RCGNTN: make local your focal

Tony Tay comes across as a friendly, unpretentious guy who just so happens to be the founder of one of Singapore’s most prominent labels around, Geseho. But with further investigation, what comes through most strongly about the man is his passion for building up a street culture that we can truly call our own and bringing about a positive change to the mindsets of many. A man of many talents and one who has possibly dabbled in a variety of areas, he shows me that there is no stop to learning and sticking up for your own priniciples, and most importantly, knowing where you came from and representing it with pride. It is no wonder that he commands a lot of respect with regard to his beliefs as well as his label, which he has brought up from humble beginnings at the guerilla garage store.

What is the concept behind Geseho?
It came from our garage, Geseho Motor Works. From there, we took our daily repair work as a metaphor for our clothing to craft and shape our local street culture.

Garage wear is closely associated to America. So local garage is like…
Local garage is like ‘anything goes’. (laughs) Basically for us, we have got a garage and we do our repair work there, but we don’t have a uniform so everyone wears anything they are comfortable in unlike the US where they have specific garage uniforms. So for Geseho apparel, we are not bounded by that which means we can produce all kinds of clothing.

Do you only stick to staples like black, white and grey?
It’s not really our staple colour. I guess maybe it has something to do with our age; old people find it hard to wear red and green. (laughs)

Do you find yourself following the trend sometimes?
I would be lying if I said no but I will always put out what I feel like wearing first before thinking of what the customer would want. If I’m starting the brand, I need to lead instead of following the trend. We are creating a brand here, we’re giving it character. It has to be in a way whereby people start feeling for the brand, and not the other way round where you feed people what they what. We need to have our own identity. If customers like it, they buy it. We’re here to put out our own style. You don’t see me wearing cropped pants right?

How about the recent popularity of Cut and Sew?
Cut and sew is nothing new to Asia. The reason why it’s so popular in US is because street wear brands there use existing, readymade shirts and all they have to do is to add their designs and tags. When it comes to customizing the cutting of your shirt, it’s new to them. Asia, on the other hand, has got no readymade shirts to use hence we’ve got to start from scratch; it’s our culture.

Tell us about Awaken, your most recent collection.
Awaken is very personal to me. I’ve been into street wear and hunting limited stuff for so long and I’ve finally come to a point where I feel that I don’t really need all these stuff even if they look cool. I have moved on.

How about your next collection, Gorgeous Mannequin? It’s a pretty intriguing title for a collection.
The idea came to me when we organized the last event and brought in Darbotz from overseas, a well known artist from Indonesia. However, the turnout was not as good as expected and we came to the conclusion that many people are just into this for the fashion; to look good but no desire to find out more about the culture.

What inspired you to start Geseho?
The street, because I find that there’s something lacking here, a street wear brand that is purely inspired by our street. There are a lot of street wear brands out there but I find that they are not talking about our street culture; instead they’re just another casual wear brand.

Then what is our local street culture?
It depends on how you see it. To me, because it’s a ‘rojak’ (mix) of everything, that’s our unique point. For example in Japan or Korea, they have only one culture but Singapore is unique in a way that there are so many different races and cultures. It’s something that we should embrace and sell to the world.

Why is it that people are not so supportive of local brands and would rather wear foreign brands?
I feel that there are several reasons from both the brands and the consumers ends that led to this. Local brands may have failed to put out nice products or build up a cool brand image that the people can be proud of representing. Consumers may lack of brands and cultural knowledge or they are just too narrow minded to accept and explore local brands and street culture. Other reasons could be peer pressure, lack of personality, etc.

How do you intend to push our local street culture with your clothing?
I don’t intend to push our culture; I just do what I believe in. When I was younger, people told me Singapore wasn’t ready but it’s been more than 15 years and we’re still at the same place. Perhaps it’s because we don’t have someone ‘up there’ who we can follow; we don’t have a pioneer in street wear unlike in the US where they have had Stussy around for many years. It’s not that we’re not ready; it’s just that nobody dares to do it. So, like I said, I’m just here to do what I do and hopefully it sets a good example.

What more can be done to change the scene?
It takes more than the clothing brand to change the scene, it takes many people to change it; artists, musicians, Bboys, clothing brands as well as the sneaker scene have to come together and embrace our own artists and culture. Only then will people outside of Singapore notice us. 

One of the most powerful channels is the hype. Do you think hype is a good way to bring street culture to the masses?
I think hype has become part of street wear culture but whatever people try to hype up, it might not work. It depends on how you see it. There might be some stuff that is hyped up to some people but to others, it doesn’t mean a thing; it depends on the individual. If kids were to buy something because everyone is talking about it, then he is lacking in personality. It also depends on your definition of hype. The other hype is that this shit is in demand and has got value. If a piece is well made, naturally a lot of people will like it but then that wouldn’t necessarily mean it’s hyped.

We can try to hype up anything but if the product is not good, people can tell. If I’m going to hype up something that is similar to another famous brand, people are not blind and will think that you stole the idea. The product also needs to have substance to stand on its own.

Does anything in the local scene disappoint you?
What is a disappointment has already gotten people disappointed. (laughs) I mean before we started the brand, we came to a conclusion on what we felt about the scene so we’ve already passed the stage of disappointment. Now, we’re looking forward which is why we started the brand. If you stay disappointed, the whole scene will never change

Any future plans?
Hopefully we can work with more people, create more noise and quality work. And get people talking about Singapore’s culture and our local artists and musicians.

Last words?
Support your local brand! (laughs)

The Geseho Flagship Store is located at 390 Victoria Street, 01-22 Golden Landmark.

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!

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

Edward has been an electronic dance DJ for 10 years. Shedding light on the realism of being a local DJ, the music industry and on the majority of Singaporeans today, Edward’s views are strong, rather skeptical, but hopeful. Through this interview alone, he has taught me the importance of unity within each community and all the communities put together, for music was meant to unite. With disagreements among each community over the superiority of either genre or style, it is stressed that friendly competition is encouraged, not hate; for only with unity can we appreciate our local talent.

