RCGNTN: make local your focal

When RCGNTN first heard of Project Sexycats, we thought we were dreaming. As we were swishing around the idea in our heads, someone beat us to it. There was no envy, in fact we were intrigued and so we sat down with Xiao’an, from the band The Sexies who provides the funk music, to learn more about Project Sexycats. We also got to know Xiao’an a little better (his views on local musicians and his desire to become a professional musician) and because he is exceptionally opinionated, the conversation never grew stale.

How did it all begin?
It all began when Wei Jie basically informed Ian that he had friends who played funk music and because Ian and Wei Jie are funk style dancers, they thought it’ll be a good idea to create a video that combines the talents of the musicians and the dance team. We weren’t exactly sure what we wanted to do, but after awhile we decided that we wanted to do a music video and post outtakes of the music video and extra tidbits for everyone to see on our blog.

Why make a video instead of holding an event?
Events cost money. A music video is not expensive to produce when you’ve got great sponsors like Wormwood Studio and OSchool also lets us use their camera which is great because now we have broadcast quality footage without having to pay for anything. The only thing we actually had to pay for so far was the recording which is unavoidable because we really wanted to get a good recording but our friend Roland charged a very preferential rate which I will not reveal to protect his business.

What are the roles of everyone in the group?
Well, it’s all on the website. Ian is the creative director, the ideas man and he is also involved in the creative input. The three members of the band were all involved in the song. I sometimes help Ian in voice-overs and some creative direction in the shoots but other than that, we all contribute during the shoot. It’s mainly Ian’s baby and now that we’ve come to the video part of the project, it’s all Ian.

How has the whole experience been?
It’s fun, can be daunting. Have you seen the recent photos of Melvin standing naked at Dhoby Ghaut? You should go to the Facebook group, the one that says ‘Craziest shoot ever’. Go take a look at it. That was one of the most memorable moments. Generally the shoot is fun throughout unless it’s raining or a lot of people come late, like WJ. (Make sure you put that into writing!)

What other crazy things have you guys done for the video?
There will be a future entry on a locking lesson and even to me, it’s an extremely funny piece of footage. That’s something to look out for. There’s also some stuff in orchard road, a lot of stop motion, and time lapses. Ian has done also some people lapses where you stand there and people rush around you. I don’t want to spoil the surprise. These will come out in the future outtakes but it’s really crazy and there’s a lot of footage. In fact, there is enough footage now to make a video but Ian, being an asshole, wants some more footage. So we’ll just keep shooting and shooting until we die. And last week I smashed a guitar. It was an acoustic guitar, it was Melvin’s old guitar and the neck was already broken in half. We taped it together and smashed it until it basically exploded and that’s the shot that we used.

How many days of shooting has there been?
Many, many days. Last week, we had shooting for 3 days straight. On Saturday, we were at Melvin’s house doing the placards which are on the Facebook group. Then on Sunday was Melvin’s naked shoot at Dhoby Ghaut and Monday we went to interview the producer who recorded our song to see what he’s done.  It’ll be in one of the future entries.

What is the intention behind doing Project Sexycats?
We don’t really have a goal but our goal for the process is to raise awareness uncommon types of music and dance in Singapore while spending no money doing it. By filming around Singapore in our boxers and other ridiculous outfits, we also hope to, not really provoke public reaction, but we’re also curious to see how people will react to something unusual because Singapore is not known for being a very crazy society. Usually when something unusual goes on, the people in Singapore have very mixed reactions; there are some creative people in this country who have come up to us and told us that they liked what we did and there are other people who just think we’re crazy. We hope to desensitize them because if you see more crazy things, you’ll be more creative because things don’t seem so crazy anymore.

The soundtrack The Sexies did for the video is all self-composed. How was the creative process like?
We came up with the song after the project was presented to us. Ian and WJ, the dancers, I’m sure had a part to play in the song; they would send me ideas and what themes they would like appear in the song. I would then send them short demos of programmed material to show them what music we would play for this section of the song and see we can include what they like in the music. After about a month of working back and forth, we wrote the song and got it. It was quite a short process actually and it was quite efficient.

How long has the band been together?
Two years plus, but I’ve been playing with the drummer since I was 15 years old so that was about 6 year. I have been playing with the bassist for about 4 years or so. We know our styles quite well. It’s a lot faster when you don’t have a lot of people with different creative directions having an equal say. I was giving the main direction for the song, I would write most of it, bring it to a jam session once or twice and we’ll see what works and doesn’t and refine it.

When and how did The Sexies decide to play funk music?
We never really settled down on funk in my opinion because our music has a lot of rock elements as well. The song we wrote for this video is the funkiest song we’ve ever written because we tried very hard to make it sound as funky as possible but there are still rock influences there, which I am not very happy about, but we work within our limitations. Actually there isn’t much to say about The Sexies because I am leaving already in two days. This was to be our last project.

A lot of people would agree that the concept of Project Sexycats is very interesting. Do you think this would mark the start of similar concepts in Singapore?
I don’t think our plan is for lot of bands to get with lots of dancers and do similar things. This is more to raise awareness for non dancers and musicians because there is plenty of awareness in the dance and music scene about local dance. There isn’t a need for awareness to be raised there. So we’re trying to bring it to the general public which is why our explanations of dance and music are put in layman terms and we try to be simple in our approach. We just want to have a good time. Our music video actually is not going to be a bunch of shredding for all you guitarists and a bunch of tutting for all you poppers. The dance part is not going to be very strong because that is not the main idea of the video; it’s not to show how technical the dancers can be even though they are very good dancers. It is more of an idea of how music and dance should be part of everyone’s lives. It should be an everyday thing. I may get shot for saying this but music and dance is not special, it belongs to everyone. A lot of people have this mindset that ‘Oh I’m not talented, I can’t dance. I’m not talented, I can’t play music.’ which is bullshit because I think everyone can do it.

