounds. In a recent Facebook Live video, Corgan revealed that he spoke to bassist D’arcy Wretzky for the first time in 16 years, and that the band’s original lineup is back in contact. Besides Corgan, Wretzky is the first member to publically state that she would consider the possibility of a reunion. As the replies of Chamberlain and guitarist James Iha are incoming, it’s with utmost ardour that we hope their answers are affirmative.
COLLECTIVE SOUL Status: Active
Consider how the times have changed. Though Collective Soul typified the long-haired, deepvoiced, flannel-draped aesthetic of the ‘alternative’ ’90s, it’s since released an album on Roadrunner Records, the stable of a slew of metal bands including Slipknot and Dream Theatre. This is not indicative of a consciously heavier shift in the band’s sound – which, truth be told, hasn’t changed much – but of the displacement that ’90s legends like Collective Soul encounter in the industry today. Undeterred, and with new guitarist Jesse Triplett replacing longtime lead guitarist Joel Kosche, the group is soldiering on and has promised to release an album next year.
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HIGH FIDELITY
Would you say you were at a different place when you were making Vega Intl. than you were on Era Extraña? Yes, definitely. There are certain notes of melancholia that were on Era Extraña that aren’t on Vega Intl. With the latter, I felt I was making music for the love of it. I came to the conclusion that I could go back to film if music stopped being fun. The ultimatum that it had to be fun was what liberated me on this record. That’s why it’s upbeat in a way that isn’t commercial. Would you say that you write love songs? No. For me, it’s more a process of recounting.
A song may have romantic lyrics in it but they’re there for my own analysis and for me to revisit that particular time and person. If there’s any realisation I’ve had in my 20s, it’s that you can’t write a song and make someone fall in love with you.
What’s the story behind “Annie”? I’ve always appreciated narrative songs about a specific person. Suicide’s “Frankie Teardrop” is a good example of this. I wanted “Annie” to be like that; less about morbid self-attention and more cinematic. It’s deliberately ambiguous to make people guess whom it’s about. It’s a tongue-incheek call back to the novelty songs of the ’80s with the caveat that it’s not cheesy. How has the move from Texas to New York been? What would you say is the biggest difference between the two? The weather, for one. I’m in Texas now and it’s still 90 deg F with 100 per cent humidity outside. There’s an intimacy about Texas that I like. The artistes there all sort of bind under the common cause. New York’s more fragmented in that sense because it’s oversaturated with art. What was going through your mind when
critics kept describing your early work as “chillwave”? Were you ever annoyed by the term? Oh, yes; incredibly. It’s funny because I know the guy who came up with it. What was odd about it was that it started out as a joke, but it really stuck. I found it aesthetically offensive because it’s premised on this lack of reference – it’s kind of moronic. And what was it like working with the Flaming Lips on your collaborative EP? I had a phenomenal time making it with them. It was a spontaneous and fun lost weekend. What’s great about those guys is that their habits in the studio feel just as much as a production as their live show. They split up in teams, spread duties out amongst each other and work very efficiently. They just told me to go in there and do something cool. When Wayne Coyne asks this of you, you better do something cool.
Catch Neon Indian at Neon Lights 2016, happening from November 26 to 27 at Fort Canning Park. neonindian.com
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NEON INDIAN music
“I DON’T MISS A BEAT”, COOS ALAN PALOMO ON THE LONGING YET SEDUCTIVE SINGLE “ANNIE”. EVEN TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT, THE LINE IS INDICATIVE OF THE KNOWING, NEAR-EXPERT CRAFTSMANSHIP THAT PALOMO HAS DEMONSTRATED OVER HIS CAREER, AND MOST NOTABLY, ON HIS THIRD ALBUM VEGA INTL. NIGHT SCHOOL, FROM WHICH THE TRACK HAILS. YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF THE CHILLWAVE SCENE THAT HE WAS UNFAIRLY BENCHED IN, AND BEFORE HE SWAYS THE STAGE AT NEON LIGHTS 2016, HE TALKS BEATS AND MORE WITH US.
Text Indran P Image & interview courtesy of Neon Lights
We understand that Vega Intl. Night School comes after a particularly stressful period in your life. Well, as you’re making a record, you develop a pretty intimate relationship with it. But once it’s out there, it takes on its own life and becomes a little bit more of an abstraction. What started out as stressful allowed me to birth something – this is what I find special about being a musician. And, truth be told, I did have fun making it especially since I wanted to create something that works on its very existence.
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FROM KAMPUNG TO COSMOPOLIS
TO SAY THAT SINGAPORE HAS SEEN A REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATION SINCE BECOMING A REPUBLIC IN 1965 WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT. WHILE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO MISS OUR FUTURISTIC SKYLINE, THE LION CITY’S CREATIVE SCENE DOESN’T COME INTO VIEW AS EASILY. ELEVATING OUR AMBITIOUS YOUNG TALENTS ON THE GLOBAL STAGE, THE HEINEKEN SHAPE YOUR CITY CAMPAIGN PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR BIG DREAMERS TO OPEN UP WORLDS OF ARTISTIC POSSIBILITY. BEFORE THEY “SHAPE YOUR CITY”, LET’S LOOK AT JUST HOW FAR WE’VE COME.
WORLD-CLASS CLUBS
There’s no place more fitting than Singapore to attribute the age-old phrase, “Work hard, play hard”. A far cry from the humble bars and pubs that once dotted our island, Singapore’s illuminated nightlife scene now serves as an example other world cities aspire to follow. One such example is Zouk; what started as a simple warehouse turned into a club mecca that seized the sixth spot of DJ Mag’s ‘Top 100 Clubs’ this year. Whether it’s roaming the ultra-lounges of Clarke Quay or partying atop a skyscraper at 1-Altitude, Singapore’s evolving nocturnal nature has plenty of surprises to come.
MOVING UP IN MUSIC
Singapore used to mandate men cutting their hair short before entering – now we have the likes of Tame Impala’s shaggy-haired Kevin Parker dropping in to take us on sonic journeys all year round. With international artistes excitedly arriving on our shores and festivals like Laneway, Ultra, Neon Lights and It’s The Ship becoming annual affairs, we’re seeing our homegrown heroes hit the stage with heavyweight acts more than ever. That indie rockers Cashew Chemists have shared the stage with Grimes, and THELIONCITYBOY named alongside DJ Snake, goes to show that Made-InSG music is ready to take on the world.
FILMS OF THE FUTURE
In the face of strict guidelines, local filmmakers have often found difficulty getting their stories screened abroad, let alone at home. But with independent filmmakers like Eric Khoo and Boo Junfeng wowing audiences at Cannes Film Festival, that’s due to change. Earning big praise without big budgets – like Tzang Merwyn Tong’s internationally acclaimed dystopian narrative, Faeryville – there’s no question that Singapore’s filmmakers have a vision that’s waiting to be projected onto silver screens across the globe.
SHAPE YOUR CITY
Gearing up for Heineken CITIES campaign, The Amsterdam-born brewer looks to our young creatives to inspire positive change on a global scale. Five homegrown “City Shapers” will come together with their respective specialties – from sound to lighting, design to music – to transform a national icon that will be revealed on December 14. Just as Singapore has evolved to defy expectation, crowds will once again see their country through a new lens, making for an unforgettable nightlife experience.
The Heineken CITIES campaign is set to #ShapeYourCity on December 14. For more info and updates, visit heineken.com/sg.
FORWARD-THINKING FASHION
While it’s no easy feat competing with big-name brands in our bustling network of malls and department stores, local designers have been rising up the ranks on the global fashion runway – and not only has the rest of the world been noticing, they’ve been buying in. Sneaker stalwart Mark Ong of SBTG has found his custom kicks becoming highly sought-after amongst streetwear collectors, while others, like fashion designer Josiah Chua, have seen their idiosyncratic creations worn by superstars like Lady Gaga. Thread by thread, Singapore’s sartorial visionaries are turning the city-state into a fashion capital.
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HEART TO HEART
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You were last in Singapore in 2014. What was the best part of that experience? I think the best part was seeing the reaction from fans there. It was our first time in Singapore and it was amazing to be in a place we’ve never been and see so many people excited about our band.
There are connections and similarities to our past albums, but there are also moments that are unlike anything we’ve ever done before. I think we had some creative breakthroughs on this album that allowed us to go to places we haven’t been able to in the past.
What are your thoughts on the song more than 10 years on? The longevity of that song and people’s connection to it is really amazing to us. It feels like that song has a life of its own and has become something that’s really beyond us.
Tidal Wave is finally out. How do you feel about the album? I’m so proud of the record especially since it really felt like a breakthrough for us. I hope people love it as much as we do.
The lead single “Tidal Wave” has political overtones that are obvious and intentional. Does the band see the metaphorical “tidal wave” as a positive or negative force? In the context of that song, I’d say it’s a negative thing. For me, it represents something in your life that you’re trying to escape or hide from, but you know eventually you’ll have to face up to it, and that terrifies you.
TBS emerged at about the same time as Myspace. What’s the biggest change you’ve noticed in culture between those days and now? Probably the biggest change we’ve seen is the digitisation of music and that people can now get it for free. When we started out, the only way you could buy music was on CDs or vinyl and the only way to steal music was shoplifting.
In the spirit of the second single, “You Can’t Look Back”, what would you say is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? It’d have to be making the choice to pursue a career in music without setting up any kind of back-up plan.
Lastly, at this point in your careers, how annoyed are you by the “emo” tag? I don’t know if we’re annoyed by it exactly. It’s just a term that never meant anything to us and it hasn’t become any more meaningful as the years have gone by.
As you know, “Cute Without the E (Cut from the Team)” is a TBS fan favourite around the world.
takingbacksunday.com
Tidal Wave’s cover art depicts a child contemplating a vast ocean and stretch of sky. Would you say that recording the album was an entirely new experience for you? I wouldn’t say the experience was entirely new. In a lot of ways, the overall experience was similar to our past ones. There were just some creative approaches we took to things that were new. Frontman Adam Lazzara has called Tidal Wave “a giant leap” from Happiness Is. From a personal perspective, how different is it from your earlier work?
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Text Indran P Image Ryan Russell Interview Courtesy Of Hopeless Records
“WE WON’T STAND FOR HAZY EYES ANYMORE”, GOES THE HOOK FROM THE FIRST SONG OFF TAKING BACK SUNDAY’S 2002 DEBUT, TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS. WE’RE NOT ATTRIBUTING PROPHETIC POWERS TO THE QUINTET, BUT THAT LINE PERFECTLY DESCRIBES THEIR ATTITUDE TO THE EMO MOVEMENT TODAY. THE BAND HAS ALWAYS TRAFFICKED IN HOOKY, BEAUTIFULLY FILIGREED HEART-ON-SLEEVISMS BUT OVER THE YEARS, ITS IMPRINT HAS BEEN REFINED AND BROADENED TO EMBRACE ROCK & ROLL’S LEVELLING POWER, AS WELL AS AN EMOTIONAL HONESTY THAT SEEKS OUT ANSWERS INSTEAD OF DWELLING ON THE QUESTIONS. THE PROOF IS ALL OVER THEIR NEW ALBUM, TIDAL WAVE, WHICH REFLECTS ON THE POLITICAL AND PERSONAL WITH A HARD-RIFFING CANDOUR. GUITARIST-VOCALIST JOHN NOLAN ELABORATES.
2017
NOW
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THE PRINCE ANTIGONE You’ve just wrapped up your Asia tour. What were some of its highlights? I had an amazing time in Ho Chi Min. It was by far one of the best gigs in Asia and it was held in this cool venue called The Observatory. Kuala Lumpur was very nice as well. Besides the gigs I’m playing, I’ve enjoyed walking around the lovely cities. What would you say is the biggest risk you took on the Saudade EP? The idea behind this EP was very different in terms of melody. I tried to focus more on ambient sounds and on a lot of unconventional textures. I wanted to focus more on percussion than melody and do things in a more abstract sort of way. In your opinion, what’s special about techno? Techno, for me, is a style where you can really let your self embrace and explore your own creativity. Everyone can make it with a little bit of work. You don’t need to know a whole lot about instruments. It’s a style where you can really create your own world of sound – that’s why I got into it. I was just fascinated by the idea of creating my own kick drums and synth lines. In a way, it feels a little bit like creating your own colours. You’ve called France “the melting pot of techno music”. What sets the French scene apart from that of other European cities? I guess, in a way, we kind of take parts from all the techno styles in Europe and make our own sound. What’s good about this is that we don’t really have a defined ‘French’ sound. Every artiste has his or her own style.
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You came up in the ’00s, when the electronic scene was not as widely accepted in France. What has changed now? As a whole, people got interested in dance music five years ago, and I guess it’s because of the new generation of promoters and producers who are now making waves. For instance, Paris used to be a city where a lot of the promoters were quite old and were always focusing on the big names. Also, we didn’t have as many clubs around as we do now. You’ve collaborated with Francois X on different projects. Would you consider these experiences educational? Francois X is a good friend. We began this partnership four years ago without the idea of releasing anything. We were just making tracks from time to time and eventually, we realised that we could put out a double EP. Working with him is mostly a lot of fun. He brings ideas and loops to the table and we play around with synths to add textures. It’s like a big jam session. Are you currently working on any releases? I’ve just finished my new EP for Token Records that’s due for release in a few months. Besides that, I also have an ambient track coming out on the Indigo Aera label. Lastly, since we’re revisiting the ’90s this month, who are some artistes from that era that you still admire? I’ve always been a big fan of Luke Slater, Jeff Mills and Inigo Kennedy.
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Text Indran P Image Antonin Jeanson
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TODAY, THE FICKLENESS OF HYPE HAS REACHED THERMONUCLEAR LEVELS. WHERE ONE’S LONGEVITY IN THE CULTURAL SPHERE ONCE DEPENDED A LOT ON TALENT, THE VERY NOTION OF LONGEVITY IS NOW AS TENUOUS AS A HOUSE OF CARDS. BUT THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THIS DISMAYING RULE. ANTONIN JEANSON AKA ANTIGONE IS THE NAME THAT’S WHISPERED IN REVERED TONES IN TECHNO CIRCLES, AND FOR GOOD REASON. INSPIRED BY THE ARCANE MINIMALISM OF RICHIE HAWTIN AND RICARDO VILLALOBOS, THE YOUNG PARISIAN HAS DEVOTED YEARS TO MASTERING THE MERGING OF ASTRAL AND VISCERAL SOUNDS, BRAVELY TAKING CONTEMPORARY TECHNO ONTO VASTLY INTERESTING TANGENTS. HIS NEW EP SAUDADE IS ONE SUCH GREAT PROMISE OF THE FUTURE AND HERE, HE INVITES US DEEPER INTO HIS SOUNDS AND SCENE.
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SUCH G R E AT SOUL “SOUL MUSIC IS SOUL MUSIC. IT CAN BE WRAPPED UP IN A NEO-SOUL OR HIP-HOP PACKAGE. BUT SOUL IS SOUL, AND IT’S BEEN AROUND; IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY” – THESE ARE THE WORDS OF SEMINAL SINGER-SONGWRITER MAXWELL AND THEY APPLY PERFECTLY TO FRITZ KALKBRENNER. LIKE HIS ELDER BROTHER PAUL, KALKBRENNER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR IRREPLICABLE TECHNO MUSIC, BUT WITH ONE DEFINING DIFFERENCE. HE IMBUES HIS THUMPS WITH A REVERED MEASURE OF SOUL AND AN EMOTIONALLY GRIPPING STORYTELLING POWER HE INHERITED FROM HIS CHILDHOOD HEROES, ERIC B. & RAKIM, KRS ONE AND THE WU-TANG CLAN. IN HIS FIFTH AND NEWEST ALBUM, GRAND DÉPART, THE BERLIN DJ-PRODUCER AND SINGER SIGNS OFF ON THE MOST FULLY REALISED ITERATION OF HIS SOUND. THIS MEANS THAT AT HIS UPCOMING ZOUKOUT 2016 STINT, WE CAN EXPECT SOME OF CUTTINGEDGE DANCE MUSIC’S BEST. HERE’S THE MAN HIMSELF WITH HIS WORDS OF WIZ-DOM. music
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FRITZ KALKBRENNER
Your new album Grand Départ was released last month. How does it feel to have five albums of music to your name? I can tell you that it’s not a bad feeling for several reasons. This way of expression has been a passion of mine for a while. It’s been good to have an audience that I could do this for. As a musician, I wasn’t concerned with being successful or shooting to the top. The most important thing is that I’m able to make music and live off it. Going by the title Grand Départ, can listeners expect a big change in your sound? With the albums I made before, I was always pushing my sound further towards a particular style I had in mind. Of course, there was a gap between the sound I had in mind and what I was able to accomplish. Nonetheless, I’ve always believed that as an artiste, it’s mandatory to walk toward that goal. So, for Grand Départ, I worked with more studio musicians on the brass and string sections. At the very early stages, I had this image in my head of an old French movie where there were smoke-yellowed curtains and overflowing ashtrays. I wanted to soundtrack that.
You are one of the few DJ-producers who sing on their own tracks. Which do you enjoy more, singing or producing? I would say that I’m a producer who sings, not a singer who produces. The production always has a little more weight for me but both parts are integral. I cherish them equally. As someone who has been immersed in the dance scene since a young age, would you say that your attitude towards clubbing has changed over the years? Throughout the years, the scene has been growing and evolving. Now, it’s a lot more international, which may not have a lot of links to old school dance music. Still, people seem to like that. Taking stock, I’d say that the scene has evolved into a sort of industry that can sustain itself. In the end, regardless of all the good and bad, this is a positive thing.
Text Indran P Image & interview courtesy of Zouk Singapore
The single, “In This Game”, is one your lushest works yet. Lyrically, it tells a story of healing and redemption. Would you agree? It’s great if that’s what you feel about the lyrics. I don’t normally speak on the lyrics of my songs. I want to avoid a situation where the songwriter comes to the listener with an index finger and specifies what the song is about. This limits things. That’s why I don’t talk about the inner meanings of lyrics, even for myself. Someone’s own theories may be completely sustainable and different from mine – and I’m fine with that.
Since you were a former music journalist, are you more critical of the music articles that you read? What would you consider to be a well-written piece? I think that a well-written piece must represent many different aspects of music and respect the artiste, of course. It must attempt to understand what drove him or her to make that particular music, even if the writer cannot quite understand why.
Do you and Paul bounce ideas off each other? Do you give each other feedback? No, we don’t go back and forth. I’m doing my stuff and he’s doing his. When we were younger, over 10 years ago, we shared feedback about each other’s tracks but not anymore. When what each of us does is so saturated with our own aesthetic, any input from the other person isn’t help at all. These days, we just give each other our final albums. And we come at each other with 1,000 words that essentially say, “Yup”. It’s kind of freaky.
What do you like most about coming to Singapore to play? I’m definitely looking forward to coming back to play for the people of Singapore. I’ve played in Singapore several times and each one of those nights has been great – I can’t wait to come back.
