JUICE April 2016 - Tame Impala | Issue #211

APRIL 2016 ISSUE #211

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ON THE INSIDE

tame impala the for the record issue

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This issue is dedicated to all vinyl lovers and eco warriors alike.

In honour of Record Store Day and Earth Day, both happening this month on the 16th and 22nd respectively, we’ve stripped away the fluff to present nothing but the good stuff.

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At the music front we’ve got plenty of swell reads. From music ed Indran’s investigation of the five key pre-digital sounds and how they fare today (page 14); to Robin Chua AKA KiDG’s passion for wax (page 28); and lifestyle writer Trent’s recommendation of the best turntables to cop this season (page 68). We even look at some of the long-forgotten music players (page 66) that once roamed this Earth. #truestory

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On the green side of things, we discuss junk fashion that’s given new life (page 34); toy with terrariums in our fashion spread (page 42); and try out organic beauty formulas that care for both the skin and the environment (page 60) – all so you can spin that record and look pretty at the same time. Yes, we are nice like that.

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CONTENTS TAME IMPALA

With his 2010 debut, Innerspeaker, Kevin Parker showcased his proficiency with the most formidable of rock’s elements – the guitar. In 2012’s Lonerism, he took his worlds-birthing guitar-led maximalism and established himself as a daring and inspiring figure, at a time when so much of music aimed for smaller stakes. So it came as a surprise that Currents revealed itself to be an almost guitar-less work. Yet, so much about Currents just pops; to the extent where even Rihanna wants in. Taking time off mid-tour in Peru, Parker takes us into the inner workings behind his third and, some say, best album.

Image courtesy of Universal Music Singapore

digital killed the vinyl star?

How five key pre-digital sounds are faring today.

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34

42

Fashion labels that breathe new life into junk threads.

TROPIANO This season’s art of sprezzatura.

the lush life

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Take a walk on the green side.

60

HEED THE CALL Organic formulas to feed your skin with.

66

From the archives of the dead-and-done music players.

wax on

The latest turntables for your Record Store Day gems.

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ACCESS GRANTED

14

68

T h e a r t i s t i c s i d e o f B e r g h a i n ’s b u r l y b o u n c e r , Sven Marquardt.

APRIL 2016

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obsessions

round up

FOUR RECORDS FOR THE RECORD

MERCHANTS OF SOUL

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FIERCE FEMALES Fun Fact: I know ALL the words to ALL the tracks in this album. I can even rap to Left-Eye’s part in “ Wa t e r f a l l ” a f t e r a l l t h e s e years without missing a line.

To s a y T L C ’ s s e c o n d a l b u m , CrazySexyCool, shaped my taste for hip-hop (on top of my teenage croppedjersey-and-baggy-jeans look) is an understatement.

Long before The Spice Girls urged us to flaunt o u r # G i r l Po w e r , T LC w a s reppin’ the force for women all over to stand up and be whoever we wanted to be.

To e m b r a c e o u r s e x u a l i t y ; to go forth and conquer whatever we desire; and to never allow half-a**ed men anywhere near. Can’t say enough how much I miss them. RIP Left Eye.

Spoon’s Gimme Fiction scares me.

Despite the sheer amount of music I’ve gone through in my life so far, that’s the record that I can so very easily pick out as the one. On their fifth album, my favourite band on this planet found yet another way to make their heart-on-jacket-sleeve blues that much more compelling. There’s something about how frontman Britt Daniel’s every coo, snarl and pleading sigh is a richly emotional, hypereloquent revelation that taught me so much about how to love music and the messages it carries. And the music itself is a sublimely elegant strain of rock & roll that no other band has ever managed to reproduce. Every mixtape I made for every girlfriend bears its songs – then, and today. spoontheband.com

facebook.com/officialtlc

Jazmin Kelly Six Editor @adoseofpretty

strong

IT AIN'T HEAVY With this month’s release of Deftones’ eighth studio album, Gore , I’m reminded by just how far the Sacramento band has pushed the envelope in changing perspectives of heavy music . This is nowhere more evident than in their breakthrough LP, White Pony .

Sensually ambient and bonecrushingly heavy, the album was a game-changer for both the band and the tiresome nu-metal soundscape of its time, seamlessly weaving Chino Moreno’s tender, echoing vocals with a wall of guitars that could induce whiplash. Listen to “Digital Bath” and “Passenger” if the idea of being caught between slow-dancing and head-banging appeals to you.

There’s no denying that I’m a loud and proud member of the Beyhive. I have a Spotify playlist dedicated entirely to her tunes, I’ve scrambled to buy her surprise album, held banners at her 2009 concert and my (unlucky) colleagues get surprise renditions every now and then. Of all the albums that Beyoncé has put out, B’Day ranks as my top pick.

She taught me how to do the scissor-leg via “Get Me Bodied”, flaunt what I’ve got in “Check On It” and to always dimple my necktie with “Upgrade U”. Her feel-good tracks of empowered independence have served many great moments on the dance floor, while reminding everyone that no one is “Irreplaceable”.

All hail the queen. beyonce.com

deftones.com

Indran P Music Editor @bigocean

Trent Davis Lifestyle/Online Writer @trentobentogram

Aaron Kok Fashion Writer/Stylist @ak.ok

SINGAPORE

SERVIN’ UP THE FRESHEST CONTENT

OUR EXCLUSIVE WEB HIGHLIGHTS THIS MONTH CHAT: SLOW MAGIC

THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK SPEAKS CANDIDLY BEFORE PROWLING OUR ISLAND THIS MONTH.

FKA TWIGS FOR CALVIN KLEIN JEANS

THE ENIGMATIC SONGBIRD PLAYS DANCER AND FILM DIRECTOR IN THIS SPRING 2016 CAMPAIGN, FEATURING HER LATEST SINGLE “GOOD TO LOVE”.

BANDS WITH BEEF

THE GLOVES COME OFF IN THESE EPIC DISPLAYS OF EGO IN THE MUSIC RING.

CHAT: RYAN HEMSWORTH THE CANADIAN PRODUCER WAXES LYRICAL AHEAD OF HIS SET AT THE MOONBEATS WAREHOUSE PARTY.

FOREVER 21 FESTIVAL 2016 COLLECTION

THE L.A.-BASED FASHION RETAILER BRINGS FUN AND FIERCE FEMININITY TO THE FESTIVAL GETUP.

REVIEW: LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE – TEN THOUSAND YEARS EP

THESE LOCAL GOOFBALLS MIGHT ENCOURAGE SMIRKS, BUT THEIR DEBUT ALBUM IS NO JOKING MATTER.

MAKEUP MARVELS BEAUTIFYING YOUR FACE STARTS WITH BEAUTIFUL PACKAGING, AND THESE BRANDS DELIVER IN SWATHES.

CHAT: LUKE CASEY THE HONG KONG-BASED PHOTOGRAPHER TAKES US BEHIND THE LENS OF HIS COLLAB WITH ON PEDDER.

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Text Indran P Images Various Sources

Later this month, various music-loving communities will coalesce to celebrate Record Store Day. The uncompromising purism, idealism and, dare we say, courage, that inform this wonderful cause are strong with Aleksandra Lilah Denton. As Shura, the demure Londoner has a vividly entrancing, kinetic handle on the more romantic tendencies of bass music, best heard on her new single, “Touch”. Resisting major label advances, big-name producers and all the hand-rubbing fanfare that comes with the proverbial ‘big break’, she’s insisted on having her “hand on the remote control” on every aspect of her sound. So, we were very pleasantly surprised when another known capital-A artiste, rapper Talib Kweli, blessed the aforementioned track with straight, sweet lyrical fire. The force is indeed strong with this one.

weareshura.com

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IN THIS AGE OF “[INSERT ARTISTE NAME HERE] IS THE BEST THING EVA!” FACEBOOK UPDATES, TELLING A MUSICIAN THAT YOU ADMIRE THEIR WORK RISKS COMING ACROSS AS DISINGENUOUS. BUT TAME IMPALA LIFEFORCE, KEVIN PARKER, RESPONDS TO OUR PRAISE HUMBLY BEFORE ADDING, “AT THE START, I WAS SO SHY THAT I DIDN’T BELIEVE ANYONE WHO SAID THEY LIKED MY MUSIC. I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST BEING NICE”. HE’S JUST PICKED UP OUR CALL IN PERU, WHERE TAME IMPALA ARE TOURING. IT’S SWELTERINGLY HOT THERE AND HE SOUNDS LEGITIMATELY EXHAUSTED. BUT WE HAVE SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT, ESPECIALLY HIS RECENT COUP, CURRENTS – A GRAND, MAXIMAL, PARADIGMATIC POP MASTERPIECE THAT SEEMS EXORCISED FROM A PERIOD OF INTENSE SELF-EXAMINATION. INDEED, SO MUCH ABOUT CURRENTS JUST POPS, TO THE EXTENT WHERE EVEN RIHANNA WANTS IN. AND DESPITE THE HEAT AND HIS OWN FATIGUED STATE, PARKER TAKES US BY THE HAND INTO THE INNER WORKINGS BEHIND HIS THIRD AND, SOME SAY, BEST ALBUM.

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The Perth multi-instrumentalist – he played every instrument on and self-produced his three albums – first emerged into the scene with his 2010 debut full-length, Innerspeaker. There, his operating mode was virtuosic, stratosphere-scraping psychedelic rock embedded with enough hooks for your neural grooves to catch hold of and never let go. With Innerspeaker, he accomplished the rare feat of showcasing his proficiency with the most formidable of rock’s elements, the guitar, and laying the crucial bits of the foundation that would define whom he’d later become. And with the 2012 follow-up, Lonerism, he took his worlds-birthing guitar-led maximalism and established himself as a daring and inspiring figure, at a time when so much of music aimed for smaller stakes. So it came as such a jaw-dropping surprise that Currents revealed itself to be an almost guitar-less work.

And his answer to our “What led to that?” queries will surprise you.

cover feature “There was no real decision to cut out the guitars.

I just didn’t have them with me”, he says, halflaughingly. He goes on to explain that Currents was made in between tours and that there were always points when he never had his guitars and even effects pedals with him. The guitar he did have wasn’t his favourite, and besides, he’d come to feel that he had mastered what his favourite guitar sound was and it didn’t excite him anymore.

What intrigued and interested him this time, though, were keyboards and synthesisers. “I wanted to explore that world for a little bit”, he adds.

“Disco music is something I’ve always loved, something I’ve always had a fascination for”, he elaborates, compounding our amazement by letting on that he’d often listen to early-period Michael Jackson and Daft Punk and go, “Whoa, what is that?”. And though the sumptuous grooves and vivid atmosphere of other standouts, such as “The Less I Know the Better”, bear the accomplished handiwork of one well-studied in the art of evoking a transportive bounce, he admits this: though he’s always wanted to make his spin on disco, he could never see it fitting with where he was at musically on Innerspeaker and Lonerism. “I just wanted to take a leap of faith and just try”, he

TAME IMPALA

Text Indran P Images Universal Music Singapore Interview courtesy of Secret Sounds Asia and Universal Music Singapore

This imperative permeates the whole of Currents, especially the kaleidoscopic blockbuster sevenminute opener, “Let It Happen”. It’s monumental enough to be a tableau for the whole album – its gilded surfaces and teeming notes underscoring a huge and magnanimous aesthetic that exudes a beyond-palpable sonic mysticism. Where he was once the masthead of noughties-era psych rock, he’s now casting a spell over disco, soul and R&B. affirms. Length to breadth, the level of realisation of the album is a testament to his painstaking, jaw-droppingly unsparing attention to detail. “I was pulling things from genres I don’t usually use.

Sometimes, I felt like an impostor”, he reveals of the entire process. Which is what makes his admission that, “In the end, though, it’s still Tame Impala; even though it’s disco-flavoured”, both for us and him.

But there’s more to this new Tame Impala offering than its knowingly challenging framework.

Beneath its entrancing fleet of sounds are questions and reckonings. Parker’s lyricism has always uncovered a bewilderment, anxiety, and loneliness that find cathartic disclosure in his music. “Innerspeaker” and “Lonerism” are arrowpointing giveaways of his looking inward. But Currents is where he surfaces, asserting himself – and his flaws – on “Cause I’m A Man”, admitting the desperation and yearning of his old self on “Past Life” and experiencing the self-doubt and power of his new self on “New Person, Same Old Mistakes”. On “Eventually”, he’s unapologetically honest, bordering on selfish: “But I know that I’ll be happier / And I know you will, too / Eventually”.

Yet, he’s openly dismissive of the “breakup album” tag that’s been lobbed about by the critical press.

He asks if he can set the record straight and, of course, we oblige. “I just make songs. It’s what I do. It’s what I’ve spent my life doing. With Currents, I wanted to tell a story of a large personal transition. This felt like a worthwhile concept for an album”– loud and clear.

In the span of five years, Parker has released three conceptually triumphant albums, each more

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unstoppably monolithic than the one before. His genre-meld is crammed not just with musical information but with openhearted confessionals that function as a self-aware show-and-tell of his innermost loves, fears and hang-ups as well. Three albums in, he’s in the process of building a career premised on opening the limits of expressing himself musically. And even if he doesn’t shout about it from rooftops, others will do it for him. Rihanna covered “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” note-for-note on her recent album ANTI; modern R&B’s crown prince Miguel invited him to remix one of the songs off his critically celebrated album, Wildheart; and poptimist hitmaker Mark Ronson enlisted him to lend a part to his statement piece, Uptown Special.

Fame is the trickiest of four-letter concepts. And Parker knows this. “I often try to digest it, but it’s difficult”, he admits. From making music in his room in one of the world’s most isolated cities, he has now, to quote him, “transitioned” into a global concern. “Rihanna covering my song is something no one can predict”, he offers. “That happening proves that music can transcend genres just by the way that you present it. It’s an inspiring thing”.

Prompted that our call is ending, we ask him how he feels about being a symbol of our interesting times, and we could almost see the glint in his eyes when he says, “I take every day as it comes and let it happen”.

Catch Tame Impala live at The Star Theatre on April 21. tameimpala.com

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digital killed the vinyl star ?

“THE FOUR BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE UNIVERSE ARE FIRE, WATER, GRAVEL, AND VINYL” – THAT IS PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING WRITER DAVE BARRY’S TAKE ON THE DISC-SHAPED MUSIC DELIVERY SYSTEM WE’RE CELEBRATING THIS MONTH. BUT HERE, WE BUCK NOSTALGIA TO SURVEY HOW FIVE KEY PRE-DIGITAL (PRE-MP3) SOUNDS ARE FARING TODAY, AT THE HEIGHT OF THE INTERNET AGE.

ROCK & ROLL 014

BACK THEN

STAR PLAYERS

Before it became one of the most recognisable sounds, it was an electric guitar-led mix of African-American styles – including blues and jazz, with swing music that emerged in America during the ’50s.

And before its thorough co-option by white musicians in the ’60s, it was regarded by conservatives as the “devil’s music”.

“MAYBELLENE” (1955) CHUCK BERRY

TODAY

Featuring one of the most distinct guitar riffs in music history, this one prophesied both the universality and whitening of modern rock music.

Look around you. How many aggressively jubilant, guitar-slinging troubadours do you see? Coldplay doesn’t count.

Neither does 5 Seconds Of Summer. The Arctic Monkeys is the only mainstream guitar act still making waves in the digital age, but the band’s impact pales in comparison to the seismic paradigm shifts that the greats commanded.

DANCE MUSIC

Berry is one of the inarguable pioneers of rock music played on the electric guitar and “Maybellene” was the first song to lay this stone.

“GIMME SHELTER” (1969) THE ROLLING STONES

“VOODOO CHILD (SLIGHT RETURN)” (1970) JIMI HENDRIX There is no strand of rock music that isn’t inspired by this bluesy, astral epic. Hendrix is a rock saint and this is one of the reasons why.

STAR PLAYERS

BACK THEN As a self-descriptive umbrella term to anchor all the various forms of electronic dance music, dance music’s origins can be traced to the path-lighting use of the synthesiser by early adopters in the late ’70s like Giorgio Moroder, Kraftwerk, the Yellow Magic Orchestra and Danny Rampling. From then onwards, new sounds and sub-cultures quickly developed.

TODAY Despite its inescapable visibility and presence in just about every car commercial, dance music, is flourishing.

Besides its ever-growing global audience, its disparate underground and mainstream scenes continue to swell at an exhilarating rate. It’s now leading the way for other genres too. Just ask Chvrches.

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“KUNG FU FIGHTING” (1974) CARL DOUGLAS Put your judgment aside. This is the cheesy blockbuster single that paved the way for the cheesy EDM you enjoy. It’s also so disco.

“ON & ON” (1984) JESSE SAUNDERS This is legendary because: It’s the first house record made by the first house DJ. This is culturecolliding dance music’s original template.

“RIVER DEALER” (2013) BURIAL Bow down! Burial is one of dance music’s greatest gifts. He marries the dance’s past and present in a way that points to its future.

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STAR PLAYERS “THIS CHARMING MAN” (1983) THE SMITHS We have them to thank for bringing a more sensitive edge to pop and rock. Their second single is still a hymn for young romantics everywhere.

“LOSER” (1993) BECK

BACK THEN While there isn’t a definitive ‘indie’ sound – since the term denotes a philosophy more than an aesthetic – it first manifested in alternative rock in the early ’80s. Quite literally a counterpoint to manufactured, formulaic rock, it became the mode through which pioneers in America and the U.K. presented their experimental DIY

INDIE ROCK

In its purest form, “indie” was shorthand for “underdog” and Beck’s autobiographical hit spoke to so many in its rock-rap-psych-folk-melding magic.

TODAY “FATHER TO A SISTER OF THOUGHT” (1994) PAVEMENT The best testimony for making independent music can be found anywhere in their catalogue but this alt-country odyssey is the brightest gem.

It’s hard to say what ‘indie’ is anymore since the mainstream has borrowed liberally – or stolen – so much from indie aesthetics. But sound-alikes aside, the continued existence of independent labels and bands with an uncompromising ethos is encouraging.

STAR PLAYERS

“RAPPER’S DELIGHT” (1979) THE SUGARHILL GANG

This 14-minute monster was the first time the braggy ‘street’ vibe found a mainstream audience that lapped it all up. It was also recorded in one take.

“PLANET ROCK” (1982) AFRIKA BAMBAATA

BACK THEN Hundreds of years before the cultural ascension of hip-hop, West African tribesmen were making rhythmic, spokenword music over drums. Then, in 1972, Bronx-via-Kingston legend DJ Kool Herc, hip-hop’s first DJ, gave us its foundation stone: the break. Since then, it’s become a global movement with its own unique ecosystem within and without pop culture.

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Not only is this spacey, funky head-bobber a monolith in hip-hop, its heady, beat-driven pound lit the match for trance, techno and house.

“KING KUNTA” (2015) KENDRICK LAMAR Even as recently as last year, we have a song that we can hail as a classic for the future. Topical, confrontational, bouncy and above all, unforgettable.

TODAY

Where can you not hear rap music today?

The pink health of rap is evident in the music of Taylor Swift and Death Grips alike.

And in this troubled age, there’s a new crop of ingenious MCs and DJs making sense of the times in powerfully resonant ways.

We’re not just talking about Kendrick.

STAR PLAYERS “BLITZKRIEG BOP” (1976) THE RAMONES That “Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!” vibe, the three-chord guitar onslaught, and breakneck pace, all started here. Punk started here.

Text Indran P Images Various Sources

“ANARCHY IN THE UK” (1976) THE SEX PISTOLS Its title spoke the truth of the times: That people could no longer trust those they elected to power.

And its conception was a cry of revolution.

“SIX PACK” (1981) BLACK FLAG Speed is one thing. But it was them who brought intensity in ways that made chanting something as innocuous as “Six Pack” feel like punching someone in the face.

RAP

BACK THEN The power to say “no” is the muchadvertised essence of punk. Born of righteous anger, it’s a music of protest that exploded out of America and the U.K. in the mid-’70s. It was the musical manifestation of an ideology of BS-free directness and so stripped rock & roll of its silk scarved-frills – what we go after was basic, primal and

TODAY Today’s freedoms are the fruits of yesterday’s struggles. With the all-seeing, all-exposing eye of the Internet at our disposal, there’s not a lot we have to be ‘shocked’ or ‘outraged’ by. Besides, the most visibly indignant and outspoken figure is a rapper, not a punk in the true sense of the term. Let’s face it: punk is dead.

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PUNK

chat

DREAM WEAVER You’ll be playing your first show in Singapore soon. What else are you looking forward to doing here?

I am super excited because I have never been to Singapore and I’ve heard so much about the scene and the lovely people. I love Asian food and I am happy to meet some new people. It’s great to be able to do this!

Critics have hailed I. D. C. as a modern techno masterpiece.

How do you feel about that?

Maybe it is a modern techno record with a story? I am always trying to bring emotion and adventure into my music and I think “I.D.C.” really described what I went through in 2014 and early 2015. I travelled a lot and met so many great producers all around the world. So it is like a diary with a lot of bleeps and claps.

Can you please break down “Intelligent. Deep. Cosmic.” for us?