Image source: Edward’s Facebook

How did you start out?
I started out moving sound systems and doing dinner and dance gigs, family day outings and product launches, stuff like that. I had to play after the set up, and after playing I had to do the tear downs. Very basic stuff.

Many think the life of a DJ is rather glamorous, but realistically, how’s it like?
Realistically in Singapore it’s a job. It’s a job that you entertain people; it’s a job that you play music…

The kind of music that you like?
There is an opportunity to insert something that you like, and something that the crowd might like. There is that opportunity, but the chances are very slim. An example of the Singaporean audience is like giving sweets to a little boy. If you give them plenty of sweets, they will be very happy. But if you give them a cup of coffee afterwards, they won’t like the coffee. So how do you find a track that is in between what they can accept and what you like? It’s not easy. You have to give them enough sweets before you can throw that track unto the floor and say “I think you might like this, let’s check it out”. But you have to do it in a way that it flows with the music.

So in your 10 years that you have been doing this, have you ever had that chance?
Plenty of times I have tried tracks that are not played on the radio, and thing is you cannot allow it to play for too long. When that happens you have to be smart about it.

I’m sure a lot of people prefer commercial music, but why is it that no one wants to give them the time of day to listen to the music that they like? After all it is the music that the DJs like to listen to that shapes them into that style.
First of all, electronic music or EDM is intelligent; it’s got a certain groove and a lot of time and attention is needed to listen to that kind of music, and basically Singaporeans do not have the luxury of extra time to do so. A regular person works 9-5, goes back home for dinner, probably has to work OT at home on his laptop or take care of the kids, spend time with the family- so that leaves them with no chance or time to care about the music they listen to. They do not bother about wondering if there is other music out there that they have not listened to, and this thought has not yet come to their heads as their focus is on making money and trying to survive here in Singapore. The expense of living here is very high; to own a car or house you have to take a loan from the bank, and everyone is working hard to pay off that loan.

The people you’re referring to are those of the working class, middle-aged population right? How about the younger generation?
The younger ones go to school with everything provided for from education to allowance, most do not work. Many are too pampered and spoilt for choice and would rather follow trends and what other people like. There is that mindset that if you do not like the same music as the majority, you are seen as uncool or weird. Furthermore, their parents do not bother about music as well, so why should they even take the step to explore music?

But I’m sure there are some people who appreciate such underground music…
Yes, there are, probably those into the arts and design or those who are studying that form of art. I haven’t been to school for a very long time so I wouldn’t be able to tell if these people will go into something different from what the radio is playing.

And some of these people are rather influential on the younger generation of today. Wouldn’t you say that there is hope?
I wouldn’t say there isn’t hope because there is, but then again these people will only go clubbing to certain places in Singapore. There is hope, but how many people can they influence? It takes everybody’s effort to make the electronic dance scene work, or bloom for that matter. In Indonesia, everyone is supporting their local DJs and if SG does not bother to support their local DJs or artists, then there is really no hope.

Do you think the clubs are able to influence these people?
The reason people go to clubs is to drink, dance and have fun; no one really bothers paying attention to the music.

Is that why ‘party music’ is popular today?
Yes, many don’t really listen to the music unless the energy level of the music is high when they enter the club. Even so, there are also many things to distract them with such as lighting, décor, beautiful people in the place, smoke and noise. Unless those people are musicians or DJs, they would tune in to the music.

Would you say the only place to enjoy such music is in the comfort of your own home, online, or a lounge?
It’s more on personal time. Like I said, this kind of music needs a lot of time to be able to appreciate, it requires a lot of time looking for nice tunes. There is an abundance of nice tunes available online. Personally I take a lot of time to look for a great tune, but for others it may take longer for I already know what to look out for. The difficulty is present and in addition to that, their focus is devoted to their family and on putting food on the table.

Why would you say that? How about the people who listen to music in their leisure time? Why can’t they tune in to such music then?
I don’t think they even have the time to do so. After a long day they are probably tired and would not have the time, or even leave the music to play while they sleep for fear of waking their parents, etc.

I’m sure there are other people who are not as busy and are able to devote their time to music.
There are, but a minority.

How has your journey been the whole ten years?
It has been tough ‘cause there are people who come to a place not knowing what kind of music to expect. From my experience at St James, there were people who requested for hip-hop or R&B when the banner clearly stated that it was a night of house music. We were already playing hip-hop remixes that are of a 4-4 beat, similar to hip-hop and R&B but still the requests came in. It already says a lot, and it’s tough. If you play a track that is very new and you know it’s going to be a hit, they will not accept it and back off the floor. When that happens, I am ‘forced’ to play something they are familiar with so they will come back. Six months later, I play the track again and it rocks. From this, it is concluded that it is not easy being a DJ in Singapore. It is probably easier in other Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan.

Many DJs I have spoken to have expressed the same sentiments about the lack of appreciation. But do you think they are being complacent?
There is a lot of music now, so it’s not easy to find a track that is in between commercial and underground. I don’t care what other DJs think but as one myself, I’d like to push that track till it becomes the club’s signature sound.

Do you think anything can be done to help the situation?
First of all you need to lower the cost of living in Singapore. That is the core issue. And have a radio show that actually plays proper music, or EDM music. That’s how it started in Europe, look at Radio One. They are playing it on the radio all the time.

It must be able to connect with everybody.
Yes, and it is the media that is very powerful. Media is the biggest tool to connect to the audience. Look at television, Channel 5 and 8 are playing really crappy shows and people still tune in to it.

They just want to relax.
Yes, they are working so hard and are exposed to stress and politics where they work. They just give up on something that puts soul back in their lives.

Any advice for aspiring DJs?
Just keep on trying. It doesn’t take one person, it takes everybody. If everyone works towards a dream, then it will happen. It takes everybody’s effort. Even among DJs there are many disagreements and different theories, but music is music, there is good music and bad music.