Catch Fritz Kalkbrenner at ZoukOut 2016, happening from December 9 to 10 at Siloso Beach, Sentosa. For tickets and more information, visit zoukout.com. fritzkalkbrenner.de
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MIAMI HAS LONG BEEN ONE OF THE UNDISPUTED PARTY CAPITALS OF THE DANCE WORLD AND IN 2010, TWO OF ITS NATIVES, JULIO MEJIA AND MATT TOTH, BANDED TOGETHER AND DUBBED THEIR COLLABORATIVE ENDEAVOUR GTA, SHORT FOR GOOD TIMES AHEAD. IN LESS CAPABLE HANDS, THAT SORT OF CHRISTENING MAY SEEM LIKE A TALL ORDER VERGING ON SELF-SABOTAGE, BUT NOT FOR THESE BROS. SIDESTEPPING EDM PITFALLS, THEY’VE INVOKED A MYRIAD OF VIBRANT AND DYNAMIC TRAP SOUNDS TO TAKE CONVENTIONAL DANCE MUSIC SKYWARDS. SET TO ROCK DAY ONE OF ZOUKOUT 2016, TOTH CATCHES HIS BREATH WITH US BEFORE THE BIG DAY. Where are you now and what’s kept you busy lately? We are in San Marcos, Texas, right now. We’re on the third week of our Good Times Ahead bus tour and we’re incredibly busy. We just put out this self-titled album and we’re trying to spread the word about it. Over the past few months, cuts from Good Times Ahead have been club staples. What would you say was your overall vision behind the record? We really just wanted to make a cohesive body of work – an album that you can play from beginning to end with no filler tracks, where each track is strong enough to stand on its own. That’s why it took almost two years. We wanted to push ourselves and the artistes that we worked with to create something new and exciting.
Good Times Ahead features a slew of great singers and rappers. How do you decide whom to collaborate with? We asked a lot of people if they were open to working on certain songs with us and reached out to artistes that we really loved, and they responded almost immediately with ideas! It was such an honour working with these talented people and we are so proud of the outcome. There’s more of a rap and trap element in your sound now. Is that what you’re listening to more? Yeah, we’ve always been a bit more influenced by hip-hop. Julio and I are really into hip-hop these days so I guess it does rub off on us. But really, I think we’re attracted to the more organic and raw kind of sounds, which is very much present in rap and trap. What was it like touring with Rihanna on her Diamonds World Tour? She is awesome to tour with! She is such a nice person and always included us whenever we were
around her. It was the first time we had ever played to crowds that big – as huge as 90,000. So, it was a real eye-opening experience for us as artistes. What advice do you have for young producers and DJs out there? Well, for a while it’s going to be hard to find your sound. And it’ll probably be a long and frustrating process. But it’s important that you don’t give up, ever. Don’t try and take any shortcuts because it’ll be very apparent in your sound. Don’t try and force anything. Just take things one step at a time. Know that there’s always time to get better. Especially in the beginning, it can be very discouraging when things aren’t happening as quickly as you want them. Just keep your head up and keep pushing forward. Lastly, what must a song have to be the perfect banger? It’s got to have the energy and the groove, and it’s got to make your head nod when you hear it.
Catch GTA at ZoukOut 2016, happening from December 9 to 10 at Siloso Beach, Sentosa. For tickets and more information, visit zoukout.com. wearegta.com
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Text Indran P Image & Interview courtesy of Zouk Singapore
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What would you say is the biggest difference between Good Times Ahead and the DTG series of EPs that you released throughout last year?
Well, the biggest change is that we tried to push ourselves as producers to create something different. We wanted to focus on showing people how creative we can be and what we think an album should sound like.
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MASTER OF ONE
ONE WITH ALDRIN IS AN INVITATION AND A GUARANTEE. IT’S A WARM-HEARTED EMBRACE THAT WILL TAKE YOU INTO THE MORE DASHING REGIONS OF HOUSE AND TECHNO, MUSICAL PLANES WHERE NON-COMMERCIAL SOUNDS CONGEAL INTO EXQUISITELY KINETIC EXPERIENCES. AS ONE OF THE FIRST FEW LOCAL DJS TO MAKE HIS MARK REGIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, ALDRIN IS A VERITABLE ICON OF CUTTING-EDGE CLUB CULTURE. HE HAS ALSO SHARED HIS GIFTS AS A FORMER RESIDENT DJ AT ZOUK AND WILL TAKE THE DECKS AT THIS YEAR’S EDITION OF ZOUKOUT. CATCH UP WITH HIM BELOW. How does it feel to be playing at ZoukOut 2016? I’m honoured to be back once again and especially excited this year as I’ll finally be playing at the Star Stage, which is musically more up my alley. What are some of the acts you’re excited to see? I’m looking forward to catching Hot Since 82 as I’ve been getting into his own productions, and those from his label Knee Deep In Sound. Besides him, I’m keen to hear what Fritz Kalkbrenner and Tiga have up their sleeves. And over on my Singapore Island Culture Club radar, I’ll be looking out for RAC and Snakehips.
Text Indran P Image & interview courtesy of Zouk Singapore
Is there one highlight that stands out from your stint as a Zouk resident DJ? There are plenty, but I guess it’d have to be the very first: an appearance on British dance music magazine Muzik as “DJ Of The Month” back in 2000 that kick-started it all. How did your vision for your ONE nights come about? Right after a major refurbishment in 2000, and with a calendar of international DJ bookings that was growing exponentially, the Zouk team realised that their regular nights needed more leverage and decided that it was time for their resident DJs to have their own proper themed night to push their preferred sound. My vision was to garner more local support and to build my own local community by uniting them on the dancefloor with my then percussion-heavy genrebending sets of tribal, tech house, progressive house and techno. So with the motto: ‘When the music, the DJ, and you, come together as ONE’ (an offshoot of Zouk’s motto: “One World, One Music, One Tribe, One Dance”), plus specially curated props, flyers and invites, T-shirt- and CDgiveaways, my ONE night was born.
Do you have a philosophy or personal belief you abide by when it comes to your craft as a DJ? Any and every DJ can play the same 10 tracks, so it’s best to have your own creative style. Over the last couple of years, deep house has become extremely popular in both the dance mainstream and underground. Why do you think that is? I guess people are finally getting tired of all that mainstream commercial stuff. But honestly, just like every other genre, there’s the cool, quality deep house a la Solomun, Todd Terje etc., but there’s also that so-called “deep house”, which basically covers old ’80s and ’90s hits, rehashes the lyrics and mashes them up with cheesy riffs. So be careful with what you’re getting into. Lastly, what would you say to Singapore’s young and aspiring DJs? There’s plenty of great music out there, so explore and get deeper into it; don’t just stick to the obvious mainstream and commercial stuff for instant gratification, recognition and fame. Also, there has to be a good balance between educating and entertaining the dance floor. It’s not fun for the average clubber if you try to force a set of the most obscure, purist tracks down their throats. Likewise, it isn’t very cool or creative playing a set that’s filled with big obvious tunes after big obvious tunes.
Catch Aldrin at ZoukOut 2016, happening from December 9 to 10 at Siloso Beach, Sentosa. For tickets and more information, visit zoukout.com. soundcloud.com/onewithmusic
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SONIC YOUTH
THE SUMMER STATE
Hey guys, it’s known that you’re currently working on your upcoming EP. How’s the progress going and when can we expect it? Edwin: We had to put it on hold the past few weeks to focus on the Simple Plan and Against The Current shows, but it’s getting there. We’re bouncing off song ideas and will head into the recording studios after Rockaway Festival. Yes, you’re due to play the Rockaway Festival in Malaysia. How does it feel to be on the same bill as Taking Back Sunday and The Get Up Kids? Shaykh: I would like to think of it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Being able to have a closer look at how these bands ‘do it’ is definitely something that is priceless. So yes, it’s safe to say that I am excited to see their work ethic behind the scenes, and also to watch how all of that would later contribute to putting on a great show. You’ve mentioned that “Enough” is about living up to the expectations of others. What advice would you give to someone who’s facing a situation like that? E: Just do you. There’s no point trying to do the things everyone expects of you to do because
you’re never going to please everyone anyway. So do what makes you happy and find likeminded people to surround yourself with. Having played outside of Singapore, have you noticed any difference between the crowds in other countries and the audience here? S: After seeing how different people are just within Asia, I’ve come to realise that the beauty of people is actually not in their differences; it’s within the similarities. I’m so grateful to have been able to witness the power of music and how it unites people from all walks of life. It’s common consensus that alt-rock and pop punk are making a comeback in pop culture. Why do you think that is? Bryan: I realised that 2016/17 marks the 10-year anniversary of a lot of the really influential punk and emo albums. A bunch of artistes, such as My Chemical Romance, are also releasing anniversary editions and holding reunion tours. It’s definitely taking music lovers on a walk down memory lane. You have opened for big acts like Yellowcard and Mayday Parade. What’s your biggest takeaway
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from these high-profile shows? Veek: That this really is the best time to be alive. We not only get to watch our favourite bands play, but also share the stage with them. How do you juggle your day jobs/school while making music and playing shows? B: It’s really about being able to adapt and focus attention on whichever calls for it. With the band, we have our busy periods as well; things settle down for writing and inspiration, then pick up again with rehearsals and shows. It’s a cycle and I admit that we’re only just beginning to get the hang of it. What are some of your New Year resolutions in advance? E: To finally release our new EP! And learn how to drive.
Catch The Summer State live at the Rockaway Festival 2016 at Bukit Jalil Extreme Park, Kuala Lumpur on November 19. For tickets and more information, visit rockawayfest.com. thesummerstate.bandcamp.com
Text Indran P Image Gabriel Lean
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IF YOU’VE BEEN ATTUNED TO THE LOCAL INDIE ROCK SCENE OF LATE, YOU’LL RECOGNISE THIS SUBLIMELY ENERGETIC REFRAIN: “OH, YOU’RE NOT ENOUGH FOR ME / YOU NEVER WILL, NEVER WILL BE ENOUGH FOR ME”. SUPERLATIVELY IRRESISTIBLE, THIS EARWORM IS “ENOUGH”, BY LOCAL QUINTET THE SUMMER STATE. KNOWN FOR THEIR PROPULSIVE PAYLOAD OF POP PUNK-ACCENTED ALTERNATIVE ROCK, FRONTMAN BRYAN ULRIC STA MARIA, GUITARISTS VICTORIA CHEW AND SHAYKH AKBAR, BASSIST EDWIN WALIMAN, AND DRUMMER RITZ ANG RECENTLY SCORED A BIG ONE WHEN THEY LANDED THE CHANCE TO PLAY ALONGSIDE TAKING BACK SUNDAY AT THE UPCOMING ROCKAWAY FESTIVAL IN MALAYSIA. HERE’S THE LOWDOWN ON HOW OUR YOUNG LOCAL HEROES FEEL ABOUT THE HONOUR.
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PLAINSUNSET
GOODBYE AND GOODNIGHT SOMETIMES, EVEN THE SHEER FORCE OF A CLICHE ISN’T ENOUGH TO HALT A GENUINE EMOTIONAL RESPONSE. SO BRACE YOURSELVES, BECAUSE IT’S GOING TO GET TEARY. VERY SOON, PLAINSUNSET – ONE OF SINGAPORE’S LONGEST-RUNNING BANDS – WILL RELEASE ITS FINAL ALBUM, BOTH BOXER & BENJAMIN. AFTER 20 YEARS OF SOARING INDIE ROCK, THE BAND WILL DISSOLVE INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER OF ITS RESPECTIVE MEMBERS’. BELOW, FRONTMAN JON AND GUITARIST SHAM BREAK THE NEWS.
Text Indran P Image Djulian Chng Interview Courtesy Of Secret Signals
Moving on is a fact of life. Jon: It happens. No one is immortal and we’d all have to do this sometime. Musically, we’re at a very different place – actual creative differences are occurring. Lifestyles are changing as well. I am hoping to start my PhD and some of us will move. Sham: I guess, it’s a good time to move on, as I am moving away with my family. As for the music, we have different views on what the band should sound like at this point. But we are really happy that Both Boxer & Benjamin is where everyone meets in the middle.
Animal Farm and what it all means. J: Boxer is the resident obsessive idealist horse and Benjamin, the brooding silent cynical donkey. I feel that in all of us, there is usually a mix of both. In a sense, it’s appropriate where politics exists: liberals versus conservatives. In my honest opinion, both sides can go stuff themselves up the rear aperture because no one truly has the answers. Looking back. J: I can’t tell which I’ll miss most: playing to people who like our songs and sang along, or the excitement of writing with people. I guess, we like the attention but that can come with other things. Our priorities in life have changed. S: I will miss being able to banter on stage with Jon, Nizam and Helmi because I have the mic and you don’t! That, and being on stage with those three wonderful people, of course. The final word. J: In some ways, Both Boxer & Benjamin is meant to be the last hurrah.
I see it as the last attempt to show stuff you hear under this name. We put in slightly more effort into recording this time around, because we won’t be able to ‘fix it for the next one’. I focus on the message, because that’s my job. And this time, the message is basically telling everyone, “let’s accept that we know nothing. It’s just that we refuse to step outside of our comfort zones to find out”. S: I guess it sums up what we did for the 20 years that we have been together as a band. It has everything in it – happiness, sadness, anger, cockiness, etc. That one special song. J: At this point, it would have to be “Pioneer” off the current album. It’s one of two songs where the musical angst, sadness and intricacy balance well with the cynicism and idealism of the lyrics. The lyrics say what the music wants to, and the music reflects what the lyrics feel. S: Right now, it has to be “Programme”, because it reflects that it’s not a normal situation when you have to listen up and pay attention to all the things that you are told to do. Fans, we salute you. J: Thanks for listening. You’ve given us a huge chance that we don’t deserve. It’s been both stressful and fun. S: We are so grateful to everyone that came to our shows, bought our merch, sang and laughed with us. Special thanks to our friends and family who gave us an opportunity to carry this on for 20 years.
plainsunset.bandcamp.com
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PUNK’S NOT DEAD – IT WILL NEVER DIE. ON THE LOCAL FRONT, THIS WAS MADE AMPLY CLEAR WHEN HOMEGROWN OI! PUNKS, GENERATION 69, ROSE TO THE TOP OF THE VANS MUSICIANS WANTED COMPETITION AND CLAIMED VICTORY. SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1997, THE QUINTET OF KOJACK, AMIN, BOON, MUJAHID AZFAR, AND FAHMIE HAS BEEN ROUSING THE RABBLE FOR THE CAUSE OF LION CITY PUNK ROCK WITH A GRITTY VERVE AND INSPIRING INTENSITY. IT’S WITH GREAT HONOUR THAT WE PRESENT A CHAT WITH ONE OF SINGAPORE’S FINEST BANDS.
GENERATION 69
What’s in a name Back in our teens, we wanted a name that could bring an impact to our lives and that was inspired by the traditional skinheads of the late ’60s. We came up with a name that derived from the people of today and the generation of skinheads back in ’69. That way, we could remember our roots and bring them forward into the future with our beliefs and faith for our culture. Oi! The skinhead subculture was born in the late ’60s. It’s a mixture of dub, reggae, rocksteady, and ska. As the years went by, the music evolved into something more fast and heavy, eventually culminating in Oi!. Most of the songs involve life events – topics include love, politics, pride, loyalty, and anti-racism. Best road experience It definitely has to be Skinhead Jamboree in Pahang, Malaysia in 2014. It was like a summer camp in the woods plus a gig. Everyone was working and volunteering together to make the event a successful one, even to the extent of cooking dinner out in the woods to feed everyone. People looked sharp and there were kids as young as four years old dressed in full skinhead gear. The sight of Lambrettas and Vespas, and kids and adults playing by a nearby stream, made it a pretty cool event.
Punks at home The punk scene here isn’t what it used to be. It used to be so full of life. There were politics but not as bad as now. Everyone was pretty much united in fighting for what we believed in. We believe in equality within the scene. There’s no saying who is better – be it skins, punks, hardcore, or metal heads and so on. Nevertheless, the scene here is growing at a slow rate. Thumbs up to those who still believe. Then and now Back in the early ’90s, it was hard for us to play shows without getting discriminated against. Substation, Area 22 and Core Club were some of the venues that managed local gigs and over the years – due to lack of support and the intervention of government agencies – many were shut down. Now, many youths are familiar with the music, and most of the directors in the government sector and companies are much more open-minded than before. This gives us a new platform to perform and voice out our beliefs. Words of punk wisdom Stay true to what you believe in. Do something that will change or improve our scene. Most of the old lads are slowing down and it’s time for you guys to shine and show the world what you’re made of. Keep it fun, keep it simple. And like we always say, eff the politics, keep the ethics! New music We have a new single coming out. We’re currently working on new material with Dr. Dre and Desiigner to step up the game for Oi! music. Braaaaaaaaapppp! Just kidding – or maybe not.
soundcloud.com/generation69
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PUNK AND PROUD
Winning Vans Musicians Wanted We were surprised when we won the competition. We just didn’t expect it because of all the great bands that signed up and the votes they got. We are truly blessed and thankful for the awesome experience. Big thanks to Vans and a big shout-out to all the bands that participated.
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LOVE IS LOUD Midway through the lead single “Pain”, the words “never find love” are repeated for a full minute as a dam-bursting symphony of overdriven guitars ring with pummelling intensity. This is the work of Brooklyn quartet, LVL UP – as good a sign as any that it’s an irony-free endeavour, despite its deceptively corny moniker. The band has found itself unwilling signifiers of the largely Internet-dictated ‘back to the ’90s’ phase of the more trending sections of the zeitgeist. Sure, its modus is consciously ‘alternative’ but it’s not a bunch of flannel-doused grunge clones. Within the sprawling scope of its astonishing debut album Return To Love, there’s an unignorable investment in the here and now. For all intents and purposes, the band’s short existence thus far has been an exercise in harnessing the merits of democracy. Unlike its peers throughout music history, LVL UP has no single principle songwriter. Guitarists Mike Caridi and Dave Benton, and bassist Nick Cordo take turns writing songs; each perspective is a personal reckoning that reverberates throughout the universal experience of young adulthood.
Return To Love is an elemental tour de force. Imagery of rivers, clouds and mountains pervade its 10 songs, as do amp-busting swells of feedback and distortion. The band concedes that this is the loudest it has ever sounded, but in its totality, it’s also the biggest sound the band has coaxed from itself. This has to do with the entrance of new effects pedals into their arsenal, but mostly with the fact that the band regards ’90s rock as both sanctuary and guiding light.
WE ARE YOUNG THESE BANDS ARE YOUNG AND IN LOVE – WITH ROCK & ROLL BIG THIEF
Recently, this Brooklyn band released its debut album, Masterpiece, into the ether. But its christening is neither untimely nor motivated by gimmickdriven concerns. Retrofitting pop with an alternative bite, frontwoman-guitarist Adrianne Lenker and co. seem set for a career of expectation-raising gold.
MITSKI
You can make the case that it’s fatalistic to think of adulthood as a navigation around anxiety and depression – but on some level, you know it’s true. And this is what Mitski’s music interrogates, with a rollicking payload of power chords and heart.
CAR SEAT HEADREST
Highlights of ’90s-esque moments suffuse the album. The ghosts of Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr. and Neutral Milk Hotel flittingly haunt the grooves and melodies, but in its intensity and intent, LVL UP is its own behemoth – and all in the name of love.
lvlup.bandcamp.com Teens Of Denial – the title of the new album by the Will Toledo-helmed project sums up the manifesto of teenhood perfectly, doesn’t it? But its emotional intelligence derives from the awareness that it’s not always about negation as it captures the ripping rise-and-fall-andfall-agains of eventual adulthood.
LVL UP
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KEVIN MORBY
This Texan singer-songwriter is not a particularly good singer. But technical proficiency isn’t a cardinal requisite of rock music. Like the greats, Morby has an uncanny ability to capture in his music the restless, ineffable spirit that’s led many to pick up a guitar/mic and go where it takes them.
