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started this thread so that music enthusiasts can post their concert details and experiences here... coming up is Corrinne May's open concert this coming Sat evening, MBS open plaza at 9.15pm, admission is complimentary! https://www.instagram.com/p/BcaBg3Cl4Nx/ also, Mayday concert next weekend!!! anyone going???

New Age music , Old age music ... hope all music lovers will share the piece you like . let me start of with one of the grandpa kekeke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCCan3TFPoc

Some of my colleagues will know that I make electronic music outside of work and school. A stark contrast from the impression I give off (several people throughout my teenage years told me I seemed more like a classical guy). Truth be told, I wasn’t always into music. Growing up in an average Singaporean Chinese household, my main sources were either the sporadic exposure to radio stations, or more frequently the theme songs of whatever was playing on KidsCentral/Okto (RIP free-to-air kids channels). I still remember and occasionally listen to songs from that period, but for some reason none really compelled me to listen to music more back then. Perhaps it was the fact that I only got to access the Internet at home around 2009, when I was in Primary 4, so I never thought I could try looking those songs up. In addition, my brother and I apparently refused our mum’s offer to take piano lessons as kids, so there was no interest built up to begin with. THEN IN 2010, MY LIFE CHANGED. I vaguely remember heading to the school hall with my class for some PE lesson - only this time instead of playing sports, we were doing some kind of dance routine. I don’t quite remember now. But what I do remember is that as my class was forming up in two rows to head back to class, a music video came up on the projector screen. The girls squealed, the boys groaned. I couldn’t look away even as we walked out of the hall, my mind enchanted by the chorus going: “Baby, baby, baby, oh”. Some older folks might already have traumatic memories returning. A major discovery as I was researching - this was composed in E flat Major, a key signature that I've made some of my favourite compositions in recent years in. Yes, absurd as it sounds, Justin Bieber changed my life. Literally. For the rest of my primary school life, I got so obsessed that not only did I get CDs of both his debut album (which includes Baby) and his Christmas album, my maternal aunts even got me his biography (which, like most of my books, now collects dust amidst my bookshelves). Thou shall bow before my credentials! As I started getting access to the Internet during this period, I was exposed to a whole new world that was music. In addition, two events would mark my ventures into genres outside of pop. In 2006, hip-hop producer Dr. Dre and record label executive Jimmy Iovine founded the audio company Beats Electronics (Beats by Dre in common parlance). I came to know of the brand as it started seeing use in devices like HTC smartphones, and of course seeing ads for the audio gear. Upon hearing that the company was founded by a hip-hop musician, I went to satisfy my curiosity on YouTube, and I left as a fan. During the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, electronic dance music was rising in popularity, to the point that it was dominating the radio waves. If you weren’t hearing songs from the likes of Avicii and Swedish House Mafia, you heard pop songs with electronic influences, occasionally provided by producers like David Guetta and Zedd. I stumbled upon this wave and have kept my finger on its pulse since. By this point in 2013, I had discovered GarageBand on my school-mandated MacBook, and had been messing around for a while. All it took was one song on Hot FM 91.3 (now One FM 91.3) to get me taking music production seriously. Part of my (delusional) long-term goals as a 15-year-old was to move to the Netherlands so that I could work with Dutch DJ/producers like Hardwell given the prevalence of electronic dance music. I’m not sure why this was the song that did the trick, but by early 2014 I had put in enough work to decide that I wanted to make music for a living. This would be far from the end of my musical journey, of course. TIME SKIP - IT IS 2016. Entering a new phase of schooling is anything but boring - meeting new people, getting used to the whims of different lecturers, and for many students, choosing a CCA. I already knew that I wanted to join my polytechnic’s Song Composing Club. Some people asked, and I had to explain, that while there was a DJing club that was pretty established, I felt that learning composition would be more beneficial if I was to stay on the path to making music for a living, especially if I could also try my hand at other genres. I wasn’t ready for what came though. With any first sessions in a school setting, there are ice breaking activities. But in the case of this club at the time, it ended off with members grouping up to cover a song of their choice. I happened to be in a group with members who were in bands. Naturally, we covered Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. Not having any experience playing instruments, I was relegated to sharing the mic with two other members. That could have made me go over to the DJ club, but I guess young, obstinate me was so hung up on wanting to get better at music composition that I stayed. As part of Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Arts Fiesta, the club holds annual shows featuring performers from the club. This was from NP Amplify Showcase 2017, where I took photos of the bands playing for a news writing assignment. The lineup that year was made up mostly of existing bands with followings, like Fader and Hollow Threat (pictured here). With performances being a core part of the club (and composition lessons ironically not as much), I got exposed to a lot more rock and metal than I’d ever heard before (though pop performances were equally abundant), and while they’re still not my absolute favourite genres today, I now listen to and draw inspiration from bands as diverse as Starset, No Party For Cao Dong and Unlucky Morpheus. At this juncture, I should also bring up the fact that the media plays a big role in how we listen to music, and in a sense I was no different. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT IN ACTION The life-size RX-78-2 statue outside DiverCity in Odaiba, Tokyo during my last visit to Japan. It has since been taken down and replaced with the Unicorn Gundam. A 2016 trip to Japan resurrected my interest in Japanese media (I finished the 50 episodes and 1 movie that make up Mobile Suit Gundam 00 during the 13-day trip). Coupled with getting into video games like the Final Fantasy and Persona franchises, by Q1 2018, I had gone full weeb. Just like the anime and tokusatsu series from my childhood, the music from these media was at the very least memorable, if not magical. With every series cleared from my ever-expanding backlog, new songs were added to my music library. Naturally, I started spending less time listening to the artists of my early teenage years. But as with many things in life, I eventually found myself diving into more rabbit holes. ~ Wei Feng Images: Myself

