RCGNTN: make local your focal

From left: Tiong, Eugene, Hidayat

The boys of Sole Obsession have been doing their bit for the local sneaker scene, giving sneakerheads and street cats the heads-up on what’s good and providing a behind-the-scenes look at the industry from a South-East Asian perspective. Not only that, they also organize events, spend whatever free time they have to travel to stores islandwide to provide fresh updates as well as push Singapore and Asia to the world. But perhaps what we love most about the guys is not only the fact that they do it purely out of passion and fun while balancing their full-time jobs, but also that they aim to grow and encourage local street culture as well as our local labels and customizers. Guys, we salute you.

Explain Sole Obsession.
E: We do it for fun, we started 2007 March. We thought that the sneaker scene here was quite boring; nobody wanted to do anything, they just wanted to buy expensive shoes to show off. So we started a small exhibition for people to appreciate the shoes. We were friends before that, so we just decided to do something lively. In other countries,
you get people like Crooked Tongues who inspire us. And they do sneaker events as well.
W: I mess around. (laughs)
H: Nothing. We started out doing events, so the first year saw us holding events with our own sneaker collection.

Do you cover sneaker events?
E: We didn’t cover events at first, we did our own events and our first event was at the White Room; they lent us a space so we did a small exhibition and gave out some free stuff. It’s just like a social gathering for people to meet and talk about sneakers. We did another event with the Street Thing guys in KL at Zouk then a third one at Know It Nothing
where we showed off customized shoes in Singapore (we have a lot of sneaker customizers for some reason). After we did our events we decided to start a blog to cover local sneaker events that the brands or stores throw.

For those of us who don’t see the hype in sneakers, what is so interesting about it?
E: I don’t know. What is so interesting about fashion? To us it’s like our interest; some people like to collect stamps and handbags, while we like to collect shoes. It’s an interest from young, we’re somehow reliving and reminiscing our childhood.

What goes on in the mind of a sneaker head? What compels them to readily drop their cash for a pair of sneakers?
The internet plays a very big part. Before the internet we drooled over sneakers in magazines or in sporting goods stores. Of course there are collaborations that make a shoe more sought after. Mostly for us it’s a combination of specific models, materials and colourways. Another factor is how much heritage a shoe has. Sneakers that remind us of the good old days or of our childhood tug at our hearts and wallets.

Would I be wrong to compare the sneaker craze to men buying fast cars?
E: (laughs) For us it is, but I don’t know about other people. But I think other boys are like that as well, because the crowd at our events is mainly male-dominated. Unfortunately, girls in Singapore don’t really wear a lot of sneakers. There are females at our events but are just tagging along with their boyfriends.

What are the common brands in Singapore that the public is into?
E: Some of the usuals like Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance and Reebok but of course, predominantly Nike as they do a lot more shoes. Recently we’ve seen more events coming up; people are doing more for the sneaker culture.
H: We’re not focused on any particular brand but Eugene is now a New Balance ambassador; he only wears New Balance. But for me I’m into The Hundreds, Vans, Nike and Adidas to independent brands such as Keep, Clae and Greedy Genius. It depends if we like the materials and small details such as colour stitching and laces used.

So can I say that the aim of Sole Obsession is to exhibit shoes?
E: It’s to spread the news of new shoes. Basically the website is borne out of passion and not monetary, it’s what we like to do. Don’t take us too seriously because we don’t take ourselves very seriously. In the scene here, we think too
many people take themselves too seriously and that’s stupid. It’s just an outlet to do what we like, we don’t make any money doing it; we make a few T-shirts now and then, do some events. It’s all in good spirit and laughs.

