Friday, July 22, 2011

[event] Playfreely VI // 29th July 2011 @ Multi-Purpose Hall, Goodman Arts Centre


"The basic characteristic of music-making is improvisation." - Derek Bailey

This is the final installment of a 6 part series of spontaneous, inventive musical collaboration between musicians from diverse musical backgrounds and genres. Venturing into unfamiliar artistic terrains, Playfreely engages various groups in a collaborative exchange to improvise without any boundaries, to release the shapes that are latent in that unique moment of time... to play freely.

Artists:
Darren Moore – drums
Matin Fellani (Voodoo) – percussion
Shaun Sankaran – guitar and live electronics
Evan Tan (The Observatory) – laptop and lap steel guitar
Yuen Chee Wai (FEN) - electronics

Special guests: Mr. Sterile Assembly from New Zealand

Entry by donation (minimum $10)

Presented by The Observatory in partnership with Ujikaji Records.

Contact The Observatory at info@theobservatory.com.sg.

Interviews, features and more on Playfreely at theobservatory.com.sg and ujikajirecords.wordpress.c​om.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

[event] Really Really Free Market #18 // 7th Aug 2011 @ Post-Museum



Post-Museum's last session in Rowell Road, don't miss it!

Join them for the 18th session of this temporary market based on the concept of giving and building a community based on sharing resources, caring for one another and improving the collective lives of all - share your stuff (books, cds, toys, food, etc) or skills (tarot card reading, hair cutting, poetry writing, singing, etc) by giving them to others who need them!

By sharing, we are reducing consumption and waste of our natural resources, re-using what we don't need anymore by passing it on, and most importantly, showing everyone that there are better, more sustainable ways to live.

You are also welcome to come by to just experience the joys of giving and making friends.

As usual, due to lack of storage space and manpower, all items left over at the end of the day will be disposed of. As such, Post-Museum prefers it if you could stick around or come back at the end to claim your remaining items.

Show Room, Post-Museum
107+109 Rowell Road
7th Aug 2011
4pm-8pm

[event] Frottage: Casual Encounters at the Pigeonhole ii. // 28th July 2011 @ The Pigeonhole

Unrelenting hardcore-punk party starters 7x0x7 and experimental music curators Ujikaji Records team up for something a little different – a series of musical presentations at book café and dynamic arts space The Pigeonhole.

Featuring touring bands from Belgium/Canada, New Zealand and France and representing a smorgasbord of diverse musical visions from Psychedelic Rock to Folk Soul, these casual encounters are designed to rub off on you in all possible ways.

This second installment occurs on the 28th of July w/ art-punk performative duo MR STERILE ASSEMBLY (NZ), avant rock clownz I\D, and space prog avant jazz cats UNDER THE VELVET SKY.

Doors open at 7:30pm, performances begin promptly at 8:00pm.

$10 at the door.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

[event] Rooted In The Ephemeral Speak #04-2011: New Threads #01 // 21st July 2011 @ The Substation

[R.I.T.E.S #04-2011] - New Threads #01

Rooted In The Ephemeral Speak presents

Chand ChandraMohan
Elizabeth Lim
Justin Lee
Jason Lee and Arif Ayab

8pm, Thursday, 21st July 2011
The Substation, Theatre
45 Armenian Street

This event is by free admission and donations are welcome.



New Threads #01: a special platform for new emerging artists in the field of performance art. R.I.T.E.S. had started a new platform to present emerging artists or artists who wish to attempt going into the terrain of live performance as part of their practice of art making normally in other media. Providing an opportunity for multidisciplinary and performance artists to develop and present their works in the realm of performance art, our objective here is to advance the regeneration process specifically in performance art and time-based arts practices. Through the presentations of these promising emerging artists, this platform intends to ascertain and encourage these individuals as potential artistic contributors to the developments of performance art practice in Singapore and beyond.

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Artist Biography:

Chand ChandraMohan is currently a student at LASALLE College of the arts. She is doing the undergraduate programme in Fine Arts specialising in painting. Although she works mostly in a 2D medium, she is very much interested in exploring the relations between space, object, and body which brought about her interest in performance art. In both her paintings and performances, she aims to explore surrealist themes as she wishes to connect the mind and the body as a whole. She feels that these two are very much considered separate in her observations, and chooses to work with these themes as a starting point.