Actually, I came up with that after I noticed that something was missing in electronic music. Most songs are very unemotional or just present one single hue. With “I.D.C.”, I tried to bring back a bit of the spirit I enjoyed so much when I listened to LTJ Bukem’s vision of drum and bass back in the day, which was called “Intelligent”. If you listen to it, you’ll hear that it’s a likeable sound, but the best thing about it is that you can dive in and discover a lot more.

Einmusik was once a trio. With Bastian and Pelle leaving in 2006, could you tell us about how you came to front Einmusik?

In the beginning, I was the producer, but not the face on stage. I felt comfortable with being only in the studio and letting others do the show.

At one point, it was no longer possible to stay behind. I felt that I needed to bring my music personally to the people and that’s what I did. Bastian and Pelle went their own ways already before, so this was a natural thing. Today, I enjoy being onstage and I feel right about my choice.

Would you say you have a strict process?

I am not the kind of producer who plans anything. My mood of the day really defines my production process. Sometimes, I start with really low elements; other times with vocal parts or synths. Also, when I’m on a flight, melodies can form in my mind when I listen to classical music.

You’re going to play at Noisily Festival of Music & Arts later this year.

What else are you working on?

I am going to play at a lot of festivals and will be going to Australia and New Zealand for the first time. Additionally, we are preparing massive Einmusika label nights all around the world and together with my mate, Jonas Saalbach, I am working on a special back-to-back live set that I’m really excited about.

Feel Einmusik’s pulsing tech in the flesh on April 15. Location TBA. einmusik.com

EINMUSIK SAMUEL KINDERMANN IS A NOMAD; A WONDERER WITH A CAUSE. FOR OVER A DECADE, THE GERMAN PRODUCER HAS STOOD FOR A BRAND OF TECHNO SO DISTINCTIVELY ORIGINAL THAT NO AMOUNT OF PREFIXES, SUFFIXES OR HYPHENATED ADD-ONS WILL DO IT JUSTICE. ALL HE AFFORDS UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT’S SPACEY, SOMETIMES MELODIC, AND THAT IT HAS ROOTS IN HOUSE, TRANCE AND BREAKBEATS. HE CALLS IT “INTELLIGENT. DEEP. COSMIC.” AND NO ONE HAS DARED TO ARGUE THE POINT. HIS WORD IS HIS BOND AND HIS SOUND IS HIS WORD. BEFORE HE GRACES OUR SHORES, HE SHARES SOME RAYS OF ILLUMINATION.

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Text Indran P Image Ledger Line Interview courtesy of The Council

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After over a decade of making music, has it gotten any easier for you?

Every week is full of ups and downs. Sometimes, wintertime can really bring you to your knees in the studio. In Europe, it’s grey and dark outside and because of that, I want to produce warm songs. Sometimes, it is the other way around: I’m struck with an idea and the track is ready within a few hours. These days, though, I’ve been making music and producing with more tools than just the computer. I work most of the time with instruments and machines and that helps me get out of whatever funk I’m in.

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THE MUSIC OF ROBIN SCHULZ IS A CELEBRATION OF YOUTH AND OF BEING ABLE TO IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE SUBLIME IMMEDIACY OF THE MOMENT; IT IS A CELEBRATION OF CELEBRATION. IT IS ALSO A THOROUGHLY MODERN TAKE ON THE SENSUAL THUMP OF CHICAGO HOUSE THAT EVOKES POP’S UNIVERSAL ENJOYABILITY THROUGH THE IDIOM OF DANCE. AT IT SINCE 2007, THE GERMAN DJ-PRODUCER HAS TWO ALBUMS TO HIS NAME, THE SUPPORT OF THE BIGGEST PLAYERS IN THE GAME, AND MORE DANCE FLOOR-ANIMATING HITS THAN WE CAN COUNT. BEFORE HE SHAKES YOU WELL AND GOOD, HE DISHES ON HIS LIFE AND TIMES HERE.

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ROBIN SCHULZ

Text Indran P Image Big Beat Press Interview courtesy of Zouk Singapore

Hey, Robin! You were in Dubai recently. What are your thoughts on the scene there?

I really like being in Dubai! I’ve always been treated more than well there. It’s taken me some time to learn that it is a country of extremes.

And, though it’s not widely known, the crowd is fantastic. There’s a great mix of cultures there.

The people who come together for music know how to have a good time.

You released Sugar almost one year from the day you dropped Prayer. Were you working on overtime?

Yes. It was a year-long process of everything coming together. Many different artistes and producers came together on Sugar as features.

I reached out to some of them on the Internet, some are my friends, and the rest were recommended to me by my management. In total, I had more than 20 songs finished; 15 made the album.

You’re also known for your Grammy-winning remix of Mr. Probz’s “Waves”. Why do you think remixes are important or necessary in dance music?

From my point of view, remixes are extremely

essential. When I play to crowds, it’s important for me to have special versions of songs. This helps make my DJ sets that much more enjoyable.

And in the bigger scheme of things, remixes and bootlegs are necessary tools for the culture and craft of DJing as a whole.

You blur the boundary between electronic and pop music. Has that been a conscious approach?

What goes through your mind when you want to make something work?

To be honest, I don’t think about genres. When it comes to music, there are only two categories in my mind: good music, and the opposite of that – music I don’t like. This is important because at the end of the day, I make music for myself and I’d be lying if I said this didn’t include making hits.

But whether it’s those or club tracks, I don’t pay attention to genres.

Your fans are known to sing along to your tracks during your DJ sets. Which singer would you like to collaborate with in future?

This is a tough one! It’s not easy to say. I contact a lot of singers simply because I like how they sound. You can call me a special-voice lover. They don’t have to be famous at all. But to answer your

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question, I can’t think of one at the moment.

Your black sunglasses have definitely become a trademark look. Is there a story behind that, and have you ever thought about switching things up?

Thank you. In the beginning, the shades were something I could hide behind, since I’m a shy person. But I guess it’s become part of my look over time. I don’t know if I’m switching it up any time soon.

Lastly, what’s gotten you most excited to be playing in Singapore at Zouk?

Zouk has a great reputation and it’s one of the most famous clubs in the world. No one will deny that it’s a true legend in electronic music.

I’ve heard stories about it since the beginning of my DJ career and I’m really stoked to be playing there.

Robin Schulz tears the house down at Zouk on April 1. robin-schulz.com

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REBEL YELL

THE CAULFIELD CULT

The new album, CULT. We were most focused on trying to make this record proper compared to our previous ones. We had more expectations; our listeners had more expectations. We tried different things with four EPs since our last full length and we went in knowing what we wanted with this.

The influence of ’90s indie rock, especially on “Our Wounded Vessel”.

We were looking to continue our habit of thick guitar sounds with loads of mids and just a bit of overdrive, but more polished than before. We were trying to emulate the clean sounds of Pavement’s “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain” and the grit of Samiam’s “Astray”. That song in particular, we were going for the Sunny Day Real Estate vibe with the contrast of clean verses and heavy, loud hooks for the chorus.

Being older, wiser and stronger.

As a band that’s always been labelled “emo” and is known to write sad songs, being sad-sack was starting to feel really annoying and spoilt. As I come of age, the fact that there are bigger problems in this world than lost love and teenage heartbreak is getting more and more in-my-face. My way of expression has become more practical and

progressive in delivery, often trying to highlight the slightest silver linings of dark clouds.

On indie rock’s electronic turn.

I’m okay with it if it’s done tastefully enough.

I’m a big fan of Cold Cave, Coconut Records and Sparklehorse, all of whom used to do more rock-oriented stuff in previous projects. I can see the appeal of creating music outside of the boundaries of string and percussive instruments to creative minds, but I’ve yet to see a purely electronic act as powerful live as one with live instruments.

The issue with Bring Me The Horizon.

That was a very confusing time for the band. I contemplated for so long if I wanted to make a thing out of it or keep my mouth shut, and I woke up every day to friends sending me messages asking how I felt about the similarities. Nothing came of it and nothing was resolved, we were just flies buzzing around the ears of the almighty BMTH. We’re not affected by it at all; just glad we had our say. It’s now something we laugh off.

Their best show.

Playing Fluff Fest in the Czech Republic last year

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was definitely a highlight. We did not expect that kind of a crowd. It was an exclusive performance inside a huge tent, not a walking-by situation. It was a very comforting show and it assured us that we were doing something right.

What keeps them going.

Our bass player, Brian, and I started this band from the ashes of a very unpopular and unsuccessful hardcore band. We told each other that if we are going to put in a lot of time and effort into another band that potentially no one will care about again, we better be getting something more out of it. We’re not in the business of making friends with people of stature for superficial reasons, so we took the bull by the horns and forced people to care about us. At the time, we were the only small, unsigned band in this scene relentlessly trying to get out, and I’m proud to say that after 11 tours across 26 different countries, some heads were turned.

Commemorate the release of CULT with The Caulfield Cult at The Substation on April 16. thecaulfieldcult.bandcamp.com

Text Indran P Image Jeff O Neal

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THERE’S A CERTAIN ROMANCE IN BEING MILITANTLY UNCOMPROMISING – IN PUTTING EVERYTHING YOU HAVE INTO THAT ONE PASSION-SATURATED ENDEAVOUR – THAT ISN’T WIDELY ACKNOWLEDGED (TAKE IT FROM US). THIS HOMEGROWN POST-HARDCORE QUARTET HAS SIGNED OFF ON A PIECE OF WORK THAT IS WORTHY OF EVERY KIND OF CELEBRATION. LATER THIS MONTH, THE BAND, LED BY FRONTMAN-GUITARIST NICHOLAS WONG, WILL REVEAL THEIR THIRD FULL-LENGTH, CULT. IT’S AN EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL AND BRUISING WORK THAT TESTIFIES TO ROCK & ROLL’S BLOOD-SWEAT-AND-TEARS NARRATIVE WITH A TREMENDOUS SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT. IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE UNVEILING, WONG BREAKS BREAD WITH US HERE ON SEVERAL CULT-RELATED TOPICS.

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WILD HORSES THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS

‘BRITISH WIT’ HAS BEEN A MUCH-DESIRED CULTURAL COMMODITY FOR A LONG TIME – ARTIC MONKEYS’ FRONTMAN, ALEX TURNER, AND FOMER-RASCALS-LEADER-TURNED-SOLO-STAR MILES KANE, HAVE THAT IN SPADES. THEIR CHARM CONVERGED WHEN THEY REVEALED THEMSELVES TO THE WORLD AS THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS IN 2008 VIA THEIR DEBUT FULL-LENGTH, THE AGE OF UNDERSTATEMENT. AFTER A PERIOD OF DORMANCY, THEY’RE READY TO BRING THE STOMP AGAIN ON THEIR LATEST, EVERYTHING YOU’VE COME TO EXPECT. THAT IT’S INSPIRED BY SOUL SINGER ISSAC HAYES IS ONLY PART OF THE REASON TO GET EXCITED. HERE, IN A EXCLUSIVE WITH US, TURNER AND KANE FURNISH DETAILS, AND YES, BRITISH WIT. Eight years is a long time between albums. Has a lot changed in your lives since your first?

Alex: A lot about our lives stayed the same during that time, but certain things really changed. It’s not like there’s one theme running through it or that it’s about one thing. But what springs to mind when I first think about the record is the recording of it, which was one of the most pleasant experiences I’ve ever had. We were by the ocean and a lot of friends were there all the time. So as far as the feeling that surrounds it – be it positive or negative – it’s certainly the former.

Text Indran P Image Zackery Michael Interview courtesy of Domino Recording Company

Can we then expect a few love songs from Everything You’ve Come To Expect?

A: Not exclusively. Though there are moments in the record that are certainly in the sphere of the love song. But there’s some other moments on there that are kind of opposed to that as well. The first time we did a Shadow Puppets record was perhaps the first time we explored the abstract lyrically and thought about words more as just another component, along with the melody and the chords, and how that contributes to the overall feeling rather than always trying to tell a story.

Miles, was there something that happened during the recording process that you remember fondly?

Miles: I was singing “Gangster’s Paradise” by Coolio. And then I sang: “As I walk through the chalet of the shadow of death”. And then we put it in the song “Everything You’ve Come To Expect”. I don’t know where we were, but that was spitting something, yeah.

those songs that have a certain mood. They may not sound like this record, but there’s a certain feeling you get from the tunes. We were definitely very concentrated on the Scott Walker thing on the first one.

The record also features string arrangements by Owen Pallett. What was it like working with him?

M: He was with us the whole time – recording and writing his string parts.

He definitely gets in a zone and then he’d come back and you’d know, if he wasn’t happy about it, you could see. He is a true artiste.

A: He can be very serious at times, but we welcome what he’s doing. But Miles is definitely like…

M: I’ve seen him melt. I made him melt. He’s fun, you know.

Besides Owen’s input, another interesting change-up in your sound is your newfound appreciation for Issac Hayes.

M: There probably are lots of different artistes or songs. There was the Isaac Hayes thing; there was a bit of Style Council; there was a bit of Dr. Hook – all

As much-scrutinised musicians yourselves, are you ever apprehensive about how you channel an influence?

A: We are still finding new things and getting excited about them. It’s not as direct. The reference material on the first Puppets record was really the focus. Whereas that’s shifted slightly now. We don’t have the innocence we had then, I suppose. And back then, it seemed crazy to us to try and make a record that sounded like Scott Walker, whereas now it’s not as mad. But when you talk about some records sometimes, I think you’d have a hard time trying to draw a parallel between this and that. Well, or maybe not.

thelastshadowpuppets.com

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G A N G S TA G A N G S TA

all over the world, whether in the ghetto or the suburbs. The thing that most people don’t know is that we weren’t even trying; we just made the music we liked.

What do you think has changed most about the rap game compared to when you first started?

The styles back then were different.

Even the music wasn’t like it was before. There were also more groups back then. More friends getting together to form crews.

Now, it’s all mostly solo artistes who feature special guest appearances on their songs and albums. But I must say that I like Kendrick Lamar.

He’s really cool.

You and Dr. Dre have such great chemistry on record. Why do you think you worked so well together?

Oh, yes. It all comes down to the fact that we were in tune with each other. We were good friends and we just clicked. This is something that holds true to this day. He’s still a close friend of mine.

Ice Cube dropped word that the group might come together again for Coachella. Is that true?

Yeah, we’re going to be at Coachella both weekends! MC Ren, Ice Cube and myself; we’ll be playing for the people.

How do you feel about the worldwide success of Straight Outta Compton?

I thought the film was great. We did a good job on it. It covered a lot of our history and it’s amazing that 26 years later, it’s successful again with the same name. Straight Outta Compton – this title means so much to me. My favourite scene in the movie is the one where the group was playing their first big concert.

From being harassed by the police to now being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, N.W.A has come a long way. How do you feel about the legacy of the group?

It’s amazing what we went through.

All we did was make music and it’s wonderful how it changed society

What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve just been mostly travelling right now and DJing all over the world. I haven’t really been in the studio.

Lastly, what are you looking forward to the most about playing in Singapore?

Glad you asked. Three things: a packed house, a hyped crowd, and having fun.

DJ Yella brings the noise to CÉ LA VI on April 1.

DJ YELLA

djyellaswebsite.com

HIP-HOP IS 43 YEARS OLD NOW. AS A CULTURAL MOVEMENT AND AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN IDIOM OF TRANSCENDENCE, ITS HISTORY IS PUNCTUATED WITH THE TRIUMPHS OF CRUSADERS AND VISIONARIES WHO BROKE THE BONDS OF THE STATUS QUO AND PLANTED THE FLAG ON NEW TERRAIN THEY CONQUERED FOR THE CAUSE. N.W.A WAS ONE SUCH CLASS OF PATH-LIGHTING PIONEERS. BEGINNING IN THE LATE ’80S, THE CALIFORNIAN GROUP WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR USHERING GANGSTA RAP INTO THE VERNACULAR OF MAINSTREAM CULTURE. THEY ELEVATED IT AS THE FOUNT OF THEIR ART, AS WELL AS THE MODE THROUGH WHICH THEY ARTICULATED THE REALITIES THEY FACED AS AMERICA’S ‘OTHERS’. EAZY-E, ICE CUBE AND DR. DRE EARNED THEIR FAME HERE, AND SO DID ANTOINE CARRABY AKA DJ YELLA; DRE’S BEAT-CRAFTING, HITSMASHING PARTNER IN CRIME. WE COULDN’T BE MORE HONOURED THAT HE SHARES HIS WISDOM HERE. GIVE IT UP FOR A TRUE OG.

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Text Indran P Image Bryan Bedder Interview courtesy of CÉ LA VI Singapore6

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You recently started DJing again.

How has your return to the scene been like?

It’s like brand new again. I’m just having fun with it.

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GAME CHANGER MIGRATING FROM HOUSE TO EDM IS A RISKY PROPOSITION IN THESE TIMES. HATERS HATING ASIDE, DJS CROSSING OVER ALSO HAVE TO CONTEND WITH THE FACT THAT EDM NOW WEARS A PROMINENT TARGET BOARD. BUT IT’S DIFFERENT WITH DUTCH HEAVYWEIGHT, BINGO PLAYERS. IN 2006, THE DUO OF MAARTEN HOOGSTRATEN AND PAUL BÄUMER MADE THEIR ASCENT WITH A HEADY STRAIN OF TECH HOUSE. AND WHILE OTHERS BEFORE THEM BOWED OUT COMPLETELY TO MAINSTREAM SOUNDS, THEY ALLOWED A COMMERCIAL SENSIBILITY INTO THEIRS, ULTIMATELY EXPANDING AND ENRICHING IT. CARRYING THE TORCH AFTER LOSING BÄUMER TO CANCER IN 2013, HOOGSTRATEN IS NOW THE SOLE GUARDIAN OF BINGO PLAYERS’ WINNING GAME PLAN. BEFORE HE SERVES THAT UP LIVE, HE CHECKS IN WITH US FOR A NICE POW-WOW. Hi Maarten, welcome back to Singapore! What’s kept you busy lately?

I am super excited to be back and to play at Zouk! I have been busy recently working on new material in time for the festival season. I’ve got a new track coming out beginning of next month and I am really looking forward to that. We have a lot of cool stuff planned to go along with the release, so stay tuned.

What’s got you excited about playing in Singapore at Zouk?

I am so excited for the crowd as I know Singapore loves to party! It’s going to be a great night.

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Text Indran P Image Hysteria Records Interview courtesy of Zouk Singapore

Compared to most other straight-up EDM bangers, your tracks are a lot more soulful. Has soul music been an influence for you?

I have been listening to dance music since a very early age because it was always on the radio in Holland. I also found inspiration in other genres, though, and have always incorporated those elements into my own productions.

Paul left us three years ago. What would you say has been the biggest change since his passing? And what has it been like making music solo?

Paul was always the one who entertained the crowd with his big personality and I was the one focusing on the mixing behind the decks. It was extremely difficult to even think of performing without him, especially since we did it together all those years. I knew Paul so well that even to this day, I feel like I know what he would say when I am making new tracks. In a way, I feel like he is still with me.

You’ve mentioned that you and Paul had some unreleased tracks and projects in the works. Could you tell us more about that?

Yes, we had many on-going projects and I have a lot of new creations in the pipeline.

All I can say is, keep your ears to the ground. Some new things are coming your way. I have a lot of new songs in the works and they should be ready for release really soon.

Bingo Players takes the decks at Zouk on April 8. bingoplayersmusic.com

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BINGO PLAYERS

Congrats on your new single “Curiosity”! It updates classic house with modern sensibilities. How did it come together?

Thanks a lot! “Curiosity” was a cool project because I started out with the vision of blending classic Bingo Players sounds with modern influences. I wanted to reach back into the early sounds from us that everyone came to know, but also add a fresh perspective to them. It’s a different record from what I would usually put out but it was really well-received.

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WELCOME TO THE DEEP END Iceland’s history as the homeground for impactful musicians is impeccable. In their own ways, Bjork, Sigur Rós, mum and Olafur Arnalds, to name just some members of this lineage, have made moves that have resounded far beyond their remote homestead. Of Monsters And Men is the latest entrant into this celebrated cabal for reasons that are more significant than its geography. And a lot of it has to do with “Little Talks”.

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The best way a new band can impress itself upon you is to give you that inescapable single, that first impression that turns you on to them so much that

you’re excited for what else they’ve got in store.

From the exalted blast of horns and collective chant of “Hey!” that opened their debut single, it was obvious the band was going for something sweepingly uplifting. “Little Talks” went on to prove that the songwriting partnership between its leading man and lady, Ragnar Thorhallsson and Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir was a promising one. Distilling the Decemberists’ brand of folk-rock through their own sense of catchy, cathartic pop was an ingenious modus operandi – and the indie, mainstream and interstitial worlds agreed.

Then came the album. 2012’s My Head Is An Animal scorched the charts and debuted at #6 on Billboard 200. It was the best chart performance for an Icelandic musical artiste in U.S. history.

Besides the prowess of the group as a hit-making force, the record proved that at a time when indie-sounding rock was dipping into synth&B territory, elemental, guitar-led rock was still a crowd-pleasing concern. That it went platinum only served as belated confirmation of this.