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Is it excessive and fatalistic to say that the ’90s were the last epoch when rock music was revolutionary? No, not at all. These days, the only time ‘revolution’ is applied to the context of music is when the overwhelming ubiquity of streaming is being discussed. In the ’90s, though, it was music itself that was the brick through the windshield of popular culture whose import seized control of hearts, minds and bodies. In ways unlike any other band, it was the Pixies who were both brick and thrower. And into the present day, they’ve hurled yet another sharp-edged projectile: their new album Head Carrier. The original lineup of Black Francis, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal and David Lovering was the beginning and the end of a bafflingly fresh
moment in the rock canon. They made fiery punk songs with a scale that encompassed noise, psychedelic rock and even surf rock, as well as a hyperliterate sensibility that made categorising them impossible. Too smart for punk and too cool for pop, yet punk and pop all the same; they were a genre unto themselves. And it’s from that niche that they beamed legitimacy onto all things ‘alternative’.
Head Carrier arrives 28 years after their first salvo Surfer Rosa and on the back of a different lineup. After Deal quit the band in 2013, bass duties have been taken up by Paz Lenchantin. Still, on its sixth album, the reconfigured band remains faithful to the spark that resulted in its first. The songs are groove-drenched but spiky and suffused in a spirit that’s polished but red-bloodedly primal. Highlights like lead single “Um Chagga Lagga” and “Baal’s Back” reprise the band’s widely revered freakish energy amidst a newfound sense of control; knowing when to let rip is arcane wisdom, after all. Within jazz, Miles Davis built a world that enriched everything it orbited around. That’s what the Pixies did with guitar-slinging rock & roll. May we never forget that.
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HIGHER POWER
PIXIES
GREATEST FITS
SURFER ROSA (1988) This is where it all started. From this source, the ethos of Kurt Cobain, Thom Yorke and PJ Harvey, et al was born. The trajectory of songs like “Gigantic” and “Where Is My Mind?” is still being felt today.
DOOLITTLE (1989) Barely a year after their first salvo, Black Francis and co. lifted the veil on their most complex album. Steeped in religious history and surrealism, and structured in deceptively simple ways, it would eventually usher art rock into the mainstream rock lexicon.
BOSSANOVA (1990) Here’s when things got even more trippy. This time, the band looked to the limitless expanse of outer space, dedicating standouts like “The Happening” and “Allison?” to aliens and space travel. This was one of the reasons why David Bowie proclaimed them the “psychotic Beatles”.
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TROMPE LE MONDE (1991) French for “fool the world”, Trompe was the Pixies’ last album before their 11-year breakup, and their heaviest. Often erroneously described as their ‘back to basics’ trip, it featured a cover of JAMC’s “Head On” that was better than the original.
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INTO THE MIND-BLASTING REPERTOIRE OF THE PIXIES
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A LONG TIME COMIN’ ELECTRIC FLAG I first heard Mike Bloomfield on Al Kooper’s Super Session when I was in college. This has a great big band vibe and is one for morning walks.
LESLIE LOW
THEN PLAY ON FLEETWOOD MAC This record, in particular, has been on rotation for a bit over the years. Peter Green and Danny Kirwan were quite an amazing combination of songwriting and guitar-playing. Understated and very cool.
ROSEMARY LANE BERT JANSCH What a great body of work he left behind for all to wonder at in amazement. This is one that I’ve been getting into. Late night unwindings to his lone voice and guitar.
MANASSAS STEPHEN STILLS Masterpiece. I’ve been listening to and revisiting this for a long time now. It’s still some pretty good music to travel with or just chill to. Great gems to be discovered in this sprawling double album.
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ALL THINGS MUST PASS GEORGE HARRISON A classic that never grows old. The same great musicians were also the guys behind Derek & The Dominos and Bobby Whitlock’s ‘twoalbums-in-one’ collection.
LIVE AT THE FILLMORE EAST ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND This came out not too long ago and it’s a fantastic live document of an amazing band that was pushing so many boundaries beyond the narrow limitations of the genre they birthed.
IT’S UNDENIABLE THAT THE OBSERVATORY HAS GENERATED THE AURA OF AN IMPERIAL ROCK BAND. THROUGHOUT ITS EXISTENCE, THE LOCAL OUTFIT HAS MADE LEGITIMATELY CEREBRAL MUSIC WITH AN UNCOMPROMISING THRALL THAT ENCOMPASSES TITANIC SWELLS OF NOISE AND DISTORTION. BUT WHAT MAKES THE BAND’S CREATIVE VISION A TRULY TRANSCENDENT ONE IS ITS HANDLE ON THE BALANCE BETWEEN CONTORTION AND CLARITY. FOR EVERY FORMIDABLY THUNDEROUS SONG, THERE ARE MOMENTS OF SHIMMERING BEAUTY – ACOUSTIC OASES RIPE WITH EPIPHANIC TIDINGS. THIS DYNAMIC IS PARTLY THE RESULT OF FRONTMAN LESLIE LOW’S ACOUSTIC FOLK ROOTS. HIS ARDENT LOVE FOR THE SOFTER AND, OFTENTIMES, LUSHER SIDE OF THINGS INFORMS THE BAND’S EXPANSIVE MYTHOS IN SEAMLESSLY LOVELY WAYS. PLUG INTO HIS PICKS AND SHUT OUT THE WORLD’S NOISE.
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CROZ DAVID CROSBY This is more recent but it has some really beautiful songs and open-tuning chords that only Mr. Crosby could write and pick. Listen to “The Clearing” and you’ll know what I mean.
IMPERFECTION PIBLOKTO More pickings and chippings from Alexius Cai’s second release under the name Piblokto. It’s produced by Victor Low and features Sean Lam (Hanging up The Moon), Andy Chia (SA), and more.
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Dear long-time and newly faithful readers, we turn 18 this month and we’re going to go huge. Our sweet 18 shindig will be far from the bile-inducing MTV shows where the ‘present’ is always a tastelessly tricked-out and often loaned-fromthe-shop Ferrari. Neither will it be a ‘quaint’ sit-by-the-table affair. Ours will be quintessentially – top-shelf indie music will soundtrack the proceedings and heady social lubricants will make the rounds for a good time to be had by all. To honour the era in which was born, we’re dipping into the ’90s for the big night. Zouk, our beloved stronghold, will be transformed into a portal that will lead you back to a simpler, better, and some say, delightfully weirder time when soaring alternative rock riffs, pop punk’s life- and love-affirming melodies, and the bars and beats of hip-hop’s first Golden Age dominated the pop cultural consciousness. And because the ’90s were the one decade where there was no boundary between cheese and cool, you can expect a retro-invoking splendour of relics such as arcade games, popcorn and hotdog stands, and pins and patches. The latter two are the result of a collaboration between the good people of Pindemic and Pew Pew Patches and us – you’ll be able to wear your love for and the bygone ’90s on your sleeve forever. These will come in goodie bags for the first 400 early birds, so hustle over and cop some swag that smells like teen spirit.
As you join us in blowing the candles on our figurative cake, know that you’re not just celebrating . You’re celebrating the very ecosystem that allows to exist and thrive in. One where the more boundary-pushing elements of culture coalesce and pervade. This also includes Zouk, which – as it did in the ’90s – continues to throw some of the biggest and best parties. Come on over and raise your glass – high.
Happening on November 11, from 7pm to 10pm at Zouk. For free entry and plenty good fun, RSVP at bit.ly/juice18anniversary.
JUICE 18TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY music
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It’s not a party if there’s no musical centrepiece and for this one, we’ve got three. Three of Singapore’s most buzzing and exciting talents will lock arms with us to treat you to their finery. Alt-rock mainstays The Summer State, led by frontman Bryan Sta Maria (whose energy setting is always at ‘turbocharged’) will bring their impassioned, hard-riffing best, joined by synthpop darlings Disco Hue and rapper THELIONCITYBOY (TLCB). This year, both Disco Hue and TLCB released projects that greatly enriched our trove of local music. Disco Hue’s debut EP, Arcade, revealed the quartet to be savvy hitmakers who know their way around undeniable grooves. And Paradise, the debut album by TLCB, saw him plumb the depths of introspection and surface with spitfire flows and juddering sonics; one of Singapore’s most uncompromising works, by far.
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the giants return
Unignorable and undeniable – these are just two of the most obvious descriptors of the reverberations that these greats have made throughout the musicverse. And the good news is, they’ve got new music in tow.
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KATE BUSH
METALLICA
GRIZZLY BEAR
The English art rock doyenne released her 10th
Lo, by the hammer of the gods, there’s a new
Four years have gone by since the Brooklyn indie
album 50 Words For Snow near the close of 2011.
Metallica album in store for us! The band’s 10th
sages’ last full-length, Shields. In that time,
But she’s kept busy in the five-year interim and
is christened Hardwired... To Self-Destruct and
co-frontman Daniel Rossen dashed hearts of the
recently, she announced a sprawling triple-album
is a two-disc set that clocks in at a jaw-dropping
fan-faithful by saying that the band wanted to take
live collection, Before The Dawn. The self-
80 minutes. It seems that band is seeking to right
a break for a while. But all’s well, for not too long
produced record is named after her 2014 tour run,
the wrongs of its last record, 2008’s Rick Rubin-
ago, the band tweeted that its new album is “90 per
which were her first full concerts since her only
produced Death Magnetic. Lead singles “Hardwired”
cent done” and that this is the “last update until
prior tour in 1979. Before The Dawn will be split
and “Moth Into Flame” are testing very well in the
[we] hear it.” At this point, that’s all anyone knows about it. Nevertheless, expectations are, as you can
into three acts: seven greatest hits, followed by a
online sphere, showcasing as they do, the hard-
selection from 1985’s Hounds Of Love, and a final
riffing, deep-grooving behemoth that is Metallica.
expect, monumentally high. Like many, our breath
composition based around 2005’s Aerial, with an
And that’s under 10 minutes – we still have over 70
is bated and our ears, pining and eager. How about
unreleased song by her son.
minutes of thrash metal thunder to savour.
something in time for Christmas, Grizzlies?
katebush.com
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THE SAD GIRL SMILES
Part of the reason Massachusetts indie outfit Speedy Ortiz is such a blast is because of the sheer charm its frontwoman Sadie Dupuis emanates. She’s set to take her gifts to new terrain as she recently announced her new pop guise, Sad13. Slugger, her debut album as this incarnation is expected to drop soon. She says in a press release that she wanted to make “songs that put affirmative consent at the heart of the subject matter and emphasise friendship amongst women, and try to de-escalate the toxic jealousy and ownership that are often centred in romantic pop songs”. sadthirteen.com
ANOTHER BAD MOVE James Franco isn’t exactly known for making wise decisions. Besides practically trying to hook up with a teenager via Instagram, he’s also held a long and bizarre fixation for Lana Del Rey. All of last year, he professed to various media outlets that he’d written a book about her. To date, the tome hasn’t surfaced. Now, he’s being sued by a photographer whom he head-butted at one of the singer’s concerts. According to the victim, David Tonnessen, he was taking photos of Del Rey when Franco charged at him and head-butted him in the stomach, while, in his words, “smiling, rather demonically.” Yikes.
SHE NEVER LEARNS Just when you think things couldn’t possibly get worse with Azealia Banks, she does something ridiculous to get herself back into feeds and headlines again. The latest addition to her expansive list of enemies are stony-faced actor Russell Crowe and Wu-Tang Clan linchpin RZA. Days after reportedly signing a record deal with the latter, it was revealed that Banks was forcibly ejected from a party hosted by Crowe at which she was RZA’s guest. Though the evidence of disruption is against her (as always), she’s steadfastly claimed victimhood, citing emotional and racial abuse (as always). There’s no saving her.
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SLEIGH BELLS
Dance music, of the aggressively room-thrashing mould, and guitar-heavy rock music can be made awesome bedfellows if both are coaxed into musical and philosophical union with care and precision. And since its 2010 debut album, the New York duo of chanteusescreamer Alexis Krauss and guitarist-producer Derek Miller has lit the path in that regard. This month, they’ve promised the world their catchiest but hardest opus to date with their forthcoming album, Jessica Rabbit. Thus far, two devastating gems, “I Can Only Stare” and “Rule Number One” have been shared. Both are sweeping, roof-raising, sweetly melodic heralds of a greater statement to come. tornclean.com
TO THE SOUND OF CRICKETS
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ROCK WEIGHS IN The mounting allegations of sexual harassment by Donald Trump don’t tell us anything we don’t already know: the man’s a scumbag. Recently, members of rock idols Sleater-Kinney and R.E.M. chimed in to offer their critique. As Filthy Friends – a new band which comprises Corin Tucker, Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Bill Rieflin, and Kurt Bloch – the six-piece shared the anti-Trump anthem “Despierata” and promised an album out later next year. You don’t need to play it to its end to realise how fully it lives up to the parts that compose its sum. It works as much on a musical level as it does as righteous political firepower.
In one of the more polarsing developments in recent times, Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Many are the voices that have screeched their ire and support of this decision. But now, one member of the Nobel committee has said that Dylan hasn’t responded to its emails or acknowledged it in any way, and described his blase attitude about the highest honour in the literary form as “impolite and arrogant”. Of course, the gravity of the award should compel Dylan to some measure of acknowledgement but the Nobel committee is forgetting that it’s dealing with a bona fide rock star – as always, the rules don’t apply.
A LOUD SURPRISE
After a decade-long silence, Midwestern post-hardcore legends Planes Mistaken For Stars teased a song, “Effing Tenderness”, before announcing that they’ve got a new album coming our way. Prey is what it’s called and it features the handiwork of noted metal producer, Sanford Parker. Coming more than a decade after the heyday of the scene that they were lumped into and subsequently transcended, Prey is utterly majestic. For an ear-bleeding jolt of death metal, math rock, noise, and hardcore punk, this will be one of the best takeaways of 2016. Dare your senses and hit play on “Riot Season”. planesmistakenforstars.com
HEYA, VAL In 2015, Daniel Lopatin released one of the year’s most enchanting experimental albums with Garden Of Delete under his Oneohtrix Point Never moniker. Now, “Animals”- a woozy, spectral cut off that collection – has received the music video-treatment, and amazingly enough, it’s leading male is Hollywood A-Lister Val Kilmer. In it, Kilmer is blonde and aged, resembling David Lynch, and dressed in a crimson Nike tracksuit. Eyes closed, he seems to nod to the music in the background, as a camera pans around the room he’s in. There’s also the possibility that he’s falling asleep – but we’ll never know. pointnever.com
BOOK OF DREAMS
Elusive bands who make complex, infinitely explorable music are a rare class in the ecosystem of music. Radiohead is undeniably the lead signifier of that breed and their ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool – released earlier this year – is another testimony of its hallowed reputation. And perhaps to take us closer into its world, Radiohead has released an AMSP songbook, featuring the sheet music for all 11 of the album’s tracks – arranged for piano and voice with guitar chords, as well as artwork by Stanley Donwood, the artist responsible for most of the band’s album art. wasteheadquarters.com
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WORD UP
BY GENTLE BONES
FINDING OUR PLACE IN A TRANSITIONAL DECADE
‘48 Reasons ’90s Kids Had The Best Childhood’, ‘12 Reasons Why The ’90s Were The Best Decade’, or ‘10 Reasons We’re Obsessed With ’90s Nostalgia’ – this amalgamation of social media works (frustratingly) well to satisfy our natural compulsion to reminisce and compare. Being born in 1994, I only remember the ’90s to be the tail end of the decade. And besides playing football at neighborhood courts and putting staples into the back of country erasers, my ’90s childhood was defined by a doe-eyed – perhaps overly-ardent – following of Top 40 charts. Funnily enough, the earliest memory I have of my childhood was of music. Rainy Sunday afternoons were spent with my cousins – we sat fixated in front of the bulky television, playing DVD compilations of music videos of the biggest hits of recent years. We had most boy and girl groups, Michael Jackson, Ricky Martin and my personal favourite, 911. We knew the music videos like the backs of our hands and all the lines that we’d recite when competing to recognise a song within its first three seconds of play. After all, how unmistakable is the strum of the guitar and Brian Litrell’s croon about his fire and his one desire?
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We were impressionable wannabes before the time of Facebook and a warped sense of self-acceptance. While the works I’ve put out so far may not show signs of influence from those golden bands of the past, they have definitely been an indirect model and guiding light of sorts for me. That’s why I attempted to pull some NSYNC and Backstreet Boys influences on my latest single, “Shifting Over”. These artistes and their music are memorable through the ordinary power of association because it is music I had listened to when I was growing up and constructing my sense of self.
A SEAT AT THE TABLE Solange
(Columbia Records)
Yeah, we know you know ‘Yonce like the superstar she is, but what about Solange Knowles, her oft-eclipsed but infamous (derided for being more violent and outspoken, and less pretty and talented than her big sister) sibling and singer? Shame if the world ignores her any longer. With her third full-length studio album, Solange has seemingly reconstituted herself by singing as a female singer of colour about the larger experience of being African-American, familially and historically. It’s exquisite and beatific, blending spoken word (accounts from her dad and mum) and slices of pared-down, neo-soul and r&b. Take a seat at her table, listen, and be much rewarded on “Cranes In The Sky” and “Don’t Touch My Hair”.
Although the chart-topping music then may not qualify as trendy music now, it was one of the defining elements of the ’90s. Boy band tunes were penned by the best songwriters in the world (i.e. Max Martin) and then passed on to several dashing men – armed with some of the best commercial marketing teams – to perform. They gave the public what it wanted and nothing more than what it was ready to accept. This was the peak of a music industry that still hadn’t had the chance to be formally introduced to the Internet. I believe Singapore is facing a similar transition at this point, not just with music, but also in a lot of other social aspects. Most look to the Internet for content, while our entertainment scene has only begun to emerge from the trenches of grant-funded islandwide programming. Our music scene is growing and artistes and bands are constantly creating better and better work, but it takes ground support and feedback – no matter how harsh – to truly make this an industry. Art serves to question and I believe local voices can best carry this message via music. We’d like to push that boundary and at times, it may seem trying, but this is merely to fast-forward our growth.
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APE IN PINK MARBLE Devendra Banhart (Nonesuch)
Maybe it’s ageing tastes, an enchantment with an out-of-favour genre (freak folk), or a disenchantment with the ruling ‘r&b and EDM over everything else’ malaise. Or maybe it’s just that an artiste such as Devandra Banhart is so out of touch and so stubbornly walking his own way that he’s still ought to have our love. On his ninth album, we get his LA-chilled incarnation: affecting on his lament to a friend on “Middle Names” and typically weird warble-y on the psychedelic-folksy “Good Time Charlie”. He even does chintzy-kitschy disco on “Fig In Leather” and Tropicalia-twee on “Theme For A Taiwanese Woman In Lime Green” – bonbons of questionable peculiarities and outsider oddities.
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PICKS OF THE MONTH A LOUD BASH OF TEENAGE FEELINGS
(Rough Trade) They have named Carly Rae Jepson, Kendrick Lamar and OutKast as influences, and called their third album “matured” – so the band’s raised the alarms. But settle down rainbow-maned kids, it’s just Warpaint lifting the droopiness and mugginess from their downtempo, indie rock with more pop-centric beats. It’s nogginnodding not body-grooving, with “New Song” and “By Your Side” getting the thumbs (and heads) up.
I REMEMBER
BIRDS IN THE TRAP SING MCKNIGHT
AlunaGeorge
MOUNT NINJI AND DA NICE TIME KID
SHAPE SHIFT WITH ME
(Zef Records) Is it three albums too much? Maybe, since Die Antwoord under-delivered with their latest. There isn’t any promise of major change; their offensive but thrilling Zef rap-rave just got more cartoonish, with Ninja and ¥o-landi performing more puerile-humoured raps. So, even if it’s time for them to move on (careeror music-wise), “Gucci Coochie” and “Daddy” are still them at the top of their very own trash-rap.