Chand’s piece, “Mind” would be an exploration of material in real time in the context of a theatre setting in reference to the single spotlight. The piece would be exploring the relationship between biology and psychology, testing concentration and the physical limits of the actual body. The theatre reference comes about in the single spotlight adding an almost surrealist aspect to the piece, which further brings about the theme of the mind.


Elizabeth Lim has grown up being exposed to the eclectic society of Singapore. She has been traveling since an early age, which may contribute to her strong interest in the interactions between culture and people from different walks of life. Her upcoming projects are concerned with trying to expand the definitions of "Singaporean Art". More importantly, she is investigating the endless potential and possibilities Art and its mediums have to offer her. She further develops herself, first as a human being then as an Artist, to uncover what she has to offer Art. In her performance practice, she have noticed a compulsive need for a routine or a time where she is in control and everything will be in order, according to the artist. Her performance “Timekeeper”, looks into this fixation with uniformity, the self, and these formed structures in relation to the space, and human interaction (from audience). This will be explored through the use of sound, everyday objects, and items that are important to the artist. The objects reflecting the compulsion to make things just so on a day-to-day basis, and the important items as a hypothesis on the artist’s need for these routines and habits. This work is an exploration into the artist's self and her practice as a performer.


Justin Lee has been actively exhibiting widely since 1996 making an impact with his pop art imageries. His prolific and witty productions offers a unique understanding of contemporary Singapore society and lifestyle with a blend of cultures from the east and west. Justin also seeks to record everyday lifestyle into visual art based on his cultural background and surrounded by doubting questions appearances. He believes that art play an important part in helping people to grow and heightens awareness of them. His current works reflect on how text influences and controls the users in our daily lifestyle. His works also reflect on words and images from the mass media like signage, billboards and consumer products, which control our thoughts and expression. Justin Lee’s piece, “Eat Fast Food Fast” will be a dialogue in which the artist uses fast food to interact with the audiences explores the consumerist tendencies of society and the transpiration of truth in one’s media-fixated urban lifestyle.


Jason Lee graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 2006 with Diploma in Visual Communication, specializing in photography design. In 2010, he obtained a BA (Hons) in Fine Arts from the University of Huddersfield, UK.His current works deals with wide issues that revolve around the urban environment and contemporary society that inspires him. His artistic interest lies in the areas of urbanization, abandoned traditions, and sub-cultural lifestyle. Art to him is a platform to explore issues that are being misunderstood or overlooked. He has participated in group exhibitions and collaborations. He received special commendation in the Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2010 (UK) under the portfolio category. He is based in Singapore and is a present member of The Artists Village.

Arif Ayab (A.K.A Reef) is a musician member of a Singapore based band Under the Velvet Sky, UTVS. He had collaborated in other music projects with artists like Lee Wen, Zai Kuning, Bani Haykal, to name a few. In mid 2011, Reef began presenting his solo performances combining music, sound, poetry & performance art in his act. Recently, he had also performed in R.I.T.E.S with Wunderspaze, a loose collective of artists and artworkers interested in the research and presentation of art.


Jason Lee and Reef will be presenting their inaugural collaborative piece, “Born From the Wasted”, whereby both artists experiment the sounds and instrumentations on matters that would considered as trash or recyclables and objects associated with nature. The 'trash' include food wrappers, plastic containers, disposable cups, cartons, styrofoam, and so on. They will investigate the relationship between waste and nature, and how humans play a critical role in them. The performance aims to question our awareness towards ecology when disposing our daily waste. It serves as a platform for the artists to demonstrate re-connections with the natural environments and generate conversations with nature.

Friday, July 15, 2011

[event] Loudness (JP) live in Singapore // 25th July 2011 @ *Scape Warehouse

LOUDNESS is a Japan-based heavy metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese heavy metal act signed to a major label in the United States, releasing twenty-three studio albums (five in America) by the end of 2009 and reaching the Billboard Top 100 in their moment of maximum international popularity. Despite numerous changes in their roster, the band continued their activities during the 90s, finally reuniting the original line-up in 2000. On 30 November 2008 original drummer Munetaka Higuchi died from liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka at age 49. LOUDNESS replaced him with Masayuki Suzuki and are still active to this day.

Loudness performed in Singapore for the first time in 1989 at the Sentosa Musical Fountain. And they will be here again on this July 25th. Diehard fans would not want to miss this!