I’ve always been interested but as a child I couldn’t afford it So when the wife wanted one I happily said yes Does anyone know a good teacher for adults? Can anyone recommend one willing to come over to the west ? Any tips about lessons or digital pianos in general? I bought a Kawai kdp110 for her 🙂

Like this song, my new fav, nice! Enjoy the video & have a fun weekend! TGIF ;) http://youtu.be/YqeW9_5kURI

I'm not a fan of Christmas. Let's first set aside the unclear and potentially contentious origins of this particular 'holiday', and my general apathy towards religiosity. (Christians celebrate it as the day of Jesus' birth, though some evidence suggests his actual birth was in the spring. Some historians also note that the Christian traditions of Christmas can be traced back to Pagan roots and the Saturnalia festival, and the chosen 25 December date was an attempt by church leaders to appropriate the pagan festival and increase religious popularity among non-Christians). I don't particular like the whole shtick of Christmas - it's hard to un-see the marketing tool that is the festive season, or the hyper-consumption generated by the tradition of gift-giving. I don't particular care for the lighting displays, nor do I care for Santa Claus (he isn't real, ya). But what I really don't like is the music. The endless jingles in every shopping mall, the uncountable Christmas albums from bands you may have forgotten about, Mariah Carey. The thing that perhaps grates at me the most is the general unoriginality of it all. Hundreds upon hundreds of covers just to essentially end up with the same song. It just feels so repetitive and stale. I don't dislike covers. In fact, I love them, but also only when they are interesting and do something different to the original song. Pop Goes Punk? Love. I recently discovered a Youtube channel that I am now slightly obsessed with - Sparrow Sleeps. "We create lullaby renditions of your favorite songs." says their description. I was directed to this channel from an Instagram story by Anberlin, mainly because of the punny title on one of my all-time favourite albums, Never Take Friendship Personal - Never Take Toddlers Personal is absolutely hilarious on so many levels. A lot of the bands covered by Sparrow Sleeps are exactly in my music wheelhouse - a lot of pop punk, emo, punk rock, all the usual Warped Tour staples. And the resulting lullabies are a treat. Familiar enough to be recognisable, yet so different in tone and timbre. (I will conveniently ignore the Taylor Swift and Post Malone covers.) And the album names are just *chefs kiss*. Three Cheers For Sweet Dreams (MCR), QUIET! (Paramore), The Bed Album (Weezer), The Is Nothing Left to Snooze (Foo Fighters). Man, these people have a proper sense of humour. Do these work as lullabies? I'm not sure. Maybe? I might experiment with a few over the next few nights of sleep. But the whole endeavour, and specific and particular as it is, makes me smile. They found their brand and are sticking with it, even with some videos only have a few hundred views (they really should have a lot more!!). And the covers are just really good - somehow, these normally loud songs also work well when stripped down to strings, piano and a xylophone. I am a fan, and I can't believe I haven't found about them earlier. Discovering such music makes me happy (to a slightly delirious extent, perhaps). It feels fresh and creative, it feels fun and different, and perhaps most importantly it feels unexpected and surprising. Everything that Christmas is not. So this Christmas, I know which jingles I will be listening to.