How can a musician make a living in Singapore?
In Singapore you’re going to have to make certain sacrifices if you want to make a living out of playing music. The fun of any job is to do something that people cannot do that they are willing to pay you to do for them and if you’re lucky and you like that thing, it can become your livelihood. But in music sometimes you don’t always play the music that you like. So if you have a very selfish attitude and only want to play and compose the music that you like then you’re going to have no food to eat. Overseas, it is more possible to do things that you like and still make money out of it but in Singapore it’s a small growing industry. You are going to have to be multi-faceted, versatile and willing to compromise. In the Singapore music scene you cannot afford to be idealistic.

On your part, how are you going against the norm by making money doing music?
By doing the degree I am going to do, I’m already going against the mindset. It is a professional degree. I will be trained in certain skills, like lawyers are trained in certain skills. Musicians are problem solvers; someone comes to me if they want music for an event, if they are able to pay for musicians to play it I can find musicians and write the music for them. If they are unable to pay for musicians I can program music for the event, computer generated music which is not that nice but it’s a good alternative for budget music. These are the problems people would pay me to solve. There is also always a market for teaching especially if you are reputable. Reputation is something you build, you can’t come back with a degree and expect people to respect you because you’ve to work around and get credentials, work with the important people. It’s the same as any other job. A lot of musicians in Singapore say, ‘you can’t make a living out of playing music’. Of course, you can’t make a living playing your music. Even elsewhere in the world, even if you play completely original music that is not world class.

So do you achieve to attain a higher standard than what it is now?
I do not aim to play original music for a living. I don’t even intend to play music for a living. I’ll be working in music but I won’t be playing. I’m saying that if anyone wants to use only original music to make a living, be a big rockstar, there are two ways you could go – wake up or get really, really good and maybe someone will give you a break. There are plenty of excellent musicians out there, and plenty of people in New York on the streets who are more talented than anything I’ve seen in Singapore but do not have a record deal and are performing on the road.

Check out more of Project Sexycats at http://projectsexycats.blogspot.com

To cap off the final month of ‘09 is the very first launch of our RCGNIZED PLAYLIST!

Our playlist, updated monthly, features the best of our local talent, stretching from mash ups to alternative rock, hiphop to jazz, beatbox demos and the like, as well as submissions from the RCGNIZED SOUNDS project!

This month, we feature 10 local gems, from classics of the 90’s local band scene to upcoming artists of today. All local, all awesome.

Check it out here.

DECEMBER ‘09
1. Richard J feat Muzique- Hit (produced by Muzique)
2. Tacit Aria- Closure
3. ShiGGa Shay- Why Can’t You See
4. Her Liquor- Broken Butterfly (2nd mix)
5. The Crazy 88- Title
6. pSyk- Step To This
7. Close Apart-  Redeye
8. The Lizard’s Convention- Pleasant Song
9. Livonia- Vengeance is Mine
10. Pollux#13- Benga vs Hooverphonic Buzzin Autoharp (Pollux#13 mash up)

“He shall not be perceived, she shall not pick sides

She is not pigeon-holed, he might not be with your likes

They prefer to be unjustified but remained unrecognized

They lived in a different perceptions, in a world viewed in two dimensions”

The latest from Test Shoot Gallery titled “Know Who I Am…?” sees the works from a lineup of Singaporean designers such as Max Tan and ELOHIM, put together tastefully to illustrate androgyny without any gender constraints. Androgynous fashion has been around before recent years and has been a much explored concept, evident in the works of multiple designers. TSG’s exploration breathes life into the concept as well as does justice to the designers’ work, emphasizing that ‘it’s a celebration, not a demonstrational statement.’

The Team
Photography / Micky Wong
Fashion Direction / Ashburn Eng
Model & Text / Luth Seah Zhiqiang
Hair & Make-up / Larry Yeo
Fashion Co-ordinator / Shanna Matthew

Stockists
1. Cotton shirt; drappery cardigan, Max Tan.
2. Backless top, Stolen at Blackmarket.
3 & 4. Quilted dress, abyzz. critter hat, Sundays.
5. Cotton shirt; jacket; woven bag (worn as skirt), ForInSaneHuman. Pleated necklace, Kwodrent at Blackmarket.
6. Cardigan; leggings, La Belle. fringe cardigan, Elohim at Hide and Seek. Multi-chain necklace, Unfinished at BlackMarket.
7. Shawl jacket; drop-crotch pants, La Belle. Sneaker, Converse.
8. Double-breasted Jacket, Coupe-Cousu. 6-sleeves top, Nikicio at Blackmarket. Vest with woven applique (worn reversed), ForInSaneHuman.
9. Pleated top, from Phylia Poh. Ruched leggings, from Mae Pang
10. Critter hat, Sundays.

(Coupe-Cousu, ForInsaneHuman, Le Belle, Mae Pang, Max Tan, Phylia Poh and SUNDAYS designs will be available from Parco at Millenia Walk from April 2010.)

Talking to Marchtwelve gave us honest and down-to-earth answers. Marchtwelve is a shy band, and not afraid to hide their more introverted nature even when dealing with the unforgiving music industry where a taking a hiatus could mean being forgotten. We love talking to shy people because they are the ones who come up with smart answers all the time.

Dewi marie – vocalist

Joseph Cinco – guitarist

Khairul aka Beb – guitarist

Yuri – bass

Why the name Marchtwelve?
D: We were formed on March 12, 1999.

Are you considered on hiatus?
J: We’re trying to finish the album we’re doing which is done in Bandung Indonesia, at Massive studios. So far the main focus is on recording. We have one-off shows (23^rd at esplanade).

What is the next album going to sound like? I heard that the band is going away from sounding like Paramore.
J: We were never big into the Paramore stuff. I can imagine the comparison and I understand why, because we have a female vocalist and we play alternative (the now) music. Paramore was never big on our influences. For me personally, I’ve been drawn to bands like The Perfect Circle, Smashing Pumpkins, and the late 90s emo bands; those from Deep Down Records and Vagrant like Promise Ring.

B: For the bands I usually listen to, Radiohead, bit math… What else?