Brought to you by Reconstrux Records.

----

LOUDNESS LIVE IN SINGAPORE

with opening act:

PAUL DANIAL TRIO feat. JATT ALI (Dio Tribute)

Venue: *Scape Warehouse
Date: July 25th 2011
Time: Doors open at 7pm

SGD50 - Early Bird Ticket (limited to 80)
SGD60 - Standard Tickets (till 20th July 2011)
SGD70 - 21st to 24th July 2011
SGD80 - at the door

Tickets sold at: INOKII / Far East Plaza #03-30 / 68367657
ROXY RECORDS & TRADING / Excelsior Shopping Centre #02-15 / 63377783

Thursday, July 14, 2011

[review] mr sterile Assembly - Transit

If there was any one band you could not pigeonhole, it's this one. Most favorably dubbed "outsider punk," mr sterile Assembly (also simply known as the Assembly) has grown since the last time we saw them in Singapore in '07. With Transit, a fifth release just in time for their tenth anniversary, the idealism of drum and bass duo Kieran Monaghan and Chrissie Butler shines through. A collaborative project, Transit is not your ordinary album pressed on CD, listened to x number of times, and then all but forgotten. It is instead a multidisciplinary endeavour of sorts, with each song accompanied by an art piece, which culminated into an exhibition which we here in Singapore regret not being able to physically see.

The title of the album is brilliantly apt. As the tracks flit from jazz to math rock to ska to folk, one imagines themselves being transported from one place to another, and the transitions feel almost seamless. Interspersed with spoken word, shrill/soothing vocals, offbeat signatures, and groovy basslines, this almost sounds too chaotic to even be listenable. But the Assembly somehow manage to execute the album with precision, with their punk roots undeniably creeping in at different points throughout.

And what is music without words, without lyrics? Amidst the discordance lie some of the most incisive writing, as we're taken on another journey yet again -- this time through anti-war sentiments, Hone Tuwhare's poems, New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation, and even an ode to a migrant worker in Singapore. And as if everything else weren't enough, the Assembly have included lyrics to their songs as hyperlinks on their website, for those of us so inclined to delve into the nuances of their artistic offering.

This literary cacophony will be touring SE Asia starting from 15th July, with 2 dates (28th and 29th July) in Singapore. What else can we say? You can't not witness them in their full, live, performative glory.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

[event] Frottage: Casual Encounters at the Pigeonhole i. // 17th July 2011 @ The Pigeonhole

Unrelenting hardcore-punk party starters 7x0x7 and experimental music curators Ujikaji Records team up for something a little different – a series of musical presentations at book café and dynamic arts space The Pigeonhole.

Featuring touring bands from Belgium/Canada, New Zealand and France and representing a smorgasbord of diverse musical visions from Psychedelic Rock to Folk Soul, these casual encounters are designed to rub off on you in all possible ways.

Their first installment kicks off this 17th Jul (Sun) w/ Belgium-raised Canadian-based sonic artist SZKIEVE, together with curious noise wander AWK WAH, and minimalist psych rock luminaries THE OBSERVATORY.

Doors open at 7:30pm, performances begin promptly at 8:00pm.

$10 at the door.

[event] Wednesday Night Thrash // 27th July 2011 @ Multi-Purpose Hall, Goodman Arts Centre

This is for those who have eagerly been anticipating the arrival of COMADRE (US) in Singapore, and they will finally be here!

Show supports include:

FUJI (formerly known as FUJICOLOR)
TAKE OVER

Multi-Purpose Hall, Goodman Arts Centre
90 Goodman Road (former Lasalle, SOTA)
Bus services: 12, 14, 30, 30E, 158, 196, 501
MRT: Mountbatten (Circle Line)

*Show starts at 7.30pm. It has to end by 10.30pm so come early!

Friday, July 8, 2011

[tour] mr sterile Assembly (NZ) SE Asia Tour (July 2011)

A two-piece from Aotearoa New Zealand, mr sterile Assembly have released 4 albums, a book, and have toured in Australia, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia (2007). And starting from next week, they're landing on our shores again!