Where other bands coasted on reliable formulas, OMAM refined and redefined their own. And three years later on their follow-up, Beneath the Skin, they presented a darker, more urgently personal view of their pastoral landscape.

“Plants awoke and they slowly grow beneath the skin”, went a line from “Human”, one of the album’s standout cuts. Physicality, intimacy and the effects that bear down on people and relationships as a result – this was a key concern that the band felt open and confident enough to address in their rousing way. Ragnar’s and Nanna’s sense of wonder at the world around them is still a prize to be found here.

Only now, it’s tempered with a realisation that for every period of warmth, there’s a cold spell looming. And how they react musically to these revelations is majestic. In just a few weeks, you’ll receive these tidings live.

Of Monsters And Men plays at The Coliseum on May 10. Tickets, $99 (standard) and $190 (VIP), are available from peatix.com.

OF MONSTERS AND MEN AT THE COLISEUM music

Text Indran P Image Universal Republic Records

We received our first taste of the Icelandic quintet at Laneway Festival Singapore 2013. Being up before the mighty Japandroids was definitely a tall order but Of Monsters And Men delivered a sublime statement of intent; enough to silence any doubters of their ability as folk-rock monoliths.

It was there that we were smitten, as scores of others were, visibly. So when news broke that they were due to perform here in May, you can imagine we felt somewhere in the territory of ecstatic.

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ONE FOR ALL “I took punk to be the detonation of some slow-fused projectile buried deep in society”, writer William Gibson once opined. ‘Punk’ is the name of that cleansing eruption of noise that shakes up complacent civilisations. It’s the bane of the powers that be and the weapon of choice of the powers to be. It thrives where there is youth and vitality, and right now, it blazes in the heart of Brooklyn punks The Big Ups’ second full-length, Before A Million Universes.

With the ‘equal playing field’ that is the Internet, any thumb warrior can call themselves an advocate of social justice (just look at your own feeds), and standing up for something (anything) becomes yet another self-perpetuating, narcissistic endeavour. In music, this has led to punk becoming an accessory to fashion; a bookend to whatever Vivienne Westwood coughs up. That’s what makes the roiling, aggressively searching music by Brendan Finn, Joe Galarraga, Amar Lal, and Carlos Salguero all the more admirable.

Surfacing with their debut album, Eighteen Hours Of Static, in 2014, the foursome has returned with an honest, patently unfashionable, chanty but meditative clarion call.

Their fist-sharpened, build-and-release strategy has been honed to brutal and heartbreaking effect here. On the single “National Parks”, frontman Galarraga marries reflection with a crusader’s anger. Elsewhere, he poses this (non-)rhetorical question: “Tell me what you’re worth / Salary, two weeks off from work? / Call them benefits and perks”, all against a violently menacing backdrop of explosive noise.

This is a band that’s calling for revelations, not riots. Take heed.

FIGHT THE POWER THESE YOUNG ARTISTES ASK TOUGH QUESTIONS – LOUDLY. SAVAGES

This quartet of steely-eyed femmes isn’t to be messed with. The hype factory might’ve billed them as the Great Punk Hope of modern-day indie rock but over the course of two albums, they’ve spoken out on domestic abuse, patriarchy and rabid consumerism that cuts through the #reposts.

VINCE STAPLES

Like punk, rap is a mode that interrogates the status quo in search of answers. And though the prevailing Kendrick-mania has meant that he’s not getting his due shine, Staples’ intricate, fire-breathing bars bear the freight of poverty, racism and identity politics, of lived experienced and a poet’s righteous indignation.

PARQUET COURTS bigups.bandcamp.com

THE BIG UPS The teetering, beyond-wild flow of a PC song is the first, most tangible thing that makes the New York band shoo-ins for ‘punk’. It’s hard to paint a more (dismally) compelling picture of the soul-sucking tendencies of the vaunted digital age than the lads have done – most notably on the stinging “Content Nausea”.

Text Indran P Images Various Sources

OUGHT

“There’s too much all for you / It’s too much all alone” is a line that stands out from this Montreal outfit’s celebrated 2015 release, Sun Coming Down. Fugazi-inspired and Marxlearned, these former university friends are now bringing erudite, heart-gripping urgency to the indie fold.

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RAW POWER IGGY POP

024 James Newell Osterberg Jr is 69 years old. These days, he’s mostly seen in a shirt, keeping that weapon/canvas of a torso hidden. He’s still got it though, that diamond-cut, impenetrable, “Platonic” ideal of a torso. And there’s something else he’s still got: the music. Adding to his 60-year reign in the mainstream and underground as the Godfather Of Punk and so much else, is his recently released 17th solo album, Post Pop Depression. It’s a dashing, grizzled monster that Queens Of The Stone Age honcho Josh Homme, guitarist Dean Fertita, and Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, helped bring to the light, worthy of every kind of celebration.

Iggy is a figure whose endlessly explorable body of work means that every imaginable cornerstone has already been erected to perpetuate his mythology.

This makes Depression a seemingly peculiar album for icons like him to want to make. Few can pull it off, but he does so majestically here. It’s damn well the best thing he’s done in years. As he tells it, the whole thing came together

when he proposed to Homme via text the idea of making a record together.

With Fertita and Helders in tow, the two then sequestered themselves in Homme’s home studio in the Californian desert city of Joshua Tree. Fusing each other’s ideas in the crucible that is Iggy Pop, they conceived nine songs, including the florid, baritone-bedecked gem “Gardenia” and “Sunday”, a trueblue maximal funk romp.

All of this is great news to anyone with a vested interest in Iggy and good music. But he’s also prefixed it with the possibility that this might be his last album. It’s his “gut instinct” that’s telling him that Depression feels like his final salvo. If that’s the case, he’s ended his run on a fantastic note. If that’s really the case, we can start the victory parade right now.

iggypop.com

TO BE CONTINUED

PRINCE The Purple One has been reneging on his retirement plan for years. In April 1993, he revealed that he’d stop recording to focus on “alternative media projects”. Since then, he’s dropped 25 albums.

GUIDED BY VOICES At this moment, the life story of indie lifers GBV is marked by seven successive breakups and makeups.

So, let’s just agree that with the band still active, there’s no proverbial swan song.

THE WHO Twenty-five years after calling it quits in 1982, English behemoth The Who released its 11th album, Endless Wire. Robert Christgau called it “unlistenable” and he wasn’t alone in feeling that way.

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OZZY OSBOURNE In 1991, feeling utterly exhausted after finishing his solo career highlight No More Tears, the legendary frontman called it quits. As it stands, he’s not only released more albums but also reunited with Black Sabbath. (insert praying hands emoji)

Text Indran P Image Various Sources

FOUR ARTISTES WHO RELEASED ALBUMS AFTER THEY “RETIRED”.

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“WEST FEAT. DANIEL CAESAR” RIVER TIBER There’re too many feelings in this tune. It’s half pour-yourself-a whisky and half find-yourself-a-partner-toslow-dance with.

THE LION CITY BOY

“TRUTH FOR YOU FEAT. PARTYNEXTDOR” AMIR OBE Amir Obe is one artiste you know will surely do great things. He’s already written tracks for Drake. He is living my dream, working with the 6 God himself.

“LET EM KNOW” BRYSON TILLER TrapSoul is the new black and Bryson is the creator. He’s got jams for days.

“TUMBLR GIRLS FEAT. CHRISTOPH ANDERSSON” G-EAZY One of the tracks that’s been fuel to my new album. It’s always on repeat.

“BACK TO BACK” DRAKE This is a lesson in how to destroy your opponent with one song.

“BLACK FRIDAY” KENDRICK LAMAR KING. That is all.

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Text Indran P Image Various Sources

“LORDS NEVER WORRY” A$AP TWELVY It’s what I listen to for breakfast, and it makes me feel like dropkicking anyone who says I can’t do me. Don’t sleep on Twelvy.

“TOO DEEP” DVSN This guy is a mystery. No one really knows his true identity. Some say he’s a producer who prefers to be out of the limelight. Whatever it is, he got his song played on OVOSound Radio.

WHEN IT COMES TO HOMEGROWN FIRE-SPITTER KEVIN LESTER, IT’S HARD NOT TO SPEAK IN SUPERLATIVES. ONCE THE CAPTAIN OF THE MUSICAL MOTHERSHIP THAT WAS SIXX, HE’S SINCE EMERGED AS A RAPPER WITH BARS AND BEATS TO BE RECKONED WITH. HE STANDS FOR THE PHILOSOPHY, AESTHETIC AND MUSIC OF HIP-HOP AND SOME OF HIS BEST MOVES HAVE BEEN IMMORTALISED ON HIS 2014 EP, PUT YOUR CITY ON. YOU’LL BE GLAD TO KNOW THAT HE’S GOT SOMETHING VERY BIG AND SPECIAL PLANNED FOR 2016 BUT AHEAD OF THAT, DIP YOUR EARS IN THESE TUNES HE’S BEEN DIGGIN’.

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“PANDA” DESIIGNER Play this loud on your way to the party. You won’t need any liquor for the turn up.

“NO PROBLEM FEAT. SKIZZY MARS” MARC E BASSY This dude is such a talent. “No Problem” is one of his earlier jams. I met him in L.A. about a year ago and he’s blowing up now! He just got off a North American tour with G-Eazy.

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better than wagyu Whether it’s a question of duelling egos or pure bad behaviour, beef amongst musicians is fascinating. Here are three that broke the Internet.

VS. AT THE DRIVE-IN

VS. JIM WARD

HUDSON MOHAWKE

KANYE WEST AND DRAKE

Just days before the reunited post-hardcore

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VS. GENE SIMMONS

TALIB KWELI

The takeaway from this episode: those who don’t

gawds were due to head out on a world tour, they

With his uncanny ear for maximal, trap-laced

evolve with the times are doomed to be bitter,

announced this, “As our ship prepares for voyage,

bangers, HudMo has proven himself as an

misguided fools. In a recent interview, the KISS leader said that he’s “looking forward to the death

we announce that Jim Ward will not be joining us

indispensable ally for rappers looking to go big.

on future journeys”. To know that one of the most

So, when he threatened to leak some songs

of rap” and that he doesn’t have the “cultural

fiercely original bands of all time will be without their

he’d made for West and Drake because he had

background to appreciate being a gangster”, before

founding member, the one whose melodic guitar

gotten paid “0 for”, fans of all parties concerned

making the leap that rap comes from gangsterism

lines and earnest screams informed so much of its

were stunned. It seemed like the classic case of

and predicting that it will die in 10 years. All this

sound, just sucks. At this point, neither Ward nor

the big guys screwing over the little guy. Since

prompted a series of tweets from rapper Talib

ATDI have elaborated. It is, however, a known fact

then, HudMo has tweeted that he’s got no ill will

Kweli, including this bit of gold: “Would it be unfair

that prior to their 2001 breakup, Ward and frontman

towards the superstars and was instead aiming

of me to say I’m looking forward to the death [of] @

Cedric Bixler, were not on good terms.

his ire at their lawyers.

genesimmons or nah? Chuck Berry s**ts on Kiss”.

GRIMES GETS ELECTROCUTED

MORE CLASSIXX L.A. producers Tyler Blake and Michael David have one of the best band names around. As Classixx, the pair makes sumptuous nu-discoleaning electro that has spawned a heaving score of imitators and SoundCloud inhabitants. But with their new single “Grecian Summer”, the pair reminds us of why they’re always ahead of the curve. Kinetic, colouristic and vibrantly thumping, it’s a win. All the trending house and disco themes are melted down in a crucible of rainbows that only these guys seem to have access to, and then unleashed in their gaudy splendour. Please let there be a new album in the works. soundcloud.com/classixx

Yup, the headline isn’t lying. Grimes was electrocuted multiple times during a recent show in Dublin. Footage of the performance shows her covering her ears and cowering to the ground as bursts of white noise are heard from the venue’s PA system. The fault apparently came from a faulty effects pedal that was affecting the vocal channel of her microphone. Here’s more from the victim herself: “It was some kind of an issue with the vocal channel so even while bypassing the pedal, I was getting gunshots through the vocal channel into my monitors. Perhaps it was an angry ghost”.

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MORE TEEN SPIRIT Barcelonian punk quartet Mourn’s self-titled debut album was one of last year’s most interesting releases. And if you enjoyed that PJ Harvey-inspired first foray, you’ll be happy to know that the band’s got another adrenalised full-length due soon. Though they’ve named it Ha, Ha, He, first-listen “Evil Dead” is a clear warning that it’s not a big joke. Tense, dusky guitars, and confrontation-inviting drums swirl around frontwoman Jazz Rodríguez Bueno’s vocals as she intones the chilling line, “feast on your soul!” A noir-ish blast of punk energy; a storm preceded by no calm. facebook.com/ohmourn

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DEATH GRIPS

The idea of a Death Grips breakup seems to be more and more fictive, especially since the trio has just announced a new full-length. Bottomless Pit is the follow-up to their supposed “final” album, 2015’s Jenny Death, featuring the pulverising “Hot Head” – which MC Ride and co. shared back in February. Ever since their name-making second album, The Money Store, the band has pushed further ashore from their abrasive-but-catchy mould – turning up songs that are custom-built to overwhelm, with Zach Hill’s inhuman drumming and Ride’s shout-chants fusing with a wall of white noise as a dramatic backdrop. And with an opening track like “Giving Bad People Good Ideas”, we bet the album will be just what it says on the tin.

BRIGHT SILVER LINING

DIFFERENT STROKES IN ONE STROKE The “Harlem Shake” resurrector, Baauer, has been hard at work on his forthcoming debut album Aa, and new single “Temple” sounds like there’s a whole lotta cuttingedge electro-trap-and-who-knows-what-else coming our way. Featuring firebrand rapper M.I.A. and Korean superstar G-Dragon, the song begins with plucked Oriental string instruments before a hazy cloud of bass envelopes the mix; as do the bars of the two spitters. soundcloud.com/baauer

UNSTOPPABLE, JUST UNSTOPPABLE Kim Gordon is 63. She’s one of the most transfixing musicians to ever stride the earth. She was in Sonic Youth. She’s one-half of the noise rock duo Body/Head. And now she’s the frontwoman of yet another band, Glitterbust.

Together with Alex Knost of experimental pop band, Tomorrow’s Tulips, Gordon now makes more alternately sublime and unnerving guitar-drenched music that deconstructs itself as it progresses. More than adhering to any idea of what a ‘song’ should be, those from Glitterbust’s new self-titled album follow the principles of ‘narrative’, albeit one that challenges everything you know about moving in a straight line. soundcloud.com/burgerrecords

It wasn’t too long ago that Devon Welsch announced that Majical Cloudz, his simmering synth-led project with Matthew Otto, would be no more after their final show in March. But, true to his promise to keep the music coming, Welsch has let on that he’s now the frontman of Belave – an ambient-pop group that also features onetime Magical Cloudz drummer, Matthew Duffy – and that their debut album Indigo, Streams, Lash will be out very soon. belave.bandcamp.com

Text Indran P Images Various Sources

LITERARY ROYALTY There’s probably a good reason why Montreal producer Kaytranada has christened his new album 99.9%. But because he’s not saying what it is, we’re free to think that it’s a little weird, especially since we’ve got every reason to believe that it’ll be a total knockout.

For one, Kay himself has been responsible for a stream of strong, vividly lively and inviting singles. Then, there’s the matter of guests: BadBadNotGood, The Internet’s Syd Tha Kid and jazz drummer Karriem Riggins will all lend their hands to it. soundcloud.com/kaytranada

When it comes to music, Prince’s otherworldly talent cannot be questioned.

His body of work – even with its pile of beyond-weird effusions – is the gold standard’s gold standard. Now, the literary realm is about to bear his purple touch; he’s currently working on his memoirs. The book will be called The Beautiful Ones and will span from his first memory to when he played the Super Bowl XLI halftime show in 2007.

That’s quite a timeline to cover and, more importantly, it’s a Prince timeline. Though no release date has been provided, it’s safe to say that you can get very excited. soundcloud.com/funktionslustmusic music

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WAXING LYRICAL

BY ROBIN CHUA

FOR THE RECORD

For the record, vinyl is possibly the most troublesome way to listen to music. Not only do you have to make sure the record is free from dust and dirt (to prevent skips during playback), you’ll also have to flip it from side to side (yes, it’s that primitive). You’re much better off spinning a hassle-free compact disc.

It’s also an expensive hobby to get into. Apart from the rising prices of vinyl these days, there’s also that endless wormhole of buying gear (turntables, speakers and amps, etc.), which can cost an arm or a leg. And you can forget about going mobile with the music, unless you have a record player you can strap onto yourself, and which doesn’t skip while you’re running. Life is so much easier with music streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music; not to mention cheaper too.

So then, what is it about vinyl that’s causing people to queue up for hours on Record Store Day, losing their sleep bidding online, and sometimes putting one another’s friendship at stake? What sorcery is this black circle of wax weaving?

Having been enchanted before, I can tell you why.

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Nothing tickles the senses like a vinyl record when it comes to music. Take a look at the album art for starters. Now, you can’t get that full-blown beauty with pixelated JPEGs, for sure. Then, there’s that moment when you pull the record out of its sleeve, watching the circular grooves glisten under the light, breathing in the smell that comes with a fresh new album. And finally when you put it on the turntable and watch the needle drop and hit the groove, it’s pure magic. That slight crackle. The analogue warmth. Almost everything sounds better on vinyl than on digital audio.

IN MY MIND

BJ THE CHICAGO KID (MOTOWN RECORDS)

Okay boys and girls, it’s sexy time! Playing BJ The Chicago Kid’s major label debut (after 2012’s self-released Pineapple Now-Laters) is akin to setting the mood – before, during and after – with some spiritual and emotional wrangling thrown in for contemplative restraint. It’s commercial Chicago soul music 120 per cent, and it has taken Bryan James Sledge a decade to come into his own with his BJ moniker after some high-profile guesting with big-name rappers. And the favour is returned on the best tunes: Chance The Rapper on “Church”; Big K.R.I.T. on “The Resume”; and Kendrick Lamar on “The New Cupid”. On his own, it is Sledge the sensual lover, not the player, who speaks. It’s classic radio soul and R&B made for coupling to.

Okay, perhaps what I’ve said comes across as a bit ridiculous to you, but it’s all true. Don’t believe me? Just ask any vinyl junkie and you will hear a similar personal account (maybe the part on the smell of vinyl is more of a fetish for a smaller group). As much as we don’t like it, you can tell almost all vinyl fans share similar traits. We argue a lot on the merits of original pressings when compared to reissues, lament on why we would part with our money again for the same album if it comes out on coloured vinyl with bonus tracks, and compete against one another to reserve the latest shipment that will be arriving at our local vinyl shop. It’s the same fanatical verve you see in Star Wars fans (God help your wallet if you happen to be both).

But what draws music fans even more is that connection you get when you visit a record store. Besides getting wowed by the beautiful display of albums on the wall and the crates of records waiting to be flipped through, the chances of you meeting a like-minded music fan is high. Interacting with a knowledgeable storeowner, a visiting regular, and a new convert will show you that each one of them have stories to tell. And sharing these tales with one another is what attributes to an amazing experience one gets from shopping for records. It’s a unique feeling you don’t get from streaming music online, and also the main reason behind the success of Record Store Day (as seen in the growing phenomenon of rising vinyl sales).

So are you ready to get started on vinyl? You know what they say, “once you go black, you never go back”.

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THE RIDGE

SARAH NEUFELD (SN Music Inc.)

Once in a blue moon, we throw a curveball: we’ve never given our top-ranking love to a violinist before, so let’s remedy this oversight now. Sarah Neufeld is a member of Arcade Fire, her violin-playing adding nimbleness to the sometimes ‘over-palmy’ proceedings of the band. On her own, she has released a solo debut, Hero Brother, and collaborated with fellow experimentalist and saxophonist, Colin Stetson, on 2015’s mind blowing, Never Were the Way She Was. On her sophomore, she see-saws through the grandiose title track and pizzicato-plucks her way to a heart-beating end in “The Glow”, with Jeremy Gara’s drumming, Stetson’s lyricon playing, and her own angelic cooing – providing good company for her violin in this entrancing journey.

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PICKS OF THE MONTH STRANGER THINGS

ROT FOREVER

THE PLAZA

(Mamé Records) Dinosaur Jr., Pavement and Weezer are Yuck’s stylistic ancestors. And strange but true, even with the departure of frontman Daniel Blumberg, Yuck sounds like it’s biz as usual. Fuzzy, reverb-y, lo-fi – all typical descriptions of ’90s alt/college/slacker indie rock – which typifies them as kind of a retrorevisiting band stuck in been-theredone-that gear. Better luck for Yuck next time then.

(Broken World Media) There’s a helleva lot of Weezer, Built To Spill and Modest Mouse in Montana’s Sioux Falls. It’s admiration meets ambition; singer and guitarist Isaac Eiger, drummer Ben Scott and bassist Fred Nixon cycle through their 73-minute double album debut of 16 songs like true revivalists of ’90s indie rock – emulating the jangly guitar, the melancholic emo singing, and the ‘from the backroom’ drumming.