Edward currently spins at Stereolab which is located at Pan Pacific Hotel, 7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square

RCGNTN was definitely not expecting to see a shy and awkward boy when we requested for an interview with Fish, the owner of Pescados. Throughout the interview, he apologizes more than once for his imperfect English and sometimes seemed surprised by our questions like as if he never thought about them before. However, even while doing National Service, Fish has been able to manage two stores (Far East Plaza and Pacific Plaza) but with the help of friends and his parents of course. One thing that strikes us, is how proud he is of his parents (for their help) and it most definitely seems that they are as proud of him as he is of them.

How long has Pescados been around?
We started quite a while ago, around 2004. The reason I started planning all this was because I had a lack of clothes to wear (laughs). I was trying to do something for myself, and it was only until two of my friends joined in that we really brought Pescados out to the public market.

So you’re not the only person handling it?
No, but design wise, yes. Initially I was the only one till some of my friends, whom I got to know through my Multimedia course, took interest in it as well. They contributed quite a bit which I’m grateful for and my parents gave a lot of support as well.

Are you local?
I wasn’t born in Singapore; I came here at around ‘97 when I was about 12. I consider myself a Singaporean, because all my friends are here.

Did anything influence what you design or what you wanted to make?
I do what I like; the things are based on my own interest and style. I am a bit stubborn (laughs).

So you don’t follow trends?
Of course we would need to follow trends because Singapore is a very small market. We’re currently concentrating on the overseas market. We do get influenced by a lot of overseas brands and the way they style and market themselves, it’s what we should learn from them.

Not many labels are able to produce a whole line of clothing, how did you manage to do so?
My father owns a factory in Taiwan, so initially our product range only consisted of tees. That was during my school days, so I only wore tees (laughs). He helped me out and we came up with a few designs together. We strive to be different from others so we try to produce a full range of products for more variety which is something I am also interested in. I just try to be different; everything I have done is purely out of passion and interest, and for self-satisfaction.  We’re such a small brand, it’s great that RCGNTN is doing this.

How do you feel about trying to make a living out of something you like?
I try to prove to people that actually can make a living out of something you’re passionate about. I hope we inspire people to do so. We’re helping out quite a few other people who have independent businesses; we’re also a manufacturer, so we’re helping younger people who have approached us, and we’re happy to help.

It’s mostly streetwear, is it?
Yes, that’s my current interest although eventually it might change (laughs). As we age, so will style change. We also launch different products to offer more choices in limited quantities at affordable prices to our customers, such as our very own zippo lighters which we released last year.

So what’s the trademark style of Pescados?
My own style (laughs). There’s no particular style, some people like it or don’t like it.

Do you have a common theme for your designs?
For every season we make a few products along the same theme, but not all. We mostly follow the current trend and what influences us the most. Sometimes we incorporate messages such as ‘Save the Earth’ in our tees for younger consumers so besides being able to dress well, hopefully they get the message and think twice about the environment.

How did you come up with the logo?
Out of nowhere (laughs). The origin of Pescados is very random, like what I told you before; it’s mostly based on my interest. Eventually we worked on it and managed to establish a few shops and got people to support us, and in return we try to come up with more original and fashionable apparel.

How do you feel about competition?
No matter which industry you are in, there will always be competition. We try to be different by avoiding the main trends in Singapore, and instead offer something different for those who wish to stand out from the crowd such as clothes inspired by the global trend, which is not necessarily applicable to Singapore as there is only one season here. Many things are often unavailable and other brands in the market may not be willing to make those products, so we try to fill that gap. Also, because we are looking global (we have Australian and Taiwanese retailers taking our products), we need to take them into consideration as well, such as producing winter clothing to cater to their four seasons. At the same time our winter-wear is also available to local Singaporeans interested in overseas traveling.

How do you feel about the success Pescados has attained? You have 2 outlets and also a full range.
I never forget when we were just blossoming and the fact that we manufacture our own products. I don’t want people to think that we’re doing this to make a living; we’re simply doing this to provide people with something they can wear, and it all boils down to passion, really. And to have accomplished this much up to this day, I feel very happy, very grateful for all the support. We have a couple of resident designers now (my friends) to help me out as I am busy with National Service. I am very grateful for their ideas.

It’s admirable that you’ve been able to accomplish so much at such a young age.
Not really, everyone can do it. This is nothing and I hope everyone can do it. If you put in enough effort you can do it, no matter what industry. It depends on your mindset and most importantly, the hard work you are willing to put.

Any shoutouts?
Give the best in everything.

To find out more, visit Pescadoswear.com!

You might have seen some of Jordan’s work when he’s busking on the streets of Clarke Quay or Tampines, at Baybeats ‘09 or at the recent Midnight Shift. Going by the acronym ‘Night Sky Paintings’, Jordan Ng has been doing aerosol graff for a decade and has been on the streets for two years, using a special technique of manipulating spray paint with objects such as creased paper and knives. Jordan is such a master at his craft that his best time is a whopping 40 SECONDS for an A4 piece!

We talk to Jordan about his art, and find out that beneath all that hard work lies a lot of passion and humility.

Manipulating spray paint is not very well-known locally, right?
In Singapore, yes, not a lot know about this; I’m the only one who does this. There are a few who do this on a private basis but not as big a scale as I try to make mine.

It is evident a lot of work goes into all this, how did you learn about it?
Must I really tell my secret? (laughs) It takes a lot of practice. I first saw a guy do it on the streets and I went home to try it, and after ten years of Youtube I kinda learnt from there.

How would you describe the style of your paintings?
My paintings are more of space and fantasy, more science-fictional kind of paintings. It’s a balance between abstract and realism, so it is open to both people who don’t really look at paintings to know what it looks like and to those who are more interested in abstract who can actually tell the meaning of paintings and what it is trying to convey.

They’re mostly landscapes, so how can they be abstract?
What I mean by abstract is that these aren’t real landscapes; the colours aren’t applicable to real nature. They are very fantasy/ sci-fi based, and in saying that, it’s not exactly fantasy or sci-fi because they are sometimes based on dreams, so there’s a more dreamy feel to it.

Are your works for sale?
Yea I do sell them on the streets for a token sum.