(Xtra Mile Recordings Ltd) We love music with a cause and a voice, and none is quite so socio-politically and personally relevant as that of Against Me!, since transgender frontwoman Laura Grace Jane came out in 2012 and channelled all she felt on 2014’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues. The latest salvo from this Floridian punk band is Grace’s ‘relationship’ album, which continues the thorny path-less-travelled with grit. Protest your support with “Norse Truth”.
CARE
CROOKED MAN (DFA LLC) Say, you want old school classic house music? Richard Barratt’s your been-there-done-that (Crooked) Man. Hurtling all the way from the ’80s Sheffield dance music scene, he returns to remind us what was great about club house, with his Crooked Man single releases all (starting from 2012) packed into one album. “Coming Up For Air” and “Preset” should get dem ol’ bones creaking and new babes listening.
Warpaint
Beach Slang
(Polyvinyl Records Co.) Beach Slang’s latest album title is self-explanatory: fast, loud punk-rock songs about being adolescent. And that’s it, really, about what the Philly trio is: lightweight (almost twee) oldschool-sounding rock & roll-ers (think Replacements and Hüsker Dü), earnest in their delivery, enough to give you the feels (be it the young or just young-at-heart). Pogo to “Atom Bomb” and “Future Mixtape For The Art Kids”.
Text Chris Ong Ujine Images Various Sources
HEADS UP
Die Antwoord
How To Dress Well
(Island) Dismiss them as another duo flaunting fluorescent synth-pop that’s so beloved now across r&b and pop, but George Reid and Aluna Francis were kinda on the scene when the genre was first flowering. They survive the sophomore curse somewhat by mixing it up (having mingled with the likes of Diplo, Flume and Sia), throwing in dancehall and mainstream EDM. “I’m In Control” and “Mediator” should keep fans lit.
Travis Scott
(Epic Records) Travis Scott’s trying his best to escape the cage of comparisons that the critics have levelled at him – Kanye West- and Kid Cudi-drone and a so-so rapper. The latest is him recognising his deficiencies and his skills, to weave in the strengths of stars – of which there are many: Young Thug, The Weeknd, André 3000, et al. in order to level up. The best lures to his trap/throne: “sweet sweet” and “the ends”.
(Domino Recording) Where once Tom Krell was a pioneer of the whole alt-r&b movement (his debut, Love Remains, is still haunting) he is now aiming for uber-glitzy orchestral pop. When it works (“Salt Song” and “Can’t You Tell”), it’s pure pop grandeur. When it doesn’t (single “Lost Youth/Lost You”), Krell is grandstanding. It’s a tough balance – pop-star ambitions realised, or simply, lost plot?
THE HEALING COMPONENT
I HAD A DREAM THAT YOU WERE MINE
INSTRUMENTALEPATHY
Mick Jenkins
Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam
(Free Nation/Cinematic Music Group) (Glassnote) Mick Jenkins delves deep into faith, love Not putting them down, but The and violence, with some dubitation, not Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser and just plain praising. Jenkins dishes out former Vampire Weekend member, thoughts on humanity and love in the Rostam Batmanglij’s latest collab sounds cosmic-bluesy “Strange Love”, speaks like a musical bromance brewed as about death over BADBADNOTGOOD’s right as rain. Working through doo-wop, ticking instrumentation in “Drowning” barroom rock, blues and torch songs, the and even delivers a club banger with the duo renews these forms not as pastiche Kaytranada-produced “Communicate”. but with stylish, boozy revelry and wistful It’s work that rivals fellow Chicagoan reminiscence. Inspired are “In A Black Chance The Rapper’s Colouring Book. Out” and “1959”.
The Gaslamp Killer
(Cuss Records) Things get both heavy and cosmic in William Benjamin Bensussen AKA The Gaslamp Killer’s second studio album. It’s no wonder, since it was recorded in the aftermath of a near-death scooter accident. He layers on psychedelic hiphop beats, acid funk, bongos and twiggy guitars, and serves up mind-churners in the vein of “Residual Tingles” and “Shred You To Bits”, and the orchestral aural odyssey, “In The Dark, Pt. 2”.
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Against Me!
Crooked Man
THREE
Phantogram
(Republic) When “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” drops, we go ‘wee oh!’ to Sarah Barthel’s “way-oh” in this pop-apogee of a song. But then we learn of Barthel’s sister’s suicide, an incident that has possibly tainted the ‘pop’ in their brand of inventive pop. We hear more pain, an edge and unfortunately, also a patchiness to the synth-pop songs. But “Cruel World” and “Calling All” remain ear-wormy, despite the gloom.
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GOOD TIMES X PHYLA DIGITAL
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4 AT BLU JAZ CAFÉ This session of Good Times, the most quintessentially chill party in the country, is noteworthy for a number of reasons. Drum and bass doyen Kiat will be celebrating the release of his new EP, Dubsmash, and local collective Phyla Digital will sign off on the lineup – which includes Finding Niko and Tronald Dump. blujazcafe.net
VELVET UNDERGROUND X MOONBEATS ASIA PRESENT THE DEEP END WITH SHIBA SAN SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19 AT ZOUK Shiba San has been slaying dancefloors lately, and the world’s taking notice. The self-styled “ghetto-house” DJ has been turning heads with his hip-hop-minded take on classic house, bringing thick grooves to bear on catchy melodies and dense beats. The Frenchman is notoriously elusive so count yourselves lucky he’s moving you tonight. zoukclub.com.sg
CANVAS PRESENTS KEITH APE
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4 AT CANVAS Everyone knows “It G Ma”, the trap carpet-bomb onslaught of a posse cut that featured several Asian rappers. Keith Ape is its principal architect and he’ll be landing on our shores for a hotly anticipated set. Come see what one of 2016’s most buzzing underground icons has to offer. canvasvenue.sg
ONE X SOLID GOLD PRESENTS: ONE SOLID DAY OUT
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19 AT OLD KALLANG AIRPORT One and Solid Gold are beyond-propulsive local club nights helmed respectively by Aldrin and KoFlow, titans in the scene. Both dons will twin their respective creative powers for a festival/party featuring spectrumsplitting acts such as Darker Than Wax DJs, Sam Rui, The Crazy 88, REQ, as well as graffiti and break-dance performances. eventbrite.sg
ABSU LIVE AT ALIWAL ARTS CENTRE
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6 AT ALIWAL ARTS CENTRE Heavy metal has long been mired in cliches – with hideous costumery, fixation with the devil and obscure mythology. Thankfully, Texan trio Absu makes gloriously pummelling music without subscribing to those shallow references. Weaving thunderous riffage and experimentation into their arsenal, the gents are set to deliver a crushing show. aliwalartscentre.sg
FORWARD FEAT. EAGLES & BUTTERFLIES
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19 AT KYO From lush house soundscapes to driving techno tempos, Chris Barrat AKA Eagles & Butterflies has the musical riches to surpass the weirdness of his moniker. The LA-based producer has clocked releases on revered stables like Innervisions and Exit Strategy, and remixed for the likes of Underworld, Agoria and Moby. Receive his tidings in the flesh. clubkyo.com
THE COUNCIL PRESENTS NICONÉ AND GUNJAH
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10 AT HEADQUARTERS Nestled in a shop house unit in Boat Quay, the Headquarters is unrelentingly establishing itself as a bastion of techno. This night, it’ll play host to NICONÉ and Gunjah from cutting-edge Berlin label, Katermukke. Both DJs specialise in soulful but hyperactive tech house so lace your dancing shoes up tight. facebook.com/thecouncilsg
FORWARD FEAT. HITO
UJIKAJI PRESENTS AVANTGUITAR
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 22 AT ARTISTRY Local experimental music label Ujikaji records hosts Avantguitar, a creative collaboration by experimental guitarists across the world. Through a free-spirited approach to guitar playing, the boundaries of how one traditionally experiences the guitar will be tested. Wielding the axes will be local hero Dharma, and Danish musicians Yngel and Asger Thomsen. ujikaji.net
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 12 AT KYO They say friends who drink together, stay together – that is how Japanese DJ Hito and techno demigod Richie Hawtin cemented their friendship. Once regarded as Hawtin’s protégé, Hito has since come into her own, bringing a measure of stylised grace into the lexicon of techno, all while decked out in a kimono. clubkyo.com
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FOUNDATION FEAT. MURAT KILIC
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26 AT CANVAS Sydney native Murat Kilic is the embodiment of the purest aspect of dance music’s allure. Captivated by the music he imbibed on the dancefloor as a club kid, he dedicated his ardours to learning the ropes. More than 10 years later, he’s emerged as a savant of house and techno, evident on the transportive mix “Summer Traffic”. canvasvenue.sg
Text Indran P and Izza Sofia Images Various Sources
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Text Aaron Kok Images Cote Mer
The joy of the recent re-emergence of ’90s fashion is that it opens up the conversation to various interpretations. And while more than a handful of designers are going down the maximalist, pop-inspired path, Norio Sato and Seishi Naito of Cote Mer are looking to the grungy dystopian world of teenage skaters for inspiration this season. With pieces designed to look like they were lifted out of a thrift store’s bargain bin, there is a certain sense of freedom and authenticity to the collection, courtesy of faded flannel and washed leather. Versatility is also evident, as the selection of bleached denim, studded suede, distressed knits, oversized hoodies, and camouflage print allows one to style various looks as they please.
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super stylin' GRUNGE
MINIMALISM
In A Nutshell While the idea of grunge may now be little more than another fashion trend, back in the day, it saw its fair share of divisiveness amongst onlookers and industry insiders. Inspired by the grunge music scene and the likes of Nirvana and Alice In Chains, the grunge look relied on comfortable, beaten-up clothes that paid no dime to looking glamorous.
In A Nutshell In an almost 180-degree turn from the excessiveness of the ’80s, an unexpected trend emerged in the form of minimalism. Championed by the rising power of Japanese fashion designers looking to bring their anti-fashion stance to the glitzy runways of Paris, the minimalist ’do became less of a look and more of a way of life. Embodied by those who sought purity in design – be it through fashion, art or everyday objects – the rise of a pared-down palette became increasingly evident.
The Frontrunners In 1993, Marc Jacobs showed his seminal grunge collection for fashion house Perry Ellis, which was so controversial at that time that Jacobs got fired. To date, his highly romantic vision of the grunge look is still widely referenced and discussed. Actresses like Liv Tyler in the 1995 film, Empire Records, and Winona Ryder’s off-duty look also helped to broadcast the sub-cultural look to a wider audience.
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The Frontrunners Designers like Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto were shaking up the fashion scene with seasonal offerings of seemingly genderless clothing done entirely in black. Austrian designer, Helmut Lang, also popularised the sheath dress, and across the pond, Calvin Klein began challenging the status quo by opting for muted colours and simple, sporty silhouettes.
Nailing The Look Layer on shades of cream, camel and black, then play with proportions and get your fit right. When there ain’t no bells and whistles, the fit is everything.
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sandro
stella mccartney
rag & bone
Do It Today Take a cue from Thakoon and wrap an oversized flannel shirt around a delicate lace slip, or follow Rag & Bone’s charge with a flannel overshirt worn atop a black T-shirt and jeans.
thakoon
Nailing The Look Gear up in grey hoodies, torn jeans, shredded tees, Dr. Martens boots and heaps of flannel.
Do It Today Stella McCartney and Sandro show that with the right shapes, textures and lengths, minimalism can still look modern.
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EVERY DECADE IN FASHION HAS A LOOK. THE ’60S HAD THE MODS, THE ’70S BELONGED TO WOODSTOCK CHILDREN, AND THE ’80S WERE A HAZE OF HAIRSPRAY AND STROBE LIGHTS. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE ’90S, THE FASHION SCENE SAW A UNANIMOUS SPLIT AMONGST VARIOUS STYLE FACTIONS. IN PREPARTION FOR OUR UPCOMING 18TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY, HERE ARE FOUR STYLE TRIBES YOU CAN GET WITH.
HIP-HOP
SKATE
In A Nutshell With roots that can be traced back to the ’70s, hip-hop fashion has been a prevalent style, long before every r&b singer was churning out limited edition sneakers and the whole shebang. However, it was in the ’90s that hip-hop fashion brands started mushrooming, offering fans a chance to own items that their idols wore or endorsed. On top of these celeb-signed lines, there was also an unspoken rule that only the cool kids wore sports gear like Reebok, L.A. Gear and Fila.
In A Nutshell The father of modern-day hypebeasts, skate fashion hit the mainstream when skateboarding picked up steam in the early ’90s after taking a nosedive in popularity at the end of the ’80s. Almost like a subset of the grunge look, skater style developed into its own industry, with brands like Supreme and Airwalk reaching out to a wider pool of shoppers that extended past the skating bowls. Coupled with the rising visibility of skate-chic in pop culture, the trend exploded into the wardrobes of teenagers everywhere.
The Frontrunners You can’t talk about skater fashion without mentioning brands like Vans and Stussy, because whether on- or off-board, they also produced cool streetwear that everybody coveted. Musicians like Gwen Stefani and Reel Big Fish also helped shaped a generation with their brightly coloured and slightly ironic clothing.
The Frontrunners Rappers Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs were early examples of artistes dipping their toes into the fashion scene by launching their own fashion labels. Female style icons like Melanie C AKA Sporty Spice, TLC and Aaliyah also gave rise to the ’90s hiphop look. And, of course, the Fresh Prince was the OG in neon-coloured caps.
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Nailing The Look A key look was the tracksuit, popularised by the likes of Nike, adidas and Louis Vuitton later on. Baggy jeans, cropped tops and sports bras, and gaudy gold jewellery are also closet requisites.
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off-white
vetements
astrid andersen
fenty x puma
Do It Today Fenty x Puma’s baggy shorts and sports bra combo checks the right boxes, while Astrid Andersen’s Fall/Winter 2016 collection gives hiphop a dapper update.
Nailing The Look Slogan tees, baggy shirts, and skate shoes were must-haves, but a devil-may-care attitude towards fashion and life was the one accessory you couldn’t leave home without. Do It Today Flip a board in a Vetements slogan hoodie or take a lesson in layering from Off-White’s HTT black look.
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BACK TO THE FUTURE It’s common practice for brands to borrow from their archives when preparing for next season’s lineup. Often, this includes rehashing, rethinking and remodelling the original pieces into new creations that are so far removed from the starting line, you’d be hard-pressed to find any semblance of association. Fortunately, Red Wing Shoe Company is not that type of brand.
The star of the collection is the #8176 in black, and the #8175 in rust-coloured, oil-tanned Oro Russet leather. Built upon Vibram Lug soles for that extra cush and storm welts for greater water resistance, these stompers see their backstory unfold in the streets of Japan. A testimony to their timelessness, these two styles first gained significant traction in the Japanese market in 1987, where the styles were sold out for the next 20 years. It was only until 2007 that they became staple products in Japan. Since then, the relationship that Red Wing has built with its Japanese audience subsequently exploded all across Asia. Next, the #8884 boot takes after Red Wing’s six-inch Moc Toe boot, which was
Other drops in the same collection include the Mil-1 Congress boots #9077, #9078 and #9079 series, which feature Goodyear welting, Featherstone leathers and Gro Cord Medallion soles for top-line grip. These Chelsea boots will undoubtedly look dapper when worn with a herringbone suit. The #9197, on the other hand, is a casual option that will pair well with your ensemble for weekend coffee runs and trips to the mall. Inspired by the iconic Postman #101 style, the #9197 is cut from Chaparral leather, and comes complete with a cushioned crepe sole and a wedge outsole. These four pairs of boots contribute to the ethos of the brand – that be it in the aspect of design or the method of manufacturing, Red Wing’s boots are built to withstand the hands of time.
Available at Red Wing Shoe Store, orchardgateway #04-16 and authorised retailers. redwingshoes.sg
Text Aaron Kok Images Red Wing Shoe Company
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RED WING HERITAGE COLLECTION FALL/ WINTER 2016
Having been the purveyor of fine leather boots since 1905, Red Wing Shoe Company has kept its podium spot as the top brand to head to for boots that withstand the test of time. Anchored in rich history and a massive collection of shoe styles, the brand pays tribute to its past by giving archival designs a modern twist – or, at times, retaining everything in its original design – for contemporary wearers. This season, the American house returns with a series of four boot styles to dress adventurous soles everywhere.
initially catered towards hunters and those working in agriculture in the early ’50s. Featuring a white Traction Tred rubber outsole that is unbelievably lightweight and ductile, it’s a breeze to withstand long days in these comfy kicks – whether you’re headed into the woods or the urban jungle. Just like the shoe, the camouflage print isn’t a design element dreamt up from thin air. In 2004, Red Wing Shoe Company first released its camouflage print – albeit on a different pair of boots – to be sold in the European and Japanese markets. The success it saw – coupled with its evergreen appeal – inspired a return to this season, making it just as relevant and fashionable now as it was over a decade ago.
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Fall Winter 2016 Heritage Collection
THE RUSTIC HERITAGE OF FALL Red Wing Heritage reintroduces the Classic Work 6” Moc-toe/Lug Sole. Newly improved with Vibram Lug outsoles, coupled with pipe storm welt, that accentuates the ruggedness of this defining design
Connect with us:
redwingshoesingapore
Style: 8175 in Oro-Russet “Portage”
Style: 8176 in Black “Chrome”
redwingshoesingapore www.redwingshoes.sg
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WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
As part of H&M’s annual designer pair-up, the KENZO x H&M collection combines KENZO’s silhouettes and patterns with H&M’s youthful and fun spirit. Expect a mixture of bold colours, unapologetically zany patterns and a toss-up of textures that create visual depth. Taking cues from the wild jungles that have inspired Takada previously, the collection puts the famous KENZO tiger at the forefront – with an embroidered version sprinting across jumpers, and a healthy serving of tiger stripes showing up on everything from jeans to furry jackets and knitted stiletto boots.
In the accessories department, curious customers get to enjoy the collection without having to break the bank. Crossbody bags in tiger-striped nylon throw back to the early ’00s, while visor sunglasses come in a kooky frame with a zigzag bridge design. There’s even a set of leather tote bags that humorously riff off KENZO’s own shopping bags, and wacky caps that twist and turn into oversized bows and face scarves. To complete the look, girls can channel their inner Lil’ Kim with jacquard knitted tiger-striped sock boots, and boys can stomp the yard in gum-soled leather chelsea boots. Padded flip flops also make for perfectly comfy (and crazy) loungewear.
Prices range from $17.90 to $699 for the women’s line and $17.90 to $599 for the men’s line. Available from November 3 at H&M Orchard Building and #B2-28/31 & #B3-27/34 ION Orchard.
Text Aaron Kok & Izza Sofia Images H&M
The walk on the wild side continues with the addition of various nature-inspired patterns. Leopard spots get a neon treatment and appear as a trim on a denim puffer jacket, or in a Flintstones-esque manner on a ruffled hem dress. The women’s line also sees explosive floral blooms creeping up on wide-legged pants and tent dresses, while a medallion print offers a toned-down option for subtlety. Texture also comes through in the form of knitted fabrics and faux fur surfaces.