J: Sonofa?

B: Sonofa. (laughs) Basically all the alternative rock bands around.

D: Mine will be, assuming I don’t sing the typical melodies, very influenced by Cursive and Raina Maria. It’s not very mainstream pop but the idea is to just get the words out there rather than the melody I have to fake through when I don’t really feel it.

Y: For me, I bring a lot of my RnB and jazz background into this band. I don’t listen to rock and metal anymore. So I bring what fits the band I guess.

You come from many different backgrounds. But how did you guys settle on this particular sound?
J: There’re a lot of quiet and heavy parts going on in our songs. I mean there’ll be songs where we will go all loud and quiet and there’ll be songs where we’ll try to mix it up. We try to put what we have to offer individually on the table and we see what comes out of it. When we write songs we don’t have a proper idea where the song will be headed to, but it’s more of how it starts out and we will work it out from there.

In that aspect, how would your music relate to others? Do you think it does?
J: Lyrically, most of the stuff Dewi writes is based on experience so it doesn’t really take much for people to really go into what we are trying to say. As much as we are all different, we go through the same things. So our songs are usually about everyday life, what you go through with friends, love and loss.

Would you say your music is depressing? I know a lot of artists who use depression as a theme to relate to the average public.
D: It’s the easiest thing you can put into words. It’s not that easy to write a happy song, you can, but most of the time people relate better to breakups or sad stuff. There’s more passion in that. I’m not saying that we’re depressed people or that we’re highly emotional but you can always connect with somebody who you knows always feels sad but at the end of the song, it’s always about getting over it and moving on.

Is it a source of inspiration?
J: In a way.

Marketing wise, is Marchtwelve as well marketed as other bands?
J: I would like to believe so, ever since we came back from our break in 2004 and got back in 2006. During the break a lot of bands have came out but we have bands that are doing quite well at the moment, and were nice to namedrop us as one of the few who got them playing.

Y: We are not officially marketed but through Word of Mouth (WoM).

Do you feel Singapore is mostly WoM?
J: It’s more of lack of public support. Recently I went to Philippines; I brought Plain Sunset there and was their tour manager. The kind of support they get there is far out, to quote examples, for every record store there, half of the shop will be for OPM (Original Pinoy Music). So the shops are doing their part by allocating half of the store to local bands. While in Singapore, it’ll be a small portion far away corner in the shop.  Second thing, throughout the years the public has been quite good; more support for the local bands. Maybe for the time being it’s just like that but I’m guessing things are progressing and it should end up somewhere.

Y: I feel that the Singaporean mindset compared to other countries, is very far off. When we went up for recording in Indonesia, a few guys whom we were starting to get to know listened to our music, got excited and started spreading the word. In a sense, they are really into the arts and music. Whereas in Singapore you get the wait and see attitude; if you’re bad it’s cool, if everyone else is doing it then you follow.

B: Basically it’s more of public support than marketing.

J: I guess what he is trying to say is that the support is there, but it will never be enough. At one point of time, MTV Asia was based in Singapore.

Y: MTV Asia is still in Singapore but they have broken up into regional sectors, they are not focused in Singapore anymore.

If they’re broken up and still stationed in Singapore, why does local music still lack the support?
Y: It’s all based on viewer ratings so if you don’t get coverage, you won’t get ratings, no sponsorships and hence no show.

Don’t you feel that’s disappointing?
J: Yes, it is. They are here but we don’t even have our own show but you have MTV Indonesia and Philippines. I’m not saying that this is all MTV is for but when you come to think of it, you can count the number of bands that have released a music video (MV). Doing a half-decent MV in Singapore costs about 15 to 20 thousand dollars, while in Philippines I found out it was easily 2 to 4 thousand with a full production team behind them. But there are bands releasing videos like Plain Sunset and Electrico. Recently AVA did a video shoot, but it was a combination of their friends’ efforts. Not all the bands have the capability to get all their fans to drop what they’re doing as a day job to help out.

Would you say that it’s because of the hectic lifestyle that drives these people to select who they should feature?
Y: It’s more of the ‘let’s see how far I can go’, ‘how much coverage I can get’,’ how much money I can make’. It’s not because for the art or culture, we have not changed the mindset of fully supporting the arts. In Singapore, it’s not like the education system in Indonesia where it’s compulsory to take music as a subject. Singapore is slowly starting to open up, but we’re not there yet, not in another 10 to 20 years.

J: For Singapore arts culture, they do support local artistes but it’s mostly a big event or occasion (like a band going overseas) then do they step in. Support is there, but it could be pushed more. At the end of the day, making music is still an art form.

Why has it taken you guys so long to come up with an album?
J: We have been procrastinating a lot, when the band was active in 1999 – 2005, we released an EP.

D: It was supposed to be an LP, we laid down some tracks but it got cut off halfway due to unforeseen circumstances. When we wanted to pick it up, we procrastinated and they lost the music files.

J: But we did release a copy of it in raw form.

D: Yeah, we released in KL.

Why not here?
J: I guess at that point of time I was quite bitter about the local music scene. (laughs) Furthermore when we got back together, everyone was getting their lives set; a couple of band members got married and careers were starting become more important.

D: We’re getting old!

J: Yes, not really, I’m still sixteen. (laughs) When we decided to record, we didn’t want to spend much because the band is broke. Whatever recording we did was out of our own pockets, hence we decided to go to Indonesia to record. It’s very much cheaper and the equipment is decent; check out bands like Mocha, Peter Pan and Sigit. The choice of studio was from a connection from our guitarist who studies at SAE, so his Indonesian classmate suggested recording there. It was a big challenge getting up there. We were there for a week and were recording for a week straight. I think it was a good thing because I can safely say that not many bands in Singapore have done that. How bands mostly record in Singapore is that they take certain days of the month to record. I wanted to experience that (seeing each other day in and out); recording without any distractions.