What are your views if someone requests you to paint something that is not your style, for example injecting pastel colours into the otherwise ‘dark’ sci-fi/fantasy style characterized by Night Sky Paintings?
When you ask an artist to paint, it is asking him for his own inspiration. You can’t ask Picasso to paint something from Da Vinci or vice versa; it doesn’t make sense. If you like the artist’s style, then, of course, you like it. But if you don’t, it is to each individual’s taste. I have painted light paintings before and I have had comments from others saying “man, you’ve lost your style, you don’t have the impact”, and when I paint it with impact, they say it is too dark and too powerful. You can’t satisfy everybody, and I feel that as an artist, I should paint out of my own inspiration, how I feel and how I’d like my paintings to turn out. That’s how I actually feel good about painting. It delivers the message that I want whether someone likes it or not. That’s the whole idea of art.

What advice can you give to others who are interested in doing this?
Don’t bother what everyone else has to say about your painting because you are not a contractor. It does not only concern painting, it’s also applicable in doing work; whether you’re a designer or someone who works in an office. When you do your work purposefully and deliver meaning from it, you get a sense of satisfaction and that is better than satisfying any one person because you can never satisfy everyone at the same time. As long as you have this inspiration to do something, go ahead and do it, and if it turns out exactly the way you wanted it to be, it makes your effort all worthwhile.

Jordan will be having his first solo exhibition at House (8D Dempsey Rd) titled ‘Nature/ Future’ from the 5th to the 30th of November. Be sure to RSVP to debbie@spa-esprit.com or you can simply head down to his website at nightskypaintings.blogspot.com.

RCGNTN talks to one of the biggest names in local graffiti – The Killer Gerbil who is also known as Luthfi Mustafa. His work, stickers or graffiti painted in the likeness of a gerbil, is littered all around Singapore. Given that vandalism is a crime in Singapore, you would think that graffiti would be illegal but Luthfi has managed to continue doing what he loves on a more public level; works for Nike, Adidas, etc. An art teacher in a secondary school, Luthfi’s trademark, the Killer Gerbil, has been commissioned by even the government.

We find out how the genius behind the character, The Killer Gerbil, thinks and his views on graffiti itself.

What inspired the Killer Gerbil?
I’m inspired by pop art because I’m a 80s kid and grew up watching cartoons and MTV. So my direction is more towards pop and street culture. I had this pet gerbil that I kept for 10 over years, and friends who come over would comment that it looks like me. It became a private joke between my friends and I, so after drawing out my character, I went around pasting it on lamp posts to let them know that Luthfi has been there. I did fine art back in the art institution. To be an artist you’ve to be someone, but I’m just nobody; the boy from next door who thought of bringing art into public spaces to a bigger target audience. Instead of art galleries where there are a limited number of people, I could reach a larger audience.

Why graffiti?
For one of my projects with Zero, we were doing some artwork when we found some leftover spray cans. We took the spray cans and crossed over to this old warehouse at River Valley, it was in the afternoon, and had our first spray painting experience. From then on, I got very interested in graffiti and searched about it online. There was no one to teach us how to, we learnt it on our own. Through the internet we found out about the history of graffiti and how to combine our artistic concepts with it. It’s a powerful medium because you can paint over a huge-ass surface in a short span of time and it’ll stay in history.

When did you start?
I started the Killer Gerbil in 2003, after I finished my National Service not knowing what to; your job scope is very limited when you studied fine arts (e.g. working in a gallery). So being young and rebellious and waiting for a job, I did Killer Gerbil drawings and stickers. After one or two years later, I stumbled upon spray cans and started doing graffiti.

Do you consider graffiti as your career?
I’ve been doing this for 5 years, full-time back in the day and the money was fucking good because a 3 day job could get me a month’s pay of what I’m earning right now. It’s been amazing. I get paid for doing what I love, I get time for myself and could even use the money I saved from it to get married which I am pretty proud of as people tend to think that artists are poor. I tried to prove to the people around me and my parents that you can do anything you want if you’re focused.

But it hasn’t been easy right?
I mean of course it hasn’t, it’s graffiti for christ’s sake. It’s tough but maybe I got the advantage as no one took a step further to do it commercially. However, for me it’s not about the money. When I first started, it was about the passion and what happened afterwards was by chance. My graffiti is more character-based so possibly people find it cute. I think when people understand what they see, they’ll like it more. I always do the same character, it’s not that I don’t want to move to something new or make it my trademark instead I want to mindfuck people with it; when they see something over and over again, it gets embedded in their minds and they will get a feeling of familiarity from it.

Do you think you’d be going into other styles? What vision do you have for it?
I’m more into consistency, not that I don’t want to branch out into totally different style because secretly I’m still doing other styles like batik and water colours. I’ve got a lot of plans to try out different mediums with my character in the future but that’ll be decided in time. I don’t know how people will accept it but then again I’m doing it for myself so if they like it that’s good but if not fuck it.

Graffiti is not really accepted here, so what advice can you give to artists starting out?
No one taught me how to do graffiti, so that’s why I go to the streets and do it illegally but I’m not encouraging them to do that. Now the government is slowly opening up in allowing people to try out graffiti. You used to be able to just paint at the Scape Park at Somerset MRT but now due to some issues you need to send them a draft before you can paint there. First you have to be good in your basic drawing like forms and shapes, and then try to get to practice at legalized places. Do it for the passion not for fame or money because you won’t last if you do. Have something fresh, don’t copy and be original. Just be strong.

What’s going through your mind when you paint a new piece?
I’m not one of those artists who have sketchbooks, Antz will know. He will doodle everywhere but not me. If there’s some image in my mind, I’ll probably sketch it out a little bit but it’s more about the moment and space I am in then where I try to absorb everything around me by playing with the theme and colours. But now I’m trying to get into more sketches.