KENZO X H&M
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KENZO’s success at creating lust-worthy apparel has always been a testimony to its creative directors’ – Humberto Leon and Carol Lim – ability to take luxury fashion out of its stuffy palace and onto the streets. Each season, sweatshirts emblazoned with the collection’s iconography are spotted on street-style stars across various fashion weeks, almost like a signifier of their ‘cool’ status. More than just desirable street fashion, the brand has always toed the line between being ostentatious and tasteful with skillful aplomb. Motivated by founder Kenzo Takada’s preference for vibrant colours and nature-inspired prints, KENZO constantly pushes the boundaries of unconventional fashion. Often, this involves finding congruence from otherwise asymmetrical design themes – the foundation on which the KENZO x H&M collection unfolds.
and reworks many of his designs fitted for today’s fashion prowler. Drawing from Takada’s Russianinspired collection, a multi-tiered dress anchors the women’s collection as one of the key looks of the season. Other standout pieces, which include the kimono-sleeved duvet coat and the tigerprinted jersey pants, have also been redesigned from KENZO’s past collections.
Paying homage to Takada’s work for the house, the collection also dips into KENZO’s massive archives
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OFF-WHITE
profile
Text Aaron Kok Images Off-White
THE VISION MAN IN TODAY’S CONTEXT OF BEING A DESIGNER – WHERE CREATIVES ARE EXPECTED TO ENGAGE THEIR AUDIENCE IN A DIALOGUE OF IDEAS, AND STILL UNDERSTAND THE COMMERCIAL DRIVE THAT KEEPS THEIR LABELS ABOVE WATER – VIRGIL ABLOH SEEMS TO HAVE IT ALL DOWN PAT. TO UNCOVER THE MAN AND HIS MISSION, WE SIT HIM DOWN FOR A TETE-A-TETE AT OFF-WHITE’S RECENT STORE OPENING TO GET A GLIMPSE OF WHAT MAKES THE BRAND A FASHION FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.
Hey Virgil, you came from a background of architecture and civil engineering. Was it scary for you to jump into fashion design? It wasn’t as frightening because I was designing clothes for my friends, myself and the sub-cultural community I related to. I came from a very non-traditional background, and my entrance into fashion was through the backdoor. What I’ve learnt in this process is that I had to unravel things from my upbringing and offer that in the context of clothing design. What drew you to setting up a boutique here in Singapore? I took the opportunity because as a designer, you have to understand the various markets when you design. Every brand means something different to the customer in every market. I’ve been fortunate because as a young brand, Off-White has gotten huge exposure and Singapore was one of the first Asian markets to get what we were trying to do. Did you envision the far-reaching influence Off-White and you would have globally? No way. Honestly, I am still astonished. If you were to ask me back then, I wouldn’t even be sure I’d open a store for another decade [laughs]. I’m just a kid from the street, and I just put my head down and make things that I like, so it’s still daunting to me that the brand can amass such influence. I’m doing it more for the culture of streetwear than any personal gain. The fans just came along after, and I believe if you do something pure that resonates, they will appreciate it. When it comes to collaborations – like the one you did with Moncler – what is the process like? A lot of the partnerships follow an intellectual road map. When I put my brand identity with, say Moncler’s, it should resolve in a manner that can offer up a new product, even if the brand identities clash. Having that clash between two brands is interesting, and the mediation process is what makes a collaboration exciting. Do you consider your work as art? Oh, purely. I don’t even see it as fashion. I get that it’s fashion and fashion becomes the medium, but to me, everything I’ve done – whether it’s the clothing or the store – falls
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into a system of making art and that’s what Off-White does every day. On a broader level, the line between streetwear and luxury is constantly being blurred these days. What are your thoughts on that? I think the future of streetwear needs to be defined. I’ve often said that if streetwear isn’t properly intellectualised, it would be a joke. It risked being transient, but streetwear has proven that it’s more than just a trend, and I believe this for two reasons. Firstly, there are plenty of smart people steering it, such as Demna Gvasalia at Vetements and Alessandro Michele at Gucci. They’re at the joystick that controls streetwear and have generations of ideas that have yet to come into fruition. But also, it’s the people and the consumers. Streetwear, to me, is consumer-driven luxury. The idea of mixing high-end brands with casual street separates isn’t a new idea – consumers figured it out pretty early on and the high fashion world just jumped onto the bandwagon. It’s almost like luxury fashion ‘Columbused’ the idea of mixing sneakers with gowns. Exactly! That’s why my answer is a little antagonistic because the idea of high-low mixing being groundbreaking is so overrated. Fashion has always been affected by streetwear to the point that we’ve removed the line between luxury and street clothing. We’re now in a time where fashion is really just termless.
Off-White “Windows” is now open at 268 Orchard Road. off---white.com
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BASK IN THE ELECTRIC GLOW WITH THE BEST OF THIS SEASON’S GRUNGE. FLANNEL, FLORALS AND FRAYED DENIM NEVER FELT SO RIGHT.
PHOTOGRAPHY MUN KONG PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT VINCENT NG STYLING AARON KOK STYLING ASSISTANT IZZA SOFIA MAKEUP KEITH BRYANT LEE USING M.A.C COSMETICS HAIR JANSON TAN / KIMAGE STUDIO MODELS JORDAN M & QUINN / AVE SPECIAL THANKS TO CHERRY DISCOTHEQUE
ON QUINN COTTON SHIRT TOPMAN DENIM JEANS ZARA EMBROIDERED COTTON JACKET ZHAHUODIAN LEATHER BOOTS KENZO X H&M BEADED NECKLACES ZHAHUODIAN ON JORDAN SILK ASYMMETRIC HEM SLIP DRESS MARQUES’ ALMEIDA AT NET-A-PORTER.COM NYLON BOMBER JACKET TOPSHOP SUEDE AND PONYHAIR SNEAKERS ASH NECKLACE ATELIER SWAROVSKI BY PETER PILOTTO RINGS (WORN THROUGHOUT) TOPSHOP
COTTON PRINTED HOODIE SANDRO DISTRESSED DENIM JACKET TOPMAN DISTRESSED WASHED CHINO TROUSERS OFF-WHITE STUDDED LEATHER BOOTS LOEWE
ON QUINN DISTRESSED COTTON HOODIE TOPMAN DISTRESSED DENIM JEANS H&M FLANNEL OVERSHIRT OFF-WHITE CANVAS SLIP-ON SNEAKERS VANS METAL AND RUBBER KEYCHAIN KENZO X H&M ON JORDAN COTTON T-SHIRT VANS COTTON SHIRT SANDRO WOOL-BLEND WRAP SKIRT MARKUS LUPFER AT NET-A-PORTER.COM WOOL CARDIGAN TOPSHOP METAL NECKLACE H&M
SLASHED SILK TOP DKNY QUILTED POLYESTER SKIRT SANDRO WOOL AND LEATHER DRESS (WORN AS COAT) ALEXANDER WANG CRYSTAL STUDDED EARRINGS ATELIER SWAROVSKI SILK HANDKERCHIEF KENZO X H&M
ON JORDAN COTTON T-SHIRT OFF-WHITE PU SKIRT TOPSHOP PYTHON COAT LOEWE STUDDED LEATHER ANKLE BOOTS ALEXANDER WANG CRYSTAL STUDDED DROP NECKLACE ATELIER SWAROVSKI
VISIT YOUTUBE.COM/JUICESG FOR A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THIS SHOOT.
ON QUINN COTTON LONG-SLEEVES T-SHIRT TOPMAN COTTON SHIRT ZHAHUODIAN DENIM JEANS KENZO X H&M EMBROIDERED COTTON JACKET WITH PATCHES NONCONFORMIST AT ZHAHUODIAN CANVAS SNEAKERS VANS
wardrobe trend
bora aksu
PRETTY PLEATS
cotton poplin shirt, $375, trademark at trade-mark.com
CHANNEL THE LADYLIKE ROMANCE OF FALL BY INCORPORATING PLEATS INTO YOUR ENSEMBLE. BE IT IN THIS SEASON’S JEWEL TONES, AUTUMNAL HUES OR A SLEEK SHOT OF BLACK, THE OPTIONS ABOUND WITH FROCKS AND SEPARATES TO KEEP THINGS ELEGANT. TEAM THIS TOP FROM TRADEMARK WITH SEASONLESS CLASSICS AND POINTED FLATS TO TURN UP THE STYLE FACTOR.
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salvatore ferragamo
roksanda
stella mccartney
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wardrobe trend
rhinestone earrings, $12.90, h&m
polyester bomber jacket, $59.90, zara
polyester top, poa, pleats please by issey miyake
polyester top, $60, river island at zalora.sg
viscose dress, poa, pull & bear
pleated crushed velvet top, $45.90, mango
053 satin top, $346, goen j at theoutnet.com
beaded necklace, $145, marni
Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources
velvet and chain dress, $196, topshop
viscose trousers, $39.90, zara polyester cargo pants, $1,198, hood by air at luisaviaroma.com
polyester skirt, $49.90, h&m leather glitter flats, $735, malone souliers at pedder on scotts
studded leather bucket bag, $880, alexander wang
glitter leather flats, poa, bimba y lola
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wardrobe trend
panelled cotton shirt, $655, neil barrett at club 21 men
TAKE YOUR BEARINGS FROM THE PUNKS OF YESTERYEAR AND TRY ON A CHECKED PRINT FOR SIZE. A SHIRT LIKE THIS ONE FROM NEIL BARRETT WILL TAKE YOU FAR. FOR A MODERN UPDATE, INCORPORATE STREET-APPROPRIATE PIECES LIKE WHITE KICKS AND ARM SWAG FOR A LOOK THAT’S ALL BALLER.
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astrid andersen
bottega veneta etro
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STYLE CHECK
wardrobe trend
“svt-fw44” watch with leather strap, poa, tsovet at robinsons
wool and leather jacket, poa, dsquared2
wool blend cardigan, poa, comme des garcons shirt at comme des garcons
cotton t-shirt, $39.90, river island at zalora.sg
metal and acetate sunglasses, $360, prada
cotton blend sweatshirt, $59.90, mango man
cotton blend sweatshirt, $127, msgm
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cotton trousers, $103, topman
Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources
cotton blend hoodie shirt, $500, undercover at undercoverism.com
beaded stretch bracelet, poa, thomas sabo
slim-fit stretch denim jeans, $125, levi’s
leather sneakers, $700, feit at feitdirect.com
selvedge denim jeans, $59.90, uniqlo
wool blend shirt, $280, a.p.c at kapok
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leather sneakers, $520, acne at club21b
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BUCKLE UP NO MATTER THE HEIGHT OF YOUR HEEL, THIS SEASON’S BOOTS CALL FOR AN UPDATE WITH THE ADDITION OF OVERSIZED BUCKLES. PAIR WITH JEANS AND YOUR BF’S SHIRT FOR OFF-DUTY EASE. leather boots, $71, asos at asos.com
leather boots, $220, zara
leather and suede boots, $254, michael kors
leather boots, poa, maje
embossed patent leather boots, $195, river island at zalora.sg
contrast buckle pu boots, $79.90
pu boots, $98, asos at asos.com
leather boots, $189, mango
embossed pu boots, $87, public desire at public desire.com
pu boots, $59.90, mango
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Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources
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cotton socks, $90, marni
watch with canvas and leather strap, $75, komono at revolve.com
cotton five-panel cap, $45, adidas originals
THE PRINCE’S NEW CLOTHES cotton belt, $19.90, h&m
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Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources
printed cotton shirt, $420, kenzo
NOW THIS IS A STORY ALL ABOUT HOW THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR TURNS FASHION UPSIDE DOWN – BY MIXING UP VINTAGEINSPIRED PRINTS AND FADED DENIM TO MAXIMAL EFFECT. FINISH WITH THE FRESHEST KICKS AND A COPIOUS AMOUNT OF SWAGGER.
washed denim dungarees, $95, topman
leather sneakers, $770, off-white
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distressed denim dungarees, poa, givenchy
hit list
NATHANAEL NG
Girl Power Without a doubt, the Spice Girls was the best band to come out of the ’90s. Don’t judge, but back then, I thought the movie Spice World was a work of art. When I think about it now, I’m only starting to realise how sexual their lyrics were!
Top Scent I rely on 212 MEN by Carolina Herrera. It smells so delicious!
Getaway Goals I really want to visit Mexico! Everything from the colours to the culture speaks to me, and it would be a dream to be immersed in it.
AS ONE THIRD OF FASHION COLLECTIVE MASH-UP, NATHANAEL NG IS SINGULARLY KNOWN FOR HIS UNIQUE TAKE ON PERSONAL STYLE, STREETWEAR AND POP CULTURE. DISTILLING THE HEART OF MODERN-DAY TRENDS THROUGH HIS LOVE FOR THE ’90S, NG IS OFTEN DECKED IN CLASHING PRINTS, ACIDIC HUES AND TRIPPY ACCESSORIES. WE GET HIM TO SPILL ON HIS LOVE FOR THE SPICE GIRLS AND TUNES FOR A BAD DAY. mashupcollective.com
Alien Encounter I’m the biggest science fiction geek, and I love every alienthemed movie. If I had to narrow it down, I’d say E.T. ranks high on the list – I’ve watched it a million times. That iconic flying scene still gets me every single time!
Party Central I don’t club as often as I used to ever since The Butter Factory closed down, but I think Wednesday nights at Canvas are really fun! They play a lot of throwback r&b and hip-hop, and it’s music you can dance to.
Binge-watching Hands down, RuPaul’s Drag Race. I mean, the combination of the drama, the artistry and the personalities… yaaaas!
Break A Sweat One workout I rely on a lot is stretching, for two reasons. Firstly, I want to believe that I can do a split one day because I’ve always dreamt of being as bendy as a pretzel. Secondly, all the experts on YouTube constantly stress on its importance.
Bad-day Song On a bad day, I’ll put on some reggaeton. It makes me feel sexy, and I could dance all night (which gets me into a good mood after). Other than that, I listen to a lot of Major Lazer to get me grooving too.
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Coco Loco If I could only drink one thing for the rest of my life, it’d be coconut water poured fresh from a chilled coconut. Nothing is better than an ice cold coconut, especially in this heat, and you get to eat the coconut flesh too.
Text Aaron Kok Images Various Sources
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Colour Me Crazy Gun to my head, if I had to pick a colour (which is really tough!), I’d say neon yellow. It represents me as a person, because it’s unmistakably bright and you’ll either love it or hate it.
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FRAME DENIM X NET-A-PORTER
CAFUNÉ Greeting the world with leather bags that marry minimalism and discreet luxury with function and timelessness. Cafuné is a Hong kong-based label that’s steadily spreading its wings across the region. Led by co-founders Queenie Fan and Day Lau, the year-old brand is poised to reach even bigger heights. We get acquainted with the duo to learn more. “Cafuné” is defined as the act of playing with a lover’s hair. Why did you choose this as your brand name? We focus heavily on the emotional attachment between our products and their wearers. The Portuguese word, cafuné, perfectly captures that gentleness and tactility we hope to achieve. On top of that, we think it has a good ring to it.
Coming together to satiate all your cravings for a good pair of blue jeans, Frame Denim is releasing an exclusive collection for Net-APorter that will see three reworked styles launched on the luxury e-tailer’s site. As deconstructed jeans continue to enamour the street style scene, Frame throws in its bid with boyfriend jeans and straightlegged jeans. Each of these have been patchworked, and given a raw-edged finish for that touch of punk, while the frayed hemline also shows up on a blue denim skirt. Rugged as they may be, every pair is cut from supple yardage of denim that’s soft to touch and oh so comfortable. Thanks to well-placed seams, these jeans also offer the illusion of longer legs – one thing we’ll never say no to.
US$294 to US$525, available exclusively at net-a-porter.com.
FORM MEETS FUNCTION
In three words, describe the core of a Cafuné design. Structural, modern, quintessential. What’s been the biggest challenge in your process so far? To produce a finished product that mirrors the original concept and idea we started with. We have to make that happen with thorough communication and by working closely with the factory during the production process. In your brand statement, you aim to “reconsider the notion of luxury and define it in terms of the emotion”. Can you elaborate more on that? Our idea is to extend the definition of luxury beyond the traditional understanding. For us, luxury is when you can make an emotional connection to your products, and it’s more than just a heavy price tag. What does the future hold for Cafuné? We do have plans to expand our range of offerings to include small leather goods, then we’ll also start to think about engaging in other disciplines of design.
While the idea of workwear can seem a little staid in options, GINLEE Studio’s Fall/Winter 2016 collection is proof that when well-cut shapes and premium fabrics come into play, things start to get interesting. Going into the season, the local designer finds inspiration from hushed landscapes and various wildlife photographers. To help translate the beauty of nature into wearable pieces, designer Lee employed a variety of detailing techniques within her pieces. Embroidery on a wool coat take bearing from the natural undulations of rocky landscapes, while abstract cranes flutter on prim blouses. Outerwear is also a focus, as she creates local weather-friendly toppers using lighter fabrics in sleek cuts. $148 to $808, available at ginleestudio.com.
What’s each of your personal favourites from your brand? Queenie: My personal pick is the Edge Crossbody. It’s become my go-to bag for the weekdays. Day: I love the mini basket bucket, it’s too cute to resist!
FRENCH REVOLUTION 1
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Back for Fall/Winter 2016, the Carine Roitfeld collection for Uniqlo draws inspiration from the iconic editrix’s personal style codes for a powerfully feminine wardrobe. We pick three items you need to get. 1 Spruce up a tired party dress by throwing on a looker from the collection’s line of moto jackets.
Text Aaron Kok Images Cafuné
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2 Take charge at the office with a no-nonsense pencil skirt done in this season’s key print – the camouflage. 3 For a more casual take, knot a silk scarf – in a graphic foliage print – over a linen T-shirt, boyfriend jeans and skyscraping heels.
$14.90 to $249.90, available at Uniqlo Orchard Central. fashion
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square roots It’s plaid season again, and these three brands are thinking out of the box.
10.DEEP Based in the Big Apple, this cult streetwear brand returns with a collection inspired by the colours and textures of the great outdoors. Titled ‘Outlands’, the collection fuses plaid pieces with a bevy of patterns and colours, such as sandy camouflage and Navajo prints. Flannel peg-legged trousers are done up in a rich shade of pine green plaid, while flannel shirts take on a brighter burst of
NIKELAB X COMME DES GARÇONS Mark your diaries for early 2017, because that’s when COMME des GARÇONS releases its highly-anticipated Nike Air VaporMax and Air Moc sneakers for public consumption. Over the course of the past month, details of the sneakers have been teased in small doses over social media channels. What we know so far: the monochrome kicks come in black and white, and will feature Rei Kawakubo’s signature parreddown aesthetics with the insanely comfortable insulation that Nike’s improved Air technology now offers.
Available at COMME des GARÇONS in February 2017.
colour in a sunny yellow. And for those who
OFF-ROAD COMPANION
can’t decide which to buy, there’s even a shirt that features a patchwork of flannel fabrics combined seamlessly.
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ESPRIT X OPENING CEREMONY As one of the hottest shopping destinations to look up when you’re in New York, Opening Ceremony is the multi-label boutique known for carrying only the coolest threads for the coolest kids. Teaming up with French brand Esprit, OC founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim take the hallmarks of the former brand and rejig it for today. Jolting colours, slinky knits and the iconic Esprit logo make great ’90s references, but it’s the unapologetic clash of checks and plaids that will turn heads. From structured cropped jackets to pliably-soft ponchos and sweatshirts, it’s a simple way of celebrating the eternal appeal that Esprit’s plaids have.
WALKING ON AIR
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Coming off the tremendously successful reception of its first launch three years ago, Skechers is back with the D’Lites 2. Here are some numbers to know.