I think the album will be a good one. We almost killed ourselves doing it as there were a lot of arguments. I mean, we were sleeping with each other for one week, talking to each other for one week. Even though it was quite rare for the band to get together for such a long period of time, I knew arguments were bound to happen. I tried to keep the arguments all within the studio and once we step out we try to be civil about it. It’s harder than you can imagine.

Y: Our arguments were more regarding what should we play musically, not about whose ego is bigger. Even though we were arguing, we were arguing about music.

The band has been together for 10 years, do you think your passion has dipped? Has it become more of a job than a passion thing?
J: Prior to recording, a few of us were thinking as to why we are doing this. We did come to that point. We told ourselves, let’s release the album and see where that takes us. I can say that after that one week of recording, it brought out new passion and we got to know each other better, like who snores the loudest. (laughs) We try to understand each other more. I mean passion is passion, but to be passionate about something when everyone else is not isn’t how it should be. So the one week brought up a lot more things from us, and I think that’s the basics of being in a band. We are friends.

Y: Basically we’ve got to push each others’ buttons and see how far we can go.

J: There were a lot of tense moments during recording, I was involved in a few of those because I am very anal. (laughs)

Would you say this is one of the best albums you’ll ever have?
J: The first album? (laughs) I mean we released an EP in 2007, a 4 song EP done in a month.

So the album should be something all of you will be proud of?
J: Yeah, everyone definitely put in a lot of effort for this album. It may not be perfect but to us it’s an accumulation of our love for the band. I feel that we have a good album coming up and hope that something comes out of this.

Any sneaks?
J: I was tempted to put up a few songs online but I don’t think that’s fair. We will hopefully go back to Bandung at the end of September to finish up the mixing and mastering process.

Y: ¾ of the way there.

D: Pressing the CD will still take another amount of cash so we’re aiming for early next year.

J: We’re not going to take long but hopefully during the next quarter of next year or after that. We need to pace ourselves and we’ve not been playing shows. Once we complete the whole album, it’ll be time for us to start playing more shows and letting the people know us. It’ll be a good pre-process before the album comes out.

Besides that album, you’re also working on the side right?
J: That’s where passion comes in! (laughs) For myself and Yuri, we play in other bands. It’s about time management and is something for us to look forward to after slogging during work. It’s something different from our daily lives.

Y: It’s more of a social experience.

J: Where we release our other side.

You also shuffled through a lot of members. Was it due to band dynamics?
Y: I have to say that I’m one of the newer members of Marchtwelve and it has never been due to band dynamics, it’s just the level of commitment.

Has your sound changed?
J: Definitely! We’re a bit more mature and less of the egoistic guitar playing (laughs), and trying to function more as a band rather than individuals.

But each time you have a new member, you’ll sound a bit different. Do you think that disappoints your fans?
J: It’s something they would have grown accustomed to. I mean if we do have fans, I’m not sure if we do. (laughs) They would know the history of the band.

Y: I think we don’t have fans, we have friends.

J: Friends who come and support the band. It’s a nice feeling. I’d rather play to 5 friends who know what we’re doing than 1000 people who don’t know where we’re coming from. I’m not being elitist over here, but we do write music for ourselves not only for people who listen to us. First things first, we always please ourselves with the music we write. We try not to limit each other in terms of what we put on the table for the band.

Y: It’s a great challenge. You get new blood and you get excited to play again because the new member brings something new to the band. It’s really fun and keeps the band moving.

Most of the bands talk to people through their music but no one really gets a chance to know who they are. What do you think about that?
J: We are quite a personal band.

Y: As a band or individuals, we are very introverted. We keep more to ourselves. We like the feeling that we are going to keep quiet about this, but when we’re ready that’s it.

But do you think that keeping a low profile will affect how much you are able to reach out to the public and in turn, the band?
J: I’m pretty sure it already affected the band. We’re trying to go through the whole people process. I’m okay with talking to people but I guess not most people are ready yet but if people talk to us, we’ll talk back, especially if they’re hot. (laughs)

Any last words?
J: Watch out for our upcoming album and we hope that it’s good enough for you.

Y: It’s good enough for us.

D: It’s hot.

Visit www.myspace.com/marchtwelve to listen to more of their music.

RCGNTN got a pleasant surprise when we went down to interview Calvin from Headline. We went to the branch located at Haji Lane, and although the store’s interior was not new to us, we were still charmed by the minimal decor.

Talking to Calvin, however, was nothing short of minimal for us. The man was exploding with passion, energy and friendliness that he almost surprised us. You would assume that a person who single-handedly set up a clothing line that has been running successfully for 6 years would have some sort of air about him, but Calvin is as down-to-earth as they come. By the time our interview is over, we feel like we’ve made a new friend.

What is Headline?
Headline is a label, established in 2003 so it’s been 6 years. We have 2 outlets; one at Far East Plaza and one at Haji Lane. Our concept is street wear and inspired from movies, porn, skate, X-treme, etc. We have a design and IT team. Our up and coming project is an online store to bring Headline to the global market.

What is the usual demographic for the store?
Our customers are usually 16 to late 30 years of age.

What do you carry in the store?
We carry another brand, called Supreme from New York. We have caps, bags, shirts, skateboards, windbreakers and hoodies. For Headline, we have top to toe apparel like caps, shirts, belts, jeans and bermudas. We have leather craft accessories as well, like key chains and wristbands from our in house label.

How did Headline start out?
I am a T-shirt lover and when I started out there were not many local labels in Singapore. I wanted to share my passion and treated shirts as a working canvas for graphics. I started with a small shop at Far East and expanded the brand through various mediums such as magazines and fashion shows. I just did an anniversary fashion show last year where I collaborated with 16 local labels at Zouk.

Setting up a business is not about the profit, it’s about the passion. You have to keep increasing your fashion knowledge. I get my ideas from traveling (e.g. Tokyo, HK, Malaysia, Bangkok) to see different styles and fashion. I sit down and draft them out. Anything can inspire me like moving bus ads, if I see a colour way I like I will jot it down to find newer ways of putting colours together on a shirt.