What are your opinions on sneaker sweatshops? (With more sneakers being produced and in demand, doesn’t it encourage child labour and sweatshops?)
E: It’s not just footwear, it happens everywhere and it’s a reality we have to face. Everything is related although I think now it isn’t that bad; maybe 10 years ago it was quite rampant. I think they have quite good standards whether it’s Nike, Adidas or other brands; they’re quite stringent now. You also can’t just say it’s sneaker brands doing this,
I mean high street fashion brands also make their stuff in India or Vietnam. You can’t escape sweatshops because it’s everywhere in fashion, I guess they were highlighted more in sneaker brands. Some shoes are expensive to make; some shoes cost maybe $20 to make so compared to a T-shirt it’s much more expensive.

Besides admiring shoes, what else about them interests you?
E: I mean we like it so much that, for me, it became part of my career. I always wanted to work in the sneaker industry and by doing all these events, we get to meet people and now I’m working in New Balance Singapore. Besides Sole Obsession, I try to do my best to help push the brand in Singapore as well because it’s quite an underrated brand besides being known as the Army Brand. They do make quality shoes; they are the only brand that still manufactures shoes in England and the US.

What is the reason for the sudden birth of sneaker culture in Singapore?
E: In Singapore, it’s mainly the trend and they buy shoes to show off; like buying a flashy car. So you buy a rare shoe to show people that you can afford it and you’re one of the few who have it. However, there are people who really collect sneakers but there aren’t many with the trend moving to the indie look (i.e. skinny jeans, canvas); nobody is
really into collecting sneakers that much.

But was there a sneaker culture in Singapore to begin with? Who’s responsible in bringing, or sparking off sneaker culture here?
E: Yeah!
H: When they got the Silver Box SB.
E: For retailers it has to be Leftfoot and Limited Edition. Leftfoot or Vintage Closet as they were known before the name change, are the originators. Vintage Closet used to bring in sneakers that started the trend in US, Europe and Japan. From Jordans to Dunks to Gazelles to Stan Smiths to Suedes to California’s. I remember them having a pair of Adidas Micropacers that I wanted so bad, but they were $400 which was a mad amount at the time. Limited Edition opened as the sneaker scene was coming to a boil locally. They opened up the flood gates and offered locals more access to the sneakers we could only see in magazines and on the internet. LE secured a Nike SB account and fed the SB frenzy of 2004/05. And LE Vault introduced the our first Tier-0 store to Singaporeans. All the nonsensical queueing and camping overnight for sneakers started with LE. But I guess what garnered all the attention to the sneaker hysteria is probably the resellers and ebay. That probably piqued the interest in sneaker collecting. So maybe the resellers had a big part to play in sparking off sneaker culture here I guess!

But doesn’t the reselling kill the main purpose of having a sneaker culture?
E: Unfortunately in Singapore, majority of the resellers are poseurs (not to hate on anyone). I’ve spoken to 18 year olds who tell me they’re selling all their shoes because they’re growing up and they have to dress a bit older; to them it’s a phase, a trend. People tend to associate sneakers and street wear with kids’ dressing. They think to dress more maturely you’ve to wear loafers, more basic Converse but you see the scene in New York where people wear skinny jeans with high tops Air Force One and Dunks and Europeans who dress up wearing classic sneakers. You can also
see this in Japan where the market is more mature and they set up trends for themselves.

Do you think Sole Obsession is leading the direction of the sneaker culture?
E: (laughs) No. We’re quite busy so our website is mostly for our interest so we post as and when we have the time.
H: From the website you can see that we don’t have any advertisements. It’s basically our posts and friends’ links. It’s a
passion project, even though we have full-time jobs.
E: People ask us why we do this because it takes up time, and recently we even stopped posting due to our jobs but we do it out of the love we have for sneakers. I’m almost 30 and I still wear sneakers. It’s part of my life, so it’s something that won’t die off.

Where do you see sneaker culture in Singapore going?
E: I think it comes in cycles. The sneaker trend took a nose dive recently with the emergence of indie-cool. Everyone wants to be a rocker nowadays. But you do see a climb in sneaker buying again. We’re quite developed sneaker-wise for such a small country and market, so in a way the presence and availability of a wide range of sneakers is a positive. Last time sneakers were more associated with sports brands but now you get independent brands such as Supra and Clae so it’s more diverse nowadays. It’s encouraging but like I said, a lot of the times, Singaporeans follow the trend not set it.