SOPHNET. Hailing from the streets of Tokyo, SOPHNET. returns
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with a collection that expands on the humble plaid pattern. By mixing and clashing
Each pair features a 1¼-inch built-in heel for that little height boost.
patterns together into a single garment, designer Hirofumi Kiyonaga breathes new life into the standard paisley and plaid print. One of the ways he does this is by
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overlapping prints – as in the case of a flannel plaid shirt that’s been printed over
The collection sees nine unisex designs, all of which come with the Air Cooled Memory Foam insole.
with the brand’s signature camouflage pattern. Plaid also shows up in various pieces, including reversible jackets and overshirts, so shoppers can experiment with layering for that little shot of grunge in their look.
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2.5 million The number of pairs sold to date globally.
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That’s how much each pair goes for, so you don’t have to break the bank.
Available at Skechers, #B4-28 ION Orchard.
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Text Aaron Kok Images Various Sources
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As the year draws to a close and monsoon season rolls in, it’s only apt that you get yourself sorted with a bag from the new capsule collection by Nixon, in partnership with British Millerain. Known for producing waxed cotton canvases for over 130 years, the go-to brand for sailors who sought ice-protection in the 19th century is bringing its storied materials to three bags – a toploader, a backpack and a messenger bag. With the time-tested technology that British Millerain has perfected over the years, these sacs are made to withstand natural elements, come rain or shine. Better yet, their utilitarian hardiness – complete with compartments to keep your knick-knacks dry and safe – makes them the perfect companion to take on your next adventure. $238 to $288, available at Nixon, #B3-13 ION Orchard.
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Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources
catch the light From hairsprays to body lotions, and face powders to nail polish, everything was overloaded with glitter back in the ’90s – it was the key must-have in every party girl’s makeup kit. This season, glitter returns to our beauty arsenal to deliver the same twinkle, albeit with temperance and class. Less disco and more mod, fall days call for a shiny silver band under the brow arch and a gentle sprinkling of sparkles at the corner of the eye. As dusk falls, colour moves in to charm, while exaggerated lines a la Emanuel Ungaro add the perfect edge.
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GAME BOY
All you zombies gathering in hordes throughout the island as you romp through Pokémon Go, know that all the buzz started from the game’s cartridge format for Game Boy. Created in 1989 by Japanese video game designer, Gunpei Yokoi, and Nintendo’s Research & Development Team, the 8-bit hand-held device absolutely destroyed competitors such as Sega’s Game Gear and Atari’s Lynx – becoming the global portable gaming platform of choice. Battery-powered and designed with minimal controls, it placed an emphasis on simplicity and efficacy; ideal for whiling time away. Though still in production, it’s fallen far from its former place of prominence in pop culture.
CHERRY COKE
Here’s the tagline that accompanied the rollout of Cherry Coke when it was released in 1985: “Cherry Coke is slightly wild. It’s fun.” Talk about a mythic understatement! Cherry Coke was utterly wild and extremely fun. Gifting the zest of Coke’s soda base and the sweetness of its flavourings with a cherry-laced kick, Cherry Coke was the next-level of carbonated beverages. The Cocoa-Cola Company is known today as an uncannily shrewd branding behemoth whose campaigns are the ad world’s gold standard but it’s a testimony to its fine, cultures-transcending, demographic-unifying products that a concoction served in 1982 in Knoxville, Tennessee, became a worldwide hit.
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miss you like crazy POWER RANGERS
You can deny it all you want, but we know that few things occupied your Primary School consciousness more than Power Rangers. Back then, the universe hawked by the franchise was the only sizeable alternative to the Marvel and DC ones, which still command titanic chunks of the superhero economy. Undoubtedly, the most transfixing of its offerings was the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, where five teenagers “with attitude” were selected to keep Earth safe from the evil sorceress Rita Reuplsa. A feature-film reboot is slated to hit screens in 2017, but from the promo images we’ve seen, the costumes of the new Rangers are disrespectfully lame.
GOOD R&B MUSIC
Yes, The Weeknd is great and Frank Ocean is consummately stunning, but behind them lies a vast gap populated by indistinguishable peddlers of cloudy, mumble-heavy fare that’s almost identical in form and structure to pop’s more vanilla offerings. That’s not what r&b used to be about, at all. In the ’90s, an r&b star was an icon with a majestically singular voice and a style that was impossible to replicate. This was the era that gave the world Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Jodeci, Mariah Carey, TLC, Aaliyah, and of course, Lauryn Hill. How many of today’s belters and crooners can square off with these greats?
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GOOD CARTOONS
Remember Hey Arnold!? We sure do, and yes, they don’t make them like that anymore. It’s not that today’s cartoons are downright bad. It’s just that whatever passes as ‘good’ these days are indieminded shows that strive to make some sort of vaguely cynical point – like Family Guy and Bojack Horseman, to name some. Back then, in the pre-Internet mainstream, all you had to do was turn on the TV and imbibe the colourful, innocent good time-proffering half-hour slots of Dexter’s Laboratory, The Simpsons (at its peak groundbreaking form), Mighty Ducks, Rugrats, Futurama, and Batman: The Animated Series.
M I X TA P E S
There’s a lot to be said about how much easier technology has made our lives. But there’s so much hand-wringing over the extent to which the ease and convenience it’s afforded has us has displaced us from one another and made us soulless drones. When it comes to mediated relationships, happiness is derived from the fine balance between connection and convenience. Mixtapes were one such reflection of that. Putting them together for our (soonto-be) loved ones involved a physical, tangible medium, something handwritten and a careful selection process. Now, they’ve devolved into a download link, Spotify playlist and Dropbox folder – fuss- and heart-free.
THE PUBLIC CONSENSUS ON MILLENNIALS ISN’T FLATTERING, BUT ONE THING THAT IS UNIVERSALLY AGREED ON IS THAT THE ’90S, AS A WHOLE, WAS A SIMPLER AND BETTER TIME. HERE ARE SOME OF THE RELICS THAT MADE IT SO.
STREET FIGHTER
Every kid with some semblance of combative streak played Street Fighter in the ’90s. Whether in the arcade or in hand-held comfort, Ryu, Ken and co. were a pivotal distraction in that era. As with the Game Boy, the appeal of Street Fighter stemmed largely from how rewarding its uncomplicated nature was. With a few deft moves, two players could spend hours trying to annihilate each other. Speed was a factor and so were the moves of your fighters. Ryu and Ken both had the ‘hadouken’; Blanka, the ‘electric thunder’ attack; and Dhalsim, ‘yoga fire’ – all of which were positively exhilarating, despite the rudimentary graphics.
Text Indran P Images Various Sources
BOY/GIRL BANDS
‘Tacky’ is a descriptor that isn’t quite heard today except when lobbed at hypebeasts decked in all-logo everything or at bengs and lians intent on keeping it ‘real’. But there was so much that was tacky about the ’90s. In their synchronised dressing, disingenuous songs, OTT poses, and just sheer datedness, boy/girl bands were founts of sublime cheesiness. But think back on The Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees, S Club 7, Atomic Kitten, Westlife, A1, The Spice Girls, B*Witched, and All Saints. How would a Zayn-less One Direction fair against them? On which side of the divide does talent exceed hype? You know which.
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trend
qmbient lighting edit surreal light, $140 hourglass at sephora
calligraphie de chanel in hyperblack, $48, chanel beauty
falsies push up mascara, $21.90, maybelline at leading personal care stores
stay all day waterproof brow colour in medium warm, $33, stila at sephora
all nighter liquid foundation in 3.5, $62, urban decay
m.a.c selena lipstick in como la flor, $36, m.a.c cosmetics
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Text & Coordination Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources
velvet matte lip pencil in consuming red, $38, nars
TEJANO QUEEN
eau des sens, $144 (50ml), diptyque at escentials
IT’S BEEN 21 YEARS SINCE TEX-MEX CHANTEUSE SELENA QUINTANILLA WAS TRAGICALLY KILLED AT AGE 23, BUT HER BEAUTY AND LEGACY LIVE ON EVEN IN THE NEW 10S. AS WE REMINISCE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ’90S THIS MONTH, TAKE CUES FROM HER STYLE BOOK AND GET WITH THE LOOK. made up
liquid gold illuminating perfector, poa, perfekt beauty at sephora
caviar anti-aging cc cream extra hold, $40 (74ml), alterna at sephora
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AVEDA TULASARA
WELLNESS WARRIORS When two bastions of wellness get together, you know there’s going to be a lot of good coming out of the partnership. Case in point: Neal’s Yard Remedies x Ella Milis Rose, Lime & Cucumber collection. Taking inspiration from Milis’ book – Deliciously Ella – of plant-based recipes, the brand combines its expertise in wholesome formulas with simple, skinloving ingredients to enhance your daily routine. The Facial Wash features acai and turmeric to keep skin feeling smooth and delicate, while the Moisturiser is packed with high quality ingredients and healthy oils to ensure that skin is well nourished and hydrated. $46 (100ml, facial wash) and $62 (100ml, moisturiser), available at Neal’s Yard Remedies.
POUT PROTECTION The prowess behind Fresh’s lip care products is wellknown and we count ourselves as big fans. But just when we thought its Sugar Lip Treatment sticks are the perfect marriage of care and colour, the brand ups the ante with its latest capsule roll-out, the Sugar Cream. Available in three shimmery shades – Blush, Buff and Pink – the collection offers a nourishing treatment to soothe chapped puckers, while dressing them in neutral colours for a soft, healthy glow. $34 each, available at Fresh Beauty.
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Bringing the same nurturing touch for the hair to the face, Aveda launches its latest skincare solution dubbed Tulasara. Inspired by the Ayurvedic approach to healthy, balanced skin, the range of products combines aromatherapy with advanced ingredients to boost skin’s natural ability to restore itself. The Firm Concentrate contains a potent, bio-fermented peptide, which firms, lifts and helps reduces lines, while the Bright Concentrate boasts licorice root extract, to lessen the appearance of discolouration and even out skin tone. We also like the Calm Concentrate, which aims to soothe and reduce skin redness with its algae and pomegranate extract.
THE POWER OF FALL The missing ingredient for perfection in the domain of fall fashion is an injection of effervescent, bold colours that would relinquish the gloom of the cold seasons. YSL seeks to do just that with its Fall 2016 Scandal Collection. Featuring lush, jewel-toned shades borne from the free-spirited vibes of the ’70s, the series features seductive emerald and maroon all presented in a rich, covetable finish. We especially love the Scandal Couture Palette, which is housed in a luxurious gold compact and lined with dark green leather that’s emblazoned with a crimson logo From $39 to $105, available at YSL Beauté.
$105 (30ml) each, available at Aveda.
POLAR OPPOSITES
Goth and cute are usually mutually exclusive but Etude House has found the perfect balance of both with its latest Pink Skull collection. Equally edgy and sweet, the series brings out the warm and playful spirit of the season, yet remains collected and cool at the same time. Highlights include two eyeshadow palettes – Lovely Skull features a mix of vibrant pinks and browns, while Funky Skull features a dustier take – cream blushers, mascaras, lip tints, and even nail polishes. We also like the collection’s fragrance, which is infused with sweet berry, florals and a touch of sandalwood. From $4.90 to $27.90, available at Etude House.
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IN THE NUDE Slapping on thick and cakey formulas on our face in this weather is not exactly the smartest thing to do. Yet, we can’t go commando in the makeup department either. To meet in the middle, The Body Shop rolls out its Fresh Nude Cushion Foundation, promising to veil flaws while giving skin a soft, dewy look. The semi-matte foundation is weightless and breathable, yet it provides SPF protection and hydrates skin at the same time. Infused with aloe vera and english rose water, it is also 100 per cent vegan – perfect for those who want to look good and feel good all at once. $39.90, available in five shades at The Body Shop.
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LIKE A ROSE
Said to protect skin against ageing and photo damage, while repairing it at the same time, rosehip oil has long been touted as an essential to the skincare arsenal. Harnessing its benefits is Essano, a certified organic brand from New Zealand that uses only plant-based ingredients that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. Whether you’re a first-time user or a fan who wants to bring small bottles of her favourite formulas on the next holiday, the Treat Your Skin Pack will deliver in both convenience and value. It contains the Organic Rosehip Oil, Facial Cleanser, Facial Moisturiser, Night Creme, and Body Lotion, all in a nifty reusable bag. Sounds like just about everything we need and more. $39.95, available at selected Watsons stores.
SARAH MOON If there’s one man who never fails to charm us every holiday with one achingly beautiful collection after another, it would be Francois Nars. Year after year, the forward-thinking makeup maestro teams up with respected creatives who provide strong visual angles that inspire stunning colours and glorious packaging. This season, it is French photographer, Sarah Moon, who holds court with a colour and gifting range that is ethereal and hauntingly beautiful. We find out more behind the collaboration.
FEMME FATALE
You have a very distinct style of photography; tell us about it. I never felt I had a special style. I just saw things this way – so I suppose it became my style, but I never realised it until people started talking about it. The grain, the sharpness, the blur – which is not really blur at all, but double exposure. The style is the label people put on you. And sometimes I think they didn’t get it quite right.
Powerful, sensual and assertive are qualities found in the women featured in Helmut Newton’s photography over the years. And bringing out that fierce sense of individuality is M.A.C Cosmetics, which looks to the shutterbug’s archives to roll out the collaborative collection. With a strong focus on the eyes and lips, the series plays on red and black to channel the strong yet sultry spirit of Newton’s ladies. Expect an eyeshadow palette with sensuous taupe and brown for mysteriously smoky eyes, various tones of red to veil the pout, as well as a skinny-wand mascara for irresistibly curled lashes. From $24 to $70, available at M.A.C Cosmetics.
Do you have a muse? It was really the heroines in silent movies that inspired me when I was young – before painting, before photography, before everything really. I don’t remember their names but I remember what I saw in them. In books, I love Virginia Woolf ; she was very evocative. Her characters are very Romanesque, which intrigues and inspires me. Tell us about the process of designing the packaging and photos for each piece. Francois and I worked very closely with the design team, Baron & Baron. The vision came together right away from our first meeting – simple, strong, transparent, and frosted. I must say, it was really lovely. Everything was decided in a common decision. How did you choose the shades for the collection? We talked about the idea of a kind of mist around the eyes and worked from there. Nothing too obvious, nothing too strident; just enhancing the woman’s natural features. What do you want women to take away from this collection? It’s a story where the woman is the heroine – a sensitive, authentic woman made up, but never masked. It’s a free story – one that gives you the choice.
YOU GLOW, GIRL! What’s party season without a fine dose of shine and shimmer? In preparation of all the year-end shindigs we’ve got lined up on our calendars, we’re looking to Urban Decay to help perfect our miens this holiday. Combining three of our favourite highlighter shades into one nifty compact, the Naked Illuminated Trio Highlighter Palette is a versatile option that will have your shoulders, decolletage, face, and hair all twinkly and nice. But first, make sure you use the range of Naked Skin Colour Correcting Fluid to set a flawless base. It’s designed to neutralise even the most obvious blemish, plus the vitamin C-infused formula instantly brightens your peepers so they, too, will sparkle all night long. $60 and $40 respectively, available at Urban Decay.
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Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images NARS
Text Izza Sofia & Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources
$30 to $180, available at NARS.
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man up
COOL SHOWER Two months ago, females islandwide went gaga over the launch of H&M’s beauty line, which carries over 700 products. But the boys can get in on the action too. Besides cosmetics, a range of bath and body care products is also available to pamper tired souls after a long day. While the Conscious line focuses on sustainability – with packaging made from recyclable materials – we are putting our money down on the Premium range. Stars include the Intuition Body Scrub, which buffs and revitalises the skin with green tea and apricot seed; as well as the Revelation Body Oil, which leaves skin feeling supple and smooth, thanks to a blend of rosemary leaf extract, and moringa and argan oils. Available at H&M Orchard Building.
JASON LEE What started as wedding favours quickly laid the way for the birth of home-grown fragrance brand, SIX. Founder Jason Lee – who test-drove the popularity of his scents at his own nuptials – had spent four years at Givaudan as management associate. First launched in July, SIX offers three perfume variants (inspired by Lee’s travels), and is now introducing SIX Air, a range of fragrances for reed diffusers and water-based air purifiers. We sit down with the head honcho to talk shop.
OUD TO STYLE
What sparked your passion for fragrances? The time at Givaudan fostered my passion and interest in the world of fine fragrance creation. We were required to evaluate numerous fragrances in different formats (fine fragrance, fragrances for skincare and the home) day in day out. What seems to be a work requirement to perform fine fragrance store checks gradually became a desire to satisfy personal curiosity.
Most oud scents can be overly woody and heady but not this looker right here. Creamier than the usual, Armani’s Eau De Nuit Oud is a powdery rose-oud combo that has just the right amount of sophistication and strength. Housed in a sleek black flacon, it features cardamom and bergamot with a dash of tonka bean and saffron – making it a mysterious and captivating scent. Patchouli accords a sweet, warm vibe, while the measured dose of oud keeps things light and day-appropriate. $159 (100ml), available at leading departmental stores.
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You launched the brand with three scents. Are you working on any new ones? Yes, I am. I am at the stage where I am making olfactive sense of my inspirations. Maybe my new scents will also be inspired by travel destinations, or not. Let’s see! Tell us more about SIX Air. SIX Air was born after many customers requested for our unique scents to be used in their homes. I’m also glad to have received positive feedback about how my customers’ guests were impressed when they entered homes scented with SIX Air. SIX started as a means for you to capture memories and the essence of a place in time. If you were to ‘bottle’ the party spirit for JUICE, what would the scent be like? I would imagine an aromatic fragrance that opens with spicy iris, very slightly sweetened with honey, leading on to hints of tobacco and whiskey, before coming to a well-balanced base of vetiver, cedar and the impalpable voluptuousness of benzoin. This unisex scent paints an urbanite who is sophisticated and discerning; evoking style in the most unassuming way. City-proud, media-literate, trend-sensitive, and culturally-aware.
We know charcoal as a great filter and dirt puller. So when it came to giving our hair and scalp a thorough clean, the black hero was naturally our first choice. Enter Hask’s Charcoal Purifying haircare collection. Comprising a shampoo, conditioner and hair treatment, the series uses carefully sourced charcoal citrus oils and leaves behind sulfates, parabens, alcohol, and phthalates. When used in tandem, we found our hair deeply cleaned wihout feeling squeaky to the touch. The Deep Conditioning treatment also ensured our mop is silky, shiny and fresh-smelling. From $4.90 to $16.90, available at Guardian.
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Text Izza Sofia & Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources
LOCK IT DOWN
Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images SIX
$60 (250ml), available at scentbysix.com.
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Text Aaron Kok Images Various Sources
and the beat goes Even if you don’t remember that iconic scene from Say Anything – where John Cusack’s character holds up a boombox underneath the window of his love – we can all agree that kickin’ it with a ghetto blaster was one of the greatest joys of growing up in the ’90s. Sykik invites you to relive those good ol’ days with its SP2091BT Boombox. On the outside, it’s a groovy looking box with its own light show that pulsates to the beats. Beneath its black exterior, the boombox features a bevy of modern-day amenities including wireless streaming, a USB jack and top-tier radio reception. An external battery slot also ensures you can switch out dead batts to keep the party raging on.