“WHAT’S A GOOD USERNAME?!” Such was the source of my agony as I was handed a pair of figurative keys to MyAutoBlog. I’d asked the colleague from IT who was helping me set up this account if I really had to make an account with my work email, hoping I could use the username that came with my personal MCF account instead. “yes”, in lowercase no less, was what I got. Oh well. After a good 10 minutes (I think), I decided on this username (a reference I hope someone gets), juvenile and edgy as it may seem. I’m not content with my choice though. As I looked over at my Spotify immediately after I logged in to this account, I saw a username idea I liked more (“hypochondriac” - the title of one of my favourite albums which I hold dear), and as I begin writing this post another has surfaced in my mind (“textonlyyapper” - see the length of this post versus my bumbling self in person down below). It occurs to me I never formally introduced myself. Hello everyone, I’m Wei Feng. I started out in Sgcarmart doing video work, but I’ve always wanted to try my hand at writing professionally at some point in my life, having grown up reading various traditional publications like the usual broadsheets and magazines. A blast from the past, even for me (born in 1999). I had aspirations of becoming a tech journalist in primary school due to the now-defunct Digital Life weekly supplement bundled with The Straits Times on Wednesdays, and tech magazines like the-also-now-defunct Stuff Singapore and HardwareMAG (HWM, whose parent group HardwareZone should be a familiar online presence). Unfortunately, my journalism modules in polytechnic scared me off the job for a while. Also, I presumed it would be hard to get into the tech side without either knowing the right people (sigh) or making the rounds in boring departments first (Finance? Ew.). Bummer of a self-intro aside, I also started learning video editing and music production in secondary school, though it’s obvious which prevailed as a career. Nevertheless, the act of creation in various mediums has been a recurring desire in my life, and thus on top of my current job scope, part-time university and hobbies, I asked my superiors on multiple occasions for the opportunity to write. Hopefully, this not only scratches my itch to write, but also does my career trajectory some good. THE PERPETUAL CONTENT CREATION MACHINE With every piece of work, I strive to leave a positive impact. By positive, I don’t necessarily mean a favourable or pleasant impression, but primarily a sense of authenticity and intention. If my intention in creating something, struggles and all, gets across to its recipient and inspires them to make their own thing - that’s the sort of legacy I want to have. While there’s not much in the way of authenticity when it comes to the business of product reviews, I can at least forge my identity as a creator by using each video (or any creative work really) as an opportunity to try untested ideas, refine existing skill sets and occasionally stumble upon magic. It’s this sense of intention perhaps that may have helped me convert from being an intern to a full-time video editor here, and what made choosing this username so difficult. Lately, however, I feel like I’ve had to compromise on this ideal. I've sometimes struggled to find meaning in my work in recent months. As the work piles up, money comes flowing in (a little into my pockets of course), but out goes the time to explore new possibilities that could elevate the work further, and time to reflect on the results before moving on to the next project. Statistically speaking I’m doing fine (as my direct manager JayJay has told me a couple of times), but I cannot claim to feel the same way, not when existential dread fills my body lamenting my inability to strive for greater things. To be clear, Greek philosophy was not where I drew my username from. I am not cultured in that way. Perhaps that’s why my mind wandered to my username. “Ataraxia” is a term commonly found in Ancient Greek philosophies like Epicureanism and Stoicism that can be translated as “tranquillity”. A “hollow ataraxia” therefore could be construed as a false or meaningless peace, an apt description for my current predicament. One that leads to all sorts of thoughts surfacing. DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER? Plenty of literature out there grapple with ways of finding purpose or meaning in our lives, and I’d say I found mine back when I messed around with iMovie and GarageBand in secondary school. Life ever since has been a struggle to reconcile my ideals of creating what I want for a living with the reality that creative work isn’t viewed as having intrinsic value unless it provides some material value. In this age, it is content to be consumed in a moment and forgotten once the value has been delivered. I hate the use of that word. The idea that creative work gets diminished in such a merciless manner leaves me wondering what went wrong. Putting my frail state of mind aside, could you bear to say that the creators whose works inspire you are just making content? All your musical heroes and idols, the YouTubers who showed you all sorts of things, or the authors who shaped your worldviews? Or am I just deluded for wanting to pass on all these blessings I’ve received in kind? There are no answers for those. Best I can do is settle for now, in this endeavour to die or create. ~ Wei Feng Cover image: Album art for "hypochondriac" by brakence via Rate Your Music Images from: Pastamania (Singapore) via Facebook, The True Aesthete

The Youtube algorithm is annoying. Click on a few videos from the same broad ‘topic’, and suddenly your entire Youtube home page is filled with similar videos elbowing out all your usual ones. It then takes quite a while before your ‘normal’ recommendations start appearing again. So, the latest Youtube rabbit hole I’ve recently tumbled down into is a very particular and specific one - orchestral ‘club’ music. It’s basically music you’d associate with clubbing - usually EDM but not limited just that, but performed by orchestras instead of the typical DJ. The correct answer is always.. Darude Sandstorm I enjoy classical music, especially orchestral music, though I certainly don’t listen to it on a regular basis. But I do enjoy a good orchestral concert (the most recent Distant Worlds was glorious!). And yes, while I won’t say that I’m a massive fan of EDM or dance music in general, I think there is a part of me that finds that kind of music… familiar. After all, it’s music that I was regularly exposed to in my younger, partying days. It’s far from my go-to genre of music on a day-to-day basis, but it can be occasionally invigorating. I do enjoy it, time to time. What I find particular intriguing and interesting is the intersection of the two. On one hand, you have orchestral music, which is often thought of as very bourgeois, atas, high-culture, etc. It’s also exactly the kind of music that most people would associate with being quite high-brow, perhaps even a little stuffy – orchestral performances would stereotypically involve people in tuxedos and evening gowns sipping champagne. On the other hand, you have dance music. Nothing against it personally, but I think there’s definitely a perception among many people that its ‘clubbing’ music (and the perceived debauchery that can be associated with it), which can be construed as ‘less-classy’. Instead of tuxedos and champagne, it’s maybe more crop tops and tequila shots. You could certainly make the case that on a so-called ‘musical spectrum’, these two genres would exist on either far end of it (though I would not for a moment propose that any ‘spectrum’ would exist in a simple, linear form). You typically won’t expect fans of one to like the other. And it’s fascinating when seemingly opposing worlds collide. Part of why it is so intriguing to me is the basic assumption that they “could not”. How could these seemingly disparate things intersect, let alone flourish? And this doesn’t solely apply to music. In all instances, I am fascinated when people manage to make the “unworkable” work. Hamilton: A marvellous intersection between cutting political commentary, hip-hop beats and rap, and the musical theatre stage. Chess Boxing: People alternate between sophisticated strategy and punching each other in the face. Even TV: When a serious drama suddenly decides to do a whole episode as a musical. Beyond anything, you must admire the ambition that goes into these endeavours; daring to not just think outside the box, but break it, even. Such experimentation may not always yield success, but when they do, the results tend to be impressive. But back to classical EDM. Proof of concept that orchestral EDM is awesome: It's even now featured at what is arguably the biggest dance festival in the world I particularly like how many of these acts now perform at events/festival within the same lineup as ‘normal’ DJs, playing to the same party-loving crowds. I do think it speaks to the universality of music, and also underscores the fact that music, at its very core, is constructed using a pretty standard ingredients list. To be fully technical, it’s really just notes and frequencies, right? So, regardless whether it’s a trumpet, oboe, cello, or synth, these are all flavours developed using the same fundamental ingredients. And in the specific case of EDM, a lot of it tends to be constructed using digital versions of real instruments. In the case of these symphonic interpretations, you could even see it as the orchestra taking the tracks back to their original roots – played using instruments rather than a KORG MIDI pad. Look past the technical aspects, however, and I think the other aspect that I enjoy the most is the ability to bridge these two seemingly unbridgeable worlds. Just as you see the crowds lapping up EDM classics, so too are the musicians in the orchestra bopping their heads and playing with massive grin on their faces. And of course, the conductor absolutely having the time of her life (it’s a fun contrast against a more ‘typical’ depiction of a conductor, such as in the movie Tar). It’s fun precisely because it embraces the fact that its different and unusual. And yes, maybe it says something about me also that unusual things especially appeal to me. And even in a traditionally 'classy' place like Royal Albert Hall, this same cross-genre of music has gained traction Music, like many (arguably most) other things, exists across a wide-spanning spectrum, and people can often be too ready to pigeonhole themselves and each other some way or another. It is perhaps in these daring crossovers that we can all better appreciate the commonality of all the things we enjoy, and to embrace the fact that our lived experiences, while certainly different, don’t have to remain distinctly apart. Now, time to find a new Youtube rabbit hole. Drunk History might be next. ~ Desmond Images from Unsplash