When was your big break?
Actually I have no idea! Up till now I still am not impressed by any of my work. I don’t surf the net for other graffiti artists’ works, but I do compare in hopes of finding something that will inspire me. When I first started off, I set up a blog and word got around. People started to know what I was doing and big companies also approached me; one of the first big companies was Canon, then Zouk, Nike and Adidas. I was lucky in a sense that I didn’t have to go out to tell people what I was doing; it was all through word of mouth and contacts. I got better as I got more projects, and learnt along the way. That worked for me and I was motivated but I don’t think that’s a really good way because you need to be trained and prepared before you can do a showcase. I guess different people work differently; I don’t prepare myself much but learn through doing projects.

Do you think the tagging you did around the city helped you as well?
Yeah, I think so because I just started for fun and it was more about the adrenaline and spontaneity. It was not until I had my blog when I realized, ‘Shit, this is good advertisement!’ It’s amazing as I even got a project from the government when they saw my stuff on the street.

What is the one thing you’ve been disappointed in or wished you could’ve done something about?
I always wanted to do something better and what saddens me is that the Singapore Art Festival only has a few local participating artists; probably 90% of them are foreigners. Also, all the art galleries bring in artists from Philippines and South East Asia. I’ve got no hate, but why don’t they try to push our local artists? And then they complain that we don’t have good local artists, but they just don’t get discovered. There are always good local acts, be it music or artists, just that they lack the opportunity to break out into the market.

Why are there no artists who do graffiti with a deeper meaning?
I think graffiti wise, it’s more about writing your name so most artists don’t really do politically sensitive pieces. However there are anonymous graffiti artists who do politically influenced stencils and nobody knows who they are. What they’re doing is good but it’s quite sucky that being in Singapore we don’t have as much freedom. For me, I’m a happy person and I do things that I like. I’m an easy-going guy. I mean you’ve to work 8 fucking hours a day, so I took to graffiti to feel free and it also serves as eye-candy. However, I do try to infuse my ideas of remaining happy in my paintings and colours.

Do you think you’ll be doing this in the long run?
This is what I love, I’ve been drawing since young; it has been my ambition to be an artist all the while when my friends have wanted to be a fucking pilot and teacher. My dad was an architect and supported me since day one; he brought me to museums and enrolled me into art competitions. He’s really cool. I got into an art school and he gave me the freedom to do what I want. There’s no reason for me to stop this, not because of the effort I’ve put into it but it just makes me happy. I foresee myself still doing graffiti when I’m 50. It’ll be cool when I have kids and they can tell their friends their dad is a graffiti artist. Futura, who is the benchmark for me, is 51 and is traveling the world still doing graffiti. It’s nice to know that people still do that at that age, keep it real and humble at the same time.

There are more than a handful of graffiti artists in Singapore but they seem to disappear after awhile. Why?
First of all, it’s because of the current environment. In Asia, it’s all about money making, commitment, family and paying tax. I don’t blame them because that’s just how it is, it sucks. Probably a couple of them might come out and be huge, and I hope they focus on graffiti because it will be a waste if they stop doing it. This is how it is in Singapore, only insane people will do this full-time. The graffiti community is very small so I would love to see young blood.

What exactly would you like to see?
I would like to see female graffiti artists because graffiti has always been about masculinity so it’ll be nice to have a female’s touch to it. Also, I would like to see Chinese characters graffiti style.

Do you think this will be accepted as part of fine arts?
It depends on the artist actually. As I came from a background of fine arts, I also use spray paint in my mixed media in my own art pieces. It shouldn’t be a problem if a local artist could achieve using spray paint as a medium to create fine arts because it is just a medium. 10 years back, we didn’t have hip-hop or skate but now we have a fucking skatepark and This Fashion is selling Kid Cudi. So maybe 5 years down the road, everyone might be doing it but only the real people will last. I think, yeah, you’ll start seeing graffiti influenced advertisements and the like.

click to enlarge

The graffiti artist, KAWS, now has his own exhibitions. Do you think that will happen in Singapore?
Yeah, but not so soon. I think for KAWS it’s all about contacts because no matter how good you are, if you don’t sell yourself, you won’t get anywhere. For KAWS, he has a very strong British following and the Japanese like his clean lines. You can stay for real underground or you can choose to portray yourself as an artist and sell your artwork while keeping it real.

Any last words?
If you like something (e.g. sports, art, etc.), go ahead and do it. Fuck what people say because there is always someone out there who wants to bring you down. As long as you’re focused and strong, you can easily what you want to achieve. Don’t do it for the money, do it for the passion and hopefully everything will work out for you. So fuck everything else, it’s all about you.

To find out more about The Killer Gerbil, visit his blog or his daily snapshots blog.

Sound designer by day, DJ and producer by night, Xhin lives the same double-life syndrome many Singaporean geniuses suffer from. It’s not a surprise to know that the artistic industry in Singapore is suffocatingly small. However, Xhin has managed to break into the European market and is doing very well abroad. He realistically relates to RCGNTN that he has been lucky and gives some advice to younger DJs of the present.

How long have you been playing and why did you start?
I guess around a decade. At first I was toying with instruments and synthesizers, I didn’t get serious until 2002. I was with a couple of bands and got sick of playing guitars and drums; the kind of instruments you’d usually find in a band because there’s so much more you can do with them. The band’s guitarist passed away in a motorcycle accident so the band disbanded; there was nothing much for us to do, some got married. I decided to do something and hence started as a solo artist.

How has it been like?
It was quite tough starting out. I was new to the so called ‘dance’ scene in Singapore then, I didn’t even know what Zouk was. I picked up partying and got to know some of the famous local DJs whom I picked up things from.

Were they willing to help you?
Yeah, we were friends. It was much more happening back then because we didn’t have so many DJs and parties. We shared records, cassette tapes and ideas.

You recently released your first full length album. How did that come about?
I did the CDR. I toyed around with the computer and my first ever software was Cool Edit. My friend taught me how to program music so I managed to do up my first demo. That was before 2003. Then I decided to work on harder sounds such as EDM, I got to know radio DJs like Chris who put it on air. It was that which gave me the motivation to do a full length album which was funded by a friend of mine; he was my boss when I worked in the post-production company. We came up with 700 copies, gave out quite a lot of friends, overseas and radio DJs.