(Kemado Records Inc.) With the state of folk music fractured (less popular, with the flag bearers doing stuff to deny being just merely folk music artistes – Devendra Banhart and Mumford & Sons, we looking at cha), we can thankfully look towards Quilt for a dose of pleasant indie-folk. On their third album, the quartet splices the quirk with the pretty, with a musicality that pops with pastel hues and channels rocker vibes into pastoral psychedelia.

WHEN YOU WALK A LONG DISTANCE YOU ARE TIRED

EUPHORIA EP

99¢

Yuck

The Pains Of Being AMTHST

Quilt

Santigold

Mothers

(Sick Wid It Records) Bay Area producer and rapper, Droop-E, and LA synth pop singer, Ramona Gonzalez AKA Nite Jewel, pair up to cast some fine nocturnal hip-hop/trip-hop magic. The five songs won’t shake the tree, but the duo does add a new leaf to the ambient branch of the hip-hop genre. When the duo chillaxes in the dreamy “Thug Passion” and the softly glitchy “Over Zone”, it’s pure bliss.

(Atlantic Records Ltd) It’s a toughie: Sell out or don’t sell your soul? Commercial pop or critically loved artistry? Santigold is quite the swinger, trying to be both pop star and odd artiste. She pokes fun at commercialism through the lyrics and novel marketing concepts, yet hawks pop music that’s a candy bag of hybrids (dancehall, electronica, hip-hop). Let’s just embrace the sweet contradiction and dance with her on the Charli XCXstarring “Banshee”.

GRANDFATHERED

PRINCIPE DEL NORTE

LNZNDRF

(Club AC30) Hazarding a combo-comparison, Pinkshinyultrablast sounds like M83-meets-Sigur Rós-meets-My Bloody Valentine. This St. Petersburg five-piece blows out “thunder pop” or “kung-fu gaze” (their own terms), which are essentially supercharged dense clouds of synth and guitar. It’s an impressive bludgeon, better absorbed if they would just restrain from flaunting how much exuberance from shoegaze and dream-pop can be muscled up.

(Smalltown Supersound) At nearly 100 minutes in just nine tracks, Prins Thomas’ latest is a test of patience – especially since it is ambient cosmic disco. Which means it will either bore you to sleep, or wrap your brain mush within the most gorgeous aural wallpaper that you have ever heard. Tracks “A” to “D” are the quieter sojourns, while tracks “E” to “H” show that the dance floor does matter to this kosmiche king.

(4AD Ltd) Ooo, The National’s Bryan and Scott Devendorf, and Beirut’s Ben Lanz? Must listen. The output from the trio doesn’t better their original respective groups’ offerings but it’s a definite “A” for effort.

It’s largely an expansive Krautrock jam, with the trio padding and pulling effects around the drumming. May be a tad mono-slow-mo so just take these two, “Future You” and “Beneath The Black Sea”, and save the rest for later.

(Wichita Recordings) Kristine Leschper follows in a long line of female singers such as Angel Olsen, Joanna Newsom and Sharon Van Etten; women whose voices you cannot ignore. Be it just her and a mandolin (“Too Small For Eyes”) or closing out on a slow-jam with her mates (“Hold Your Own Hand”), this former Athens arts student has the melodic, arcing voice and writing chops to give legs to Mothers, for their debut and as a band.

Text Chris Ong Ujine Images Various Sources

Sioux Falls

Pinkshinyultrablast

Prins Thomas

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LNZNDRF

TALK TO ME SO I FALL ASLEEP Crater

(Help Yourself Records) Ceci Gomez and Kessiah Gordon sound like two disenchanted and disaffected goth chicks making industrial-lite electro-pop music ‘cos it’s hip. But let’s not dismiss them and their debut like we’re some Gossip Girl gossip rag. We think they seriously rock! Dealing with how technology has made us cold, they toss out dark wave synth mints like “Sick Sad World” and “Brew”. Like we said, cool.

JEROME RAHEEM FORTUNE Rome Fortune

(Fool’s Gold Records) Don’t wanna be trapped in trap-rap or drowned by dance-club hip-hop? Seek out a new pot of gold in Jerome Raheem Fortune. Rome Fortune talks about himself, but unlike the self-aggrandising ‘Zzz-eezy’s out there, it’s about his struggles to make it big. It’s an eclectic debut; in “Blicka Blicka” and “Past Future”, fluttering synths and bleeping beats jog around the Atlanta rapper as he tackles the mic with gusto.

OH INHUMAN SPECTACLE Methyl Ethel

(4AD Ltd) If Tame Impala, Connan Mockasin, MGMT and Pond are a little too out there for your tastes, Methyl Ethel might be the balm for indulging in your vintage rock/dream pop obsession. A trio from Down Under founded by Jake Webb, they make lovely, chillwave-ish slices of late night drive-time road music. Our faves to lose track of time to: “Rogues”, “Also Gesellschaft” and “Everything Is As It Should Be”.

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MODERN LOVE FEAT. PEGGY GOU

FRIDAY APRIL 1 AT KYO Currently residing in the techno temple of Berlin, Korean-born DJ-producer Peggy Gou has been imbibing its rarefied atmosphere and channelling it in her techno-laced house and broken beat transmissions. Her debut EP, Art of War, is a compelling reveal of an artiste with a huge plan. Let’s dance to that. clubkyo.com

SAYCET (LIVE) X ANORAAK (DJ SET)

SUNDAY APRIL 10 AT KULT KAFE This all-French affair is a supremely tantalising brew of “Visual Electronic Music” and “Sea, Synths and Sun” (Anoraak). Collectively, they bring a quintessentially indie-minded approach to dance, and in their own ways, evoke both reflection and movement. Beats, hooks and good vibes – this night will have ’em all. kultkafe.com

S KO 2ND ANNIVERSARY WITH BEN CAMPBELL, DJ PASSION AND DAN STONEMAN

REFUGE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

FRIDAY APRIL 1 AT REFUGE Happy birthday, Refuge! Singapore’s most vibin’ hip-hop venue turning one is definitely a cause for celebration for anyone with a vested interest in rap and rap-adjacent sounds. Toast to a good year (with many more to come) as Nez, Andrew Chow and NashD helm the decks. refuge.sg

SATURDAY 15 APRIL AT KYO S KO was born two years ago when garage-, house-, and bass-loving DJs got together and decided to honour these canons with a label. To celebrate their second anniversary right here with us, they’ve enlisted three of their flag-bearing heavy-hitters. Go get in on this great cause. clubkyo.com

ATTAGIRL! NIGHTS PRESENTS DJ VICTORIA & DURIO

EP!C PRESENTS NICKY ROMERO

FRIDAY APRIL 15 AT ZOUK It’s not a stretch to call Nicky Romero the godhead of club-beloved EDM. He’s a global presence, a more-than-brand entity whose golden touch has blasted the charts, eardrums and bodies. This year, he collaborated with Nile Rodgers on the delicious, exquisite “Future Funk”. You know he’ll come prepared. zoukclub.com.sg

LAZY HABITS LIVE

WEEKEND NACHOS AND PRIMITIVE MAN

TUESDAY APRIL 5 AT HOOD BAR AND CAFE Watching a live jazz performance is always a treat but this English outfit has made a career out of elevating that experience by weaving in great dollops of soul, hip-hop and funk.

Huw Stevens-certified and Mos Def-championed they may be, but the sextet is way more than the sum of its co-signs. hoodbarandcafe.com

SUNDAY APRIL 17 AT ALIWAL ARTS CENTRE Ok, this one’s not for the faint of heart. Weekend Nachos are heroes in their own right.

The Illinois quartet trafficks in powerviolence, a sound and sensibility that, well, is self-explanatory. For their part, Denver trio Primitive Man specialise in “Death Sludge/Funeral Punk”. You’ve been warned. aliwalartscentre.sg

TRANSITION FEAT. MARK SIXMA

SATURDAY APRIL 9 AT CANVAS From the hallowed roster of Armada Music comes one of its most celebrated ambassadors to grace our shores. That his “Fade 2 Black” has won over Armin van Buuren is big testimony of this Dutch producer’s floor-moving appeal. If you want to take your Saturday night to the next next-level, you know what to do. canvasvenue.sg

ZOUK X SUNSHINE NATION PRESENT RENAISSANCE ALBUM TOUR WITH ART DEPARTMENT

SATURDAY APRIL 23 AT ZOUK With the departure of Kenny Glasgow, Art Department is now the solo project of Jonny White. But fret not, for nothing has been lost in this structural change. For nothing-like-it house, AD will always be tough to beat. Come feel the multiple reasons why this night. zoukclub.com.sg

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Text Indran P Images Various Sources

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FRIDAY APRIL 1 AT WINE BAR You know what to expect: scintillating girl power and kinetically charged tunes with a delightful bite. This time, DJ Victoria, well-schooled in deep house, tech house and trance, and the bass-and-beats-toting Durio will call the shots. zoukclub.com.sg

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Text Aaron Kok Images Big Park

As the urban landscape continues to crawl outwards, taking over what were once beloved natural sanctuaries, it’s so easy to forget that the beauty of nature exists. Looking to capture the allure of Seoul’s gardens that have been lost to rapid urbanisation, Park Youn Soo revisits the ethereal wonder of lush greenery in his Spring/Summer 2016 collection. Manic floral prints and stripes form the base of the collection, which sees prim collars paired with supple leather jackets and floaty skirts – as if Park is trying to record a fleeting moment of floral magic that is about to make way for yet another concrete megalith.

bigparkys.com

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viscose sleeveless top, $15.90

crochet halterneck top, $35.90

GO ON A SUN-DRENCHED ESCAPADE WITH PULL & BEAR’S ‘PACIFIC GIRLS’ COLLECTION.

jersey t-shirt, $19.90 viscose cropped shirt, $39.90

polyester jumper, $45.90

polyester blend parka jacket, poa

lace shorts, poa

For Spring/Summer 2016, Pull & Bear takes a page out of the West Coast stylebook with a collection that pays homage to the sporty, bohemian spirit of the city. Designed for the girl who wants to take on the great outdoors, the collection boasts versatile pieces that will complement your urban adventures. Breezy cropped tops, button-downs and college sweatshirts channel the too-cool-forschool attitude Cali girls are well known for. Colours are reminiscent of a lazy Malibu beach, where seawaters translate into various shades of teal and blue, and soft sand gives colour to the beige and browns used in the collection. For the girl who wants her basic monochromes, greys, blacks and white will satisfy that yearning.

viscose floral printed shorts, $35.90

The ‘Pacific Girls’ line is a celebration of classic Americana tempered with a modern, fresh vision of style.

From $19.90 to $79.90, available at Pull & Bear - #B2-08 ION Orchard, #01-19 Bugis Junction, and #01-28A VivoCity.

For more information, log on to pullandbear.com.

viscose floral printed dress, $55.90

crochet ombré-coloured dress, poa

VIVOCITY #01-28A / 6276 2 2 6 0 ION ORCHARD #B2-08 / 62 3 8 7 6 5 5 BUGIS+ #01-19 / 6884 43 4 7 pullandbear.com

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the salvation army TRAIDREMADE

Based in the U.K., the brand was started by fashion recycling charity, TRAID, with the primary objective of creating a social movement that seeks to repurpose old clothes instead of tossing them. From collecting these donations to finding new ways to educate the public on the benefits of recycling, TRAID also collaborates with a roster of designers to ensure that the fabrics are given a second lease on sartorial life. Currently heading TRAIDREMADE’s design team is Alex Noble from the Rights Of Massive label and his love for the ’80s is evident in the line’s garishly neon colours, distressed denim and punkish tartans. Talk about being an eco-rebel. traidremade.com

STUDY

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If you’ve ever looked at clothes hanging in your closet and pondered about the people and processes behind them, Study has answers for you. This New York-based fashion label is committed to giving shoppers full information on their clothing, from start to finish.

Each garment comes with a tag that informs you of the origin of the fibre, where it was spun, processed, dyed and manufactured.

They’ve even gone as far as to include the signature of the factory worker who sewed up the top you’re holding. Utilising ethicallysourced and organic materials, the designs have a penchant for Zen-like design and muted colours. Through a wardrobe of easyto-wear, everyday pieces, Study appeals to the urban dweller who likes their fashion to remain accountable. study-ny.com

TITANIA INGLIS

Also from The Big Apple, the brand sets itself apart through Inglis’ design ethos and aesthetics. While her designs are lush and celebrate the dark bravado of rocker-chic, Inglis pays close attention to engineering a line that is as environmentally friendly as it is stylish. For starters, each garment is constructed by a familyrun factory, allowing her to manage the manufacturing processes to minimise material wastage. The label also uses low-impact fabrics like vegetable-tanned leather and dead-stock wool sourced in New York. For Spring/Summer 2016, her collection experiments with slashing techniques, while the colour palette of smoke and black maintain the uptown-chic that she’s known for.

titaniainglis.com

TALLER NU

Choosing to forgo the appeal of fast-fashion-fast-money, Taller Nu is a Mexican brand that pays keen attention to experimenting with various materials and collaborating with multi-disciplinary artists.

While the clothes are easy enough for anyone to wear, what we are drawn to is the footwear line. Comprising of brogues, oxfords and boots, these classic shoe styles are given a new look through the combination of unexpected materials and patterns. What’s most impressive about the brand, however, is that it works with a correctional facility to provide inmates with a chance to develop worthwhile skills. Reform never looked so stylish. taller.nu

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NO DISCOUNT BIN-BUSINESS HERE – INSTEAD, WE’RE REFERRING TO A BRIGADE OF DESIGNERS AND BRANDS THAT ARE FINDING NEW AND INNOVATIVE METHODS TO GIVE YOUR JUNK NEW LIFE. FROM ACCOUNTABLE PRODUCTION TO UPCYCLING OLD CLOTHES, THESE EIGHT LABELS PROVE THAT ONE MAN’S JUNK CAN BE ANOTHER’S SWAG.

REFORMATION

Speaking of reformation, this L.A.-based brand is literally trying to change fashion from every aspect. A visit to its website alone will leave you dumbfounded at the amount of resources that fashion as an industry uses, and it is founder Yael Aflalo’s personal mission to ensure that Reformation is overturning the status quo. On top of upcycling vintage garments, Aflalo ensures that her factory processes do not burden the environment. From the use of machines powered by renewable energy to recycled hangers, she takes steps to ensure that Reformation leaves as little carbon footprint as possible. On the style front, her clothes are immediately eye-catching and trendy – from diaphanous floral dresses to a jumpsuit made from recycled denim. Fashionable and eco-friendly at the same time. thereformation.com

H&M CONSCIOUS

While the idea of sustainable fashion might sound like hippie-wear to some, H&M’s Conscious line is constantly reinventing the wheel to entice and excite with a combination of innovative materials and trendy design. This season, the street fashion megabrand partners the Louvre museum in Paris to feature artworks from Renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli. Key fabrics of the season include organic silk, hemp, and cotton that is woven from recycled yarn, while recycled glass and denimite transform into gemstone embellishment and accompanying jewellery respectively. Known for its classic take on the avant-garde, the collection also presents a variety of striking pieces such as a pair of billowing pants and brushed-painted frocks. hm.com

EDGE OF EMBER

Probably the one thing most ladies love, jewellery is often associated with the art of gifting. With Edge Of Ember, the giving goes back to the communities that the brand works with. Each design is developed and finalised by the brand’s London-based team. Sharp lines and sleek planes are enhanced with delicate lines, thereby creating a softer take on the bionic jewellery trend that’s going strong. After the look and feel is polished up, it’s sent to small artisanal businesses globally. Currently collaborating with workshops in Indonesia, Cambodia and Nepal, Edge Of Ember seeks to work with the local artisans living in these regions – especially those who have decades of skill that may go extinct in the years ahead. edgeofember.com

SWORD & PLOUGH

Text Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

When we think military garb, “chic” is not the first word that comes to mind. Emily and Betsy of Sword & Plough, however, are trying to change that. Having grown up in a military family in West Point, New York, the sisters approach their bag designs with one motive in mind: to make use of military technologies and materials and apply them to products suited for the general public. With the hardy supplies used, Sword & Plough’s line of bags is designed to withstand the wear and tear of everyday use, while ageing gracefully with time. Since its launch in 2013, S&P has created a sustainable design process, with 10 per cent of its profits donated to veteran initiatives in the U.S.. swordandplough.com

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A BODY OF CALM Think Italian tailoring and the first thing that comes to mind is the European flair of ostentatious accessories with sharp suits. The idea of sprezzatura has become such a revered form of dressing in the global menswear scene that, so often, it is carelessly dropped into Instagram hashtags and blog captions. For the uninitiated, sprezzatura is an art form, and refers to the studied method of insouciance that helps one’s look achieve perfection. And in that same vein, you could probably count Tropiano’s Spring/Summer 2016 collection as an exploration of this sartorial term.

Started by Italian designer Selene Tropiano in 2008, the Londonbased label looks towards the meditative art of Tibetan dressing for inspiration, blending it with a subtle sense of quirk and ethnicinspired design elements. With the buzz that’s happening globally about how fast the industry is moving at this point, Tropiano is taking some time to meditate on calm, uncluttered design that defies everything the current fashion climate requires.

This season, colours are practically non-existent. Choosing to work with a soothing palette of taupe, ivory, black, and smoke, the only surface texture comes in the form of pinstripes that are deliberately mismatched to create a point of tension. This leaning towards natural dressing is seen also in the clothes, as evidenced by her long-line tunic shirts, paper bag pants and the use of natural fabrics such as muslin, cotton and linen.

Perhaps the biggest focus of her line falls not in the individual items themselves, but in how one wears them. There’s a deliberate carelessness – that sprezzatura mentioned earlier – that comes through in the pieces. Pyjama-collared shirts hang over loose pants, while scarves are thrown around the neck haphazardly. Elsewhere, trousers are given enlarged waistlines and ruffled up with the help of an attached sash belt, creating a look that is as comfortable as it is organic.

Subtle as her pieces may be, Tropiano still finds a way to make them interesting, primarily by hiding details within the clothing itself. From collared pockets on a pair of trousers to the slightly deviated hue of the inside lining of a shirt, every surprise feels like a calculated step that helps to tell her seasonal story.

Apart from the details and minimalist designs, Tropiano recognises that sometimes we just want a great pullover or cardigan to layer over existing clothes, and she offers a selection of these readily.

Though not as extensive in quantity as compared to the other pieces in her collection, she still promises quality fabrics in tested fits that deliver on evergreen wardrobe classics.

At a time when ‘classic’ seems like a bad word and ‘evergreen’ isn’t widely treasured, it’s comforting to know that the lads have Tropiano to count on for quality and long-living style.

tropiano.co.com

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Text Aaron Kok Images Tropiano

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TROPIANO SPRING/SUMMER 2016

focus label

focus label

A NUCLEAR FALLOUT

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CHEAP MONDAY SPRING/SUMMER 2016 radioactive war, with shredded tendrils hanging from pants and tops, while ‘Moon’ digresses with cloudy flumes drifting across various separates.

Going from its Fall/Winter 2015 grunge and punk anthem of youth rebellion, designer Carl Malmgren takes those same colours and textures, and injects them into this season’s collection with a bolder and darker aesthetic.

Eventually, this is how he’s paving the way for a full-blown explosion in this trippy Burning-Man-meets-futuristic-dystopia Spring/Summer collection – complete with a stage set of giant glowing mushrooms and funky disco lights.

And as if that point is not salient enough, the collection is aptly titled ‘Nuclear Psychodelia’.

Together with creative director Ann-Sofie Back, Malmgren identifies three overarching concepts that define the collection – ‘Bright Future’, ‘Moon’ and a cryptically titled ‘Blast’ segment. The result is a line that resonates with the psychedelia of the ’60s, tempered with punkish desolation to paint an absorbingly alien and surreal collection.

With ‘Bright Future’, the designers revamp dated ideas of the psychedelic subculture with the use of an updated narrative about a cosmic apocalypse.

This is achieved by reviving its bright and full spectra of tie-dye colours, such as acid yellows and toxic greens. ‘Blast’ discusses the consequences of a

Besides textures, the collection also shines with an ethereal sense of the eerie. Bright white tops seem to pulse like the glowing moon in the sky, and black pieces contrast it with the galaxy’s dark matter. Wide-cut bottoms reminscent of ’60s disco are seen next to flowing shawls and elongated sleeves, while louche silhouettes that distort the wearer’s proportions emanate an estranged and alien cosmic profile.

Furthering the trippy experience, the collection takes on deconstructionism with asymmetrical shapes, knots, draping, and crops that throw off any sense of put-togetherness. The collection also destroys and ravages with fraying edges and faded over-dyes, leaving an ensemble that looks worn and threadbare, replete with shredded denim being woven into sneakers for laces.