Do you think sneakers are becoming more relevant in society given that they are now not just part of street wear but fashion as a whole?
E: Yeah, I think it is. If you follow fashion in Japan, a lot of fashion magazines (such as Huge) do incorporate sneakers into their styling. I guess it’s just whether people here want to take a risk and not just copy the style off the magazine. And I think more girls should wear sneakers, go to Rockstar and get them to style you. Say the boys from Sole Obsession sent you. (laughs)

Do designer shoes fall in the category of sneaker culture?
E: You see a lot of high-end fashion brands taking their inspiration from street wear and sort of rip off sneakers and make it a premium product. It’s the same I guess, that all aspects of fashion inspire one another. Personally, I don’t think they are part of sneaker culture because they are for a different market. Of course, you do get some
people who were into the sneaker culture, grew up and are earning more money and want something more high-fashion (so that when you wear sneakers fashionistas won’t diss you for rocking Nike Dunks when you’re wearing Raf Simons).

Do you think designers are moving towards sneaker culture? (much like the hype that surrounded the LV X Kanye Collab)
E: I think they are tapping into that genre; they see there’s a market for people who outgrow the sneaker phase, and want something that isn’t too dressy but still cool.
H: Like the Comme Des Garcons Converse where you can say that isn’t just any normal pair of Converse.
E: Instead of Supreme sneakers, you say Kanye x Louis Vuitton and Raf Simmons. I guess that what some part of the market wants.

What is the most you’ve paid for a shoe?
E: The most I’ve paid for a shoe was almost a $1000, it was a Nike Airmax One collaboration with the Dutch artist, Parra. That was the hyperstrike version, they had only 24 pairs and they had small little Parra stitching. It wasn’t much of a difference from the normal. They also included a customized box from the artist as well. But I sold off 3
pairs of shoes to fund it. If that’s any consolation!
H: I think I’ve paid $600 for an Undefeated Consortium Superstar, it was a reseller because there was no possible way I could have gotten it.
W: Mine is pretty standard, maybe $200 for a pair of shoes?

Do you actually wear those shoes?
E: Yeah, I wear almost all the shoes. For us, we don’t just buy for the hype. The damage comes from buying cheaper shoes rather than a pair of expensive shoes, for example we might buy a few standard priced shoes
and it adds up in the end.
H: We wear all of our shoes at least one. We have a rotation policy.

Any last words?
E: Sneakers are part of my life, that’s why I hate it when people say “I’m too old to wear sneakers”, so don’t say that.
H: As Eugene says, sneakers are part of my life and it’s hard to let go of 100 pairs of shoes just like that. I think one difference between Singapore and places in Europe is that when they see you on the streets with nice shoes they would ask you where you got it from but here, people would look at you and compare themselves to you. People should
just stop hating. Cheers.
W: Thank you.

Be sure to check out their site at www.soleobsession.org, and if you happen to be at Sup at 34 Haji Lane, do show your support and pick up their latest ‘Hail To The Thieves’ tee as well!

Our boy Yasin (a.k.a. Mr36) went on the first ever fixie event, the T.O.S. (Tour Of Singapore) last month and after recuperating from the mad ride, here’s his in-depth take on it. All 12 hours of it.

Photography: Yasin & Haiqal
Text: Yasin

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Aaron fooling around with the walkie

12th of December 2009
After months of planning, discussions and late-nights, the much-anticipated
Tour of Singapore is finally upon us.
This is my take on the goings-on of that day.

3:30 PM: Most of the riders were already gathered at The BK Whopper Bar at
Clarke Quay.
I was quite surprised though, as I was expecting a lot of late-comers.
We had a quick bite, briefed the participants about the routes and by 4:30 PM, we’re all set to go.

Official number of riders: 53 of which 3 were females. There were only 2
single-speed bikes.