A lot of DJ seems to move to production.
I was a producer first before I became a DJ. I was the exact opposite having come from a band I like to write songs and play instruments. I started making electronic music and wanted to learn how to play it live, and the only way was to DJ.

What was your transition to playing dub-step now?
The first genre I was into was IDM stuff like trip-hop. Once I discovered the Detroit Guys I wanted to do techno.

Did being in a band influence the music you make now?
Yeah, the very last band I was in played a little bit of soul and funk rock. We had a female vocalist and played funk with a rock edge with a Jimi Hendrix solo and organs. I guess it influenced the bass line in what I play; there’s more funk and groove in the techno.

We heard you’re also under a German record label. What’s the story behind that?
I didn’t plan working there, during that time I just got over my self-funded album in Singapore. I wrote some music but didn’t really like it. My friend told me to put my stuff up on Myspace, and without being aware of the copyright regulations, I put up the entire track. After 3 months, this guy from Germany sent me a message saying he liked my stuff and wanted to release my music from his label. So I checked out his link, and although that label was quite new then, I decided to just try it out. I’m still with this label, and that’s how it started. They first told me that my music was going to be released digitally and had me do a few remixes to test the market, and it worked. The second remix was done for a guy from Ireland, and that track got hit by well-known DJs around the world so I guess that’s how my name got known in Europe.

What the difference with local and Berlin production?
In Berlin, you can find music cults that like a very distinct music type; a house cult that listens to refined house or adult-techno cults. There’s no progression of genres, they just do what they like and make it their own style. For example the German style, it’s sometimes is not very groovy but still manages to get into your head.

Do you think there an appreciation for the German style of house music?
There is, but not so much.

Some people say that dub-step is intelligent music.
How intelligent can it get? The Germans don’t define themselves as intelligent; they get their inspiration from everywhere. It’s just dub music, you can choose to dance or pop pills to it. Of course in Singapore we don’t do that, we can’t do that here. So there will be a small number of people who really appreciate this type of music.

What do you think of younger DJs?
I don’t know; I’m not really into that scene. I also don’t have the time to check it out. I guess they play because they are young, and mostly like music with lyrics which crowds can sing along to. Everyone has the right to do what they like.

Do you think that the music younger DJs play (nu-rave and such) will affect you?
Maybe if you give them a few more years, they’ll be gone. This started very recently, like 1 year ago so it’s still new. I don’t think I have a need to comment on this but to me this kind of music is just noise. There’s no groove, you can dance and sing along to it but there’s no meaning. However, people have different ways in which they appreciate music; dancing or focusing on DJ-ing techniques. There are also some people who just want to party, get drunk and sleep while others are there because they want to be seen and see. But let’s see how many years they can last.

What do you think about the music scene now?
I don’t know. It’s everywhere now, it’s in chaos. Everyone wants to be a DJ, and when they see someone else spinning Steve Aoki or MSTRKRFT, they just jump on the band wagon. It’s all the hype. They will get boring. I have friends who come up to me and tell me they’ve gotten bored with nu-rave, and I say ‘That’s a good thing’. (laughs) You can’t keep that up when you’re 40, you can only do that when you’re in your youth.

How would you describe your style?
My style, you can hate or love it, but it’s more towards the ‘intelligent’ music. I like house music but I don’t do it because I want to do something different, something that stands out. My music might sound funny but I wanted it to be dark and different from the usual house or techno elements.

Are younger local DJs ready to break out in the global market?
You’ve to really differentiate; some DJs just DJ while some producers are DJs. If some DJs want to be producers they have to work really hard to learn more about engineering and mixing, it’s not about arranging a track as you have to have top-notch engineering skills to get recognized overseas. I guess those DJs who want to write or produce tracks; they have to go deep into engineering, mixing and have at least a musical background. You don’t want your music to sound amateur; you need depth in your sound.

What is the direction they should be taking?
It’s definitely not the hype because if you follow that, you can only be a DJ. Doing that is too egoistic and you might not get to the top. You have to produce interesting and intelligent tracks, not making the same kind of music everyone else is (e.g. most of the music today is digitalized and sold digitally). It gets boring and you become forgettable. If you want to produce something, make sure people remember your name and style. If you keep to the same style to get people to buy your tracks then you can’t consider yourself an artist, you’re just one of the people. This is the wrong way in doing it. Most importantly, we are Asian and you’ve to work extremely hard to be more outstanding creatively so they can appreciate you.

What can we expect at Mnshift?
The usual techno style I’ve been playing. It depends on the crowd. You can also expect tech-house, some 80s, 90s and current music.
You can check out more of him at Xhin.com

JJ Lin- renowned artiste, composer, producer and now entrepreneur of his own label, SMG. Not to be confused with SMUDGEstore, they both carry the same theme ‘Still Moving Under GunfirE’ which pertains to everyday struggles and portrays it in a positive light.

When not smiling for the cameras and screaming teenagers who are clawing for a piece of him, JJ Lin wants the time to do what he likes. He tells RCGNTN the reason behind creating SMUDGE (SMG) store and his expectations for it. We also get to find out what his opinions are having come so far in the music industry.

Music and apparel are two very different things. Why go into apparel?
Basically I’m an appreciator of art, the general art. I think these few elements (music, art, fashion) just click together, and they are just different forms of expression. As an artiste, a composer and a producer, I value the creative side of myself and I want to express myself in any way I can with the same messages that I have been trying to portray within the song, within the music, as well as the current opportunity to express myself through fashion, through apparel. I think it’s a different satisfaction all in all because it’s more visual, it’s more everyday as clothing is something that everyone wears. I think wearing a t-shirt that says something about you, your life, or what you believe in is a very direct kind of acknowledgement of yourself. Wearing what you like can very easily and quickly define who you are, so that’s why I started doing the label. I think in music, there are still limitations to how you can express yourself or understood.