there would probably be inspectors at discos with a rhythm timer. 😁 Chechnya bans dance music that is either too fast or too slow The Russian republic of Chechnya has banned dance music it deems either too fast or too slow, in an attempt to quash a “polluting” western influence on the conservative majority-Muslim region. Musa Dadayev, the culture minister, said “all musical, vocal and choreographic works should correspond to a tempo of 80-116 beats per minute” to make music “conform to the Chechen mentality and sense of rhythm”, according to the Russian news agency Tass. “Borrowing musical culture from other peoples is inadmissible,” Dadayev said. “We must bring to the people and to the future of our children the cultural heritage of the Chechen people. This includes the entire spectrum of moral and ethical standards of life for Chechens.” According to reports in Russian media, Dadayev set artists in the region a deadline of 1 June to rewrite any music that does not conform to the rule. The law in effect criminalises most modern dance music genres that are typically played in clubs around the world, such as house, techno, dubstep or drum’n’bass. Some hip-hop and rap, which is typically played at speeds between 60 and 140 beats per minute, would in theory still qualify for the traditional Chechen “sense of rhythm” that the regime of the authoritarian leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, wants to preserve. Traditional Chechen music includes khalkaran yish – instrumental songs used to accompany dances, processions and horse races – and heroic epic ballads known as illi yish. They can be accompanied by the dechig-pondar, a three-stringed instrument similar to the Russian balalaika. Chechnya, in the North Caucasus region of eastern Europe, has in recent years been repeatedly criticised by human rights organisations for its violent persecution of sexual minorities. The Chechen government has denied such allegations, claiming there were no homosexual people in Chechnya, and those who did exist would be rooted out by their own families.