Shidi & Adwin from KL

Oh, in our midst were also 2 riders from KL. When I first heard that they were planning to come down for the TOS, I thought they were just fooling around.
Until I saw them in Haji Lane.
It was their 1st ever trip to the Lion City. Mad props boys!

James being “peaceful”

From Clarke Quay, we made our way to TR Bikes for a quick stop before moving on to the 1st leg of the tour.
Everyone was in high spirits.
The ride from East Coast to Changi Coastal wasn’t much of a challenge to most of the boys.
Oh, I always find myself riding alongside The KGB and more often than not, our conversations would always make no sense.

Vira needs a haircut

The recce ride that we did prior to the real TOS was a big help really. The ones who were already familiar with the route always kept a look-out for the other riders.
After a quick stop at Changi Coastal, we then proceeded to our next destination:Seletar.

The ride towards Seletar this time around was a bit different as there were more people and we had to ensure no one lost their way. It was all good though. JJay had always been pessimistic about her chances of completing the tour, but the boys were very supportive and there will always be at least one rider accompanying her.

I was riding next to her some 3 kms away from Seletar Dam when she suddenly said: “I’m gonna do my happy dance the moment we reach Seletar!”. True enough, she did!

Next up was Kranji Dam.
I could sense that some of the riders were already tiring. Fatigue had set in and some were beginning to struggle.
The fitter ones though were having the time of their lives.

Wei Jie & Ben

A few riders decided to throw in the towel when we reached our next stop over atKranji. I had expected that. But it’d have been great if everyone had been able to complete the tour together.
Nevertheless, it was great to see that the majority of the riders were still standing strong and were raring to go.

Our next destination is Boon Lay.
This particular leg of the tour is by far the most treacherous. Initially I thought it was just me, but after talking to the rest of the boys, I concluded that this is
“The Death Stretch“.
Why? Because it tortures you mentally. I know it mind-fucked me bad. Bey had to keep sane by singing some CD anthem or something.
Jon told me that he had to concentrate on the road markings and block out his surroundings.
More than once did I entertain the thoughts of giving up, but again, the sight of my fellow riders, friends & some that I’d even consider brothers, spurred me on. (It didn’t help that I had a major headache going on)
And so I continued cycling. To be honest, I was on “auto-pilot”. My mind was blank, but my legs kept on moving and moving and moving.

I felt so relieved when I saw the familiar sight that is Boon Lay.
I was hungry. The boys (and 1 girl) were hungry.
We made a quick stop, grabbed ourselves some Nasi Lemak and after a quick session of psyching each other up, we moved on towards the final stretch of the tour.
The War Memorial – City Hall.

The final leg of the tour was undoubtedly the best for me personally.
All of a sudden, the familiar surroundings of the cityscapes were around me.
Everything becomes familiar. The boys were going crazy.
People like Arm, Cong and James were going super-fast.
Others decided to just ride a little slower and take in the night scenes.
When we reached the Harbourfront area, we thought we might be able to see some party-makers (ZoukOut was held that night) but alas, none were seen. The place was pretty quiet. I guess we were the only crazy ones to actually be outside of Sentosa at that hour.

At approximately 2:30 AM, the final group of riders arrived at the Memo.
Along in that group was one very special person. Jjay.
She actually completed the whole damn tour! The very person who kept insisting that she’d falter and give up. Mad props to you woman!
Wing Tong, that one-armed bandit, he completed his 2nd TOS in the space of one week.
Shidi & Adwin - 1st visit and they’ve actually circled the whole island. Wicked!

And so, after close to 10 hours of riding, laughing and sweating (not to mention fighting all the thoughts of throwing in the towel) I have completed the TOS.
Twice.
I still find it surreal. I still can’t believe that we had actually rode around the island together.
Nothing beats the feeling of riding with people who share the same passion as you.
Nothing.