Still Moving Under GunfirE (SMUDGE) is a very heavy theme in your apparel. Does it pertain to your personal life experiences?
Yea I guess it’s an extension to the experiences I have been facing in my whole career; not just mine but I believe other people’s lives which I have seen or observed or learnt from experiences because this theme is relevant to anyone in life. However big or small our problems can be in life, the whole theme of Still Moving Under GunfirE is about a modern day warrior. You are able to see yourself as a challenger of everyday life where you strive to succeed, even in the smallest things. It could be your work, it could be your job, and it could be a promotion or a project that you want to excel in. Life is about pulling yourself to the max, breaking boundaries, and that’s what this brand is about.

Why the collaboration with Devilock?
I think Devilock and SMG have very similar beliefs, strengths, loyalty and brotherhood; the rock spirit and themes like “Destroy everything and rebuild”. It’s all about struggle, everyday struggle, but we are using struggle to portray a positive light, and that’s the difference. A lot of other brands just talk about the darkness of life and all the vulgarities which may appeal to a lot of people but it is not the direction I want my brand to go towards. I want my brand to be able to ultimately build or form a generation of people who can really be mature, understand and live life well and contribute to the society in their own way.

Do you think your popularity will have any effect on this?
I’m definitely sure that it will, because as an artiste you cannot deny the fact that people see your label and relate the artiste with it. That’s how it goes. I only hope to achieve a point that the label does not need my name in order to survive. It can be because of JJ Lin that SMG is known, or gets popularity or support; but I don’t want it to just stop there because that’s not why I did the label for, if not I would have done a fan brand or different designs just catered for the fans. If you can see very obviously the designs and the direction is not more catered to the fans but it’s more catered for my own vision for the brand. I believe it’s a little more of a mature approach to the designs and the direction of the brand.

Ok let’s talk about music. Many people think that in order to succeed in the music industry they have to go to the Chinese market. What do you think about that?
I think that’s just the reality of a lot of the industry in Singapore. When we talk about it, it’s quite sad, but that’s how it is and we can only strive to make it better with what we do everyday. But I believe every little thing adds up to change, so let’s hope that whatever we do in this industry can help to build up a better and stronger local scene be it fashion or music. To me it’s all about not giving up. I can’t speak for everyone but I hope through whatever I’m doing, from my music and my endeavors in business can inspire or even encourage more people to live better lives.

When you first started out, did you consider going into the English market or did you jump right into the Mandarin market?
I was more English educated because I was from ACS, and mandarin wasn’t really my thing; I was never really confident in the Chinese language. But I guess doors opened for me, and it happened that the door that opened was more towards the mandarin market. I didn’t find it embarrassing or anything like that because I enjoyed the mandarin scene. It is because I enjoyed the music and was an appreciator of the mandarin pop scene that I was able to enter the scene happily without any struggles.

Many people are not able to see that and would deem that ‘selling out’.
I think it’s all about balancing your ideals and what you face in life, because whatever you see or whatever you go through in life can never be whatever you imagined it to be, and even if it is, it is never the same and you should always be looking ahead. For local musicians or artistes, I feel we should not dread and say “Oh we’re a local scene, it’s so small and in order to make a better living, we should just conform”. Before you do something like that I hope that everyone can just understand the whole thing and be the appreciator of things before you step into it, just like how I’m trying to do my thing in street culture right now. First, love the culture. I first found my passion in this whole scene before I said “Ok, let’s do it”, because if you do something out of less than 100% will, it’s not going to be long-lasting and it’s not going to be meaningful. Everything that we do, we should appreciate.

So who do you look up to in the local industry?
I look up to Kit Chan; she is my senior and I kinda saw myself following her footsteps. I started out as her backup singer many years ago when she had her concert in Singapore, and that was where I saw an example and thought maybe one day I would be able to have that same opportunity. When that opportunity comes, or if it comes, what should I do? So I told myself that the very best that I could do was to meet the requirements of what was given to me. It’s a ready heart.

The journey of how you built yourself to how you are today has definitely not been easy.
It hasn’t been easy. Things click, but it takes everyone to clap in order for one good thing to happen. I’m thankful for the team around me, my record company, and everyone who made it possible. Besides that, I tell myself everyday to look at my problems and see beyond that because only when you can see beyond that and move over the problem just like SMUDGE, then you will actually have the chance to survive; otherwise it wouldn’t even be possible even if the chance were to be thrown right in front of you. You wouldn’t even know that it’s there and you wouldn’t be able to take it. I think it takes a daring heart to do a lot of things. Whether you are up for it or not, you must have the heart to dare to step up. You may be a very talented person but if you are stuck with that kind of mindset, you won’t be able to move on.

Music to SMG… what’s next?
What’s next? (laughs) I don’t know, I’m intrigued by the movie industry, be it acting or directing or even just being a part of the production. Something that I would really look forward to would be more of a part of music, fashion… movies are more like a dream of mine but if I were to be given an opportunity I would definitely go for it.

Many thanks to JJ Lin and SMUDGEstore.
SMUDGEstore is located at #8A Ann Siang Hill.

RCGNTN was fortunate enough to get to talk to DJ Kenneth Francis who demystifies DJ-ing. Now a proud father and husband, DJ Kenneth is the second person to be featured in Roots and gives us his definition of being a DJ. For a veteran, he is as honest as we expect him to be and definitely does not sugarcoat his facts which we can appreciate.

So you do genre experimentation?
Yeah, generally I’m a breakbeat DJ but I sometimes do house and other genres in order to get by in Singapore. I’m not saying I’m a sell-out but I do house, drum and bass and dub step. I’m known as a breaks DJ.

What do you mean by saying you’ve to do other things to get by?
It depends, if I play sessions, I play house, tech-house and maybe drum and bass; I play what I like. I play everything when I play at residences, I put all the genres together; you can’t play what you like and have to follow the guidelines of the club.

That is not something many of the younger generation’s DJs seem to understand. Do you think they are complacent?
I don’t think so, I think they didn’t have the right people to guide them; perhaps they were misled by the fame of being a DJ. We were lucky to grow up in the 80s and were exposed to mobile discos and played a lot of  80’s tunes; equivalent to today’s top 40s. We had different influences and learnt how to play drawing inspiration/ ideas from that.