On 4 March 2024, Sum 41 performed in Singapore for the last time, on what is their final (and farewell) tour. It wasn’t supposed to be. They were slated to perform last year, in fact, but had to cancel due to a family emergency. When that news broke, I was heartbroken. But finally, I got a chance to see them. For the very first and very last time. It was… a lot. Underclass Hero Deep down, I am an emo 90s kid. Jimmy Eat World, Anberlin, Lifehouse, My Chemical Romance, Evanescence, Blink-182, Paramore, Good Charlotte, Taking Back Sunday, Placebo, Saosin, these were many of the bands that soundtracked my childhood and early teenage years. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to see many of them live. And now, Sum 41. And while my Spotify playlist typically comprises music from that late-90s/early-00s era, I don’t actually use Spotify that much. I mostly listen to podcasts, as well as vinyl. Which is to say that I don’t listen to Sum 41 on any kind of regular basis. As a result, this concert was all the more surprising, and all the more special. It was remarkable to hear many of these songs of my childhood (some I’ve perhaps not heard in years), rocking out hard amidst a throng of other (clearly not very young) fervent fans. And if you know anything about Sum 41’s music, its… angsty, to say the least. That rebellious attitude is one that resonates loudly and proudly within the Star Theatre. And it was an emotional rollercoaster. I screamed, laughed, rocked out, even cried. With Me Trying to make sense of it is difficult. Why? It’s not simple sentimentality. It’s not even that it was a highly fun or enjoyable show (though I thoroughly enjoyed myself). There are some concerts and artists where the joy emanates from the musical complexity, or perhaps the performative theatricality. There are shows that uplifts you, inspires you, and captivates your imagination. This wasn’t that. It was something much more raw, and much more personal. The music taps into darker emotions – anger, loss, sadness, frustration, loneliness, grief, regret – and the collective totality of these songs resonate with a very particular part of my brain. It evokes feelings and memories from a particular period of life that will always have a rawness to them. Amidst the raucous music and heavy riffs, there are moments of introspection. As the music fleetingly transports me back to my 15-year old head space, dark with feelings of angst and otherness, difficult questions worm their way to the fore: “Is this who I am? Is this all I ever was? Is this who I’ll always be?” “Have I changed? Have I grown?” Music offers catharsis. Hearing it loud and live, amongst friends and strangers who are all having their own emotional reactions to it, it is all amplified and brought into even starker relief. And I think precisely because I don’t listen to Sum 41 regularly, hearing songs that I haven’t properly listened to in years, some I have perhaps even slightly forgotten, it opens a dormant volcano of emotional memories. There is an immediate reckoning to be had – with who you were back then, and who you are right now. And some answers can be found, incomplete as they may be. The struggle for self-determination never fully ceases, but there is a sense that now, decades on, we have at least a better grasp of it. And in that moment, as the closing notes of So Long Goodbye ring out, it all feels… okay. Of course, it’s made all the more intense by the fact that this is their farewell show. This is the last time – adding an additional layer of wistful loss to the already overwhelming slate of emotions. Walking Disaster I don’t claim to be the biggest Sum 41 fan. Instead, their music is integral to a complex sonic tapestry that tightly cocoons those teenage feelings and emotions. And it is precisely that inseparable connection between music and memory that makes moments like these so powerful. With voices breaking, eyes watering, ears ringing, the live experience delivers overwhelming moments of catharsis. Joy and sorrow, elation and angst, the spectrum of emotional feedback pouring out as Deryck Whibley sings and screams his way through their greatest hits. To some people, it might just be a concert by an angsty, emo band that’s perhaps lost some of their relevance today. But for the people there, and certainly for me, it was a glorious yet emotionally complex moment – two decades on from my most formative years, the music still reveals and resonates, equal parts reflection and affirmation. This will be the last time, Sum 41’s great big farewell. It was everything I wanted, and everything I did not know I needed. ~ Desmond

🎵 Listening to this playlist while reading will give you a fuller experience of this post Frankly, I was never a Coldplay fan. When the band announced their Music of the Spheres world tour in Singapore, I remembered going "Oh". But clearly, my loved ones were thrilled. Just by reading, you can probably tell how starkly different our reactions were to the same event. Nonetheless, I was happy to join the party to see for myself what brilliant performers Coldplay are, as I've heard. We camped for the tickets and failed to secure a n y for all of the three nights (hurhur). We were disappointed; I was disappointed. Coldplay, for sure, heard our disappointment because not too long after, they added another three dates to our tour stop. We rejoiced, we fought against the bots, and we got them. I was excited, but at that point, I was certain much of it was sheer excitement from securing a spot at the show. Boy, was I wrong. Six months later, I'm a convert. I remember that heady feeling of being uplifted from their anthemic tunes, the fuzzy burst of warmth when Yellow and Fix You came on. I remember jumping to Viva La Vida and tearing up at Everglow – a song whose lyrics I've come to truly appreciate as I got older. But this isn't going to be a review of their performances because I'm positive the web must already be inundated with tons and tons of them. The show was out of this world, yet something else also took centre stage for me. Music is an even more universal language than we think When everyone was bobbing to Coldplay's music, one dedicated section was, too. Unlike many other concerts I've attended locally, theirs had a "Sign Language Area" carved out specially for the deaf and hard-of-hearing fans. There, sign language interpreters danced hard to the rhythms of the setlist, to offer as contextually accurate and as vivid visual interpretations of the lyrics as possible. Apparently, the interpreters did their homework beforehand: Every gesture was matched to the meaning of each song, and researched to a tee (cries). That wasn't all, though. What overwhelmed me with goosebumps was how fans with special needs could soak in the full experience, thanks to Subpac vests prepared by Coldplay. How these vests work is by sending vibrations that pulse right through the bones to the inner ear of those wearing it. That way, the user can feel the beat of the music just from wearing the vest. It's this very consideration for understanding how people with hearing impairment are able to enjoy music that impresses me. And this heart for making music accessible to all, the essence of inclusivity in its truest form. People have praised Coldplay for "setting game-changing standards" for the local deaf community. But to me, what Coldplay has done is life-changing. Go to a concert and power the performances Again, this was something that threw me off my feet. Maybe I haven't been around enough but it doesn't seem very often that artistes stick to their ideals so much so that their performances are fuelled by these convictions. In the band's words, they were willing to pause touring until they could find more sustainable ways to do it. That's some hardcore pledge. If, like me, you were at one of Coldplay's recent concert tour stops, you would have seen or even experienced for yourself the kinetic dance floors (jump pads) and energy-storing bikes. Show-goers could dance, jump, paddle and basically move around as much as they liked to generate energy captured in batteries that run elements of the concert. It was fun and honestly a very, very clever idea. It didn’t feel one bit out of place yet maximised the show experience for fans. Here, Coldplay brings the concept of sustainability to their everyday life, as well as ours. The band that knows what it's doing From breathing inclusivity to infusing their performances with sustainable efforts, Coldplay knew what they were doing. They did it well, did it zestfully, and in a style that's uniquely theirs. Call them opportunists but I'm a fan of well thought-out executions and above all, a dedication to doing well at what they love and believe in. – Denise Media from: Coldplay, Spotify, 8dayssg