As a Cheap Monday collection, ‘Nuclear Psychodelia’ is an authentic showcase. From when it first filled the need for affordable and fashionable jeans back in Sweden (to the great joy of the Stockholm youth), the brand has journeyed on with a consistently grounded design direction, paying tribute to the cultural hallmarks of denim. Like how it is known for a playful cartoon about a traditionally macabre and morbid icon, it may have yet reached a new saturation point in this latest collection, by synthesising the sobriety of the apocalypse with the psychedelic nature of funk.

cheapmonday.com

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Text Jun Sheng Ng Images Cheap Monday

Embedded within the cheeky grin of Cheap Monday’s iconic, irreverent skull-and-bones logo is an easy-going playfulness and cool that’s neither complicated nor pretentious. Never finding the need to indulge in unnecessary frivolities and needless avant-garde ideas, the Swedish clothing label has instead evolved steadily from collection to collection with an insouciant swagger.

focus label

It is all too easy to simply repeat the tired African prints and pretend to be a mouthpiece for the continent’s rich heritage, culture and treasure trove of stories. At the recent Spring/Summer 2016 iteration of the South African Menswear Week, which showcases the work of South African designers and labels, Jenevieve Lyons unearthed her Spring/Summer 16 ‘Alabaster’ collection. Suffice to say, her proposal for the season is built on firm grounds.

A designer who’s in the business of “telling visual parables through fashion”, Lyons has found her reputation quickly spreading through South Africa, and across the seas to seizing international attention, especially amongst the youth market. Because in telling these visual stories the way she’s been known to do, she has avoided resorting to cliches or exhausted stereotypes.

Instead, her design sensibilities constantly find new ways to express her vision through strong concepts – carving them into clarity with a precise and sculptural skillset that is still impressively minimalist in aesthetic.

With her new collection, Lyons takes the colours and textures of white mineral geodes to capture the sprawling magnificence of the natural landscape, while also using her uncluttered aesthetic to explore the fluidity of gender. This proves to be a winning combination for her, with each look nodding to the trend of normcore and versatility.

Taking a golden brown granite geode that encases interior crystals of milky white as her keycolour palette, the collection sees dark burnt orange and

Complementing the milky white pieces are solid olive green and khaki colours, as seen in the synthetic neoprene pants, cropped shorts, and patched sleeves of an anorak jacket. Along with cargo pockets and drawstring details, prominent buckles and zips emphasise the weather-resistant and desert utility of each garment, evoking humanity’s miniscule struggle within an enveloping natural world.

Building on the clean aesthetic, Lyons also pairs flowing pearlescent tunics made from sheer fabrics with strict, geometric cuts that embody a gendertranscendent spirit. From Lyon’s perspective, it’s clear that menswear shouldn’t be limited from taking on the spectra of delicacy and refinement.

By stirring the unrestrained and subterranean possibilities of the alabaster geode to get a better understanding of the vast landscapes we live in, Lyons arrives at a point of harmony between techno-heavy references and a love letter to Mother Nature’s wonders. She is adept at translating this sense of awe through an intricate and precise process of thought, and continues to find innovative and authentic ways to explore, understand, and portray the South African aesthetic on the global stage.

jenevievelyons.co.za

ROCK SOLID JENEVIEVE LYONS SPRING/SUMMER 2016 fashion

Text Jun Sheng Ng Images Various Sources

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toasted tobacco colours stain the edges of alabaster and lavender splashes – of which all are set against photo-realistic textures of mineral rocks.

hit list First Pair Of Kicks We can’t be sure, but we believe we both had Baby Pro-Keds.

baby pro-keds, $67 each, keds at shipsltd.co.jp

Shoe-care Must Have Jason Markk’s kit. His kit works magic on cleaning sneakers.

ATHLETIC PROPULSION LABS

techloom pro in black/gold/silver, poa, athletic propulsion labs

ascend in midnight/burgundy/faded denim, poa, athletic propulsion labs

Personal Picks Of The Season Ryan: For me, it’s a tie between the Ascend in Midnight/Burgundy/Faded Denim colourway and the Techloom Pro in Silver Gold/ Black colourway. The Ascend works so well for both athletic and lifestyle purposes, and the Techloom Pro is truly unique.

premium shoe care box set, $82, jason markk at jasonmarkk.com

Current Earworm Adam: I’m hooked on “Digital Dash” by Drake and Future.

Most Recent Indulgence Adam: Overcoats, for sure. Most of what I wear is pretty consistent, except I like to have really nice outerwear pieces.

Travel Essentials Adam: Definitely my gold chain and grey T-shirts.

I never go anywhere without those.

Text Aaron Kok Image & interview courtesy of Pedder On Scotts Product images Various Sources

wool blend overcoat, poa, club monaco

L.A. Dining Haunt Adam: I’d pick A Votre Sante. They have the best pancakes in the world. a votre sante

melange slub jersey t-shirt, $89, folk at mrporter.com

Best Grooming Tip Ryan: Choose a great barber, because he can make a huge difference. Plus, he’ll be able to keep you looking your best.

I try and make sure I always have a fresh haircut.

speed bag, US$29.99, everlast

Ryan: Fitness is an important part of my life, and I love hitting the speed bag.

The gym I usually go to no longer has one, so I recently had a really nice boxing speed bag put into my apartment.

Love For Pedder On Scotts The interior looks amazing, and the store associates are fantastic as well. pedder on scotts trufitt and hill

Dream APL Fan Adam: President Obama. I think that’d be pretty amazing!

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FOUNDED IN 2009 BY TWIN BROTHERS ADAM AND RYAN GOLDSTON, THE AMERICAN LABEL GAINED NOTORIETY FOR PRODUCING A PAIR OF BASKETBALL SHOES THAT WERE SO REVOLUTIONARY IN TECHNOLOGY, THEY WERE BANNED BY THE NBA. UNFAZED, THE GOLDSTON TWINS BEGAN EXPANDING THEIR BUZZED-ABOUT LINE INTO A WIDER VARIETY OF RUNNING AND COURT SHOES. IN TOWN FOR A WHIRLWIND VISIT, WE CATCH UP WITH THE BROS TO UNCOVER WHAT THEY’RE CURRENTLY DIGGIN’.

Available at Pedder On Scotts.

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THE LUSH LIFE

TAKE A WALK ON THE GREEN SIDE WITH THIS SEASON’S GARDEN BEST – COMING TO LIFE UNDER THE CANOPY OF FOLIAGE AND FLORA.

PHOTOGRAPHY NICKY LOH PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT YANN CLOITRE STYLING AARON KOK STYLING ASSISTANT JUN SHENG NG MAKEUP KEITH BRYANT LEE / FAC3INC USING M.A.C COSMETICS HAIR JANSON TAN / KIMAGE STUDIO MODELS COURTNEY S / AVE & CORENTIN H / UPFRONT TERRARIUMS COURTESY OF MOSSINGARDEN

ON CORENTIN COTTON SHIRT TOPMAN COTTON TROUSERS UNIQLO TWILL JACKET H&M CANVAS AND LEATHER ESPADRILLES PEDRO ON COURTNEY VISCOSE DRESS TOPSHOP SHEARLING AND COTTON JACKET PULL & BEAR PATCHWORK LEATHER BOOTS COACH RUBBER BAG FURLA GOLD BODYCHAIN FOREVER 21 METAL NECKLACES TOPSHOP

ON COURTNEY LACE AND SILK BLOUSE H&M EMBROIDERED SILK CHIFFON SKIRT WITH FRINGE ALICE + OLIVIA EMBELLISHED LEATHER SANDALS PEDDER RED GLITTER EARRINGS H&M EMBELLISHED BRAIDED BRACELETS HYPSO AT DAZZLING CAFE METAL RINGS FOREVER 21 ON CORENTIN COTTON T-SHIRT SANDRO COTTON SHIRT ZARA EMBROIDERED DENIM JEANS TOPMAN LEATHER SANDALS H&M

COTTON T-SHIRT TOPMAN COTTON SHIRT H&M POLYESTER TROUSERS SANDRO

COTTON JUMPER (WORN UNDERNEATH) H&M SILK DRESS COACH FRINGED EARRINGS H&M CRYSTAL NECKLACE FOREVER 21 CRYSTAL PENDANT NECKLACE TOPSHOP METAL CUFF MAJE

ON CORENTIN COTTON T-SHIRT UNIQLO COTTON SHIRT ARGYLE & OXFORD AT ACTUALLY RIPPED DENIM JEANS H&M

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

ON COURTNEY POLYESTER BLOUSE RAOUL VISCOSE PANTS TOPSHOP BEADED CHOKER TOPSHOP METAL AND CRYSTAL NECKLACE FOREVER 21 METAL RINGS FOREVER 21

wardrobe trend

valentino

LAIDBACK LADIES

issa

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altuzarra

paco rabanne

cotton jumper, $197, diesel at farfetch.com

THE BEACH BABE HITS THE BIG CITY WITH TIE-DYE TAKING OVER THE RUNWAYS. WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING TO SCORE SOME GNARLY STYLE POINTS AT THE OFFICE OR HANG LOOSE OVER THE WEEKEND, WORK IN A TIE-DYE PIECE AND COMPLEMENT YOUR LOOK WITH NATURE-ACCENTED ACCESSORIES. SPORT A CROPPED JUMPER LIKE THIS ONE FROM DIESEL AND YOU’LL BE RIDING THE WAVES TO NEW HEIGHTS.

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wardrobe trend

cotton blend t-shirt, $29.90, h&m

cashmere blend jumper, $310, raquel allegra at matchesfashion.com

cashmere jumper, $406, finds at net-a-porter.com

cotton cap, $19.90, h&m

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leather clutch, $67, becksondergaard at asos.com

rayon dress, $68, olive + oak at bluefly.com

linen dress with side slits, $100, skinbiquini at skinbiquinibr.com.br

Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

crepe jumpsuit, $190, kain at theoutnet.com

rope and plastic necklace, $205, bimba y lola

acetate sunglasses, $102, house of holland at bysymphony.com

cotton jeans, poa, mm6 maison margiela

cotton trousers, $142, msgm

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canvas plimsolls, $168, unif at zappos.com

wardrobe trend

msgm

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

cotton and twill jacket, poa, scotch & soda

bottega veneta

canali

balmain

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THIS MAY BE DRESSING FOR THE PLAINS, BUT THERE AIN’T NOTHING PLAIN ABOUT THIS. SAFARI STYLE MAKES ITS EMERGENCE WITH PLENTY OF RUGGED SEPARATES AND EARTHY TONES – IDEAL FOR KEEPING YOUR SWAG IN CHECK WHEN OUT GALLIVANTING. A RUGGED JACKET LIKE THIS ONE FROM SCOTCH & SODA IS GUARANTEED TO MAKE YOU THE LEADER OF THE STYLE PACK.

fashion

wardrobe trend

pu bag with cotton strap, $84, h&m faux suede shirt, poa, topman

acetate sunglasses, poa, komono

cotton safari jacket, $456, todd synder at toddsynder.com

canvas hat, $118, tommay bahama at nordstrom.com

cotton pique polo shirt, $122, lacoste

watch with leather strap, $384, tsovet at cocomi

twill shorts, poa, american eagle outfitters cotton t-shirt, $59.90, cos

distressed leather belt, $28, new look

Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

cotton cap, $18, h&m

cotton chinos, $149.90, club monaco

leather boots, poa, timberland

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cotton twill chinos, $282, j.crew at jcrew.com

denim jeans, $196, polo ralph lauren

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ROMAN HOLIDAY CHANNEL YOUR INNER GODDESS BY LACING UP IN A PAIR OF GLADIATOR SANDALS FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS AHEAD.

suede sandals, $89, steve madden

leather studded sandals, $269, rebecca minkoff at rebeccaminkoff.com

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leather sandals, poa, peter pilotto at farfetch.com

leather sandals, $690, stuart weitzman

leather sandals, $251, raye at revolve.com

leather sandals, $545, ancient greek at club 21b

leather sandals, $119, topshop

beaded leather sandals, poa, kurt geiger

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leather sandals, $352, schutz at schutz-shoes.com

Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

leather studded sandals, poa, valentino

vault

beaded bracelet, $175, tateossian at neimanmarcus.com

metal ring with semi precious stone, $16.90, topman

sterling silver ring, $439, thomas sabo

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

cotton shirt, $139, polo ralph lauren

wool hat, $59.90, topman

cotton jumper, $218, paul & job at farfetch.com

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Text & Coordination Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

cotton trousers, poa, maison margiela

YOU CAN’T RECALL THE DAYS OF FLOWER POWER WITHOUT MAKING SOME ALLUSION TO JIMI HENDRIX. CHANNEL HIS FREE SPIRIT IN THE FORM OF FLORAL FASHION WITH ECLECTIC ACCESSORIES TO MATCH.

suede boots, $227, ted baker

cotton t-shirt, $22.50, river island at riverisland.com

fashion

printed cotton trousers, $109, zara

leather moccasins, $833, yuketen at yuketen.com

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C’EST CHIC!

YOU’D HAVE TO BE WALKING AROUND WITH A SACK OVER YOUR HEAD TO NOT KNOW THE FAR-REACHING EFFECTS KITSUNÉ HAS ON THE INDIE-DANCE SCENE. FOUNDED IN PARIS BY GILDAS LOAËC AND MASAYA KUROKI IN 2002, THE FASHION BRANCH HAS ALSO HAD ITS FAIR SHARE OF THE LIMELIGHT. THE DUO IS KNOWN FOR MAKING THE EVERYDAY UNIFORM OF TEES AND SWEATSHIRTS – BEST WORN WITH LOUCHE SENSIBILITIES – COOL AGAIN THROUGH THE USE OF CHEEKY SLOGANS AND THEIR ICONIC FOX LOGO. MAISON KITSUNÉ IS THE EPITOME OF THE JE NE SAIS QUOI IN FRENCH STYLE, EMBODIED BY ITS TRIBE OF EAGER FANS. WE CATCH UP WITH KUROKI TO TALK ABOUT HIS BRAND AND DISCOVER HIS THOUGHTS ON THE FASHION SCENE.

KITSUNÉ

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Tell us the story behind your fox emblem.

Well, we feel that the brand is very much like a fox. Just like how the saying goes that the fox knows many things, Kitsuné is a lot of things as well. We are a fashion brand, a music label, and we have a cafe under the brand name as well. We do so many things, so that’s why we identify with the fox.

Who inspires you and your team when designing a collection?

[Laughs] Everybody! It’s as much inspired by our lifestyle as it is a reference to the streets, sights and people around us. Take, for example, the Spring/Summer 2016 collection and how we found our reference point. Gildas’ kids were watching The Wind Rises by Hayao Miyazaki, and

he sent me a text asking me to check out this movie and its beautiful colours. I did, and I felt the vibe was in line with what we wanted to do, and that was how we decided on the direction of our collection. Sometimes inspiration comes to us in our everyday lives. We design clothes for everyday living, our cafe functions for daily needs, and we sign artistes to our label because we identify them as acts you can listen to on a day-to-day basis.

What are your personal favourites from this season’s collection?

I love the cargo pants. They are fitted properly, well fabricated and great for daily wear. Female friends also tell me that they like our dresses, and that’s something that usually sells well.

As the industry continues to look to street fashion for inspiration, do you feel that same influence?

Yes, more so actually. We’ve always been inspired by the street culture that surrounds us, whether we are in New York or Paris. And now that I’m back in Tokyo, it’s crazy just observing how the subcultures evolve. I can tell what’s trending

or what’s hyped up, just by watching what the crowds are wearing. From there, we experiment.

We try things out, constantly evolve and keep things curious. If you don’t keep your audience curious, it becomes boring.

Who are you currently listening to?

Beau. We’d just signed them and their new album was released recently. They’re young, very talented, and they never stop writing.

They’ve got a touch of pop to their sound, and I like that.

Give us a hint of what’s in the pipeline for Kitsuné.

We are working on Cafe Kitsuné now. Hopefully we can open one in Asia, maybe Singapore or Bangkok. We are looking at opening new stores, new doors and working on better collections.

Inch by inch, slowly but surely, we’ll get there.

Get to know more about the brand in our video interview at youtube.com/juicesg. shop.kitsune.fr

Text Aaron Kok Interview courtesy of Manifesto Images Kitsune

Hey Masaya, so what’s been new for you?

A lot, actually. I just moved back to Tokyo, so there are re-adjustments I need to make. I was from Tokyo but grew up in Paris, so I’m no stranger to the city. That said, there’s still some getting used to. Gildas is still in Paris, so we are working out a system over two different time zones.

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TIMEX Keep track of the fun times weekends bring with a ticker that’s both stylish and functional. For Spring/Summer 2016, Timex presents the Weekender Fairfield – a collection of three classic watches with interchangeable straps.

Choose from a casing in gold or silver, pick a striped strap to match, and you have a horological classic to flaunt.

$128 to $138, available at The Assembly Store.

measure of style While the nature of Spring/Summer collections may veer on the brighter side of the colour wheel, 5cm hits back with a stellar lineup of monochromatic pieces for urban dwellers. In the men’s line, the collection pays tribute to Patti Smith with punkish details like webbing detailing, graffiti prints and studded leather shoes. For lads who prefer something a little more pared-back, the line of basics turns to the city as its main reference point – from MA-1 jackets and oversized tees to generously fitted pants. Ladies can also get in on the fun with clothing that champions freedom and ease. Chiffon and mesh are employed to a great extent, while panelled knitwear and shirtdresses offer versatile options for dress-up nights or casual arvos. $39.90 to $299 (women’s), and $39.90 to $329 (men’s).

Available at i.t orchardgateway.

WALK AMONGST THE STARS The massive shoe-addict in us is getting all excited to shop the wares of STAR 360’s Spring/Summer 2016 collection – especially those from these exclusive brands.

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CHECK IN TO CHIC

Presented in a hotel setting, the spring line reimagines Ted Baker’s English sensibilities with coquettish chambermaids and old-world glamour. Guys can spiffy up in a handsome suit or go tropical with Hawaiian-printed shirts and lightweight sport jackets, while ladies have lacy dresses and ’50s-style twinsets to pick from. A refreshing colour palette of mint, sunset orange and lush red is juxtaposed by deeper shades of navy and grey, rounding off a postcard-perfect range of apparel.

Available at Ted Baker.

Anglomania gets an urban makeover, as seen in this checkered sneaker with a rubber toe-cap.

Canvas sneakers, $239, Spingle

True to the brand’s roots in American sportswear, these laceups will brighten up a dull day with its lively green colour.

Canvas sneakers, $110, Polo Ralph Lauren

The white tennis shoe gets a fun update with a pair of voluptuous lips and some sassy side-eye.

Embroidered leather shoes, $199, Patrick

Available at STAR 360.

A DAMSEL IN THIS DRESS

COLOUR ME COMFY

Packed with a slew of separates that’ll remain evergreen in the closet, Dorothy Perkins’ Style Heroes Spring/Summer 2016 collection boasts more fashionable offerings that’ll rescue you from a style rut. In a nod to the bohemian days, the line offers plenty of florals on button-down blouses, pinafore dresses and frilly tops. Denim provides anchorage in the ’70s vein, while stripes make a huge showing in the form of shirtdresses, offshoulder tops and softly tailored trousers. Those seeking essentials can also look to the line’s assortment of plain-coloured knit tops, classic LBDs and elongated vests. $26.90 to $83.90, available at zalora.sg.

One’s known for his completely wacky vision of fashion, and the other for making some of the most comfortable footwear. So when Jeremy Scott and Melissa Shoes come together for a capsule collection, you can expect a fun series of comfy soles. Joining a veritable list of designers to team up with the Brazillian brand, Scott’s collection references the bright hues of inflatable pool toys. His bold sense of design comes through in the gaily colours used to create a Barbie-worthy line of boots, mules, ballerina flats, and sandals. There’s even a line of boots for young girls, so every one can be a JS doll regardless of age.

From $140 to $295 (women’s), and $100 (kids’). Available at MDREAMS.

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COS This, right here, is the one shoe that’s going to take away the cheese in couple-dressing.

From the minimalist minds of the team behind COS comes the brand’s first unisex sneaker. Featuring a full-white leather upper with a thick band that stretches across the front, these steppers are the perfect pair of kicks to help nail the white sneaker trend that is buzzing at the mo’.

ALIJST There’s a new kid on the accessories block who goes by the name of ALIJST. Co-founded by Stacy and Jil, the Jakarta-Singapore-based brand is pushing the envelope on jewellery design with a line that’s equal parts sleek and well-made. We chat with the girls to learn more about their craft.

$159, available at COS.

What does “ALIJST” mean?

ALIJST is a Dutch-inspired word taken from the term ‘A-list’, which symbolises our aim to provide shoppers with the highest level of excellence.

What was it that drew the both of you into the art of jewellery design?

Stacy: I’ve always been drawn to jewellery. To me, jewellery is something personal. Even a small piece of jewellery can reveal our true selves.

Tell us about the inspiration behind Collection 01: Domina.

Domina takes inspiration from the art of bondage. We focused on the sensuality of the skin and how jewellery complements a women’s presence. We translated the provocative nature of bondage elements such as chains, chokers and leather tassels into precious jewellery pieces.

Who is the ALIJST woman?

She is powerful, sophisticated and modern. She’s proud to expose her real personality, and goes for gold in every aspect of her life. Our customer is the woman who dresses for herself.

JOIN THE RESISTANCE Featuring the first instalment of a travelling pop-up concept that will bring together the best of international and local street brands, #counterculturalism aims to throw out the rulebook of Singapore style to educate shoppers with the nuances of subculture fashion and the aesthetics that make these styles unique. With labels such as Killstar, Damascus and Black Scale, expect to shop a curated selection of threads that will bring out your self-expressed individuality.