Would you say the culture was richer then?
I wouldn’t say richer, because we didn’t have many channels like now you have the internet. These days you can Google your favourite genre and artist and follow his lifestyle which is becoming a problem. In those days we didn’t have much pocket money so whenever we bought cassettes and vinyls, we’d listen to every song in it, not just the single song the musician is known for. We cherished our music a lot. DJ-ing was also more of passion not lifestyle probably because of what we were going through in the 80s which influenced how we felt.

But isn’t that how it always starts out; you follow your favourite artist first then develop your own style?
That’s why I don’t go around telling people I’m a breakbeat DJ although I’m more known for playing breakbeats from all the sessions I’ve done in the past. My advice is not to conform and limit yourself to a particular genre; you need to open your eyes (or your ears) and listen to all types of music. It’s a learning process and even I continue to do so.

Are you intimidated by the younger generation? The public now tends to look up to the younger DJs instead of the veterans unless the latter are still active in the DJ scene.
Yeah, I suppose but then again I think only a few of the older ones are left. The rest are probably selling insurance, doing other stuff (laughs). It was not lucrative for certain people back then to survive solely on DJ-ing and when you start a family it’s not feasible because in this line you’re away a lot. If you’re doing sessions then it’s a different story, you would need a day job because the standard of living in Singapore is so high. Hence majority of DJs from the 80s mostly do sessions and are holding day jobs; not exactly living the life of a DJ. Maybe that’s the problem for the younger generation that they don’t know what it is like to survive on just a DJ salary. It’s not easy, unless you’re lucky enough to work in a club that pays you the amount based on your years of experience. Session wise, in Asia, we’re quite recognized and there are quite a few good producers around. Sadly most of them are underrated, possibly due to the lack of exposure and monetary issues.

But wouldn’t they have acquired the sufficient recognition given the number of years they have been in the scene?
For example I know this guy who is very good at producing music but is entirely out of the DJ scene. The reason why he isn’t was not due to lack of recognition but that he couldn’t see himself going anywhere. It was not easy for people to accept him. But as time goes on, it gets easier with the internet, I suppose.

What is the life cycle of a DJ? Do people get tired?
Brandon P, who’s 40plus years old  ( I think), was someone I looked up to when I first started. During those days there were only a few DJs who were worth listening to (I’m not trying to insult anyone) and I picked up many things watching him play. He started in the early 80s. He’s also good at production and has some stuff for sale on Beatport which is an MP3 online store where you buy dance music. I think he’s the only one of the few left who started out in the early 80s, the rest are mostly doing production or other things.

How has experiencing unpredictable fame been?
In the 80s it was intense because there weren’t many DJs around. It was really different, you get treated a lot better, if you play in clubs they look after you and people know who you are. When you’re younger it’s mostly about recognition but as you progress in life it’s more of the satisfaction knowing you can hold the dancefloor and you get more serious about your music. Fame fizzles out and comes back again, I guess.

What is your current drive?
For me, it’s my family. I got a media degree in Australia after studying for 4 years. Honestly speaking, I only did that to please my parents, when I was younger I wasn’t interested in studying. A piece of advice I would like to give to the younger generation is to study because you always need something else to back you up and studying opens up your mind. People like to talk about drugs and drugs make music but dance music is intelligent music. I mean of course not all dance music is intelligent music; some people just cut and paste. Studying helps a lot as the knowledge you learn can contribute to the music you make.

I heard about Mesh Radio that you’re currently involved in, what’s that like?
It’s interesting and something different. It’s a good change because we can play what we want; Mesh Radio has different categories for the different types of music genres. For Joshua P and I, we’re both breakbeat DJs but sometimes in the show we don’t only play that because we want to give the audience a good mix of everything from tech-house to electro-house. However, we play breakbeats the majority of the time due to the slot we were given. At the moment Mesh Radio is taking a break because the studio is moving but we will be back in November.

How is it like working with Joshua P?
It’s great! I think chemistry is very important because when we’re on the radio nothing is scripted, we do things on the fly. I would agree and disagree on saying that doing things on the fly is unprofessional but we do it as it tends to be more natural. No matter how you do it, when people read from a script it tends to sound a little robotic.

How is the popularity of breakbeats now?
In layman terms, I think people can’t take 3 hours of breakbeats. They used to be able to do that in the 80s and 90s, I don’t know if it’s because of the big B word, but not now. You need to mix it up nowadays like I do with tech-house. I like tech-house, it’s something to play with; you need to work with the beats and it’s good with breakbeats. Tech-house, breakbeats and techno are all similar in terms of structure, based on the family tree of how music originated.

What is the one thing they should know about breakbeats?
Anything below 128 bpm, don’t buy. (laughs) I realized that a lot of people find it hard to dance to breakbeats, the best way to go is just to let your body flow. I get a lot of questions on that all the time. I mean, I’m not asking you to do the shuffle!

How will the Poptrash DJ course be like?
In regards of what I mentioned about the younger generation being misled, the Poptrash course will be very in depth. I don’t think we will do much hands-on in the first few lessons because I want them to first learn the history behind DJ-ing so they can Google and find the particular genre they like to see where it started from. That should be the way. I find that many people don’t have an in depth knowledge of what they play. For example, you say that you’re a nu-rave DJ but do you know where nu-rave came from? Even for trance DJs nowadays, it’s still 4/4, so you really have to know your music.

What should a DJ who is starting out be prepared for?
Hand and ear coordination, especially when you’re catching your beats. It depends on what course you want; turntables or CDs. Turntables are more of a hands-on thing, so don’t be afraid to put your hands on the platter. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes because I learnt things that way too. A lot of people are also worried about not being techy and knowing how to handle the equipment, don’t worry we’ll guide you through. Though I have to admit that DJ-ing is more ‘colorful’ these days with so many mixer and CDJ buttons.

Any last words?
Be true to yourself; people can call you a sell-out but as long as you know what you’re doing don’t bother, that is a ‘rubbish’ word. I know there are a lot of people out there who say it, worst of all, some of them are “friends”.

Do check out his myspace as well as meshradio.