It’s not easy doing a design. At the start, we did our own silk screening for the t-shirts. We had to learn how to do blocks and find out which paint to use. After getting the knowledge through our hands-on experiences, we are now able to relate what we want exactly to the factory (i.e. the more specific technical terms).

Are the brickbears for sale or for display only?
The SBTG’s are for sale.
I like to collect these brick bears and using them as decoration makes the store look more exclusive. All the bear bricks are from USA and Japan and are limited.

What can we expect from the apparel sold now?
Right now I’m focusing more on shirts because the market for T-shirts is getting competitive and the shirt is very versatile (you can fold the sleeves up to make it casual or wear it with sleeves down to look formal) whereas the T-shirt is only casual.

What makes a shirt sell?
The correct cutting of the shirt and branding. I’m very particular with my branding.

What is the trend for t-shirts now?
Presently, people are more into photo prints in black, grey and white but it’s ever changing. Once a trend hits locally, everyone will be wearing it. Somehow in Singapore, the fashion scene is slower than HK for 6 months and Japan for a year. So at Headline, we try to close the gap, but some people can’t accept the latest fashion trend. As a result, we have to pace ourselves and can’t be too up to date. The way we do it is to get stock while it is in trend overseas, and wait till that trend gets noticed locally before releasing the new stock.

Singapore is slower because there is no culture. In Japan they can take 2 hours to dress up, but in Singapore people just wear a shirt and bermudas. Some guys even wear a hoodie with bermudas which is a bit contradictory. We use Headline to try to educate them. Singapore also lacks a proper street wear magazine. Locally, the magazine spectrum is very extreme (i.e. too juvenile or too high end), there is no emphasis on local labels. For HK they have Milk to push their local labels, providing a platform. Singaporeans buy HK magazine because we don’t have our own.

In fashion, you must have the passion and your own sense of style to go far. Do it not just for fast cash.

Any last words?
Keep it real, at all times.

For more information, go to Headline Store.

Over the weekend at Home Club, Fixpatrix held its first-ever Fixie event in Singapore for the screening of Kareem Shebab’s Death Pedal! and a Fixie trick competition. Not bound to the conventional uses of a track bike, Fixies, or fixed gear bikes, are not only fast, but also a representation of bike and street culture.

RCGNTN was lucky to catch one of the organizers, Chris from Fixpatrix, to tell us more about Fixies, its roots and how it brings out the kid in you.

What is this about?
Actually this event is the screening of this video called Death Pedal by Kareem. She’s a friend of ours, came all the way down from San Diego to do a documentary on the Fixie scene from around the world. So she heard of us from another Fixie crew from KL, and then she came down to spend a couple of days riding with us. It was quite fun. Of course, most part of it, we are represented by our key rider, Andre. Basically this video was screened because we felt that there was a need to get ourselves known to the local community and to round up all of the people in the Fixie community.

How long has this been going on?
This is our first event. It was nice to see such a big turnout, because this shows a unity of the cycling culture here.

How long have you been riding?
I was previously a mountain biker, and street riding. When I discovered Fixie, it was like everything rolled into one and it gives me the same kind of kick when I’m riding street and I can use this bike for commuting.

How did you learn about Fixie riding?
I learnt about this through an online video 2 yrs ago. My initial impression was that this is quite crazy; you’re riding road bikes and skinny bikes that don’t look like they can hold. Soon people from my crew dropped into it, and I tried one myself and liked it.

Did the trend start somewhere else first? What’s the history of Fixie riding?
When it comes to Fixie riding, it’s not a new trend or a new bike. Probably the very first bike that was ever conceived was a Fixie, whereby you don’t have any free wheels, just a simple crank and a fixed gear at the back. What we have done here or how it has evolved is that people started riding fixed gear. It was primarily used by messengers, back in the states and all over the world because it’s very low maintenance and you don’t really need to spend a lot of money on it. For some reason, unlike other bike cultures, Fixie itself as a bike culture has become somewhat of a fashion icon. So it’s quite representative of the street lifestyle these days just like skateboarding and BMXs.

It looks like a marathon bike.
It’s a track bike, the kind you use in a battledom. Fixie is a fast bike.

Why do people use it to do tricks?
Fixie riders are like a bunch of kids, still young at heart. Though most of the riders are in our late 20s and early 30s; I’m 33 years of age myself. It’s a sport that a lot of ex-BMXs/skateboarders become involved in.

Is Fixie riding a culture?
Yes, it is a culture. Fixie riders are regular guys doing regular jobs. It’s a pastime. The interesting thing about this is it’s like BMXs grown up so everyone still holds on to a very sweet memory of riding and somehow riding Fixie rekindles that love for riding again. From personal experience, I felt that I had to relearn how to ride a bike.

Why is still so underground?
It’s not as underground as some people think. Like all cultures, it takes time to grow, and it’s already very big in Japan, Korea and States.

How come you picked this up late?
It’s never too late to pick this up. I’m glad that this culture has finally set foot and in a way, judging from the turn out, we can definitely say this culture is here now. And it’s a good thing. It adds colour to an old man’s life like mine.

What is the future of Fixie riding?
The future of Fixie is ever growing. I hope that more and more people will be riding Fixies and rediscovering the child in them. For us we don’t have any plans yet, even this was quite impromptu. But you’ll never know, something might come up.

Credits: Edric

Do you think Fixie riding will fade as trends usually do?
Our riders are usually quite mature in age, so I guess this will stay for awhile. In fact, it’s amazing to see more and more people getting into the sport. With all this talk about being eco-friendly, riding a bike is eco-friendly and we’re riding a bike in simplest form. But I honestly feel that being eco-friendly is more of a byproduct of rediscovering the enjoyment in riding. Hopefully we will want to organize more events and see it grow in the future.

I can see it going far. Look at the turn out today, I’ve never seen so many bikes in one area, maybe only in Japan.
We’re not sure where this will go, but we have high hopes for it and hopefully it will go somewhere. For a start, there are 4 or 5 different crews out there and with each crew there will be more people and variety and you’ll see more interesting, crazy, colourful bikes. We definitely appreciate that.