Now through to May 31 at SECTS Shop, #04-14 orchardgateway.

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What’s next for the brand?

The second collection will be a continuation of our story. We have a lot planned out, but we can’t tell you just yet. It’ll be a surprise!

alijst.com Text Aaron Kok Images Various Sources

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Here’s a fact: every T-shirt dumped in the laundry requires approximately 2,100l of water per wash. But before your jaw hits the floor, there’s still some hope.

Setting out to make the world a greener place, H&M is on a campaign to collect 1,000 tonnes of unwanted or worn-out garments from shoppers in over 3,600 stores. Happening from April 18 to 24, World Recycle Week encourages shoppers to drop off their garments at any H&M in-store collection point. And as part of the campaign, the global fashion chain is teaming up with M.I.A., who will release a new video on April 11 addressing the environmental impact of binning your clothes. Stay tuned. hm.com

cool kutsu Lovers of all things Japanese can now add a new pair of kicks to your collection of kawaii collectibles. The good folks at Onitsuka Tiger have released a special set of shoes that feature suminagashi, the traditional art of Japanese dyeing.

Dating back over a thousand years, this ancient technique uses ink pigments that are blended with oil. This ink-oil mixture is then floated over water, and transferred onto the textile used to make these shoes.

Available in pink, blue and slate grey ink swirls, the nature of the suminagashi technique ensures that no two shoes are ever the same. Sugoi! $189, available at Onitsuka Tiger, #02-09 VivoCity and #01-451/452 Suntec City.

Text Aaron Kok Image ALIJST

GREEN SOUNDS

candy girl

Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources

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Whether you identify more as a girlie girl or an ’80s punk queen, Spring/Summer 2016 has just the right shade of pink to suit your beauty leanings. From a romantic dusting of pastel rose at Dior to Cividini’s edgy fuchsia cat eye, Barbie’s favourite hue is all set to conquer more hearts this season. And the good news? This is the one colour everyone has lying in their makeup pouch. Better yet, it doubles up as both eyeshadow and blush. But if you like your colours fierce and want to rock the trend like the glam pony you are, take it to your lip and brow and get out of the safe rut.

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shine bright WITH THE SUN OUT IN FULL FORCE AND THE HEAT BECOMING INCREASINGLY INTENSE, A GOOD SUNBLOCK IS ESSENTIAL TO KEEP SKIN’S MELANIN LEVELS FROM KICKING INTO OVERDRIVE. BUT WHAT IF YOUR SKIN IS ALREADY PLAGUED WITH PIGMENTATION AND LOSS OF LUSTRE? WITH THESE EIGHT BRIGHTENING SALVES, YOU CAN REVERSE THE DAMAGE OVER TIME AND PROTECT YOUR SKIN FROM FURTHER ABUSE – BRINGING BACK RADIANCE AND CLARITY TO YOUR COMPLEXION.

FRESH PEONY BRIGHTENING MOISTURISING FACIAL TONER Some toners leave the mien feeling tight and taut but this comforting option from Fresh does anything but. Combining the prowess of three antioxidant-rich ingredients – peony root, vitamin C and licorice root extracts – the silky formula lends a hand to combat spots and dullness to unveil a more luminous complexion. Thanks to sodium hyaluronate, this toner also plumps up the skin, leaving it soothed and supple. We especially like how quickly it absorbs and the soft, velvety feel it delivers. $80 (200ml), available at Fresh and Sephora stores.

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ASTALIFT WHITE BRIGHTENING MASK SULWHASOO SNOWISE BRIGHTENING EXFOLIATING GEL Facial routines with Sulwhasoo are always indulgent, thanks to its nourishing ginseng-infused formulas. In this upgraded scrub, white ginseng powder meets honey and beta glucan extracts to help purify and balance skin – ridding excess sebum and leaving it smooth and radiant.

The scrubbing beads – made from the same ginseng powder and walnut skin – are gentle but do a good job of buffing the skin to brightness, which works well for those with sensitive skin. The gel consistency also makes it a refreshing treat. $68 (100ml), available at Sulwhasoo counters.

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Here’s a fun fact: collagen is a major raw material used to make camera film. So who better than Fujifilm to dish out essential skin-plumping treats to aid product penetration and the skin’s absorption of its formulas, Astalift taps into the brand’s expertise in nanotechnology to deliver brightening goodness that target spots from inside out. With a dual-layer structure that zooms in on the cheek and temple areas, the mask comforts with a sweet rose scent and improves skin tone with three types of collagen. $22 (25ml, single) and $92 (25ml, box of six), available at Astalift.

L’OCCITANE REINE BLANCHE WHITENING SLEEPING MASK There’s something about calming scents that instantly relaxes – which is why this sleeping mask is our latest bedtime must-have. On top of its delightful fragrance and soothing gel-cream consistency, the mask helps to reverse effects of the free radical damage we endure throughout the day, to bring back translucency and radiance to lacklustre skin. Apply a thin layer to use this as a moisturiser, or pile on a thicker layer and leave overnight – complete with gentle massage strokes to improve absorption and efficacy. $112 (100ml), available at L’Occitane.

YSL BLANC PUR COUTURE CONCENTRATE The newest addition to the brand’s Blanc Pur Couture family, this brightening treatment targets dullness and pigmentation to return clarity and luminosity to tired skin.

Harnessing the power of peony, which helps to dilute melanin, it combines antioxidative and protective capabilities with a light technology to reduce the appearance of flaws and prevent further damage. Besides its promise of clearer, more radiant skin in eight weeks, we also enjoy the charming floral scent of white tea, peach, florals, and musk, as well as its fast-absorbing texture. $159 (30ml), available at YSL Beaute.

SK-II GENOPTICS AURA ESSENCE Even if you don’t see it, daily UV exposure can cause the melanin in our skin to cluster before eventually surfacing as dark patches. Working twice as hard to combat this, the brand’s Cellumination Aura Essence gets an upgrade with Genoptics, which boasts an even more powerful formulation to keep dull, cloudy skin at bay.

Within the pretty, iridescent bottle is a milky liquid that helps to clear and brighten the complexion – thanks to a blend of SK-II’s famous Pitera essence, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. $199 (30ml), available at SK-II counters.

THE BODY SHOP DROPS OF LIGHT PURE HEALTHY BRIGHTENING DAY CREAM Apart from banishing obnoxious spots, the Drops Of Light range works hard to bring about overall translucency, even tone and radiance, as well as reduce the appearance of pores and soften the skin. This is achieved through the use of red algae extract, known for its brightening and spot-correcting capabilities; and vitamin C, known for its skinplumping and antioxidative properties. While it’s a day cream, this skin comforter melts into the mien swiftly without stickiness, and delivers a hydrated complexion that becomes more radiant over time. $39.90 (50ml), available at The Body Shop.

LANEIGE WHITE PLUS RENEW ORIGINAL ESSENCE EX

Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources

Another new-season star that’s one-upping its predecessor is this dark spot crusher, which features a milder, non-drying formula that protects delicate, sensitive skin. Now with double the amount of truffle yeast extract, the silky emulsion helps to rid skin of toxins and impurities – which leads to a clearer and more vibrant mien. Antioxidants help to reduce facial redness, while green tea protein fills melanin cells with moisture to promote luminosity and suppleness. Worth a go if you’ve always envied the porcelain look of ‘K-skin’. $80 (40ml), available at Laneige counters.

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HEED THE CALL

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ESTELLE & THILD

JOSIE MARAN

SIMPLICITÉ

NUORI

Perhaps a personification of a mother’s TLC, Estelle & Thild was started nine years ago by Pernilla Rönnberg in Stockholm, Sweden, and named after her daughters, Estelle and Mathilda.

Having served as CEO at a skincare company, Rönnberg grew increasingly uncomfortable with the amount of harmful chemicals that go into beauty products, and decided to create her own sustainable line where women can safely consume formulas that are certified organic. Most of Rönnberg’s ingredients are raw and bio-active, which protect cells from inflammation and free radical damage.

At 17, Josie Maran began working with top makeup artists as a model in L.A. and found herself subsequently drawn to the cosmetics world. While enthralled by the luxe quality of pro-level makeup, Maran yearned for products that are not just good on the outside – she wanted formulas that are good for both the user and the environment. When Maran chanced upon the restorative prowess of pure, organic argan oil and experienced what it could do for her skin and hair, she started her eponymous brand centred around this key ingredient – grown and harvested responsibly in Morocco.

From one of Aussie Land’s top naturopaths comes some of the purest botanical concoctions around. Headed by husbandand-wife team, David and Robin Lyons, Simplicité was born in 1992, backed by almost four decades of dermatological and naturopathy experience. While Robin is the brand’s training manager, she also helps David in hand-crafting formulas that feature medicinalgrade herbs, Australian bush flowers, and aromatherapy essences. Today, the catalogue has expanded to include not just facial solutions, but also hair and body treatments for an all-rounded experience.

If you’re big on using only the freshest products, NUORI is your answer. Tired of mass-produced, chemical-ridden goods, former beauty marketing manager, Jasmi Bonnén, took matters into her own hands and launched a brand that focuses on fresh skincare created in small batches. Centred around the principles of ‘pure’ and ‘efficient’, the Denmarkbased brand produces its goods every 12 weeks, and bottles them in protective packaging that minimises exposure to light, air and bacteria. Only natural-origin ingredients are used, like plant oils and extracts, and natural additives like amino acids and vitamins.

BIOCALM OPTIMAL COMFORT RESCUE OIL

ARGAN DAILY MOISTURISER SPF 47 PROTECT & PERFECT

DAMASK ROSE DAY CRÈME WITH VITAMINS A & E

SUPREME-C SERUM TREATMENT

This nourishing cream contains antioxidant-rich plant nutrients to reduce the effects of ageing and sun damage, as well as soothe redness and sensitivity to restore skin’s suppleness and tone. $46.30 (55g), available at katepaul-organics.com.

This 20-day supply of 100 per cent pure vitamin C powder-serum blend will aid in repairing free radical damage and provide antioxidant protection for brighter looking skin. $195 (2x10ml), available at katepaul-organics.com.

Made with sensitive skin types in mind, this vitamin-rich oil imparts comforting moisturisation to return parched skin to its supple, hydrated state. It also absorbs easily without weighing skin down. $75 (30ml), available at Sephora.

Boasting an SPF 47 protection and infused with green tea and the brand’s 100 per cent pure argan oil, this warms skin up with a radiant glow while keeping it safe from photo damage. $54 (60ml), available at Sephora.

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Text Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources

MOST OF US MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO LOAD UP ON NATURAL HEALTH FOOD BUT LACK THE SAME COMMITMENT WHEN IT COMES TO ‘FEEDING’ OUR SKIN. MADE WITH HIGH-QUALITY INGREDIENTS SANS CHEMICAL NASTIES, ORGANIC PRODUCTS INCLUDE PLENTY OF SKIN-LOVING PROPERTIES TO DELIVER A WHOLESOME REGIME THAT CARES FOR YOUR BODY AND WELLBEING. NOT ONLY ARE THEY BETTER FOR YOU, THEY ARE ALSO GREAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT WITH MINIMAL IMPACT. GIVE GREEN BEAUTY A GO WITH THESE FOUR BRANDS.

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blush in impassioned, $50, nars enamored hi-shine nail enamel in 208 peep, $34, marc jacobs beauty at sephora

tarteist lip crayon in turnt up, $30, tarte at sephora

artist lip balm in 920, $42, make up for ever

lip pigment in electro pink, poa, 3ce at sephora

cherry blossom folie florale edt, $70 (50ml), l’occitane

colorful eyeshadow matte in 259 strawberry macaroon, $17, sephora

Text & Coordination Jazmin Kelly Six Images Various Sources

lipstick in hot pink, poa, nyx at sephora

drawing pencil in metallic pink, $33, shu uemura

BUBBLEGUM BAE NOW WHO YOU CALLIN’ ‘BEAUTY SCHOOL DROPOUT’?

WITH ALL SHADES OF PINK ACEING THE SEASON IN STYLE, TAKE YOUR CUES FROM THE PINK LADIES OF GREASE AND WEAR YOUR FAVOURITE LOUD AND PROUD. SEE YOU AT GRADUATION.

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studio nail lacquer in spoonful of sugar, $24 , m.a.c cosmetics

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GOTTA BOUNCE Following the incredible popularity of its Oil Control Water Cushion, The Face Shop is doubling up on its CC Cushion line to deliver new formulas that marry colour control functions with moisturising capabilities of its original. Blending seven flower oil essences – almond, borage, rose, German chamomile, calendula, rosemary, and lavender – for the maximum burst of radiance and skin regeneration, choose the CC Intense Cover Cushion for flawless skin that’s smooth, or opt for the CC Ultra Moist Cushion for greater hydration. $29.90 (15g) each, available at The Face Shop.

MAYBELLINE BIG EYES BARBIE MASCARA

TURN ON THE LIGHT While we pay careful attention to perfecting that cat eye or making sure our lip liner is shaped nicely, we often forget the impact of light and depth in the makeup process. Bringing this matter to light (pun intended) is Make Up For Ever’s Danny Sanz, who’s gifting us with a range of nifty sculpting gems so we can perfect our look easily.

The Pro Sculpting range includes the Palettes, each featuring four harmonious shades to contour and sculpt; the 3-in-1 Brow, which helps create three-dimensional arches; as well as the 2-in-1 Lip, which adds definition to the puckers.

From $40 to $80, available at Sephora.

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If you’ve always aspired to look like your favourite childhood doll, Maybelline is taking you one step closer with its latest Big Eyes Barbie Mascara. Combining two brush heads into one product, you can choose between natural or voluminous lashes simply by layering the black pigment on one end, with the weightless white fibres on another. The smudge-proof formula is infused with arginine serum, which restores the condition of lashes and boosts their thickness, and comes off easily with warm water.

SHADE SHIFTERS

With smart-everything being the buzzword these days, it’s no wonder our makeup is also headed in that direction. Using micro-matching technology, L’Oréal’s first four-in-one compact foundation will match all skin undertones and blend seamlessly into your mien. By combining a uniquely evolving texture with a priming gel that smoothes the surface, your skin will be prepped and ready for the creamy base with mineral pigments that will neutralise all imperfections. Use it as a base, foundation, concealer, finishing powder, or all at once to complete your perfect make-up routine. $32.90 (in four Asian shades), available at leading departmental and personal care stores.

$23.90, available at leading departmental and personal care stores.

nuts about you The mighty Almond stars in these formulas to protect our digits from the harsh outdoors.

L’OCCITANE ALMOND VELVET HANDS Smooth and creamy, this lovely blend is concocted with natural botanical ingredients, specially selected to protect the hands from exposure to the elements. It is also enriched with almond

THE BODY SHOP ALMOND HAND & NAIL CREAM Dressed in a limited edition packaging that features famed street artist EINE’s signature typography, the well-loved hand cream does more than care for your mitts. Besides treating you to the rich and hydrating almond oils and shea

native cells and almond proteins, as well as

butter, your purchase also contributes towards The Body

SPF 15 capabilities, to give skin an extra dose of

Shop Foundation, which supports various environmental,

youthfulness and sun protection.

animal and humane causes.

$36 (75ml), available at L’Occitane.

$21.90 (100ml), available at The Body Shop.

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coming up roses

PORES NO MORE

Three new-season olfactory drops that feature the beautiful flower.

ANNICK GOUTAL ROSE POMPON Fresh from the perfume house comes Rose Pompon, possibly the Maison’s most seductive perfume yet. Inheriting her mother’s gift, Camille Goutal partners Phillippine Courtière to capture their vision of a playful, charming girl who wears her perfume like a manifesto of joy. Distilling the wild and luminous spirit of the Provence rose, the fragrance opens with velvety raspberry and spicy notes of pink pepper mingling with the green sparkle of blackcurrant, while the essences of Taïf rose and peony unravel against a base of white musk and woody cedar.

$179 (50ml) and $235 (100ml), available at Escentials.

DOLCE & GABBANA DOLCE ROSA EXCELSA We may be acquainted with the brand’s White Amaryllis scent but

With the weather becoming hotter as we shift into summer, the problem of icky sebum shine can quickly escalate. To get that situation under control, Benefit is dropping two new secret weapons to join its POREfessional line – the Instant Wipeout Mask and Matte Rescue. The former is a dual-sided mask that cleans out pores and reduces its appearance around the nose, forehead and chin, while exfoliating and tightening the skin at the same time. For greater oil control, look to Matte Rescue, a lightweight, waterbased gel that’ll absorb excess oils to leave skin with a natural matte finish. $56 (Instant Wipeout Mask) and $49 (Matte Rescue), available at Benefit counters.

springtime is all about breaking the mould. Revitalising its fragrance line with the precious concoction of a new, distinctive rose heart, the house blends two exquisite and exotic roses – African Dog Rose and Turkish Rose – in a nectar that opens with a bright, saccharine effusion of neroli

LIFE’S A BEACH

leaves and papaya flower. The scent dissipates into a floral bouquet of white water lilies and daffodils, before sinking into the charming richness of the two roses. Intense yet elegant at the same time.

$106 (30ml), $153 (50ml) and $178 (75ml), available at Sephora.

YSL PARIS PREMIÉRES ROSES Carving off a sliver of the romantically-charged darkness that envelopes the city of Paris at dusk, YSL captures the electric thrills and glistening pulsations of French amour in this limited edition fragrance. Encased in a black lacquer bottle that shimmers like a precious gem, the scent opens with a wild bouquet of roses and fresh neroli flowers, followed by notes of green lilies of the valley and silky peony that tempers the intensity of damask roses; all anchored by sandalwood and sensual white musk.

Text Jazmin Kelly Six & Jun Sheng Ng Images Various Sources

$129 (125ml), available at YSL Beaute from May.

All ready to take you to the height of Summer, NARS rolls out its Hot Sand Collection, featuring six must-have items centred around the champagne tone to give skin a incandescent finish.

Key picks include the Illuminator and Multiple, both delivering a pearlescent glow that accentuates skin’s natural radiance; the Blush and Bronzer Duo, which highlights in a shimmery gold; as well as the Blush Duo, which veils cheeks in a peachy pink hue.

From $37 to $65, available at NARS counters.

COLOUR US IMPRESSEd

These days, it seems that every beauty brand worth its salt is pushing out a cushion product. But how Lancome trumps its competition is by rolling out a cushion foundation that comes with a dual-layer delivery system, allowing its complex high-coverage formula to be dispensed easily with little pressure. To brighten up your mien, the brand also offers gorgeous little cushion compact blushes – designed to add subtle touches of colour that look natural and feel smooth.

From $55 (single refill), $68 (duo refill) and $20 (case) for Blanc Expert High Coverage, and $55 for Cushion Blush Subtil, available at Lancome counters. made up

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ESSENTIAL HYDRATION While the ladies fawn over Bioderma’s bestselling micellar cleansing water, lads can look to its latest skin hydrators for a dose of moisturising comfort. Joining the brand’s Hydrabio range are the Hydrabio Perfecteur SPF 30 PA+++, a quick-absorbing sunscreen that imparts a velvety finish; the Hydrabio Gel-Créme, which offers lightweight hydration that’s great for oily skin types; and the Hydrabio Crème, which provides heavy-duty hydration to those with dry or sensitive skin.

From $14.90 to $49.90, available at Guardian and Watsons stores.

SKIN TO SKIN

Unveiling a new limited-edition fragrance, Crabtree & Evelyn is back to tempt our hearts with the Leather Musk Cologne, an exotic Oriental blend of rich leather and soft musky tones, alongside woody accords of Indonesian patchouli and Haitian vetiver. Luxurious, powerful and smooth, the scent personifies the alluring confidence of a timeless leather jacket – a wardrobe classic that never goes out of style.

Complete your regime with the Triple-Milled Soap, which lathers richly to cocoon you in that same alluring fragrance for better longevity. $72 (100ml) and $15 (150g), available at Crabtree & Evelyn.

BRO CODE Amplifying classic masculinity and sensual intensity is Giorgio Armani’s latest fragrance, the Armani Code Profumo. Built around the rich tonka bean, the scent effuses a warm and glowing amber accord, complete with notes of cardamom, green mandarin essence, orange blossom, tobacco and nutmeg – all set against a base of burnt styrax wood. A strong distillate of the brand’s spirit, this is made for the classy man with natural elegance and a magnetic charm.

POA, available at leading departmental stores.

MULTI-TASKING GEMS

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Fresh from its inaugural launch, homegrown skincare label Allies Of Skin is back with yet another release – this time in the form of hardworking trio, the 24/7 Kit. With the goal of creating smart and effortless skincare regimes, the set includes the 1A All-Day Mask, a multi-functional booster that hydrates, firms and repairs skin; the Molecular Saviour Toner Mist, an alcohol-free facial mist that blends potent healing oils of damask rose, juniper berry and cucumber seed to refresh thirsty skin on the go; and the 1A Overnight Mask, a detoxifying leave-on mask to regenerate and renew dull, parched skin. $277, available at alliesofskin.com.