Joey Fatone and AJ McLean just announced a 2024 tour. For many people, those names may mean nothing. But for those who know (yes Millennials, I’m talking to you), this is BIG NEWS. Perhaps a little more context: Joey Fatone was (is?) one member of *NSYNC, while AJ McLean was (is?) from the Backstreet Boys. Ahh, should sound a lot more familiar now. Quit playing games Before there was BTS and Seventeen (no clue myself, but my colleagues assure me they exist and are really popular), before even One Direction or Jonas Brothers, there was, of course, what I would consider the Golden Era of boy bands - the 90s to early 00s. I would say that, of course. I am a product of the 90s. Quite literally - born in 1990, and growing up exactly to this sort of music on the radio. The Jackson 5 was probably the first widely recognised and loved boy band that combined singing, dancing and magical harmonies Of course, boy bands did not start with the Backstreet Boys nor *NSYNC. Not even 80s icons like Boyz II Men or New Kids on The Block. Wind the clock way back, and the history of boy bands (defined as a group of well, boys, that sing and dance) date back to the early 1800s and African-American barbershop quartets. However, it was probably only into the 1960s that boy bands (or at least one) entered the general popular (and international) consciousness. The Jackson 5, a band of brothers headlined by a little kid called Michael (you might have heard of him). Don't wanna lose you now But, this isn't a history lesson. I (desperately) want to talk about the 90s - my era. It might have been the height of boy band-mania, and also when the entire notion and concept of a boy band was most concretised. With curated and coordinated outfits, highly produced and polished pop music (in contrast to the R&B leanings of earlier acts), elaborate dance moves, and a general pretty-boy aesthetic precisely engineered to appeal to screaming pre-teens, boy bands dominated the 90s and early 00s. There is undoubtedly a kitsch-ness to it, but I believe that is its inherent appeal - sincere in their simplicity, unyielding in their unoriginality, and united in their ubiquity. Growing up in the 90s and 00s, it was hard to avoid them - perhaps also owing to the sheer number of boy bands then. They were all over the radio, we all bought the CDs at the Heeren HMV, even the music videos were all over MTV (remember MTV??). In many ways, these groups were larger than life. Denim on denim on denim. Could there be a more iconic image of the 90s? And they leant fully into it. I am not sartorially opposed to all-white suits or even a full denim get up (both iconic to this day), but let's be honest, even for the bravest fashionistas among us, that's a choice. And personally, I find all of it quite charming - there's a tragic earnestness to the pop music zeitgeist of the 90s that's at once both hilarious and heart-warming. And even till today, I am unashamed and unwavering in my love for these bands, no strings attached. Thinking of you Why then, does such music still resonate in 2024? Nostalgia is definitely part of it. I went for the Backstreet Boys concert in 2019 and it is still one of the best nights of my life. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion that taps into deep seated memories - even as my music tastes have grown, expanded and evolved (though some may argue otherwise, including my Spotify wrapped), these songs are deeply ingrained in my musical consciousness. If Taylor Swift can get wildly excited about *NSYNC reuniting in 2023, then I sure as hell can too... But it's also the music. Yes, the music was mostly quite cookie cutter and somewhat generic (one Max Martin did write most of it), but the simple and memorable melodies, the catchy and often cheesy lyrics, and sing-along refrains and the inevitable up-key final chorus - it is pure, unadulterated, nostalgia-laced delight. You may not have heard the song in ages, but when it comes on the radio (sometimes on Gold 90 FM, my god I'm getting old), you know all the words, and you SING IT. And I do also think that the appeal is precisely because it harkens back to a simpler time and evokes feelings from a "better" time. As we grow older and more cynical, chiselled down by the day-to-day grind of work life and all the perils of adulthood, there is no doubt a desire for that return to child-like innocence (there may even be a psychoanalytical element to this, but that's a rabbit hole I certainly do not want to go down). These songs and these bands evoke feelings of simplicity and naivety. Even if there is an element of rosy retrospection, where we remember history in a more positive light, I don't think that's a bad thing at all. It allows moments of sentimental reprieve, incomplete as they may be, allowing you to bask in a corny yet warm fuzzy feeling. The lyrics don't actually make much sense, but its a defining song from a defining boy band that makes EVERYONE sing along It was a simpler time, even musically. As songs get more complicated and even boy bands more elaborate (Seventeen has 13 members, which is 1. way too many and 2. eponymously confusing), there is something pleasingly simple and comforting about 5 boys singing 5 broadly familiar songs about the same damn thing (it's always l-o-v-e, isn't it). Drowning (in sentimentality) Admittedly, there is something a little bit tragic or cynical about these 20-year old boy bands still touring in 2024 singing songs from the 90s. Does it feel like them milking past fame? Yes. Is it music that is probably no longer relevant or popular these days? Yes. In a world like this, is it just a little bit cringey? Sure. Would I still go? Every. Single. Time. Music means many different things to different people. Our taste in music is rarely singular - I predominantly listen to rock, but there are days that I just want to listen to classical music, R&B, or maybe a bit of slow blues. A WhatsApp (yes, we're not young enough to use Telegram) conversation only Millennials can have, or will understand... But 90s/00s boy bands will always have a special place in my heart, a feeling I think (or perhaps more accurately hope) other Millennials will understand. Even if they may now be Backstreet Uncles, the music of that era is uniquely the one that tugs at my tragically nostalgic heart strings. So I say a little prayer (wrong band reference, I know) that the Joey/AJ tour somehow some way makes its way to Singapore. I'll be there, this I promise you. ~ Desmond