US$39.95, available at amazon.com
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GAME BOY
All you zombies gathering in hordes throughout the island as you romp through Pokémon Go, know that all the buzz started from the game’s cartridge format for Game Boy. Created in 1989 by Japanese video game designer, Gunpei Yokoi, and Nintendo’s Research & Development Team, the 8-bit hand-held device absolutely destroyed competitors such as Sega’s Game Gear and Atari’s Lynx – becoming the global portable gaming platform of choice. Battery-powered and designed with minimal controls, it placed an emphasis on simplicity and efficacy; ideal for whiling time away. Though still in production, it’s fallen far from its former place of prominence in pop culture.
CHERRY COKE
Here’s the tagline that accompanied the rollout of Cherry Coke when it was released in 1985: “Cherry Coke is slightly wild. It’s fun.” Talk about a mythic understatement! Cherry Coke was utterly wild and extremely fun. Gifting the zest of Coke’s soda base and the sweetness of its flavourings with a cherry-laced kick, Cherry Coke was the next-level of carbonated beverages. The Cocoa-Cola Company is known today as an uncannily shrewd branding behemoth whose campaigns are the ad world’s gold standard but it’s a testimony to its fine, cultures-transcending, demographic-unifying products that a concoction served in 1982 in Knoxville, Tennessee, became a worldwide hit.
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miss you like crazy POWER RANGERS
You can deny it all you want, but we know that few things occupied your Primary School consciousness more than Power Rangers. Back then, the universe hawked by the franchise was the only sizeable alternative to the Marvel and DC ones, which still command titanic chunks of the superhero economy. Undoubtedly, the most transfixing of its offerings was the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series, where five teenagers “with attitude” were selected to keep Earth safe from the evil sorceress Rita Reuplsa. A feature-film reboot is slated to hit screens in 2017, but from the promo images we’ve seen, the costumes of the new Rangers are disrespectfully lame.
GOOD R&B MUSIC
Yes, The Weeknd is great and Frank Ocean is consummately stunning, but behind them lies a vast gap populated by indistinguishable peddlers of cloudy, mumble-heavy fare that’s almost identical in form and structure to pop’s more vanilla offerings. That’s not what r&b used to be about, at all. In the ’90s, an r&b star was an icon with a majestically singular voice and a style that was impossible to replicate. This was the era that gave the world Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Jodeci, Mariah Carey, TLC, Aaliyah, and of course, Lauryn Hill. How many of today’s belters and crooners can square off with these greats?
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GOOD CARTOONS
Remember Hey Arnold!? We sure do, and yes, they don’t make them like that anymore. It’s not that today’s cartoons are downright bad. It’s just that whatever passes as ‘good’ these days are indieminded shows that strive to make some sort of vaguely cynical point – like Family Guy and Bojack Horseman, to name some. Back then, in the pre-Internet mainstream, all you had to do was turn on the TV and imbibe the colourful, innocent good time-proffering half-hour slots of Dexter’s Laboratory, The Simpsons (at its peak groundbreaking form), Mighty Ducks, Rugrats, Futurama, and Batman: The Animated Series.
M I X TA P E S
There’s a lot to be said about how much easier technology has made our lives. But there’s so much hand-wringing over the extent to which the ease and convenience it’s afforded has us has displaced us from one another and made us soulless drones. When it comes to mediated relationships, happiness is derived from the fine balance between connection and convenience. Mixtapes were one such reflection of that. Putting them together for our (soonto-be) loved ones involved a physical, tangible medium, something handwritten and a careful selection process. Now, they’ve devolved into a download link, Spotify playlist and Dropbox folder – fuss- and heart-free.
THE PUBLIC CONSENSUS ON MILLENNIALS ISN’T FLATTERING, BUT ONE THING THAT IS UNIVERSALLY AGREED ON IS THAT THE ’90S, AS A WHOLE, WAS A SIMPLER AND BETTER TIME. HERE ARE SOME OF THE RELICS THAT MADE IT SO.
STREET FIGHTER
Every kid with some semblance of combative streak played Street Fighter in the ’90s. Whether in the arcade or in hand-held comfort, Ryu, Ken and co. were a pivotal distraction in that era. As with the Game Boy, the appeal of Street Fighter stemmed largely from how rewarding its uncomplicated nature was. With a few deft moves, two players could spend hours trying to annihilate each other. Speed was a factor and so were the moves of your fighters. Ryu and Ken both had the ‘hadouken’; Blanka, the ‘electric thunder’ attack; and Dhalsim, ‘yoga fire’ – all of which were positively exhilarating, despite the rudimentary graphics.
Text Indran P Images Various Sources
BOY/GIRL BANDS
‘Tacky’ is a descriptor that isn’t quite heard today except when lobbed at hypebeasts decked in all-logo everything or at bengs and lians intent on keeping it ‘real’. But there was so much that was tacky about the ’90s. In their synchronised dressing, disingenuous songs, OTT poses, and just sheer datedness, boy/girl bands were founts of sublime cheesiness. But think back on The Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees, S Club 7, Atomic Kitten, Westlife, A1, The Spice Girls, B*Witched, and All Saints. How would a Zayn-less One Direction fair against them? On which side of the divide does talent exceed hype? You know which.
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gear
SONY H.EAR IN WIRELESS
Sporting a stylish design available in a range of eye-catching colours, Sony’s wireless offering is bold in both aesthetic and sound. While some will appreciate flashing the flexible neckband as a fashion accessory, others will find that the headphone unit sits comfortably and discretely under a collared shirt. But all will agree with Sony’s ability to put big sound in small packages, and the h.ear in wireless is no exception. Coupling 9mm high-sensitivity drivers to produce vibrant detail and bass with LDAC transmission for exceptional high-resolution audio quality, the headphones also feature an in-line remote and mic to take control of music and calls with dynamic sound for up to 7.5 hours. $279, available at Sony Stores and authorised retailers.
J AY B I R D FREEDOM F5
Answering the call to reduce the bulk of its renowned X2 model, Jaybird slims down and streamlines the design of its sporty Freedom F5 earbuds. Featuring a sweat-proof, distortion-reducing, all-metal housing, the F5’s lightweight design pushes comfort while remaining both rugged and sleek with sandblasted metal accents. Interchangeable buds and detachable wings – which come in a range of different sizes for the perfect fit – allow gym junkies to work up a sweat while keeping them secure in the ears, lasting for up to eight hours with the included charging clip. And because everybody enjoys music differently, the Jaybird MySound app allows users to save sound profiles for when the time comes to turn up the bass. US$259, available at authorised retailers.
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PLANTRONICS B A C K B E AT G O 3
An audio brand that continually outdoes itself with each release, Plantronics has impressed listeners with its previous iterations of wireless over-ear headphones. Now, it joins the wireless earbud arena with the Backbeat GO 3, a chic and simple design that strives to excel in both audio and convenience. Equipped with a nano-coating that protects against light rain, humidity and sweat, the Backbeat GO 3’s custom speakers and refined audio codec bring detail and clarity to your tunes no matter the weather. Perhaps most impressive is the earbuds’ charging pouch, which boasts up to 13 hours of extra listening, while sporting a touchscreen LED that reveals the charge levels of both the pouch and earbuds. $169 ($219 with charging case), available at authorised retailers.
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B & O P L AY B E O P L AY H 5
One (well, technically, two) of the most revered names in audio, B&O Play’s concentrated focus on marrying high quality audio with elegant design also makes it one of the most stylish. The Beoplay H5 continues this trajectory with a number of clever surprises. Taking an uncompromising approach to sound through Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity with aptX and AAC codecs, the inventive design of the H5 includes a textured rubber and polymer build, braided textile cord, and magnetic earpieces that click together around the neck so they’re never left hanging. As well as coming with a choice of ear tips, including the moisture-reducing Comply Sport tips, users can tweak the tonality of their tunes through the intuitive Beoplay App. $379, available at authorised retailers.
gear
UA HEADPHONES WIRELESS
Under Armour has proven its mettle in the active apparel scene, and now the brand has its sights set on coming in first place in the tech sphere, too. Teaming up with audio expert JBL, UA Headphones Wireless is designed for the athletic listener who ain’t afraid to get wet. Built to withstand the stresses of strenuous activity, the earbuds’ housing features internal and external strain reliefs with a sweat-proof IPX5 rating. TwistLock Technology ensures a secure fit – so you can enjoy up to eight hours of audio without having to fuss over putting your earbuds back in – while each pair also comes with a membership to the MapMyFitness Premium app for you to put your physical abilities to the test. $289, available at authorised retailers.
BOSE SOUNDSPORT WIRELESS
When it comes to going the extra mile on a run or raising the bar at the gym, clunky earphones and tangled cables are the last things you need. As masters of compacting massive sound in miniscule housing, Bose’s active lifestylefriendly SoundSport wireless earbuds are ready to take the challenge. Fitted with winged ear tips to keep your music in your ears and off the floor, and hydrophobic cloth in each acoustic port to keep moisture out, wet weather and sweaty workouts are a problem of the past. Boasting rich sound that’s intuitively optimised, even at louder volumes, the earbuds have been put through rigorous testing to make sure interference keeps clear of your music and calls for up to six hours. $239.99, available at authorised retailers.
WE’VE BEEN WAITING EXCITEDLY FOR YEARS AT THE PROSPECT OF ENJOYING MUSIC THROUGH FUTURISTIC WIRELESS EARBUDS, AND APPLE’S REMOVAL OF THE AUX PORT IN ITS LATEST IPHONE 7 JUST GAVE US NEW REASON TO GET INTO THIS. HERE ARE EIGHT OPTIONS THAT’LL GIVE YOU THE FREEDOM OF WIRELESS SOUND, WITHOUT THE FEAR OF YOUR MONEY GOING LITERALLY DOWN THE DRAIN.
B E AT S X
While the brand’s iconic “b” is a little too small here to earn nods of approval from fashion-minded music-lovers, it’s clear that the Beatsx wasn’t made to be obvious. From its string-thin flexible neckband and slimmed-down in-line remote, Beats’ wireless earbuds favour discretion over the imposing aesthetic of its over-ear options. Featuring the ability to seamlessly switch from music to calls with the Siri-compatible remote, the earbuds deliver clear, dynamic audio no matter where your day takes you. Impressively, despite its slim build, Beatsx can keep the music coming for up to eight hours per charge – and with the Fast Fuel feature, it only takes five minutes to charge up two hours’ worth of playback. $198, available at authorised retailers.
Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources
LG T O N E P L AT I N U M
While some makers of wireless earbuds aim to make the neckband as discrete as possible, the LG Tone Platinum is made to be seen and bathe in the limelight. Engineered with smooth contours and ergonomic comfort, the sturdy housing sports an anodised brushed aluminium alloy trim for a sure dose of luxury, with user-friendly controls built into the band. But it’s not just the aesthetics that show off here; flaunting hi-fi sound with Harman Kardon’s celebrated audio chops and a balanced armature design to minimise distortion, owners of LG’s G5 smartphone can also enjoy 24-bit audiophile-quality sound with the apt-X HD codec (that’s geek speak for “really good audio”) for up to 10 hours of playback. $299, available at authorised retailers.
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grub
FAT PRINCE
THE MORE THE MERRIER
Much like the streets of Turkey – where the crumbling blocks of the old city intermingles with contemporary influences – the food served at Fat Prince mirrors this old-meets-new charm. The swanky spot swirls art deco influences together with deconstructed Moroccan motifs and tableware for a rustic and warm finish. For starters, dip into the Truffled Baba Ghanouj ($12) – a densely flavoured blend of eggplant, sumac, truffle, mint leaves, and crispy shallots – to open up your palate. The kebabs ($16 for two, $24 for three) are the stars here, so take your pick from six flavours and have them all served on a platter. The Spicy Adalar Prawn sees chunky slices of succulent prawn meat mixed with a dollop of buttered soy, pickled chayote and a pear salad, while the Smoked Kasar Cheese is a sinfully melting mouthful of kasseri, avocado mousse and crunchy bits of candied nuts. 48 Peck Seah Street, tel: 6221-3683.
AS THE YEAR WINDS DOWN TOWARDS CHRISTMAS, YOU DON’T WANT TO BE COOPED UP IN A CORNER EATING ALONE. IN THAT SPIRIT, HERE ARE THREE ESTABLISHMENTS THAT SPECIALISE IN SHARING PLATES FOR YOUR WHOLE SQUAD.
VLV Walking through the plush interior of the two-storey monolith, which is dressed up in an expert measure of tasteful opulence, it’s hard to imagine how the restaurant’s big draw – its sharing plates of dim sum – fits in. But order the Dim Sum Symphony ($28) and everything will fall into place. Befitting the luxe charm of its decor, the dish is an epicurean delight, boasting Golden Flakes Lobster, Truffle Siew Mai, Fish Celery, and Vegetable Dumpling. Though light, each is robustly flavourful, just like another highlight, the Baked Crispy Kurobata Pork Buns ($6 for three). Encased within each crisp-but-fluffy bun is a moist prize of faintly sweetened shreds of pork with a melt-in-mouth quality. For a non-meat option, opt for the Pan-Fried Taro Carrot Cake ($4.80 for three) – whether on its own, or dipped in the restaurant’s homemade shrimp chilli paste, it’s a savoury treat. 3A River Valley Road, tel: 6661-0197.
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Text Aaron Kok & Indran P Images Various Sources
IZY Mining a common ground between American and Japanese cuisines, Japanese chefs Masaaki and Rintaro turn the izakaya into a playground of flavours where time-honoured traditions intersect with mass appeal. We see this in the bestselling sharing plates of over-thetop maki and sushi rolls. The IZY Roll ($16) is the star player of this class. With tempura shrimp and asparagus covered in torched spicy crab mayo – encased in fragrant Japanese rice and drizzled with a light avocado puree – it’s a delectable balance of tanginess and savouriness with a pleasant crunch. Chicken karaage gets elevated in the Chicken Nanban ($9), where deep fried chunks of chicken are coated with a bespoke sweet vinegar soy sauce and served with tartar sauce. As a savoury broth, the signature Wagyu Tomato Sukiyaki ($28) will offer dividends with its hearty payload of moreish beef cuts stewed in onions and sweet tomatoes. 27 Club Street, tel: 9678-0027.
bar stop
NIGHT MOVES
RED TAIL BAR
Text Indran P Images Red Tail Bar
His name is Xiao Hong and he’s a fabulist when it comes to matters of gastronomy and alcohol of various irresistible kinds. He’s also a rambunctious Red Tail panda and mascot of the eponymous Red Tail Bar, the newest entrant in Clarke Quay’s Canary Block. There are two attributes of Xiao Hong’s species that make it the most apt inspiration for this Zouk-launched restaurant-bar concept: it’s unique to Asia and nocturnal. As the beloved Jiak Kim Street institution decamps to Clarke Quay, Red Tail is poised to be the preeminent pre-party stop where ravers fuel up for the night ahead. To that end, the approach is via Asian-inspired sharing plates and selections from
across the spectrum of the most effective social lubricant. The Zouk brand has succeeded on multiple levels locally and internationally, but translating it to an F&B context is always going to be a tricky proposition. It’s part of Red Tail’s charms that it tastefully reflects its storied DNA. This is observable in the intangibles, like the contagiously vibe-y nu-disco tunes piped through the venue’s bass-friendly soundsystem, and in the tangibles, of which the warm-lit, ubermodern-yet-intimate dining area is a highlight. Of course, there are also the food and drinks menus to consider.
Red Tail’s kitchen is helmed by a formidable twosome – head chef Chan Kar Meng has experience in several of Australia’s buzziest restaurants, and consultant chef Ming Tan is owner and director of the widely popular sandwich spot, Park Bench Deli. From their twinned visions, we’re served sharing plates where Asian influences undercut a gamut of flavours, and which pair sumptuously with the bar’s bespoke cocktails. A must-try combination is the Coffee Pork Collar ($18) and the Fancy Uncle ($22). The latter, a scotch-based concoction housing the refreshing zest of earl grey tea, spiced honey apple syrup and lemon, provides a nice counterpoint to the sticky-sweetand-savoury heft of the Pork Collar. The hearty dish is an elevated version of the classic tze char staple, made with Katarosu pork collar tossed in a craft coffee sauce and a coriander and laksa leaf pesto. If your group is large and in a mood to feast, the Yun Cheong Thin Crust Pizza ($25) is the way to go. With caramelised onion, fried shallots, string cheese and Chinese liver sausage baked atop a generous slab of dough, it’s a palettegratifying delight that also qualifies as comfort food. When paired with the pandan-infused mezcal cocktail Pandan War ($20), the effect is a headily smoky and tasty boon to the senses. Those who favour the sea’s offerings will do well to tuck into the Seabass Nori Taco ($29), which are bite-sized
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portions of Chilean seabass wrapped in nori and a house-made spring onion crepe, pickled kanpyo, and ginger topped with malt vinegar mayo. As an approximation of the Mexican dish it emulates, it fares very well, but it does even better when regarded as a treat on its own. So, whether or not you’re pre-gaming to get infamously lit at Zouk or just letting the night unwind on its own, stopping by Red Tail is a decision that assures rewards on multiple fronts – one of them is Xiao Hong himself.
#01-04 3C River Valley Road, tel: 6738-2988. For more information, visit redtailbar.com.
hit list
STEPH ONG
Working Tune “Music Money Bxxtch” by Black Loops gets me going at work. The rhythm helps me to focus, and I like the title.
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Go-To Arcade Game I love Wacky Gator. An alligator going “ow!” every time you hit it is hilarious!
For The Record For me, Wildlife by La Dispute ranks pretty high. I really appreciate the conceptual nature of the album, the songwriting style, and how each track tells a depressing story. Listening to “King Park” for the first time gave me chills.
A Slice Of Heaven Hands down, the best pizza I’ve ever had comes from Extra Virgin Pizza. It’s not a plug (I promise), but EVP keeps things really simple with quality ingredients and techniques. Too many restos overcomplicate their pizzas.
Midnight Munchies I love the nine-piece chicken McNuggets. It’s cheap, convenient, not too filling and tasty as hell.
Hasta La Vista Arnold Schwarzenegger is perhaps my favourite thing about the ’90s. I love all of his movies from that era, including Kindergarten Cop and True Lies.
AS THE BRAINS BEHIND THE LO & BEHOLD GROUP’S GRAPHIC DEPARTMENT, STEPH ONG IS ALWAYS SEEKING NEW WAYS TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH THE IMAGES AND ARTWORKS SHE CREATES. CARVING SOME TIME OUT OF HER DAY TO SIT DOWN WITH US, THE ART DIRECTOR TALKS MORE ABOUT HER FAVE SUPPER NOSH AND WHY SHE LOVES WACKY GATOR. instagram.com/peachmcphee
Bucket List Destination I’d love to go to San Sebastian in Spain. Sun, sand, and the phenomenal food and drink – it doesn’t get better than that.
Moisturise Me I’m okay with not wearing makeup, but I can’t live without my moisturiser. Having dry or flaky skin is a big hell no.
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A Reel Tearjerker Without a doubt, Up gets me crying every time. Spoiler alert, but the old man’s wife, AKA the love of his life , dies within the first 10 minutes of the movie and he lives a grumpy life.
Text Aaron Kok Images Various Sources
Like The Irish I drink Guinness on tap. The thick, bitter, coffeelike taste really suits me.