Any last words?
I hope everybody had fun tonight!

Band dynamics is always interesting to watch, and RCGNTN sure had fun witnessing the chemistry these guys have. A Vacant Affair (AVA) generally comprises of laid-back boys who make each other giggle like little school girls; not that it’s a bad thing but proof of the good feelings they have for each other. Their music however, in stark contrast to the way they poke fun at each other, carries heavy messages such as stories of life struggles and unhappiness.

RCGNTN got a closer look at the clockwork of the band when they slipped us time from their busy schedule. And if you’re a fan, continue reading to see how you can get AVA’s latest album for free!

M: Hi my name is Matthew and I’m a singer from Vacant Affair.
R: Rudi, I play guitars for A Vacant Affair.
J: I am Josh and I play guitars for AVA.

Who is AVA?
R: Basically we’re five guys, sometimes regarded as monkeys, rock band playing music and we’ve been around for 5 yrs. We released an EP in 2006 and album in 2008. We’re currently pushing the full length album.What makes your music reach out to people?
M: When I was young, between 16 to 18 years of age, I was quite a depressed kid. So how I grew self confidence was through music, I could really connect with it and it made me feel not alone. It doesn’t matter who I am, music doesn’t judge. When we found the band, we had the same vision. We wanted to use music to be honest to ourselves, to talk about certain things in life. We never expected to connect with kids. We’re got a strong and loyal following and we’re grateful.

Why hard rock?
M: We didn’t decide to form a hard rock band, it just comes out because all 5 of us have different musical preferences. When you jumble them altogether, it just happens to be hard rock, a bit of hardcore, indie. Basically we’re quite…
R: We’re not discerning about the music we create. We all generally like heavy music and that’s a common link (e.g. guitars with a lot of distortion and singing that pushes); not just humdrum kind of music. We focused on doing something as heavy as possible relating to day to day experiences. We’re writing words from our hearts and depicting what they mean, aggressively and strongly.
M: We listen to a couple of genres, but the end product happens to be this.
R: We create something new is not because we are experimental and want to create art. To me I think it’s that we have a goal and kick it off. We all discuss what kind of vibe would be appropriate.

What makes AVA stand out from other bands?
R: I have no idea, everyone is happy in the band and we don’t bother questioning whether people will like it. We are our hardest critics so if everyone likes it, that’s a triumph in itself.
M: As a musician, and as a band, you write music for yourself firstly. You don’t deal with other people’s expectations or comments. You do what you want. If people are able to connect, good for you, but if they aren’t then too bad. We don’t compromise. We don’t want to stand out, if we do so be it. We’re just going to do our thing.

How do the themes in The Departure relate to Singaporeans?
M: When I wrote the song, we were writing for our first EP. At that period of time, that state that I was. It could relate to everyone. I’d rather it be open and say that this song is about this particular situation.

How has the scene changed from when you first started?
M: I’m not a ‘lao jiao’, the band has been around for 5 yrs. When we started out, it was friends supporting friends. There are different sorts of scenes; the hardcore, emo, rock. We didn’t care about that but we were plonked into the emo-hardcore scene, so we kept playing for friends. We constantly pushed ourselves. To look back and compare, in general people are more receptive and organizers (Singtel and Nokia) are sort of opening up. Even the radio is starting to play local bands. Earlier this year there was a TV series called Live N Loaded and I thought that was really cool. It’s something that we really need and have been lacking. We were honored to play one episode. The support could be more, not just locally but overseas. We’re constantly looking to organizations to ask them to support us. It is slowly changing but I hope it will improve year by year.

You know local radio has his section where they play local music.
M: 98.7fm right?
R: We were featured on that local section and we tried to get more ambitious and follow in the vein of what Great Spy Experiment and Electrico did where they had songs played in regular rotation. It was tricky because we tried to fish a song from the album, it was a catchy harder rock song but it was met with a not so good response. On a ground level, it had good response, some radio DJs were into it but some people were not. There is still hope, we are restructuring our approach because there are so many ways you can poke a rock.

Would you rather AVA go mainstream or underground if you would have to choose one?
R: Honestly, most of us will agree that as long as we play what we like and there are people turning up for our shows, enjoying themselves, we would want to be ambitious to push it up another notch to mainstream. But if that’s not how the media industry in Singapore is shaped to support then so be it. We’ll adjust our priorities but the band will always be there.
M: Exactly what he said.

How did your environment affect the latest album?
M: The album was very personal to me. We took about 1 and half years to write the album; meaning writing and recording the album at the same time. That was a period of time where my mum fell really sick and she passed away. It affected me a lot and although the concept of the album is a themed album about a guy’s struggle from realizing the state that he is in and fighting out of it, I wouldn’t say that it is directly linked to me, that I’m talking about myself from track 1 to 11. But there are a lot of songs that are related to the environment I was put it, like how worried I was, how guilty I was when I realized that there was nothing I could do.

There seem to be missing members.
R: It’s a funny situation, just to clarify this matter, Rudi (me) and the bassist are currently studying overseas but we will come back on any break as long as there are shows to play and people to rock out in front of.
M: But we have good friends that are kind enough to take their places when they’re away. Joseph is one of them, and Cedric (our producer) actually is sessioning for us right now, super cool dude who looks like a very scary girl. Interesting fun fact, someone created a Wikipedia page for us. We wanted to do it but never got around to doing it, and when someone did it for us we were like, YES! We read it and everything was alright until the members’ portion. It said only 3 members and ex-members’ portion had Rudi and Shen. So we were laughing our asses off. The guy actually thought they left the band for good but they are the main members and will be for a long time.

Is it different to play without your original band members?
R: With each different member that fills for us, they bring a different dimension to the band. Like I’ve had two guitarists sub me, Joseph and Cedric. Cedric comes from the school of precision and tightness and just cold sterile feelings, that’s pretty much him in general too. (laughs) Joseph is a bit more groove oriented, he is varied in terms of musicality and textures. An AVA show, even without its founding members is not a half-assed show. It’s a show with a different angle, different feel but still AVA essentially.