I thank each and every single one of you guys for making this ride possible.
Let’s hope this won’t be the last.
Oh, mad props to my man Aaron and the Pokaywak boys for  helping us out! Thanks guys!

Special thanks to our sponsors and supporters:
Nookmag
PEONFX
Nike
Burger King
TR Bikes
Gee Hin Chan & Co.
Flesh Imp
New Balance

One.

The T.O.S.
The Tour of Singapore.

Talks of it started some 8 months ago when Bey, Idris, Jacky and myself would go out on some random ride and we would jokingly talk about cycling around the island on our bikes.

I found the whole idea a little “over-the-top” as far as I’m concerned. I’m not the fittest of riders around and I honestly felt that I’d never be able to complete the so-called “tour”. But interestingly, over the next couple of months, the boys and I embarked on a few long rides that somehow made me realize that a “Tour of Singapore” is actually a feasible idea.

Remember The Pride Ride & The Mandai Ride guys?

So what started out as a “joke” amongst ourselves suddenly turned into something “serious”.
Idris was so into the whole idea that he came up with a route for the T.O.S.
He had to make a few changes and eventually he settled on a 120-kilometer route that spans the outer perimeters of the entire island.

120 kilometers.
That number is not funny at all. Period.
We are no athletes.
We ride for fun. We ride because we love riding. We ride because we love zipping through traffic around the city.
The thought of it was daunting, but somehow each and every single one of us was actually looking forward to it.
We wanted to prove to ourselves that whatever other cyclists can achieve
(read: road bikers) on their bikes, we can do it too.

After a few discussion sessions, we concluded that we needed to do a recce ride and familiarize ourselves with the route prior to the real ride. And so on the 5th of December 2009, a total of 15 riders from Crank Arm Steady embarked on that 120-kilometer journey.

We gathered at East Coast Park that afternoon prior to moving off.
15 riders. 1 mission.
Complete the ride.

We left East Coast Park at approximately 6:30 PM and made
our way to Changi Village.
The weather was nice. Initially.
Halfway into the ride, it began to rain. Heavily.
The boys kept on riding. No one entertained the thought of stopping.
By the time we reached Changi Village, everyone is drenched.
We had our dinner there before making our way to our next pit-stop at Seletar Dam.
(We had to wait for The KGB. He was 2 hours late. *&%#@!)

The ride to Seletar was quite relaxing. The boys were having a good time, riding and making fun of each other.
It felt real good riding alongside some of my closest friends. Surprisingly, I was keeping up fine with the rest of the riders.
The best part of this particular leg of the ride was
when I saw the reservoir at Seletar Dam.
It felt so good knowing that we’re almost on the half-way mark.

We rested there for a while, re-fueled by eating ice-cream and off we go to our next stop.
Kranji Dam.

The ride towards Kranji was pretty okay, it was a bit chilly though.
Everyone was still upbeat and some even decided to have a lil’ mashing session.
We reached Kranji at around 2:30 AM, rested there for a bit and off we went to our next pit-stop.
Boon Lay.

At this point, fatigue was slowly but surely seeping in.
I was even entertaining thoughts of giving up. I wasn’t tired physically, I was just mentally fucked up.
But I brushed those thoughts away every time I saw Wing Tong riding past.
If that boy can ride with only one good arm, I have no excuses to even entertain those thoughts.

We reached Boon Lay around 3:30 AM, rested our sore bums for a bit, had some Nasi Lemak and off we go on the final leg of the tour.
Haji Lane.

The final stretch was undoubtedly the best. Everyone was pushing everyone else. It was an awesome sight.
And the best part was that we saw a lot of people making their way to the StanChart Marathon.
So we had a lot of fun with the “Good Mornings” & “Good Lucks”. Heh!

At approximately 5:45 AM, after almost 12 hours of riding, we reached Haji Lane.
Haji Lane never looked so good to me before. Really.
The look of relief to have finally complete the tour was evident on everyone’s faces.

We were undoubtedly tired, but yet again we were also glad that we had achieved what we had gunned for all along.
Complete the ride.

