THE INITIATIVE: alt-gps
Female Singapore|August 2024
ZACHARY DESKER BELIEVES THAT SINGAPORE'S UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCENE SHOULD BE A TOURIST ATTRACTION. HE TELLS US WHY AND HOW HE'S MAKING THIS HAPPEN ON HIS OWN TIME AND DIME.
PAIGE BOON
THE INITIATIVE: alt-gps

"PASSION, TALENT AND DEDICATION ARE WELL ALIVE IN OUR MUSIC SCENE, AND I BELIEVE THERE'S A NEED TO CELEBRATE LOCAL ACTS AND POTENTIALLY WORK TOWARDS GIVING THEM A STAGE FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS AND FESTIVALS DOWN THE LINE. I'VE SEEN MANY LOCAL ACTS FROM MUSIC COLLECTIVES THAT DESERVE SUCH PLATFORMS ... FOR THOSE WHO UNDERSTAND A MORE INDIE BRAND OF MUSIC, THE SCENE DOES OFFER PLACES OF REFUGE."

Picture this: It’s a cloudy afternoon and people of different stripes are gathered by a barbecue pit at Pasir Ris Park, lounging on pillows and picnic chairs while chowing down on satay fresh off the grill. Nearby, a DJ works his magic behind a controller, sending out a feel-good mix dubbed “Daytime Beach House” through portable speakers, adding to the holiday vibes.

Welcome to Satay Sessions, a bimonthly, pay-as-you-wish event organised by Zachary Desker that aims to expose the public to underground or lesser-heard sounds from Singapore. More than a listening session in the heartlands over some hearty grub, each edition’s soundtrack is recorded and uploaded to the YouTube channel alt-gps, with its DJ spotlighted alongside. Names that have been featured include the funk-loving Nick Ng, aka DJ notnick from the DJ collective Free Market Club; the Italo disco-loving Reuben Chay, who performs under the moniker Ben Ben; and Ethan Tan, or fatcatheartattack, who’s behind the aforementioned, garage-in ected beach mix.

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Esta historia es de la edición August 2024 de Female Singapore.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE FEMALE SINGAPOREVer todo
The Party Edit
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She Calls The Shots
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Since The 2000s, Rihanna Has Been Making Dance Floors Work, Work, Work With Her Infectious Electronic And R&b-inflected Pop Hits. For Another Side To Her "Queen Of The Night" Persona, There's Her Role As The Latest Face Of Dior's J'adore Perfume And Its Accompanying Campaign Film. Shot By Her Long-time Friend Steven Klein, It Features The Barbadian Baddie Striding Through The Gilded Halls Of The Palace Of Versailles Dripping In Gold. Here, She Shares More About How The Famously Feminine Fragrance Embodies Celebration.

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GOOD VIBES
Female Singapore

GOOD VIBES

EVERY YEAR, CHANEL PICKS A PLACE ON THE WORLD MAP NOT ONLY TO INSPIRE, BUT ALSO TO SHOWCASE ITS ANNUAL CRUISE COLLECTION (IT’S A TRADITION THAT’S ROOTED IN THE MAISON’S EARLY YEARS WHEN COCO CHANEL PRESENTED A LINE OUTSIDE OF THE USUAL FASHION CALENDAR TO INCITE WANDERLUST FOR TOASTIER, MORE PICTURE-PERFECT CLIMES DURING THE WINTER MONTHS). THE LATEST DESTINATION: VIBRANT MARSEILLE – THE FRENCH CITY THAT RECEIVES THE MOST SUNSHINE; HOME TO AN ECLECTIC REPERTOIRE OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND LANDMARKS; AND A MAGNET FOR EMERGING CREATIVES WITH ITS MIX OF GRIT AND GLAMOUR, LAND AND SEA, AND YOUTHFUL BOHEMIAN ENERGY. THE RESULTS? A COLLECTION THAT MAKES US WANT TO LET LOOSE AND DANCE. NOELLE LOH REPORTS FROM THE PHOCAEAN CITY.