Having been classified as punk, math rock, experimental, noise rock, alt rock and outsider punk, the duo has a distinctive, South Pacific sound based on unusual and urgent time signatures, repetitive heavy rhythms, and angular lyrics. Songs are typically epic, with complex arrangements, and often recount the personal stories behind current or historical events.

mr sterile Assembly are also known for their mercurial nature, and have produced some diverse recordings and events. Most notably, for their recent album, Transit, mr sterile commissioned or was gifted an art work for each song and are currently touring the exhibition in NZ. They recently supported CRASS front man, Steve Ignorant and his band but you could just as easily find them playing a fund raiser on the back of a flatbed truck for a local small town fair.

Over their 10 years, sterile have continuously re-invented themselves with shifting line-ups and collaborations. The current line-up with Kieran Monaghan on drums and Chrissie Butler on bass is reportedly the most assertive and explosive to date.

Catch them here in Singapore on the 28th and 29th July as they play 2 shows; the latter at FROTTAGE: Casual Encounters at The Pigeonhole ii. (a collaboration between 7x0x7 and Ujikaji Records), and the former separately as part of improv sets at Playfreely VI. More details for the 2 events to be out real soon.

[event] ABC Partizans House Party // 24th July 2011 @ Fairy Point Chalet 2

with:
GOUM (dark crust, Japan)
JAH EXCRETION (dark ambient, Japan)
The SCUDS ('77 style party punk)
MINUS (raw punk jahat)
ENAM JAHANAM (rosak and sachok)
CIRCUITRIP (dronecore noise junglists)
+ random plays by DJ Cartoon Carnage, DJ Harm-Done, DJ Abang Mickey and other naughty boys.

24 July 2011 (Sun)
Fairy Point Chalet 2
End of Gosport Rd, near Changi Village
6pm till complaint
$10 donation

*from Pasir Ris MRT take a taxi in for within $8
or take SBS Bus No. 2 and drop at Changi Village and cab in for within $4, or walk till your legs give up!

COME EARLY! // BANDS WILL PLAY FIRST! // FOOD AND DRINKS ARE FIRST COME FIRST SERVE! // POTLUCK IS ENCOURAGED! // STAYOVER IS WELCOME! // RESPECT THE SPACE! // LIVE THE CHAOS!

[event] Lymbyc Systym (US) and Caroline (US/JP) live in Singapore // 28th July 2011 @ Home Club



KittyWu Records presents LYMBYC SYSTYM and CAROLINE for a one night only performance at Home Club on Thursday, 28 July 2011. LYMBYC SYSTYM returns to Singapore for a second time on their 2011 Asia Summer tour, the Bell brothers bringing with them their brand of percussion driven, highly emotive, instrumental rock. Okinawan-American songtress, CAROLINE, returns to Singapore with her angelic, minimalist, electronic pop. This is her second time in Singapore since her last performance here in 2007 at the Esplanade Recital Studio. CAROLINE will be joined on stage with her sister, Olivia Lufkin - famed for singing for the popular anime series Nana.

An amazing evening of soundscapes and angelic voices. A magical night for brothers and sisters.


Date: Thursday, 28 July 2011
Time: Doors open at 8pm
Venue: HOME CLUB, 20 Upper Circular Road, #B1-01/06, The Riverwalk
Early Bird: S$35
Advance Tickets: S$40
Tickets at the Door: S$50

Early Bird and Advance tickets from www.kittywurecords.com.

[event] Free screening of The Cove // 12th & 13th July @ Plaza Singapura

This Academy Award-winning film follows an elite team of film makers and free divers who go on a covert mission to document the hunt and capture of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. With an estimate of 23,000 dolphins and porpoises killed each year, learn the powerful truth behind the source of most of the dolphins in the world’s aquariums and marine parks. Be inspired to make a difference.

This screening is sponsored by the Earth Island Institute and tickets are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Please RSVP by sending an email to denise@acres.org.sg. Limited seats available!

Screening date: 12 & 13 July 2011
Time: 7pm for BOTH dates
Address: 68 Orchard Road, #07-01/15, Plaza Singapura
Important!!!: To reserve a ticket, one MUST RSVP to denise@acres.org.sg.
Collection: 6pm-6.50pm on the day itself (A booth would be set either beside the box office or outside the entrance of Hall 5)


*Note:
- There will be no advertisements and the show would start at exactly 7pm.
- Any tickets not collected by 6.50pm will be open for collection by other members of the public.