Funny music videos parodies : Bohemian Rhapsody : Star Wars Edition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi7KPDi_yQI Frozen : Star Wars Edition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eJeCM60awo

With many zoom and team meetings going on nowadays, am looking to get a portable speaker for conferencing needs. I am currently using headphone and earbuds but it can get really uncomfortable after prolong usage. I have little experience with such speakers (I do use my colleague Jabra Speak occasionally) so don't know where to begin with. Chanced upon the Harman Kardon Traveler and JBL Flip 4 over the weekend at Courts, both (at $149) allows wireless phone conferencing and playing of music for up to 12 hours I was told. For the 2 I mentioned, I find the JBL have too much of bass which may not be good for conference but music sound nice overall. HK set seems clearer in comparison but lack slightly in music quality (sounds a little hollow). Anyone has any experience with these 2 speakers, or other model to recommend? My budget is up to $200 but of course the cheaper the better. Not looking for hifi sound but something better than those sub $100 portable speaker. TIA. 😊

Wonder anyone interested in Malay mat rock bands of the late 80s to late 90s? I am Chinese but I am a rock fan so their sound and guitar riff and style suits me just fine. I dig all kinds of rock music from Canto (Beyond), Hokkien, Jap (X-Japan), English, Chinese (黑豹,唐朝) etc. As one grow old, prefer their rock ballads over their fast numbers. For malay mat rock I have a great collection of all the bands ballads. Just to name a few. Ababil, Aces, Ad-Hoc, Alfa, Amija, Amuk, Analisa, Arena, Ariwatan, Arowana, Arrow, Aryan, AXL, Axthara, B&W, Baba, Babylon, Bahtera, Belantara, Blackrose, Bloodshed, Bozz, Brainwash, Bumiputra Rockers, Burnmarks, Candy, Capricon, Chapters, Citra, Classmate, Crash, CRK, Crossfire, Crosstown, Damasutra, Data, De-Javu, Desire, Dinamik, Doubleline, Dreams, East, Ekamatra, Ella & Boys, Erat, Espiranza, Etika, Evolusi, Exist, Eye, Fahrenheit, Fair, Fancy, Fantasia, Febians, Final List, Fly N Colors, Fotograf, Frequency, FRU, G.E.T, Gamma, Garuda, Gates, Gerhana, Gerimis, Gersang, Gravity, Guys, Handy Black, Hatty, Headwind, Heat, Helter Skelter, Hevea, Hidayu, Hijrah, Iklim, Ikrar, Illusi, Iris, Jasad Liar, Jati, Jaybon, Jed, Jelmol, Jessica, Jitu, Junction, Justice, Kalahari, Kasawari, Kejora, Kemala, Keno, Khalifah, Krabat, Kriket, Kris, Kulit, Laksamana, Last Minute, Lefthanded, Legacy, Legenda, Lela, Lemon-T, Leo, Leon, Lestari, Lipan Bara, Lovehunters, Loving Born, Masa, May, Medicine, Meditasi, Mega, Menara, Mercury, Metafora, Metallian, Missi, Misteri, Mutiara, Odyssey, Okay, Okid, Olan, Ozon, Panji, Pearl, Penyengat, Positif, Prima, Primadona, Printis, Projek, Putra, Qiara, Rajawali, Rass, Revolusi, Rio, Riyadh, Rockers, Rusty Blade, S.O 27, Sabsar, Saga, Samudera, Satria, Scan, Scoin, Scream, Screen, Search, Sejati, Selsius, Senario, Sensasi, Sera, Serasi, Sherox, Shima & Boys, Skala, Slam, Slash, Sofea, Sons of Adam, Spin, Spoon, Spring, Status, Stings, Storm, StraTG, Strangers, Stripe, Struggle, Success, Sup, Susila, Sweat, Sweet Charity, Sweet Child, Swing, Syuhada, Taufan, Teja, Terra Rossa, The Rocks, The Unwanted, Trimmer, Tropika, U-Topia, UG14, Ukays, Umbrella, Unique, Urgent, Vagrant, Versi, Victim, Viking, Villosa, Visa, Viva, Voice, Warisan, Ways, Wee Wit, Wicitra, Wild Age, Wings, Wizards, WOW, XPDC, Yantzen, Yess, Zabarjad, Zodiak. Mostly Msian bands but there are a few Spore bands too. Most are 1-2 album bands so few ballad songs for me to collect. At the height of mat rock, one album can have 5-6 ballads! Thanks to youtube creation, kind souls upload their band music for me to slowly collect be it Malay, Canto, Hokkien, Jap, English, Chinese. This will be one of my retiring coming hobbies after leaving the rat race of corporate world in a few more years time !

For all rock music fans : Slash (rock guitarist) playing in Sunway Lagoon, Malaysia on 14 February 2015. This concert will feature rocker Myles Kennedy who some say sing better than All Rose. Details : http://galaxy.com.my/index.php?view=event&ref=194&lang=en The difficulty will be on how to convince the wife/gf to let you go on Valentine's Day.