16 IN 20 E C IEN
DJ’S ” Y P HAP JE S D T U ES OSA MIX T “ N THE B ON E N S W O I E R T A B DB NERA N S TO E A E G Z S I T NEX + PR 6 @ 1 E R 0 T U 2 A O LL L DEC I ITH T 0 W 1 Y & 6PM 6 M 1 O PA R T C FR V 20 I O L N B PU 12 O T LINE UP: DJ 5IIVE / DJ VINIC / DJ FLUXUS / DJ EM / MZ.BHAEV / EN P O T DJ KALI / DJ JUNEAU / DJ SYCOPHANT / DJ NASUS / DJ MESSY TONE / EVEN DJ MYNX / DJ BADY G / DJ REKMUS / DJ BONZO / DJ JUICY RAE / XPER
DJ JUICY KAE / DJ TRIPLE A /DJ WAINLO / DJ TRIX / DJ EZZUS
PREDICT THE WINNER OF 2016 “MIX US HAPPY” AND YOU MAY WALK AWAY WITH ONE SET OF PLX-500 WORTH $599 & DM-40 SPEAKER
INTRODUCING NEW TORAIZ SP-16 SAMPLER $2399 STEP SEQUENCER FOR DJS AND PRODUCERS.
ORGANISED BY
LEGENDARY SYNTH CREATOR DAVE SMITH AND HIS PROPHET-6 ANALOGUE FILTERS TO GIVE YOUR CREATIONS A RICH, ANALOGUE WARMTH AND PRESENCE.
SUPPORTED BY
EVENT SUPPORT:KEVIN KEAGAN EMAIL: YEOMC@PIONEER.COM.SG
arty
PARALLEL UNIVERSE Stroke of inspiration. A lot of my surreal pieces are just random ideas that pop into my mind, or they could come from images I see somewhere. For example, I’ll see an old computer from the ’80s and that would spawn an idea where I have the computer sinking in a swamp and lots of droplets and ominous lighting. It’s a really random process for me. Many times, I’ll just open up Photoshop and start working, and I never know what’s going to happen next. I also like looking at lots of references for strange lighting situations, interesting objects or settings; I keep them in an inspiration folder. Method man. I always begin with a sketch from my sketchbook, then scan it and put it into Photoshop. I keep my sketches quite loose, so as to leave some room for changes in the final piece. I find I often discover
AARON CAMPBELL
something new, or change my mind a bit mid-way through. New wave. The Vaporwave ’96 series stems from the aesthetic and feel popularised by the music genre, vaporwave. Vaporwave seems to be popular amongst ’80s and ’90s kids since it’s meant to evoke nostalgic feelings of those two decades – whether that nostalgia is a comfortable or unsettling one. For the pieces, I wanted to depict normal objects and settings, but in more bright and surreal colours. Each image has a VHS effect over the top of it to make it seem like it was from someone’s old family VHS tape that was dug up from a box. I was also partly inspired by watching old family videos and thinking back to vacations from when I was very young. Personal achievements. It would be a tie between three projects. In respective order of retouching, illustration and branding, I’d say I’m most proud of the photo-manipulation I made for Nike Canada for its 100th anniversary Canadian jersey; the ‘Explore Your Passion’ image I made for Adobe for its university recruitment campaign; and the branding work I did for Tapicnic, a Vancouver-based food ordering app. I feel these three reflect my best work in each of the creative disciplines I do professionally. Lesson learnt. Ask a lot of questions, make sure you understand exactly what a client is looking for, take lots of notes and confirm all of the details in a brief or some kind of document. It’s better to hash out the little details and set expectations while you’re still in the planning stage, as opposed to down the road when the project is half finished. Be thorough – it makes it easier for you and the client.
aaroncampbell.ca
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Text Aaron Kok Images Aaron Campbell
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WITH THE HELP OF HIS IMAGINATION AND COMPUTER, AARON CAMPBELL PAINSTAKINGLY BRINGS TO LIFE SURREAL LANDSCAPES THROUGH MELTING CLOUDS, FLUID STROKES AND STRIKING HUES. MORE RECENTLY, CAMPBELL HAS TURNED HIS ATTENTION ON A SERIES THAT AIMS TO RECREATE THE HAZY WORLD OF ELECTRIC LIGHTS AND NEON NIGHTS CAPTURED ON VHS TAPES. WE GO ON THE RECORD WITH THE VANCOUVER-BASED ARTIST TO CHECK OUT HIS WORLD.
For starters. I have been drawing steadily, since I was very young. It’s always been my main hobby, but things changed when I got to high school and discovered Photoshop. From then on, I started practicing and posting my work on graphic design forums to get feedback, and I joined some digital art collectives as well. At that point, I decided to make illustration and design my career, and after a three-year IDEA programme at Capilano University in Vancouver, I began working professionally in 2014.
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RUN THIS SHOW Zouk always works us up into a sweat, and this month, the team takes it a notch higher with Zouk Run 2016. The first of its kind, the run will lead a slew of activities that will give fans the chance to reminisce, get one last look and say farewell to the club’s iconic Jiak Kim Street premises, before its move to Clarke Quay. Choose from four characters – Podium Queen, Mambo King, The Shuffler, and The Musichead – and don the respective race tee and party prop, then conquer the 3km run with special surprises along the route. There are even limited edition Zouk Run-themed swag to cop at the finish line! Happening November 5, sign up at thezoukrun.com.
FOOD FOR THE SOUL The formidable duo of Spa Esprit head honcho, Cynthia Chua, and Tippling Club chef-owner, Ryan Clift, returns once again to wow us with a newly revamped, gluten- and dairy-free menu at Open Door Policy. Complemented by an indoor vertical farm where leafy vegetables are grown, the resto offers an intriguing mix of dishes that employ alternative ingredients but still shine in terms of flavour. Start with the Slow-cooked Celeriac ($24) – its sweet, earthy flavour is enhanced with smoky bacon and a punchy watercress sauce. King Crab Orecchiette ($29) is a creamy toss of pasta with fragrant saffron and corn, while the piquant Pan-seared Crispy Quail ($34) delights with a crackling crunch. 19 Yong Siak Street, tel: 6221-9307.
COLD TREATS
Fans of HIC JUICE would be happy to know that your favourite power blends now come in popsicle and ice cream forms to chase the tropical heat away. Made with the brand’s signature cold-pressed juices, HIC POPS come in six flavours – we like Acai and Hydrate – and are sugar-free and low in fat. For something a little richer, go with HIC FREEZE, a vegan, lactose- and gluten-free treat made with coconut water. Star flavours include Houjicha, an earthy, nutty blend of roasted tea leaves that’s bursting with flavour; and Original Coconut, a smooth, creamy blend that satisfies without being overly cloying. From $4.50 to $7, available at The Shop by HIC, #02-470 Suntec City.
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MEET THE MASTERS Fans of the MasterChef franchise can now look forward to interacting with their favourite contestants as the MasterChef Dining & Bar concept makes a pit-stop on our shores. Hosted in Ash & Elm at InterContinental Singapore, the lineup sees world-renowned chef, Marco Pierre White, teaming up with Audra Morrice and Reynold Poernomo of MasterChef Australia, Luca Manfe of MasterChef USA and Woo Wai Leong – the Singaporean champion of MasterChef Asia – to produce a menu that promises to blow your taste buds away. With only limited tables available over the course of the 15-day event, it’s best you start securing tickets for a chance to rub elbows with White and the gang. Happening from November 25 to December 3. Tickets at $138+ (four-course lunch), and $248+ (six-course dinner), available at sistic.com.
JOIN THE CLUB
WE THE PEOPLE Kickstarter is a bubbling fountain of ingenious inventions and products that you’d want to buy just because. But while the thrill of these products often make headlines, the frustration of undelivered goods and nonfulfilment situations can put a dampener on things. Thanks to We The People – the first Kickstarter store in Asia – you can now fund projects with complete ease of mind. Set up with the aim of reducing waiting time and shipping charges, the brick-and-mortar store allows you to preview these products and get hands-on time before laying down the cash. So the next time you have a sudden yearn to own an air-powered lightbulb, or a kitchen companion that reads out recipe instructions, you know where to look. #04-03 Orchard Central, tel: 6341-9903.
Instead of spending Sundays lazing on the couch in your usual weekend daze, get acquainted with the growing community of local artisans and crafters for an artsy fix. Enter Camp Kilo Charcoal Club, which plays host to ART.CLUB, an artist market by Camp Kilo and Common Creatures. Expect to sample some of Selva Foods’ acai berry creations, leather goods designed by Forest Child, and pieces from artists like Allison M. Low and Reza Hasni. Plus, you’d also get to witness the creation of art as local artist Juls performs a live-painting session on one of Camp Kilo’s walls. Happening November 6 at Camp Kilo Charcoal Club, 66 Kampong Bugis, #01-01, from 2pm to 7pm. navigate
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RAVE AT THE BEACH
beery fun
’Tis the season of rowdy, delightful get-togethers and one of the main ingredients of those good times is beer, of course. Here are two new brew developments for your chugging pleasure.
ASAHI SUPER DRY BLACK LAGER Asahi Breweries is Japan’s largest beer producer but it’s also responsible for supplying most bars
It’s been 10 years since the Siloso Beach Party took off on our shores – and 10 years later is 10 years better. To bid adieu to 2016 and to usher in the blank slate that is 2017, this year’s edition of the beach rave is going to be even more off-the-hook. An expected 10,000 revellers are going to get turnt at this 12-hour shindig, which will be headlined by the Tiëstochampioned Dutch electro house sensation, Quintino. Joining him will be a slew of top local and regional acts such as, Mr Boo, DJ Kaylova, Shawny Shawn, and Caden. Happening on December 31 at Siloso Beach. For tickets and more information, visit store.sentosa.com.sg.
and clubs in Singapore with its fine products. Though its golden cousin has been favoured more, the Asahi Super Dry Black Lager is set to work its way into your parties with its new 350ml can servings. This means that as of right now, savouring its aromatic, mildly vanilla and sweetly nutty flavour, and thick body is as simple as pulling open a tab. Whether on a night out or even – and especially – in your own home, a new heady pleasure is now within easy reach.
$4.80 (350ml) each, available at 7-11.
ALL BOXES CHECKED
TIGER RADLER GRAPEFRUIT Tiger Beer is a hallowed, not-to-be-tamperedwith brand in Singapore. But with the positive response to Tiger Radler Lemon – a variant that mixes the lager with natural lemon juice – the brand will add Tiger Radler Grapefruit to its lineup this month. Capitalising on the beer’s crisp and pleasantly bitter aftertaste, the addition of natural grapefruit juice will sweeten the mix and add a playful sense of joie de vivre to any social occasion. As with Tiger Beer, you can expect this new flavour to be smooth, easy on the palette, and refreshing.
Text Aaron Kok, Indran P and Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources
$9.90 (323ml, six-can pack), available at leading supermarkets.
FORM MEETS FUNCTION Unveiling the newest addition to its M line, Leica has teamed up with artist and photographer, Rolf Sachs, to develop the Leica M-P (Typ 240) ‘Grip’. With only a limited run of 79 sets sold across the globe, it features an exterior that’s completely covered with the nubs of a ping pong paddle’s grip to increase tactility and allow a firmer hold. This baby also comes with a 2GB memory buffer to capture moments twice as fast, a 24-megapixel lens, and a highperformance image processor. Visit leica-camera.com for more information.
Being media-spoilt, we demand so much of our phones and entertainment devices. Enter LG Electronics’ latest smartphone, V20. With new features such as HD Audio Recorder, Steady Record 2.0, and front and rear wide-angle lens cameras, it’s poised to deliver the highest multimedia capabilities available in a mobile device. On the audio side of things, the V20 is the world’s first smartphone to feature a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC, powered by ESS Technology – designers of high-performance audio products. Likewise, its competition-defying video capabilities are guaranteed by its 5MP front camera and a dual-lens rear camera. $998, available at leading telcos. For more information, visit lg.com.
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BLAST TO THE PAST In time for the pop culture-wide celebration of the ’90s, ahead-ofthe-curve retail and F&B concept, Gallery & Co., has launched Pop Bar, which will transport punters back to the more carefree era. Aiming to furnish a distinct feel-good vibe that translates musically and gastronomically, the Gallery & Co. team has dipped into ’90s bubblegum pop and arrived at a series of deliciously fuss-free sharing plates that pop with flavour. Grub includes Spam Musubi ($18), Avocado Egg Rolls ($12), and crunchy Salmon Poke ($18), while tropical cocktails with an alky bite such as the gin-heavy Beverly Hills ($18) and the vodkabased Duck Duck Goose ($15) are amongst the top picks. Open from now till January 2017, at National Gallery Singapore, 1 St. Andrew’s Road.
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SOULCLAP FEAT. DJ KOFLOW & SHIGGA SHAY AT NOVA HIP-HOP NATION
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#FRIENDSWITHBETTERTRICKS FEAT. DJ TANG & STYLUXTAKUT AT SPACE CLUB PARTY TREATS
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SHOWTEK + VELVET SATURDAYS + ASSEMBLY + DROP IT AT ZOUK DANCE REVOLUTION
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ALTIMATE F1 CIRCUIT PARTY AT 1-ALTIMATE FAST TIMES
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THURSDAY HIP HOP LADIES NIGHT AT ATTICA GIRL POWER!
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CREAM AT MILLIAN RAVE-READY
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TURNT UP FEAT. SPECIAL K, NICOLETTE AND MR.BOO AT CANVAS DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT
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POPTART’S 11TH ANNIVERSARY AT OVEREASY INDIE BOOGIE
S H O P AT T H E S E S T O C K I S T S ADIDAS ORIGINALS LEVEL B1, 313@SOMERSET ALEXANDER WANG #02-03/04 HILTON SHOPPING GALLERY BIMBA Y LOLA #B1-04 ION ORCHARD COS #03-23 ION ORCHARD
COMME DES GARCONS #02-39 HILTON SHOPPING GALLERY
MAJE #B2-109 THE SHOPPES @ MARINA BAY SANDS
GIVENCHY #01-41 PARAGON
MANGO #B1-39/40 NGEE ANN CITY
H&M ORCHARD BUILDING ISSEY MIYAKE #03-24 ION ORCHARD
MOSCHINO #01-15 THE SHOPPES @ MARINA BAY SANDS
PEDDER ON SCOTTS LEVEL 2 SCOTTS SQUARE PRADA #01-01 ION ORCHARD PULL & BEAR #B2-08 ION ORCHARD ROBINSONS #03-01 RAFFLES CITY
MARNI #01-06 PARAGON
THE SUNGLASS HUT #B2-05 WHEELOCK PLACE
MICHAEL KORS #01-16/17 SCOTTS SQUARE
THOMAS SABO #01-31 RAFFLES CITY
CLUB 21B #01-07 TO 10 FORUM THE SHOPPING MALL
KENZO #01-22 THE SHOPPES @ MARINA BAY SANDS
CLUB 21 #01-02 AND #01-09 TO 11 FOUR SEASONS HOTEL
LEVI’S #B2-24 ION ORCHARD
OFF-WHITE #01-01 268 ORCHARD ROAD
DSQUARED2 #01-08 ION ORCHARD
KAPOK #01-05 NATIONAL DESIGN CENTRE
MSGM LEVEL 2, TAKASHIMAYA DEPARTMENT STORE
TOPSHOP/ TOPMAN #B2-01, #B3-02 ION ORCHARD UNIQLO ORCHARD CENTRAL ZARA LIAT TOWERS
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final word
NASTY BY NATURE THE ’90S WERE AN OVER-THE-TOP, OVERLOADED, COLOURFUL, AND CONFUSING TIME TO BE ALIVE. WHILE EVERYONE FROM FASHION DESIGNERS TO APP DEVELOPERS ARE FINDING WAYS FOR US TO RELIVE THE ERA, THERE ARE SOME THINGS WE’D PREFER TO LEAVE IN THE PAST. HERE ARE THE NASTIEST BITS OF NOSTALGIA FROM THAT PECULIAR DECADE.
BLEAKBUSTER VIDEO
Slang of any era will always have a shelf life (even Shakespeare’s children must’ve grown tired of his colloquialisms), but the ’90s produced some real gems that provoke cringes on a whole other level. Just imagine people actually telling you to “talk to the hand” – and possibly qualifying it with “’cos the face ain’t listening” – alongside other linguistic masterpieces like “as if” and “don’t go there”. Heaven forbid your parents ever caught on to it and greeted you with an embarrassingly loud, “Wazzup!”.
BOYS’ NOISE 088
One can’t deny the nostalgia that settles in when the harmonised vocals of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” rips through the speakers, but if you’ve ever torn your hair out over One Direction flooding the radio stations, then you would’ve loathed the ’90s. While the grunge bands we revere today were relegated to late night programming, prime time was reserved for the Backstreet Boys, New Kids On The Block, Take That, NSYNC, Boyz II Men, Westlife, 5ive, East 17, 98 Degrees…all of whom have hearts broken beyond repair.
FASHION FLOPS You can surf Tumblr all day musing over #90s fashion icons – like Kate Moss rocking the ‘heroine chic’ look in her heyday. However, there seems to be a hint of cherrypicking going on when it comes to reviving looks from the supposedly groundbreaking era. Why the lack of enthusiasm for rehashing Destiny’s Child’s Hilfiger-saturated fashionista-farmer style? What about TLC’s fisherman-meets-raver swagger? Or the majesty of being able to fit a family-size bottle of Mountain Dew in the pockets of a pair of JNCO jeans? Yeah, didn’t think so.
HAIR HORRORS While dyed dreads, bleachedblonde locks and balayage highlights are all trends that have taken root in the mass aesthetic, there are few hair styles that swept the public like frosted tips. No, they’re not some new hipster dessert you haven’t heard of – people really had strands of hair painfully pulled through a rubber cap to achieve a look that said something to the effect of, “Yeah bro, I listen to Smash Mouth”. Guy Fieri might be the last guy on Earth keeping it alive, along with wraparound shades and flame shirts. Somebody, please stop this man.
AS SEEN ON TV! One of the great things about the Internet is that it’s given us the ability to seek out, discover and discuss music that came before our existence. It’s how the new generation comes to discover the countless masterpieces created by the likes of Nirvana, Radiohead, Pearl Jam; the list goes on. You know what’s not cool? The TV telling you what to listen to. The equivalent of a mum telling one of today’s teens to listen to Lil Yachty, being force-fed repetitive TV adverts for “edgy” new albums and compilations that put Pixies next to The Proclaimers was the exact opposite of keeping things underground.
So you’ve read up on Quentin Tarantino and have fantasised about hanging out in seedy video rental stores as he did, flipping through cult B-movie cassette boxes and digging up artifacts of esoteric cinema. Truth be told, that was fun while it lasted – until Blockbuster came to town and muscled every independent rental store out of business across entire continents. Rather than having young, passionate Tarantinos recommending you obscure indie films for your Saturday night, you had wall-to-wall, big budget dreck and teens in blue-and-yellow polos that wouldn’t hesitate to charge you a late fee.
FUN FOOD We’re at a point now where we’ve seen enough of Jamie Oliver’s junk food exposes and nutritional revelations that we know not to put crap in our bodies. The diet of a lot of ’90s kids, however, could be summed up as a blatant disregard for human health, and it almost feels as if candy companies had KPIs on how many children they could give diabetes to. Snacks and candy had greater semblance to toys than edible food, and the fact that some higher-up approved a mix-it-yourself bubblegum jug speaks volumes about the culinary culture of the time.
COOL BEANS Sure, ‘bronies’ have their bizarre proclivities, but at least there’s subculture legitimising the grown-up My Little Pony community. The Beanie Baby craze, on the other hand, is a giant question mark-shaped stain on the same era that brought you Seinfeld and The Smashing Pumpkins. What were surely intended for an audience below the age of 10 suddenly rocketed to the same collectability as Major League Baseball cards, with full-grown men and women stockpiling stuffed animal toys to be sold for thousands of dollars a pop.
Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources
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