One.

HOLLACHIAM! (holla + amaciam) is a compilation of skate videos featuring local skaters Qi An and the boys of WBW (We Bleed Wood). We’re not experts on skates but we do know a good video when we see one, further proving the point that talent does not exclude our shores. Edited by Qi An, enjoy the clip like how we did!

Elson Yeo’s tattoo shop at Far East Plaza looks like any other tattoo shop you might have walked past many a times, however don’t expect the same. Truly breaking the stereotype given to people with tattoos, Elson seems like the perfect role model to change that forever.

His studies in National University of Singapore has made him approach tattooing with a seriousness, only seen in professionals, aside from his intense passion for art on skin. Having been in the industry for a long time, we get his thoughts on the local tattoo community which has been growing steadily.

How long have you been tattooing?
Technically, for about 11 years but professionally, for 6 years.

Why made you start?
I guess if you’ve been drawing since 7 years old and have been experimenting with a plethora of mediums, soon you’ll come to skin; it’s a natural progression. You just get engaged with skin; it’s not wall or glass. Skin to me is very important because you capture what is living art (as clichéd as it sound) for eternity, as relative to the wearer itself, you do in ephemerality, you do it now. For me, it’s just the whole idea that captures me; the idea of expressing our artistry on a living subject. In this way, the paying customer does not buy your painting and hang it on the wall, he wears it, like it or not.

Isn’t the notion of wanting people to wear your art slightly narcissistic?
Narcissistic, no. Individualistic, yes. It’s just like a T-shirt designer where even if you break even or make a loss, you’re still happy just seeing somebody you don’t even know wearing that. It’s a sense of satisfaction.

I heard that you’ve studied quite a lot. What qualifications do you have?
First and foremost, what you hear about me is not true. (laughs) But for this aspect of studies, it’s true. I majored in political science, in National University of Singapore (NUS). Alas, I did. With a focus on realism versus idealism and political theory but I’m not with the PAP, so sorry! I didn’t say that.

So why the switch?
There’s no switch. I guess I’ve closetly wanted to be a tattoo artist since I was 11 years old. I’m serious. Not really a tattoo artist to begin with but an artist. When I read Crying Freeman, I remembered I showed my mum a picture of a man with a huge dragon tattoo and told her I wanted to be like him, what I got (I love my mum) was a slap. When you’re 11 and you show your mum this guy with tattoos, guns – a Yakuza, and you tell your mum you want to be like him you will get a slap, trust me. So fast forward some 19 years later, I’m here and my mum’s sitting there (at the front desk).

Do you think your studies has helped you in any way for what you’re doing now?
I mean, definitely but everything in life shapes you. In this case, if there’s one very good thing about NUS is that throughout this 20years of education what I did was to come up with a more analytical mind hence Think Tattoo. You put yourself in this chair and you’ve to interpret what the wearer wants. There’s a fine line between specializing in something without superimposing what you want on other people. What I believe a good tattoo artist should do is not to pigeon hole, do a nice variety of all styles so when you want to specialize in something, you can tell people that you prefer this style. I think that’s more important. What’s the most important in our job is not really Miami Ink; being a psychologist, none of that, it’s just to reach into the customer to extract something that is abstract (in the mind) and make it tangible (on the skin). It’s more of an interaction.

What are your views on the local tattoo scene?
They are fantastic! I love them! Brothers and sisters unite! It’s a growing community, it’s healthy and I like it. The thing you’ve to understand about a growing community is that there will be some uncertainty but I believe with the Singapore Tattoo Show, it will pick up, definitely.

What do you think can be improved in the community?
Like I said, it’s a growing community and with the limelight showed on us by the international circuit; for this past year when I travel, people go “The Singapore Show is really good and I would love to attend it the next year!” and it makes me realize people are looking at us. Pressure, stress or whatever you’d call it, will help. Tattooing, as with all specialty, just allude it to a stream with fast moving water. You can jump it, anyone can but it’s staying there that matters; when you’re true to what you believe in, have passion and stand firm. Maybe to move a bit, it takes more effort but you know where you are; you won’t jump in and get washed away. I guess, with so many people taking up tattooing because it’s cool, you’ll soon see the difference between a real tattooist and a trendy wanker.