WHITE HOT

With ck2, Calvin Klein continues with the progressive ethos of its first CK One unisex fragrance. Reprising the same spirit of modernity, the gender-free dualfaceted scent synthesises two fragrance worlds, celebrating both the urban and the natural woods.

Opening with the unexpected spice of wasabi, deepened by a creamy warmth, the mineral splash of wet cobblestones follows, complementing floral pulses of jasmine and vetiver with an electric freshness. The scent rounds off with a fiery cream sandalwood and musk base, and comes encased in a sleek glass bulb – like an ode to a futuristic world to come. $60 (30ml), $80 (50ml), $106 (100ml), available at leading departmental stores.

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This season, Erno Laszlo returns to expand its White Marble line with more of what your skin loves and deserves. Borrowing from the capabilities of super ingredients like soybean, yuzu and green tea, the Sheet Mask is a luxurious 10-minute weekly treatment that improves tired-looking skin through an illuminating and hydrating process. On the other hand, the Translucence Cream is a high-performance skin tone-balancing moisturiser that leaves a natural matte finish, along with smoother and more supple skin. $145 (22g x six, Sheet Mask) and $230 (50ml, Translucence Cream), available at Sasa.

Text Jun Sheng Ng Images Various Sources

IT TAKES TWO

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Text Trent Davis Images Vinyl Moon

The mixtape remains a beloved artifact of affection and journey into sonic discovery, treasured by its receiver for years while eclipsing transitory digital imitations. But the thought and care that goes into making the perfect playlist means they only come once in a blue moon – unless you’ve been pulled into Vinyl Moon’s orbit. Taking the retro concept from tape to wax, the L.A.-based subscription service keeps music lovers in good supply of new artistes to discover, with monthly mixtapes delivered to your door. Pressed on coloured vinyl and housed in custom-made, design-driven gatefold sleeves, the limited-run collection will have you waiting by your mailbox to embark on a new audial experience each month.

From US$47 per month. For more info, visit vinylmoon.co.

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forgotten formats R E E L - T O - R E E L TA P E H I G H W AY H I - F I What it was: If the gramophone was the first portable concert, Highway Hi-Fi was the first foray into Pimp My Ride. Conceived in the ’50s to boost record sales for Columbia Records, the automobile turntable marked the first step towards wax on the road, playing special seven-inch records with tighter grooves and heavier weight.

Why it failed: Vinyl on a stationary turntable already comes with its share of problems. Put that in a moving vehicle, and you’ll expect some trouble. Prone to breaking, pre-installed exclusively for Chrysler, and with only a limited number of titles (all of which were from Columbia’s catalogue), the format lost support barely two years in.

What it was: The granddaddy of the common cassette, reel-to-reel tapes were once used for everything from data storage on mainframe computers to recording hit musicians in the studio. Thanks to Bing Crosby, who saw their potential to pre-record his radio shows, they soon found their way into music-lovers’ homes.

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Why we want it back: The ability to play your rare Jack White records while driving makes for uber hipster bragging rights, obviously. Speaking of Uber, what better way to break the ice with an unknown driver than by picking out some gems from their record collection?

Why it failed: They were far more expensive than vinyl records, and a lot more finicky to play. Being so pricey, the kind of music available was consequently limited to genres like classical or soundtrack music, which meant underground musicians looked to affordable formats.

Why we want it back: Not only does it make you look like a CIA agent when you listen to them, they’re also lauded as the most unadulterated audio format in existence (that’s right, better than vinyl). Naturally, retrophiles and collectors are bringing reel-to-reel back in a big way.

What it was: Before the good ol’ compact cassette took hold, the 8-track was the bee’s knees. Playable in car stereos and portable 8-track players, these tape cartridges eliminated the burdens of handling reel-to-reel tapes with an easy ‘plug-and-play’ system. And, perhaps most importantly, they were affordable.

8-TRACK

Why it failed: Cheaper cartridges meant, of course, cheaper quality. Notorious for tangling in car stereos and misaligning to the point that two tracks played simultaneously, there were also the issues of not being able to rewind and songs having to be split across tracks – meaning the music would fade out just as it was getting good.

Why we want it back: Anyone who’s got love for old-school video game cartridges will undoubtedly find pleasure in these seemingly indestructible (from the outside, at least) pieces of plastic. And because you could record over them, there’s bound to be a slew of stellar bootlegs.

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RECORD STORE DAY HAS PUT WAX BACK ON THE MAP, AND PUNK BANDS ARE KEEPING CASSETTES ALIVE – BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS WE USED TO LISTEN TO MUSIC ON? SURE, THEY WEREN’T PERFECT, BUT LET’S POUR ONE OUT FOR THE FALLEN – AFTER ALL, WHERE WOULD THE IPOD BE WITHOUT THEIR BRAVERY?

S U P E R A U D I O C O M PA C T D I S C MINIDISC What it was: The biggest problem with the compact disc was that it wasn’t all that compact. Enter the MiniDisc (MD).

Comprising a three-inch CD housed in a plastic case, the MD combined the audio quality of a CD with the portability of a cassette tape. As well as eliminating skipping, these babies didn’t stretch out your pockets.

Why it failed: Unlike vastly available CDs, pre-recorded MD albums were virtually non-existent, meaning you likely had to record music onto the discs yourself. Pair that with the inconvenience of buying each disc, and it’s easy to see why those with MP3 players were having a much better time enjoying their music.

Why we want it back: Much like the labour of love that is making a mixtape, arduously recording music you already own onto another medium has its own endearing sense of achievement. Smartphones and streaming services may be infinitely easier, but they’ll never look quite as cool.

What it was: Jointly developed by Sony and Philips (who can’t seem to help persisting with tired audio formats), the Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) promised to take the plastic disc to the next level with the introduction of 5.1 surround sound and longer playing times. This was the closest you’d get to diving headfirst into the music.

Why it failed: While audiophiles claimed otherwise, the vast majority simply couldn’t tell the difference between SACDs and regular CDs. And though iconic releases like Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon and The Who’s Tommy enjoyed newfound immersion in surround sound, labels didn’t seem to bother keeping up with anything current.

Why we want it back: Why should only the golden oldies have all the fun? There have to be musicians out there who want their music in 5.1 surround. Tame Impala’s swirling riffs and hazy vocals floating all around us? Yes, please!

D I G I TA L C O M PA C T C A S E T T E

What it was: Co-developed by Philips and Matsushita in a bid to keep the cassette amidst a CD-dominated music market, the Digital Compact Cassette (DCC) put a digital spin on an analogue concept. Producing the same sound quality as a CD with the ability to display track titles on DCC players, the cassette never sounded better.

Why it failed: Like Sony, Panasonic and Teac’s Elcaset tape almost three decades earlier, the DCC fell on deaf ears despite its ambitious concept. The reason? Cassettes were already old news. Most listeners had become long-accustomed to CDs, and the format only took off in the Netherlands before being discontinued after four years.

Why we want it back: For mixtape enthusiasts who swear by the antiquated format, the DCC undoubtedly steps up the sound of your playlist while keeping things sentimental. We can only imagine the soppy messages you could include on each track to your significant other – a truly wasted Hallmark opportunity.

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WAX ON FOR THE BUDDING AUDIOPHILE

For those who have just discovered the warmth of music on wax, your best bet is a no-nonsense turntable that gets the job done on a reasonable budget – and with the U-Turn Orbit Basic, you can’t go wrong. Simple but striking, the turntable is fitted with a precision uni-pivot tonearm and a manual belt drive that decouples the motor from the platter, eliminating motor noise and keeping speed consistent. Easy to set up and pre-installed with an Audio-Technica cartridge, the Orbit Basic is ready to spin your new gems straight out of the box.

US$179, available at store.uturnaudio.com.

FOR THE MIX MASTER

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When the burning desire to scratch your records and pump up the crowd with your supreme selections becomes too strong, keep your home turntable safe and turn to the Pioneer PLX-100. Equipped with a high-torque direct drive to ensure stable rotation and multi-pitch control capabilities, this deck is constructed out of a die-cast zinc chassis and rubber-insulated components so that resonance and vibration don’t become a part of your sound. A no-brainer for any budding DJ looking to be a mix master who can cut faster. $1,099, available at sweelee.com.sg.

F O R T H E M U LT I P U R P O S E ENTHUSIAST

If you’re the kind who can’t deny the functional flair of a reversible jacket, the Ion Duo Deck’s multipurpose design has you covered for more mediums than one. With a portable design and in-built speaker that allow you to take your tunes to the street, the compact transformer plays both vinyl and tape off battery power or a USB connection. Listeners can also convert both formats to MP3 when plugged into a computer so your tunes are at the ready for moments when whipping out a record proves cumbersome.

US$99, available at urbanoutfitters.com.

F O R T H E T E C H - S AV V Y

You refuse to listen to anything under 320kbps if you can help it, and even then, you’re longing for the nuances that only analogue can deliver. Thankfully, Sony’s PS-HX500 is here to restore you to audial bliss. While it’ll play a record as smoothly as any turntable should, the unit shines when it comes to converting your vinyl to the digital realm. Through conversions to Sony’s proprietary DSD file format and even WAV, you can now take top-notch sounds on the road while hearing the music as the artiste intended.

Price TBA, visit sony.com for updates.

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WHETHER YOU’RE A BUDDING VINYL ENTHUSIAST OR A SEASONED WAX WARRIOR, THERE’LL BE AT LEAST ONE RECORD YOU’LL LONG FOR AMONGST THE RECORD STORE DAY 2016 RELEASES. BUT BEFORE YOU RACK UP A COLLECTION, YOU’LL NEED SOMETHING TO PLAY IT ON THAT’S JUST RIGHT FOR YOU – AND WITH VINYL RIDING HIGHER THAN EVER, THERE’S A TURNTABLE FOR EVERYBODY.

F O R T H E M U S I C LO V E R O N T H E M O V E

When you want to take your vinyl on-the-go and look #likeaboss doing it, the Crosley Executive is as dapper as turntables come.

Though its retro aesthetic makes it seem like it’s been sent forward through a time machine, it keeps the modern music-lover in mind by integrating USB connectivity and digital conversion, while packing an in-built pre-amp and stereo speakers to take your music with you in effortless style. The only problem? Its briefcase-inspired portability will have you wishing your record collection could be just as easy.

US$109.95, available at crosleyradio.com.

FOR THE MINIMALIST

Forgoing the bells and whistles that come with many modern turntables, Audio-Technica’s AT-LP5 is sleek, elegant, and alluringly simple – enough for anyone who prefers to get straight down to the music. Sporting a cast aluminium record platter, J-shaped tonearm to reduce tracking error, and housing engineered to minimise chassis resonance, the turntable’s unassuming design throws back to turntables of the ’60s and ’70s when vinyl was at its peak. Fitted with the brand’s exclusive AT95Ex Dual Moving Magnet Cartridge, you’ll get only the best out of your analogue gems. £329, available at audiotechnicashop.com.

F O R T H E N O V E LT Y N U T

Racking up a record collection should be a fun activity, and listening to your crate-digging finds should be too. To this end, the Record Runner Portable Record Player doesn’t fail to deliver. Throwing the table out the window and opting for a self-contained stylus, the Kombi-inspired, battery-powered system is the world’s smallest record player, spinning around your record and producing sound through its in-built speaker. You won’t get the same listening experience as a fully fledged turntable, but who can deny the fun in watching a van do circles around your records? ¥6,979, visit recordrunner.jp for stockists.

Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources

FOR THE EXOTIC ADMIRER

Sometimes the only way to complement the beauty of your rare records is to play them on something equally as awe-inspiring.

Though it may look like a complex machine that only a bomb squad can operate, the VPI Prime is as simple to use as it is exotic in looks. Visually impressive with all the right components to do your vinyl justice, the turntable comprises an eight-pound steel-machined chassis, cylindrical motor housing, high-tolerance platter and a 10-inch 3-D printed tonearm to deliver unrivalled stability – long story short, it’ll make your vinyl sound awesome.

US$3,999, available at musicdirect.com.

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AUDIO-TECHNICA BARES ALL WITH THE ATH-E70 IN-EAR MONITOR HEADPHONES

UNCOVERED AND EXPOSED IF YOU’VE EVER FELT THE COMPULSION TO TEAR OPEN YOUR HEADPHONES TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE PAYING FOR, AUDIO-TECHNICA SAVES YOU THE EFFORT (AND MONEY) BY BEING LITERALLY TRANSPARENT WITH ITS WARES. INTRODUCING THE FLAGSHIP OF ITS E-SERIES PROFESSIONAL IN-EAR MONITOR HEADPHONES, THE ATH-E70 IS THE LATEST OFFERING FROM THE AUDIO LEADER TO SHOWCASE SONIC EXCELLENCE, BOTH INSIDE AND OUT.

IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS

Motorheads look past the flashy paint job to find out what’s under the hood, and it’s no different when it comes to those who are serious about sound.

Simple in design but undeniably eye-catching, the ATH-E70 in-ear monitors offer a peek into the gizmos that make the music happen. Sporting a semi-transparent housing that displays the intricate circuitry responsible for its critically acclaimed sonic signature, its understated design makes it a humble companion from the light-bathed stage to the recording studio, while inspiring awe from fellow audiophiles and music-loving sparkies for its glimpse behind the scenes.

MAXIMUM ISOLATION, MAXIMUM COMFORT

DEEPER INTO THE SOUND

Whether you’re cleaning up a track from your bedroom studio, need to stay pitch-perfect on stage, or simply want to discover the hidden wonders of your favourite album, the ATH-E70 delivers a precise balance of the mix for even the most demanding sound pro. Like the transparent window that uncovers the circuitry that makes the magic happen, the in-ear monitors leave no note uncovered, with three balanced armature drivers to produce an accurate sound stage. With an extended response across the entire frequency range to reveal each and every detail, take solace in knowing that the music has nowhere to hide.

Roaring venues and bustling streets are just a handful of places that present challenges to enjoying the most out of your music.

Thankfully, the specially designed housing of the ATH-E70 provides maximum isolation, cutting out noise so you can hone in on the sounds that matter most. Equipped with the option of silicone or Comply™ foam eartips, and flexible memory cable loops designed to go over the ears, the in-ear monitors’ personalised fit and longwearing comfort are suited to your needs only. The in-ear monitors’ A2DC (Audio Designed Detachable Coaxial) cables mean you can rely on a rock-solid signal with a high level of noise immunity. When you need to unplug to enter the outside world in a hurry, the detachable cables also prevent the hassle of a tangle and let you get back to your music with a moment’s notice.

$558, available at authorised retailers. For more information, visit sea.audio-technica.com.

NUMBER 1 HEADPHONE BRAND IN JAPAN *

ATH-E70

ATH-E40

ATH-E50

grub

WOLF Nestled in the bustling PasarBella at Suntec, the burger stall stays true to its name in unleashing a wildly imaginative menu for when your appetite hits animalistic heights. For hunger of any magnitude, the Kimchi Cheese Fries ($7) are a surefire way to bring taste buds to life, with golden brown french fries smothered in cheese and a spicy garlic edge. Salted egg yolk fanatics will gravitate towards the Fried Chicken Burger ($9.90) – adding Southern savour and pickled cabbage to the ingredient taking the nation by storm; while the Magic Shroomz ($10.90) brings truffle aroma and sauteed mushrooms together with a hefty beef patty and tangy Dijon mustard. Make sure you’ve got ample space for The Alpha ($14.90), leading the pack with the classic formula of double beef and double cheese – enough to satisfy without putting you into a food coma.

PasarBella at Suntec City, tel: 9820-4564.

When you’re stepping into a place that once served as an actual armoury, you know you’ll need to bring some fight to the table. Delivering an arsenal of delectable grub that’s meant for both hands, The Armoury’s reputation as a go-to burger joint is backed up by plenty of firepower. Simply look to the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls ($8) to see that it means business – packing grilled hamburger meat, pickles, mustard and molten cheddar cheese into the Asian snack staple. Bringing tipples into the realm of cuisine, The Armoury Burger ($20) stacks onions candied in Marker’s Mark Bourbon and gorgonzola cheese atop a succulent 180g house-ground beef patty, while the Crispy Pork Belly And Egg ($20) piles its mouthwatering wagyuand-angus-blend beef together with crunchy beer-braised kurobuta pork belly slices, pepper jack cheese, a soft-fried egg, and a touch of Korean ssamjang aioli. #01-01 South Beach Quarter, tel: 6385-3173.

BUNS & BEEF

THERE’S NO CULINARY CREATION AS DOWN-TO-EARTH AS THE BURGER. NO-NONSENSE AND TIMELESSLY TEMPTING, IT’S ONE OF THE FEW DINING MAINSTAYS THAT LETS YOU GET DOWN TO BUSINESS WITH YOUR BARE HANDS AS NATURE INTENDED. PUTTING THEIR OWN UNIQUE SPIN ON THE TRIED-AND-TESTED FAVOURITES, THESE NEW BURGER JOINTS ARE BEEFIN’ HARD.

VATOS URBAN TACOS

SOUTH BRONX Presenting a menu dedicated exclusively to the buns-and-beef variety, the Pomo Mall nook does so with an unabashedly fun attitude, evidenced in the Triple Fries ($5) – where french fries, waffle fries, and curly fries come together as one.

The Bronx ($10.90) spends no time beating around the bush, with a classic combination of juicy beef, smoked bacon, and a smoky signature sauce between a fluffy brioche bun. The Mac Daddy ($12.50), like the pimping caricature of its namesake, oozes with cheese, but not without some fiery jalapeno to slap you straight. Perhaps most surprising of all is the odd one out, the Lemongrass Prawn ($11.90), blending Thai and Western flavours in a prawn patty with mango red onion coleslaw and green curry mayo for a literally refreshing spin on the burger as we know it. #01-02 Pomo Mall, tel: 9833-1790.

Though you’d be right in assuming that Vatos is the place to get your taco fix, the Korean-born concept knows a thing or two about putting together a mean burger. Marrying tastes from the East and West, the Kimchi Carnitas Fries ($16) instantly puts this fusion of flavours into context with a generous serving of sauteed kimchi, braised pork carnitas and melted cheese atop a bed of french fries. The Sid Burger ($24) puts meatlovers into a state of mania with a juicy beef patty and pulled park carnitas, complemented by the sweetness of apple coleslaw and the heat of grilled jalapenos. But we simply can’t deny the power of The Longhorn Burger ($23), packing an all-beef patty, beer-battered onion rings, cheddar cheese and maple bacon, brought together by a bourbon BBQ sauce. #01-03 South Beach Quarter, tel: 6385-6010.

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Text & Images Trent Davis

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THE ARMOURY

special

ENGINEERING YOUR ERA Hi Aaron, why did you decide to take up mechanical engineering?

Mechanical engineering is the fundamental of everything – a field that tells you how everything works. I hold Mechanical Design Engineering in even higher regard as it not only teaches you how everything works, but also how to design something in the most efficient manner with the least amount of resources.

WHETHER YOU’RE INTERESTED IN DESIGNING THE NEXT GREAT SMARTPHONE OR HAVE DREAMS OF PIONEERING A SPACEX VESSEL, MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE OF SINGAPORE (MDIS) OFFERS THE FIRST STEPS TO STARTING YOUR JOURNEY IN DESIGN AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING. WE CATCH UP WITH AARON SOE AUNG KYAW, GRADUATE OF THE INSTITUTE’S BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (HONS) MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEERING (TOP-UP) PART-TIME PROGRAMME THROUGH WORLD-LEADING NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY (UK), ON HITTING THE BOOKS TO FINE-TUNE HIS FUTURE.

How did you manage your time as a part-time student?

As a student with full-time work commitments, it was challenging to balance between work and evening classes. It called for a lot of time management and discipline. Weekdays were spent on classes and late-night meetings, while weekends were for catching up on classes and finishing assignments. I had to carefully plan my time for group meetings with classmates, research, and preparing my final year report spanning across two semesters.

Northumbria University (UK) and MDIS’ reputation of being one of the well-established private educational institutes will help me greatly in my career. The knowledge I gained has shaped the way I think and approach tasks, and will no doubt enhance my current role within my company.

For more information on the Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Mechanical Design Engineering (Top-Up) programme, visit mdis.edu.sg and facebook.com/soe.mdis.

Attending lectures after a long day at work sounds tiring. How did you stay focused and make each trip to class worth the effort?

With classes at 7pm, I had an hour to catch a bite and break after work. The topics discussed in my classes were engaging, so I was able to focus and participate effectively. The wealth of industrial experience and knowledge offered by my lecturers certainly enhanced the degree of engagement in sessions.

What module did you find most interesting?

If I had to pick a favourite, it was ‘Design For X’, where a wide set of specific design guidelines were summarised. It equipped me with the knowledge necessary to be a good engineer, and taught me to be responsible towards the environment when designing a product.

Tell us about the learning environment at MDIS. Located strategically with optimum facilities and up-to-date software, it makes learning very effective for engineering students like me. I was especially fascinated with the 3-D printing machine in the MDIS laboratories; they helped us apply theories into practice. I had no worries if I missed a class, as I was always able to catch up through lecture video uploads. Additionally, EBSCO’s online research database on MDIS Blackboard also helped me greatly in my research for my Final Year Project, and the library at MDIS is a great place for research too.