[shoutout] Gang Buster (MY) and Senza Tregua (IT) split CD out now on Prohibited Projects

Finally, the long-awaited split CD release between GANG BUSTER from Penang, Malaysia, and SENZA TREGUA from Palermo, Italy, is out and fresh from the presses -- since 11th June 2011!

5 bottle-breaking S.H.A.R.P tunes from each band.

US$8ppd (Asia/Pacific Rim) and US$10ppd (world).

By hand $8 each, pay a bit more from stores.

Distros, please get in touch at prohibitedprojects@gmail.com for insanely cheap wholesale prices for the months of June and July!

Spread the word.

[event] Playfreely V // 15th July 2011 @ Multi-Purpose Hall, Goodman Arts Centre

Entry by donation (minimum $10)

"The basic characteristic of music-making is improvisation." - Derek Bailey

A 6 part series of spontaneous, inventive musical collaboration between musicians from diverse musical backgrounds and genres. Venturing into unfamiliar artistic terrains, Playfreely engages various groups in a collaborative exchange to improvise without any boundaries, to release the shapes that are latent in that unique moment of time... to play freely.

Artists:
Steve Dannemiller (Brael) – guitar
Mohamad Riduan - assorted wind instruments, efx
Fung Sheong Ying (I\D, Amino Acid Orchestra, Hotel, Awk Wah) - drums, noise
Ian Woo (I\D, Hotel) – bass
Ying (Meza Virs) – keyboards
Reef (Under the Velvet Sky) – guitar, euphonium
Brian Lim – harmonica, melodica


Presented by The Observatory in partnership with Ujikaji Records.

Contact The Observatory at: info@theobservatory.com.sg

Interviews, features and more on Playfreely at:

[event] "Handmade" Art by KILAS // 8th July 2011 @ dbl O Art Space



HANDMADE
For all creation made from scratch, we honor the artistic masterminds behind them. Let your imagination run wild and immerse yourself in a world of everything homespun.

HANDMADE ART
Be amazed as artist KILAS (Keep It Like A Secret) brings to you his very own hand printed designs roused from the very depths of his creativity.

HANDMADE MUSIC
Watch and observe 2 of Singapore's finest eclectic deejays as they go heavy on beats and easy on melodies behind the decks with an improv percussion performance by Rahman of BLOCO SINGAPURA.

HANDMADE COCKTAILS
Give your tastebuds a treat as bar maestro Alex Tan conjures up whimsical concoctions for your drinking pleasure.

8th July 2011
9pm-11pm
dbl O Art Space
222 Queen Street, #01-01/02

Saturday, July 2, 2011

[event] Singapore Death Fest 2011 // 9th July 2011 @ White Studio, Fort Canning Park

SINGAPORE DEATH FEST 2011

with bands:


VENUE: White Studio, Fort Canning Park
TIME: 3PM
DAMAGES: $12 presale / $18 at the door

[event] Heavyweight Dub, Blistering Ska and Roots Reggae // 9th July 2011 @ Blujaz Cafe

DUB SKANK'IN HIFI SOUNDSYSTEM presents:
HEAVY WEIGHT DUB, BLISTERING SKA & ROOTS REGGAE

With live performances by:

GLITCHED ROOTS PROJECT - one of the brightest up and coming roots reggae band to emerge from the local music scene, playing their original tunes ranging from roots to soulful reggae.

MOODS - this month the event goes out of its usual genres to feature a band that has been around since the late 90s, with their usual charismatic, soulful vocals and a groovy rhythm section.


With DJs:

2nd floor -
RUMSHOT (ska/dub/reggae)
SHAM EM (dub/reggae/dancehall)

3rd floor -
RAS IRIE (roots/reggae/dub)
PLUS NUEVA (dub/live visuals)
TWICA feat. STEW BAMRAH (dubtronica with live didjeridoo, efx, and percussion)


Entrance by donation; this is not a free event.
A strictly 18 and above event.
Supported by Straits Records and Blujaz Cafe.

[event] Amino Acid Orchestra+ // 5th July 2011 @ Night and Day bar + gallery + friends

Come join the Amino Acid Orchestra for some sonic exploration on 5th July 2011.

Playing on the night will be:

Zai Kuning
Shark Fung
Fuzz Lee
Zai Tang
Angie Seah
Bani Haikal

Entry: $12 (inc. 1 free drink)

Night and Day bar + gallery + friends
139A/C Selegie Road