What’s the difference between foreign and local tattooists?
A lot, I mean what’s the difference between a foreigner and a local person? For mindset, in Europe where you get a very strong artistic background, when you grow up like that it’s different. You’ve the architecture, the books and language. With the US, there’s a very deeply rooted tattoo culture as opposed to artistic culture; the tattoo scene there is very rampant and vibrant. It’s understood that people come in, don’t bargain and are there just to get a tattoo. But for us, in a nice way I call it fusion and in a bad way I call it ‘rojak’, and we have no real culture; we’re not indigenous to anything because we’re migrants.

That’s why when people ask me what is the Singapore style, I say there is no style and I find it, the everything and anything but nothing style, is in itself a style because we’re flexible like that; we can get creative input from anything and something very interesting comes up in the end. That is kind of what I’m aiming for now, which is a mix-mash of everything.

What do you think tattooed people get stereotyped?
The one that sticks out always gets hammered right back in, it’s always like that. As for now, if you have a tattoo, I don’t think you’ll stand out that much but if you’re extensively tattooed then you’ll always stick out. I think that’s the beauty for the tattoo tribe. Like what I always tell my friends, there’re only two types of people in the world – tattooed or non-tattooed people; dichotomy. So the thing is, unfortunately or fortunately, majority of the world remains non-tattooed and they’ll judge. Anything they can bring to the table and say ‘Oh they’re degenerates, they do drugs.”

However, you do realize that there are illiterate non-tattooed people who are drug-takers and beat up their wives, and because they don’t have a tattoo, they are very good people. So you can’t say that, you definitely cannot say that. I’m glad that we are pretty successful in fighting this stigma. A decade ago, you’d know your friend’s friend’s friend who has a small tattoo. Then five years ago, maybe you know somebody who has a tattoo and now you’d probably have a tattoo. But of course, with the wave like this, in 50 years it would be cool to not have a tattoo; a punk wouldn’t have a tattoo.

What other purpose does a tattoo have other than being decorative to you?
To me, I feel that the ability to decorate yourself permanent or temporarily separates us from animals; zebras and pandas cannot choose. For us, there’s the hair, clothing and tattoos. It’s a conscious choice to permanently alter yourself. Another purpose would be to further highlight your humanity in that you’d want to be heard, to mark yourself apart from the maddening crowd. You realize that even in the tattoo community, as long as you don’t subjugate yourself to a picture on the wall and get something really customized, people can read who you are from your tattoo piece. That’s why I say that people like us are a lot more honest because at least we wear our emotions on our sleeve and you can see it; turning yourself inside out. Maybe it is evolution, I don’t know but I just do what I’m doing and I hope it’s good.

How do you get inspiration from all your work?
I think it’s something you pick up over the years, as an artist in general, not just a tattoo artist. It’s everything when you go to a new place; you meet new people. Also, sometimes you might find ideas in stuff you see every day. For instance, a German friend of mine told me (seeing that he is very sensitive to the Swastika) that in any four squares, you will see one Swastika and if I don’t point that out you’ll be surprised how many people won’t see that ever. You could be in a tiled bathroom, showering in a sea of Swastikas and you wouldn’t know that. This goes back to different cultures tattoo artists come from, what they see depends on what they’ve been through and exposed to. For me, I’m a Buddhist, the Swastika is the symbol for the divine will but for Germans it’s a stigma.

When I was in Europe, me being a bloody ‘sua ku’, I pay $5 to get a picture taken at an angle and then come back and do a tattoo based on that. It’s not just the angles, it is part of an angle melting into a demons’ face. It’s how we create and as much as it is about expression, you’ve to find a willing easel which is the customer.