How have your fans taken it?
R: They’ve taken it pretty well. Some kids like Joseph, some kids like Cedric and some kids hate me now. (laughs) It happens. Ah well.

Who are inspires you?
M: At this point of time, there are two front men I really look up to. One is Rage Against the Machine singer, Zack de la Rocha. I used to listen to pop and boy bands. When I was in my first year in poly, I was listening to Third Eye Blind, I really loved the music, but the second band I really got hooked on was Rage Against the Machine. From that day onwards, it was like a fairytale, Zack is amazing to me. Zack and Rage Against the Machine really shows how music can connect and pull people together. I don’t care if you are interested in or know politics but the fact of the matter stays that they are a fine example of a band that can connect people together. So that’s one. The second one is Glassjaw and I have to thank Rudi for that. I hated it to the core and he was the one who pushed me every day to listen to them. Since I finally got to listening to it, I really appreciate the music and the singer.
R: Personally for musical influences, I started with Deftone, Wheezer and Incubus. I wanted to write lyrics like Wheezer because I thought I was a social recluse when I first started. I wanted to write nice guitar textures like Incubus because they have damn nice guitar textures and I wanted the heavy tones and the romanticism Deftone had. That was my fun teenage years. I have a season for heavy aggressive music, then you jump on the other end; a season for hip-hop. Generally it also fits in with how your life is, like if you’re stressed I listen to heavy music and when I’m chill it’s… god knows what kind of creepy music I’ll listen to.
J: My musical influences definitely stem from a different background from the rest. I grew up listening to 80s pop, like Ah-Ha and trust me their best song is not Take on Me. As I grew up I listened to a lot of post-grunge and bands that influenced me was Our Lady Peace, more for the way Raine Maida writes his songs. In terms of guitar sounds, always been a fan of Iron Maiden. That’s kind of how I started playing the guitar when I was 12, other than strumming chords with Oasis. Funeral for a Friend came along and that was when I picked up more of the melodic metal style which is more AVA. So unlike Rudi, mine was more progressive.

What can we expect from future music?
J: I think a lot more rock, less talk. I think we’re trying to approach the second album in a different light. The first one, I would say, we went heavier from when we started. The second, with age catching up, we might chill a bit more. But I’ll still be doing the melodic guitar lines, nothing too Rudi-like for me. But what are we actually going to do for the second album?
R: (laughs) Okay this is exclusive insight for RCGNTN magazine! We’re actually in the midst of discussing it.
M: Actually I told Josh before, there is no point talking about how the second album is going to sound because we are not even writing right now. I would say that when all 5 of us decide to write the second album, then we will decide of what we want to do taking into consideration the environment we are in and the mood and state of each person. So right now I’m quite happy, we’ll play pop punk.
R: So guys, surprise! (laughs) I sort of envision slightly more dynamic songs because our first album, we were very big on distortion almost all the time with no breaks. So now we’re probably going to have a lot of soft-loud dynamics and gradual build up. I am paying particular attention to how really epic songs have a flow to them, like how they feel and naturally transition to one another. The previous album was all aggressive and we were stockpiling riffs and ideas on ideas but now I want to look at in-betweeners. To bring it down to even finer detail, I’m looking at experimenting more with instrumentation because during this album we were pushing each other to fit this general image. The concept of the idea was very driven and focused but I want to reach a state (everyone has developed musically and we have sort of moved beyond following the conventions of a genre) where we can rely and totally trust each person’s musicality to write songs together. It will be more us at this stage of life, nothing much to prove so let’s bring it back to what we knew which is good alternative music. Maybe with distortion, don’t know. Surprise! You should ask our drummer he has interesting opinions too.

Any shout outs?
R: Okay let’s do it together.
All: Hi, we’re A Vacant Affair! (laughs)
R: I love that shit!
M: I miss my mum.
R: My brother, because as humorous as he is, he just drops in to say ‘Why your music so gay?’ And inadvertently, he is pushing me and I’m pushing him and we’re fighting. But at the end of the day, he is more in tune with the progression of music in general. So I’m lucky to have him around as a reference to know when to hit. To a large part, that’s where a lot of fresh ideas stem from with people like Joseph and Cedric. It’s a great community, pretty open minded, music khakis who listen to various stuff and keep us in check.
J: I think I want to give a shout out to my mates in this band because a lot of times I find that they are the people who keep me grounded. It’s tough to be a working musician, you’ve to prioritize. I don’t think it’s possible to do both and succeed.
M: Can! Micro management!
J: I’m seriously exhausted know. Yeah, so my shout out goes to them. Whenever we meet they keep me excited about A Vacant Affair. Surprise! (laughs) Shout out to Shen!

If you haven’t gotten enough of A Vacant Affair, we’re giving away 3 of AVA’s latest album – Reasons to Leave. Just write in to admin@rcgntn.com to tell us why you should get it! Yes, it’s as simple as that.

For more of A Vacant Affair, you can also visit www.myspace.com/avacantaffair

Charles a.k.a. Stitch has been in the game for about 6 years now and he shows no signs of slowing down. Battling in numerous competitions such as the 98.7 Beatbox Championships in ‘08, Asia Beatbox and currently trying out for this year’s Singapore Idol, it is amazing that someone like him with so much talent, stage presence and confidence be equally grounded and shy all at once.

You can check out more of Stitch at his myspace, http://www.myspace.com/beatboxerstitch
Those interested in going into beatboxing instead of spitting, he is currently teaching beginner and intermediate beatboxing at Natasha Studio .

Special thanks to Stitch and Natasha Studio.

Intertwining his art with emotions, as an actor does, sums up the photographer that is Ivan Tan. A firm believer of ‘every picture has a story behind it’, his pictures always emote one or two emotions so strongly that they (the feelings) almost feel like your own. We love Ivan’s slightly skeptical attitude along with his understanding that appreciation of photographs is as simple as it looking good.