So we have reached the time where most of us need to stay indoors.. Many of us have access to streaming facilities, so what are you watching or listening to? Do you have a Covid playlist? If you're in UK, these two are quite apt. The UK landscape of empty streets is quite eerie.. 28 days later? 28 weeks later is quite apt for UK.. For USA: I am Legend Omega man: And those related to virus spread: The CLOSEST to the truth Contagion: Outbreak: Amazing how they can generate a plasma vaccine sample in an hour...

Why does the police play copyright music during work, particularly when taking actions against suspect(s)? Well, most of you should know that social media such as youtube, instagram and such have built-in functions for user to share copyright material, INGENIOUS act! 🤣👍 Cop Admits To Playing Copyrighted Music Through Squad Car PA To Keep Videos Off YouTube Source: https://jalopnik.com/cop-admits-to-playing-copyrighted-music-through-squad-c-1848776860 https://youtu.be/9f-z-5HZr6w Watch Sheriff’s Sergeant Play Taylor Swift to Avoid Ending Up on YouTube Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/dyv48q/watch-this-sheriffs-sergeant-play-taylor-swift-to-avoid-ending-up-on-youtube New Video Shows Beverly Hills Cops Playing Beatles to Trigger Instagram Copyright Filter Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvxa7q/new-video-shows-beverly-hills-cops-playing-beatles-to-trigger-instagram-copyright-filter Is This Beverly Hills Cop Playing Sublime’s ‘Santeria’ to Avoid Being Live-Streamed? Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvxb94/is-this-beverly-hills-cop-playing-sublimes-santeria-to-avoid-being-livestreamed It Sure Looks Like This Cop Played Country Music to Avoid Being Filmed Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx89kn/it-sure-looks-like-this-cop-played-country-music-to-avoid-being-filmed

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/music-video-by-preetipls-has-crossed-the-line-by-insulting-chinese-people-shanmugam-111831135.html Imo... a pair of attention seekers playing the racist cards again. Might as well we go complain why last time gurmit singh act as pck. Now like every small small thing nia n there will be clowns quick to jump onto the racial discrimination wagon. For tis saga, i gotta agreed with Shanmugam liao..

High-tech jacket allows deaf people to feel the music https://www.asiaone.com/digital/high-tech-jacket-allows-deaf-people-feel-music Twin sisters Hermon and Heroda Berhane love dancing but can't hear the music because they're both deaf, so the invention of a jacket with sensors that enables them to feel the different sounds has transformed their nights out in London clubs. The "Sound Shirt", created by London-based fashion company CuteCircuit, has 16 sensors embedded in its fabric, so wearers can feel violins on their arms, for example, while drums beat on their backs. The Berhane twins, who lost their hearing at a young age, say modelling the shirts has given them a brand new experience. "It's almost like feeling the depth of the music," says Hermon. "It just feels as though we can move along with it." Francesca Rosella, co-founder and chief creative officer of CuteCircuit, which designs fashion wearable technology, said the shirts allowed deaf people to feel the music through sensations. "Inside the shirt - that, by the way, is completely textiles, there are no wires inside, so we're only using smart fabrics - we have a combination of microelectronics... very thin and flexible, and conductive fabrics," she said. "All these little electronic motors are connected with these conductive fabrics so that the garment is soft and stretchable." Sound Shirts don't come cheap, as they are expected to go on sale at more than £3,000 (S$5,100), but Heroda believes it's a price worth paying for deaf people who enjoy music as much as she and her sister do. "I think it could definitely change our lives," she said. uploaded image photo: CuteCircuit

Bros. I am starting my girl on piano classess soon. As a parent, I want to be able to support her as much as I possibly can. Those who have your kids enrolled for piano classes,are you allowed to sit in? Any parent here who took up an instrument for your kid also? as an adult learner, what are the challenges we may face? eg lack of time, stiff fingers, lack of discipline... I have zero piano knowledge. With the exception of being in the symphonic band as a trumpet player in sec sch and jc times. Any good piano teacher to recommend for young kids and also adult? do you recommend to take lessons in school or at home? looking at cristofori for my girl as its near our place. Have a Yamaha P115 if school does not work out esp this Just out in the news also https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/piano-teacher-sexual-assault-5-year-old-student-pleads-guilty-11470900?cid=FBcna&fbclid=IwAR32lAVkvi7oAuRsA3GXXJW0253Uvr5CeJzt-43TI9EJXGNdcXGQjXJkeIo this is not good at all

Hi Pple.. I am looking for a place for dining, with Live Jazz or English rock music, to organize for a group of friends. Pls share with me some ideas.. Thank you so much. =)

Cancer 😢 https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.tmz.com/2020/10/06/eddie-van-halen-dead-dies-cancer-65/ He's so famous, ST also got report. https://www.straitstimes.com/life/rock-legend-eddie-van-halen-dies-after-long-battle-with-cancer @Mustank and other metalheads, fall in for support group. 😔

I have a old to To ROTEL integrated amplifier AX 939 RX with missions speakers. Simple 2 channel amp, it has no digital or optical input or output. No HDMI,20 over years technology but still sound good. I want to stream music with tidal. Can it be done？ Do I need a streamer or DAC or better to buy a new one. Any recommendations

I have been looking high and low in the internet for the latest (updated) pop chart for HK Cantonese Pop Music ... but not sucessful :-( Anybody know of such website exists, similar to biadu's 中文金曲榜 which publish weekly chart list?