What are the different kinds of tattooing?
The most commonly embraced technique would be the electro-magnetic machine, which is what I’m using now. Everyone knows how to use it and you get an apprenticeship based on it. It was supposed to be an engraving machine and apparently somebody engraved their own hand with ink by mistake, but it looks good. No history lessons, but there’s really a huge array of techniques available. Eskimos used to sew, they would blacken a thread with soot, lift up their fur coat or whatever it is they wear and thread.

For the Japanese they have the Horimono where they have 168 needles at 2pokes per second. I use electro-magnetic and pneumatic machines, of which the latter is powered by air; same idea as the air brush. Another type I use is the rotary machine which is based on jailhouse tattoos where they originally used guitar strings, I don’t use that of course, that’s too ghetto. So I used machines especially made based on that mechanism, it’s great for very neat and precise dot work. There’s another one, a hybrid, which has a rotary top-mounted but now I’m starting to sound like a grease monkey from the garage.

I think what I heard that interests you is the technique they use in Changi Prison which I fortunately, touch wood, have no idea of. It’s where you file half a needle into a bevel edge, tie a loose thread around it, dip it in Indian ink or a concoction of what you think is ink (i.e. burnt cups, cigarette ash, water or pee) and slowly poke through a back piece that could take weeks. And what we normally do, or for me, is to draw straight on you or a heat-transfer carbon paper but what the boys in Changi Prison do is to use a ballpoint pen, rip open an NTUC bag, draw the design 4 or 5 times on the plastic, get the boy to vigorously exercise to break out in slight sweat and draw on the plastic till the ink transfers. I’ve to say kudos to them, it’s a very innovative method. With that method, a line of 2 to 3 inches takes 30 minutes to do. I’ve seen some of the jailhouse tattoos, the line work is very good but there’s almost zero shading.

What does it take to become a professional tattoo artist besides the skill and creative aspects?
It is to know the ethics and integrity of this trade. Why not do it professionally, go to a studio and get a proper apprenticeship, go through the whole nine yards and learn everything? The art of it is your creativity and passion which moves on to the craft which includes preparation and sterilization.

Ethics regarding age is a sensitive issue because you can always argue when is one old enough to decide what you want permanently on your body but of course there’s the universally accepted, 18 years old. However, when you have your own studio you self-govern and I don’t mess around with this, it’s ethically not right for a few dollars.

For sterilization you definitely need to know about cross-contamination, air-borne diseases, etc. and other pre- and post tattooing procedures. Basically do not endanger anybody, especially yourself. As a tattooist, every single customer becomes a threat unless you know what you’re doing. You can never put it out of your mind and fully concentrate on your art.

There’re so many intricacies to this discussion that I think it’s only fair to classify a professional tattoo artist as such when you know and meet the requirements. The rest of them, well we will not talk about art because, we always have this joke about tattoo artists and tattooists, they can photocopy. What we call these unprofessional people are scratchers who tattoo out of their mum’s backyard or kitchen and that’s not cool.

What other regulations would you like to see in the tattoo community?
I think it would be wise for us to attend seminars on cross-contamination and preparation. It’ll be good if we have some common ground regarding these regulations.

Any last words?
I hope what I’ve said has been informative and you really have to think before you get a tattoo, don’t get it because of the trend. But of course, keep Singapore beautiful so get one!

Think Tattoo is located at Far East Plaza #02-65. You can also check him out at Thinktattoo.org

The Triqnaqi is a specially crafted and designed outreach programme to introduce the youth of Singapore to Hip Hop culture, and what better way to get them jump started than to inspire them with amazing top-notch performers representing the various elements, namely breakin’, graffiti writing, emcee-ing and DJing.

Featuring respected personalities such as Godfather of Hiphop Sheikh Haikel, DJ Rattle, One Crew, Radikal Forze, Scope One and Defianto, it too proves that Hiphop in Singapore is no poorer than that of other countries and it is here to stay.

source

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!