Introduce yourself.
I am 21 of age this year, wedding photographer by commercial appointment and film photographer on every other occasion. I started out shooting portraits but it proved to be too emotionally taxing on me and have since moved on towards a more photojournalistic note. I have a deep passion for traditional black and white printing processes and spend the bulk of my personal time alone in the darkroom.

You say that photography does not require one to take technical classes because it comes naturally. So what is your definition of a good photograph?
A good photograph, like good art, apart from the usual, cliché response of being ’subjective’, is simply something that looks aesthetically pleasing. Something is either nice, or not. Many a time people get so fixated with all these technicalities like exposure, composition (the list goes on) that they forget that photography is intrinsically about feeling, not seeing. I see technicalities as the tool that unleashes your artistic creativity, period.

It’s not difficult to see the trend of wedding photographs in your work. Why did you choose to be a wedding photographer?
I didn’t quite choose to be a wedding photographer. Photography happens to me sometimes I don’t know why. But if I have to try to explain it’ll be my penchant for all things beautiful, that relate to people, their feelings, behaviors and psychological landscape – which are themes I usually deal with in my personal work as well. Above all, I find it extremely gratifying being able to turn Singapore into a stage for beautiful work. because as they all say, Singapore is so dry, so boring, not half as lovely as mainstream Paris, Japan, Australia and the like makes my wedding photography in Singapore all the more important.

Digital VS Film. Which is better?
I absolutely adore film not just for the absolute beautiful piece of art it usually ends up being, but also for all the intangibles that tags along with it. The sound of film cameras firing off, the feel of film cameras, the subtle aesthetics in the final piece of art all play a part in creating an ephemeral (some say expensive) personal experience. When I was mugged on a train en route Venice from Vienna two months back, all that I was left with, apart from my clothes and toiletries was my Leica. I couldn’t have imagined life without it. That being said, digital clearly has an edge over film for its logical pricing, convenience and even aesthetics. With good post-production, creating a good piece of art from digital photographs isn’t that much of an impossible thing anymore. But I am eclectic like that.

In your blog you occasionally claim to “lose yourself” in the process. What exactly do you mean?
I think that usually happens when I’m shooting. It means nothing more than just being very in sync with my work or my subjects, to the point that you are oblivious to nothing else except the process between you and your work. It’s not difficult to reach that stage, and I’m sure many people lose themselves in their work as well. You just need to shoot more with your heart than with your brain. Let it all flow and then you will feel your hunger pangs strike only the minute you put down your camera.

How do photographs speak to you?
I think photographs, like all good art, speak different languages to everyone at different points in their life. Photographs that speak are the ones that people can relate to, whether they are sad or happy, depressed or jovial. That is the amazing thing I find about this singular moment frozen in time; that it can hold such different meanings for different people. The creation of such multi-faceted photographs really keeps me going.

Who are the photographers you admire the most?
I love, and am very inspired by Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Capa, James Nachtwey, Elliot Erwitt, Helmut Newton and Ansel Adams.

Can a picture ever portray zero emotion?
Definitely, if the person behind the camera chooses to do so. Be it consciously or not.

Any last words?
I think I’ve said my piece so shouts out to the RCGNTN team (especially Yawen). I truly admire what you guys are doing for the Singapore independent art scene. Respect.

To view more of Ivan’s works, go to:
http://ra1nforest.livejournal.com/
http://www.jonkeng.com

Currently a graphic designer in a London based company from 9 to 6 and an artist after the break of dawn, not to be fully squeezed dry by the commercialized design industry, Jas Soh finds time to create doodles which accompanies the lonely words that she writes in her diary.

Get yourself rcgnized:
Background: Diploma from Temasek Polytechnic. Degree from Swinburne University.

My favourite medium is black ink and being a big fan of details I’m drawn to using very fine tip pens. I especially like the unpredicted flow of black ink – you will never know how the final image looks, just let your feelings go. And lastly, by putting in the final touch, details of life to build the intended message behind each piece.

When did you start doodling?
After graduating from Temasek Polytechnic (TP), from what i recall as intense as it may be, I had a phobia of being left alone with some sort of a medium and a blank canvas. I was able to picture what I want on it but whenever I made a mark on it, it seemed to me like a mistake. Therefore, I never got through a piece of drawing until I started writing a diary after I left TP.

My favorite work of yours has got to be the black and white ‘Take Off’ piece, yes i may be biased as it resembles an album cover, however i must say i wish i came across that picture earlier, tell me more about that design.
A lot of my inspiration comes from my experiences and emotions. ‘Take Off’ was a piece I did when I was trying to escape from my comfort zone. I realised I was getting too caught up in the sheltered, comfortable and slow pace of my previous company and it was time to be off and flying again.

Would you design my album cover, if i had one?
Sure! In fact, I would be very honored to do it. On one condition though, your album must contain lyrics. I’m really into words! Haha, it has become quite an obssession of mine when it comes to music. It’s all about the story (either obvious or hidden) behind each piece of music.

Who fascinates you now?
My answer should actually encompass a list of visual artists, designers or even design companies. Incidentally, it is actually a singer named Zee Avi. Don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not trying to brown-nose my interviewer. :p I am really fascinated by Zee Avi’s voice and words. Her talent to compose her own melodies and lyrics accompanied by her uplifting voice exalts the presence of my busy urban lifestyle.

Would you agree that artists lose interest in things (tangible/intangible) easily?
I guess it depends on how engaged you are in the first place. And also the level of passion you have behind that particular thing.

Generally, creative people always hunger for new experiences, be it with physical objects or invisible issues. I guess it is just a default mode that we have instilled in ourselves. We are always creating hence we get discontented with our creations after some time, and yearning to create something above and beyond again. In the midst of this cycle, we expect the world to work the same to justify our ever growing expectations.

Do you have any last words for RCGNTN?
Results are never too far when passion and determination is around.