How will this degree help you advance in your career?

My first class honours qualification from

Management Development Institute of Singapore Reg. No. 201001793H 20 May 2014 to 19 May 2018

SVEN MARQUARDT

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ACCESS GRANTED

NOTORIOUS FOR IMPLEMENTING ONE OF THE STRICTEST DOOR POLICIES IN THE WORLD AT BERLIN TECHNO HAVEN, BERGHAIN, SVEN MARQUARDT’S REPUTATION CERTAINLY PRECEDES HIM. THE BOUNCER’S HARDENED EXTERIOR AND WAVERING TEMPERAMENT HAVE UNNERVED THOUSANDS OF PARTYGOERS MAKING THEIR PILGRIMAGE TO THE CLUB MECCA – BUT WHEN SPEAKING IN HIS CAPACITY AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, A WARM AND HUMBLE DEMEANOUR SHEDS ALL PRECONCEPTIONS OF HIS NOCTURNAL SELF. SHOWCASING A COLLECTION OF BLACK-AND-WHITE PORTRAITS AT THE RECENTCLUB BERLIN EXHIBITION, MARQUARDT OPENS UP ON THE EAST BERLIN NARRATIVE THAT INFORMS HIS BODY OF WORK. navigate

arty

Text Trent Davis Interview and translation courtesy of Goethe-Institut Singapore Images Sven Marquardt

You’ve become an underground figure for being Berghain’s bouncer and for your tough appearance. Does photography serve to showcase your softer side?

There has always been an emotional Marquardt. But there was another Marquardt as well. Already, the era of punk was about the look; kind of a warlike appearance. If I see pictures of myself from this time, I think, “Who is this tramp? This little boy?”. In those days, people would cross the street to avoid me. I adopted the look, the tattoos, the jewellery, the war paint, to keep people at a distance. I think the art of a bouncer is to keep a kind of distance, because everything else obligates.

How did you go from being a young punk to getting involved in the techno scene?

For me, the time for punk was simply over; it had run out. The ’80s became the ’90s, and suddenly there was techno. I think both genres have something maladjusted that’s about the refusal of something new. I wouldn’t say techno became the punk of the ’90s, but at the time, in Berlin at least, it was anarchistic. Clubs found themselves in emptied industrial spaces and cellars. The Kunsthaus Tacheles came into being. All of this became a mixture. Suddenly I didn’t have a mohawk anymore, but long hair instead; it was a different time, it was the ’90s.

You see thousands of faces in your line of work, but have you come across anybody in Singapore who stuck out?

We were on the way home one night while taking a detour, and along came a guy who said “Hey, man!”.

He was listening to Adam Byer on his iPod and had a photo of me on it. Really! He was passing along on the bus and couldn’t believe his eyes. It was really strange. He was really a cool guy who was tattooed all over; he had never been to Berghain, but was interested in electronic music. He asked to take a photo together and we did. These are great moments; that there are connections on the opposite side of the world in which you are allowed to be a guest. These are the goose bump moments.

marquardtfotografie.com

What spurred your interest in photography?

My first photographs in East Berlin were taken in the early ’80s. The scene was pretty small, but if I look at it based on my travels, there are scenes everywhere made up of different thinkers and young people who are creative, or who would like to be creative, and who deny things. During this time, photography, as my trained profession, became my stylistic device to show my attitude to life.

How do you pick the subjects you’d like to photograph?

I always took photographs of the people around me. I was never interested in taking pictures of celebrities.

These are people that have nothing to do with my life, and therefore are not interesting to me. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to see photographs of celebrities. I take portraits of people who are nearer to my attitude towards life.

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hit list

Artistic Role Model Definitely Shirin Neshat, an Iranian visual artist.

The energy in her pieces is something that I always look forward to. Her series of works are timeless.

INKTEN SUFINA FOR NADIRAH ABDUL RAZAK, BETTER KNOWN AS INKTEN SUFINA, ‘HITTING THE WALL’ MEANS ANYTHING BUT LOSING STEAM. BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO BLANK SPACES FROM MELBOURNE TO MILAN, THE VISUAL ARTIST AND ONE-HALF OF STREET ART DUO, INK & CLOG, PAINTS US A PICTURE OF HER PASSIONS BEYOND THE SPRAY CAN.

Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources

inkandclog.com

Food That Soothes The Soul Salmon sashimi with loads of wasabi works every time. I try to go to Japanese restaurants for the fresh ones but most of the time, buying from supermarkets is good enough.

Go-To Music At Work Die Antwoord never fails to get my adrenaline pumping. It’s hard choosing a favourite from them. Listening to them gives my mind and body the intense drive I need when painting on walls.

When I’m working in the studio, I’d like the energy slightly more controlled and tend to seek sounds of electronica and trip hop.

Favourite Film Director François Truffaut. I have always found French New Wave stimulating. Truffaut films showcase the tenderness of childhood and children’s desires.

Lost memories are made into films where adults like us can relive memories and become kids again. I guess there is this similar connection to how I feel; I’m always a child as long as I’m still painting on walls.

Footwear That Never Fails Sneakers always go with everything I wear no matter what. I am a fan of Nike SB Janoski’s simplicity and comfortness.

Makeup Essential A few coats of mascara go a long way. I get sleepy when I don’t have it on. It’s weird but I guess it gives me this idea that my eyelids are being pulled up. I always stick with Alexa Chung’s Eyeko Eye Do.

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Place You’d Most Like To Graffiti In Złoty Stok in Poland would be a dream for me. It is a gold mine with a 30ft waterfall sitting at the end of a 600ft cave that has been abandoned for decades.

Last Local Artist To Wow You Local musician Im_Ran is one of the best beatmakers that I listen to. I’m fortunate enough to have collaborated with him at a recent Ink & Clog art show a few months back. I am continuously captivated at how he can fabricate awe-inspiring sounds within short periods of time.

079 Most Underrated Hangout The Sarbat Stall near Haji Lane as it is very near my studio. A good cup of kopi or teh and kuihs is always a good idea.

Dream Collaboration A dream collaboration for me is the merging of different types of genres and visuals together, built within a strong foundation of conceptualisation and styles. I would love to collaborate with expressive and visionary souls who create artworks for the mind, like Virtual Boy, Flying Lotus and GonjaSufi.

bar stop

POWERED UP

MILLIAN

Positioned within the largest structure of the St. James Power Station complex, the very same that once housed party-pumpers Powerhouse and Toxic, the new nightlife hub presents a concept reminiscent of the early days of Zouk. Part ultra-lounge and part concert venue, Millian’s 12,000sqft space merges Manhattan swank with the industrial aesthetic of East Berlin’s most prominent techno houses. With a ceiling that stretches beyond sight and blackened windows letting in slivers of light from the outside world, the goliath building confines clubgoers to a single main room, foregoing the desire to segment its crowd. With the exception of an outdoor bar flanking the entrance to accommodate audible conversation and the restrooms (even those are a sight to behold), there’s little risk of the party being spread too thin.

While on the surface it’s difficult to pin down exactly what Millian wants to be, the answer appears to be much more simple, and consequently daring, than many nightclub owners would care to admit: It wants to be everything. Serving as a blank canvas for revelry of every kind, Millian’s ambitious approach means it has free reign on how to elevate experiences, unrestricted by neither genre nor patron.

From the moment of its launch, the club made it clear that it has no intention of playing it safe with the aptly-named Japanese rock outfit, Noisemaker, as the first performers to set its audience ablaze. This was immediately followed by resident DJ Martin, a seasoned club spinner in Japan from the age of 17 who also happens to be the manager of Wu World Radio (yes, that Wu).

It’s also abundantly clear that Millian refuses to rest on the safety of booking big-name DJs to bring in the crowds, which is why even the likes of pro hip-hop dancers, Kasumi and Hayuru, have taken to the stage to shake up the programme.

And if you can’t tell where this is going, the club’s owners hail from the Land Of The Rising Sun, so it’s safe to say that we’ll be seeing plenty more Japanese star-power to add a dash of unorthodoxy into our evening entertainment – we could sure use it.

Playing the entire field can be a dangerous game, especially when in the infancy of establishing a new space in a nightlife scene that’s as cutthroat and temperamental as ours. But where even the most carefully planned club nights have led to owners closing their doors, taking risks and keeping a concept in flux may be the last things left to ensure club culture’s survival. With the way things are going with Millian’s bold statement to shun conformity, we think it’s going to pay off.

3 Sentosa Gateway #01-05, tel: 6221-7262. For more information and event updates, visit facebook.com/millian.sg.

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Text Trent Davis Images Millian

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Singapore’s nightlife scene is caught in a paradigm shift, and the closure of countless clubs around the island over the past year is evidence of this. Favouring wholesome gatherings at trendy, chill-out rooftop bars over nightclub pilgrimages that serve as rites of passage into early adulthood, club culture faces unprecedented uncertainty in determining how to keep the night well and truly alive.

Amidst all of the panic, a dark horse has ridden into our little red dot, seeking to disrupt the status quo. It goes by the name of Millian.

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hands-on hunger

LORD OF THE FLIES Produced by Yale-NUS repertory theatre company, (aside), and featuring a gender-neutral cast, the production reinterprets the male-driven narrative as you’ve never seen it before. Adapting William Golding’s literary classic about a group of British boys stranded on an island for the stage, the production explores the savagery of human nature when survival is at stake, while finding new meaning in the Singaporean context. Uncanny for its parallels with our nation’s history and the conflicting interests in trying to re-establish order and culture on an ungoverned island, the theatre company’s second production chronicles a story that may hit closer to home you’d expect.

Sharpen your culinary talent at these cook-it-yourself concepts.

Kilo Under Pressure If you fancy making mouthwatering cuisine but never took the leap of faith to sport an apron proper, Kilo is opening up its kitchen for you to bring the heat.

Returning after a four-year hiatus, the concept offers you your very own MasterChef moment – minus the cameras, crocodile tears and snotty judges. Instead, your menu will be judged

by Kilo Orchard’s loyal patrons, where those chosen to take the reigns will have 48 hours to come up with a three- to five-course dinner that blows the socks off the evening’s paying customers. If you

Happening from April 8 to 9 at Yale-NUS College. For more info, visit asidelordoftheflies.peatix.com.

think you’ve got the chops, sign up and get cookin’.

Happening on April 28. For registration and more info, visit facebook.com/kilokitchen.

POWER TO THE PAPER

CulinaryOn Whether it’s a momentous celebration or long-overdue get-together, CulinaryOn heats up the occasion by getting you hands-on with your grub – even spicing up dreaded corporate outings. Touting kitchens that only exist in an interior designer’s dream and cutting-edge kitchenware, you’ll be surprised when the restaurant’s skilled cooks show you the ropes to making gourmet creations like Chilli Crab Pasta, Pandan Chiffon Cake, and ice-cream from scratch. But if getting your hands dirty doesn’t sound like your bag, then sit back and let the CulinaryOn team cook up a storm.

#04-63 Tower 2, One Raffles Place, tel: 3108-0385.

Staying in print is no easy feat (we can attest to this), but the printing press is far from cold. Putting print publication under the microscope for an evening of inquiry and insight, Print Is Not Dead: The Analogue Book In A Digital World is an essential event for anyone who still finds the smell of a freshly printed publication arresting. Presented by DECK and held at LASALLE College Of The Arts, the lineup includes a screening of the documentary film, How To Make A Book With Steidl, which delves into the printing processes of renowned German publishing house, Steidl, followed by a lecture and Q&A session by the film’s central subject, Gerhard Steidl.

Happening on April 8 at LASALLE College of the Arts.

For more info, visit eventbrite.sg.

GALACTIC GADGETS ARTISAN AUDIO Despite how cool a space-age speaker system might look at first, it becomes a different story when trying to integrate their imposing appearances in relaxed interiors. B&O Play’s Beoplay A6 changes that, taking on a discrete facade to keep the focus on your carefully curated space. Collaborating with one of Europe’s leading textile manufacturers, Kvadrat, the five-channel touch-interface speaker features a delicately woven textile cover to complement its unique form – conceived by award-winning Danish designer, Jakob Wagner. Besides blending into your furnishings, its sound production is just as seamless, shaped specifically to fill an entire room while maintaining an ambient character. $1,599, available at Bang & Olufsen.

Though Samsung’s flagships haven’t changed a great deal in name or appearance, the Galaxy S7 4G+ and Galaxy S7 Edge 4G+ bring a whole lot more to the table than meets the eye. Enhancing their design with ergonomically friendly curved backs and slimmer profiles while maintaining healthy display sizes, the S7 series looks and feels better than ever. Beefing up the RAM to 4GB with a 30 per cent faster CPU to streamline graphics-heavy games, and packing in a Dual Pixel 12MP for faster, sharper photos, the S7 smartphones also bring back the handy IP68 water-resistance to protect ’em from all life’s unpredictable spills. $998 (Galaxy S7 4G+) and $1,098 (Galaxy S7 Edge 4G+), available at Samsung Experience Stores and authorised retailers. navigate

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DRAWN TO THE DARK Though the evening is catered for the fairer sex, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill ladies’ night. After a wildly successful first run at cosy hole-in-the-wall, The Belljar, cocoa meets the cask once again for a night of heightened indulgence and sophistication in Smooulder II: A Ladies Only Whisky + Chocolate Affair. Embarking on a sensory journey in the pairing of two timeless vices, ladies will be treated to artisanal chocolate truffles by Lincoln Street Chocolates, while exploring the notes and nuances of the bibliophilic bar’s atypical whisky selection.

Happening on April 20 at The Bell Jar, Level 2, 18 North Canal Road.

For more info, visit facebook.com/thebelljar.sg.

welcome to the new age These game-changing laptops are bringing the future to the present.

SHORT STUFF LENOVO YOGA 900S You shouldn’t need to bend over backyards to get comfy with your PC; this baby does it for you. Finding the sweet spot for work, play and everything in between, the latest model in the nimble line of two-in-one laptops sports a 360-degree watchband hinge, and is thinner and lighter than all before it at a half-inch thickness.

With 10.5-hours of video playback in a single charge, made better by its 12.5-inch QHD IPS display and Dolby Audio Premium sound experience, there’s plenty to get your chakras in order.

$2,299, available at authorised retailers.

ASUS ROG GX700

ULTIMATE SOUND TRACK

Not only is this behemoth one of the most intimidating gaming setups seen to date, it looks and feels like it belongs in one of the

If you need good tunes to get your feet moving but can’t be bothered to strap your smartphone to your arm (and really, who can?), The Music Run is here to give your outdoor run the music it deserves. Returning for its second year to fire up the fitspo vibes at Sentosa, the 5k fun run features 120 concert speakers blaring 150,000 watts of music. It also has five interactive music zones spanning adrenaline-pumping genres – while giving you the power to decide what plays over the speakers – with daily playlist votes leading up to the event. Better yet, The Sam Willows and a host of live DJs will take to the stage to keep your heart racing long after you’ve crossed the finish line.

Happening on April 23 at Sentosa Island. For registration and more info, visit themusicrun.com. navigate

graphics-pushing games it was designed to handle. The world’s first liquid-cooled gaming laptop (think of it as your notebook’s own air-conditioner), ASUS’ ROG GX700 is purpose-built to be overclocked and go head-on with extreme gaming desktops.

Featuring a detachable cooling dock, full-HD display, anti-ghosting keyboard and more RAM than you can shake a stick at, it’ll keep you cool when it gets too hot for others to handle.

$6,198, available at authorised retailers.

Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources

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Giving short filmmakers their muchdeserved screen time, The Projector is celebrating the art of cinematic brevity with a showcase for Oscar-nominated shorts of the year. Screening both animations and live action films over four evenings, viewers will get the chance to see nominees from both categories back-to-back, including Pixar’s Hindu mythologyinspired animation, Sanjay’s Super Team, and the achingly emotional Oscar winner, Stutterer.

From April 2 to 10 at The Projector. For showtimes and more information, visit theprojector.sg.

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PARALLEL PRESENTS ROUTE 94 AT ZOUK FROM DUB TILL DAWN

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THE BRONX X GGCGGC’S PRE-3RD ANNIVERSARY PARTY AT CANVAS HIP HOP HOORAY

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GLAM LADIES NIGHT AT ATTICA LADIES FIRST

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THIS IS SKY HIGH CABIN FEVER AT CÉ LA VI SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS

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KYO’S 3RD ANNIVERSARY FEAT. MANO LE TOUGH AT K YO TOUGH LOVE

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REPRESENT FEAT. NASHD & RATTLE AT REFUGE DROP IT LOW

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SHO’STOMPER PRESENTS BURLUXE EPISODE 11 AT ALTIMATE FAST TIMES

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THE MASQUERADE 1ST ANNIVERSARY AT TRACE HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

S H O P AT T H E S E S T O C K I S T S AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS #B1-06/07 VIVOCITY

H&M ORCHARD BUILDING

SCOTCH & SODA #B1-31 NGEE ANN CITY

BIMBO Y LOLA #B1-04 ION ORCHARD

KURT GEIGER #B2-117 MARINA BAY SANDS

STEVE MAIDEN #B2-15/16 ION ORCHARD

CHARLES & KEITH #B2-12/14 NGEE ANN CITY

LACOSTE #01-35 TO 37 VIVOCITY

CLUB 21 #01-07 FOUR SEASONS HOTEL

NEW LOOK #B2-34 TO 37 313@SOMERSET

STUART WEITZMAN #02-12E NGEE ANN CITY SUNGLASS HUT #02-50 313@SOMERSET SWAROVSKI #01-25 TO 27 TAKASHIMAYA

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

MAISON MARGIELA #01-08 ION ORCHARD

CLUB MONACO #B1-41/47/48 NGEE ANN CITY

MAJE #B2-109 MARINA BAY SANDS

COCOMI 2 ALEXANDER ROAD, DELTA HOUSE

RALPH LAUREN #01-01 TO 03, #02-02/03 SHAW CENTRE

THOMAS SABO #03-31 RAFFLES CITY

REDVALENTINO #03-15 NGEE ANN CITY

TOPSHOP/ TOPMAN #01-05/06 KNIGHTSBRIDGE

SABRINAGOH #02-14 CAPITOL PIAZZA

ZARA LIAT TOWERS

COS #03-23 ION ORCHARD FURLA #B2-108A MARINA BAY SANDS

TED BAKER #B1-22 ION ORCHARD TIMBERLAND #01-30 RAFFLES CITY

final word

LONGEST DISTANCE KEEPING A TABLE LIFTED WITH TEETH Current record: Georges Christen (Luxembourg), 38ft 8” while carrying a 26-pound table.

FASTEST 100-METRE RUN ON ALL FOURS Current record: Kastumi Tamakoshi (Japan), 15.86sec.

MOST SPEARS CAUGHT UNDERWATER

TALLEST MOHAWK

Current record: Anthony Kelly (Australia), 10 spears caught from 6ft 6”.

Current record: Kazuhiro Watanabe (Japan), 3ft 8.6”.

Being skewered with a spear and drowning? We’ll stick with good ol’ fashioned death-by-speargun on land, thank you very much.

That’d have to cost a fortune in hair wax/egg whites, not to mention that awkward head-tilt you’d need to execute for every doorway, ever.

RECORDS BEYOND REASON

BREAKING A WORLD RECORD MUST BRING ITS FAIR SHARE OF TRIUMPH, BUT THEN THERE ARE THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT LITERALLY NO ONE ELSE IN THE WORLD WANTED TO PUT TO THEIR NAME. HERE ARE 10 LATTER REAL WORLD RECORDS WE’D RATHER NOT TRY TO BEAT.

Do you have any idea how much braces cost? We do, and we’re not about to reverse all our orthodontists’ hard work!

LONGEST TIME SPENT IN DIRECT FULL-BODY CONTACT WITH SNOW Current record: Jin Songhao (China), 46 min 7 sec.

MOST PEOPLE HEAD-BANGING SIMULTANEOUSLY

“Oh this? It’s just a little frostbite…probably because I chill so hard”.

Current record: Armidale High School (Australia), 320 students to “It’s A Long Way To The Top” by AC/DC. Up next: most people simultaneously hospitalised for acute brain damage.

LONGEST PARADE FLOAT Current record: Gutian township (China), dragon march measuring 2596.8ft.

It’s like queuing for a theme park ride – only longer, and it doesn’t move, and there’s no ride at the end of the line.

MOST BRIDESMAIDS LONGEST KISS EVER Current record: Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat (Thailand), 58hr 35min 58sec.

Remember getting pash-rash during your overzealous teenage hookups? We imagine this would be a lot like that, minus the tactical breath mints.

MOST APPLES HELD IN OWN MOUTH CUT BY A CHAINSAW IN ONE MINUTE Current record: Johnny Strange (UK), eight apples in one minute.

Apple-bobbing meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sure, who needs nostrils anyway?

Current record: Nisansala and Nalin (Sri Lanka), 126 bridesmaids, 25 best men, 20 pages boys and 23 flower girls.

We like to think that Bridesmaids is more of a documentary than a work of fiction, so this sounds like the prelude to World War III.

Text Trent Davis Images Various Sources

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We can’t think of any better way to earn ourselves a spot in one of YouTube’s many ‘Epic Faceplant Compilations’.

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