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THE VIPS
Female Singapore

THE VIPS

SOME OF THE 17 PEOPLE SPOTLIGHTED ACROSS THE NEXT 26 PAGES HAVE BEEN IN THE NIGHTLIFE BUSINESS WAY BEFORE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC DECADES EVEN. OTHERS LESS, BUT HAVE BEEN FOR MUCH OF THEIR LIVES DEEP INTO MUSIC, VIBING IT OUT ON DANCE FLOORS AND MAKING SURE EVERYONE AROUND HAS A HELLUVA GOOD TIME. THEIR ENDEAVOURS RANGE FROM A MODEST NEIGHBOURHOOD BAR TO CONGLOMERATE-BACKED, MULTI-CONCEPT SPACES AND A MULTIFARIOUS NETWORK OF POP-UP PARTIES, ALL OF WHICH HAVE BEEN MAKING AN EXTRA-LOUD SPLASH IN THE PAST YEAR. WHAT ELSE THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON: THEY'RE RETHINKING AND RESHAPING PARTY CULTURE FOR THE FUTURE - OR, TO PARAPHRASE CHARLI XCX, THEY'RE BUMPIN' IT. KENG YANG SHUEN AND NOELLE LOH PUT THE CAMERA FLASH ON.

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THE NIGHTS
Female Singapore

THE NIGHTS

ROUGHLY TWO YEARS ON SINCE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, FOLKS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE ARE STILL TAKING IT UPON THEMSELVES TO THROW THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT PARTIES WITH MORE EXPERIMENTAL SOUNDS, AND MORE INTENTIONAL AND INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES THAT INJECT A ROUSING UNDERGROUND ENERGY TO SINGAPORE NIGHTLIFE. KENG YANG SHUEN TURNS THE SPOTLIGHT ON FOUR OF THE NEWEST ORGANISERS ON THE SCENE AND TELLS YOU WHY YOU SHOULD HIT THEIR PARTIES.

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THE SOUNDS
Female Singapore

THE SOUNDS

THEY'RE ALL UNDER 30, MOSTLY SELF-TAUGHT AND EMERGED PROFESSIONALLY ONLY AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. MOST DON'T EVEN HAVE A REGULAR GIG (YOU'D HAVE TO CHECK THEIR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS TO FIND OUT WHEN NEXT THEY'LL BE PERFORMING), BUT DON'T YOU DARE CALL THEM BEDROOM DJS. KENG YANG SHUEN SPOTLIGHTS SEVEN EMERGING SINGAPORE-BASED MUSIC SELECTORS AND MIX MASTERS WHO'VE BEEN TEARING UP DANCE FLOORS IN THE PAST YEAR AND SHOULD BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY.

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6 minutos  |
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A Not So Common Scent
Female Singapore

A Not So Common Scent

For the first time, the singular house of Hermes has launched a chypre perfume fragrance type known for its complexity and dualistic nature a that comes in a first-of-its-kind bottle, no less. Keng Yang Shuen finds out more about Barenia, Hermes's latest scent that hit stores recently, from the brand's in-house perfumer Christine Nagel.

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5 minutos  |
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Strange Love
Female Singapore

Strange Love

The six names in this story create wildly different works that tend to blur the boundaries among disparate disciplines. All have little in common except one thing: a certain wondrousness and sense of curiosity that inspire audiences to look at familiar things anew. Keng Yang Shuen reports.

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The artist
Female Singapore

The artist

Johnny Depp is certainly far from the conventional leading man: the iconically quirky on-screen roles, the rock musician persona (he was a guitarist before becoming an actor), the unexpected neoexpressionist portraits in 2022 (these paintings of cultural heroes ranging from AI Pacino to Elizabeth Taylor sold out in a day), and of course the title of being Dior's long-standing poster boy for its wilderness-inspired flagship men's perfume Sauvage for nine years and counting.

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spirited away
Female Singapore

spirited away

Collaborations with the art world have become a trusted way of injecting novelty into fashion.

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