UK collective Will And The People have been touted as our generation’s answer to The Specials but the boys themselves wouldn’t go that far. They’re simply happy to keep you sweaty and smiling with their invigorating blend of reggae, pop, grunge, ska and house and four-to-the-floor. The cheery lads just recently released their new album Morning Sun and the band have taken to the road to spread the word. And since Singapore’s their next stop, we got in a quick chat with Will himself!

For those who don’t know, what does Will And The People sound like?
A train! (Laughs)

What can fans expect at your live show?
Crowd oneness, smiles, sweat, grooves, dancing and no trouble.

What’s been the most memorable gig that you’ve ever played?
We did a big one in a bathtub. In a house in Reading.

Could you tell us a bit about your new album Morning Sun?
We think it is a vibe, it is a start for us and we have lots more to deliver. The record is filled with quality songs, no gibberish.

What’s your mantra in life and music?
If you get into the flow, and are feeling it then you are definitely doing the right thing, so follow your passion I guess. Also, keep it light, even if you are in the dark.

What’s your favourite CD of all-time and why?
That’s an impossible question so I will say Morning Sun by Will and the People…because we made it! (Laughs)

You can catch Will And The People live  on 15th February at Timbre @ The Substation (8pm), 16th February on a Live Stream Show from (www.liveomusic.com) and 17th February at Beer Market, Clarke Quay (10pm).

www.willandthepeople.com
www.facebook.com/events/157555334355927

Text: Hidzir Junaini
Interview and image courtesy of: Figure8 Agency

Berlin can change your life, or at least that’s what happened to the boys behind Turmspringer. While Tim Brüggemann was brought up in the minimal underground, his production partner Robert Galic was initially a London boy with a renowned discography of jazzanova. And when Robert headed to Germany to finish his latest nu-jazz work, it would turn out to be his last endevaour within that genre. The Berlin scene enveloped him after chance encounter with Tim and a new soulfully funky techno duo was conceived. We spoke to Robert prior to their Berlin Meets Singapore set at Azzura about the influence of the city on their music.

How did you meet Tim and what made you decide to make music together?
I was still living in London and was invited to play in Berlin for a typical ‘90s backyard party. There I met Tim behind the turntables – hyper and totally hot to play. Instead of fighting about the next slot, we decided to play together back-to-back. This was the first touch… with more to follow.

To someone who hasn’t heard Turmspringer before, how would you describe your music?
Ass shakin’ mind blowin’ sh*t. (Laughs)

How much of an impact did the Berlin scene have on you both?
A lot. When I decided to move from London to Berlin, my idea was to finish there my album on Sonar Kollektiv. During this time I was regularly going out. Berlin’s best parties happened in the underground scene and the music that was typically played was techno and minimal. I was so electrified by this music; it was not easy finishing a nu jazz album at the same time… that’s for sure. Berlin changed everything for me!

Looking forward to it! And where do you see yourselves in five years?
Surrounded by nice people at a nice place with great music on a different planet.

Read the rest of this interview in the January issue of JUICE!

Rapture of the Deep and 28Black are the organisers of the Berlin Meets Singapore parties. And that only makes sense, since 28Black stands for high quality and lifestyle – the same ideals and visions that Rapture of the Deep is bringing to the table. Together, they aim to bring good music to Singapore and wahey, everyone wins!

www.myspace.com/turmspringer

Text: Hidzir Junanini
Image & interview courtesy of: Calidris

If you were to make a dubstep Mount Rushmore, Benga’s face would certainly be carved right there into a huge grimy mountain. As one of the first producers to nurture the genre, the Croydon producer (born Adegbenga Adejumo) has been at the forefront of the UK bass culture for some time now with his bruising basslines and low end tunes. Benga’s heading to Singapore soon (together with fellow pioneer Skream) so we took the chance to catch up with the Magnetic Man member prior to his Zirca sojourn.

Will this be your first trip here and how’d you guys get hooked up with the clubs?
I guess we’ve always wanted to do a run in this part of Asia, then the bookings came in we couldn’t say no! We’ve played Japan a few times and its gone down well, its been a long time coming!

Give us an idea of the mayhem to come. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen your fans do during a show?
I’m pretty weird myself so I’m unsure how to answer this question. One time the crowd in Amsterdam just decided to start running around in circles which was crazy!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done at a show?
I got really excited at a recent show in New York and jumped on Sgt. Pokes’ back. It was a bit nuts as he had previously hurt his back. (Laughs)

What do you think it is about the dubstep sound and feel that’s made it so successful outside of the UK and, now, broaching into the mainstream?
I think there are many reasons, one of them is the rise of the Internet and all the social networking sites. Another is because of how ambitious and driven people are in the scene.

JUICE is proud to be the official magazine for Skream & Benga at Zirca.

Absolut & The Glenlivet present Skream & Benga at Zirca on Friday, 13 January. Admission is $20 (before 11pm) and $32 (after 11pm), inclusive of 2 drinks. Kiat & Brandon Tay (Syndicate) opens with a special audiovisual set.

www.benga.co.uk

Deerhoof has been around for nearly two decades but for some reason, the San Franciscan quartet always seem younger its vintage. The band isn’t in the habit of Madonna-style reinvention, but it is true that every single album over the 11-LP discography sounds radically different and displays stunning invention, culminating in the highly regarded Deerhoof vs. Evil. The band began with a noisier no wave aesthetic but over time, quirkier and sweeter elements have crept into their vibe. It isn’t so much a conscious process as much as it a by-product of personal growth, personnel changes and naturally improvisatory tendencies that’s made them so beloved. We got drummer and founder Greg Saunier to track Deerhoof’s tracks prior to their gig at UpToTheSky Festival.

Hi Deerhoof! How’s do you find Singapore so far?
By taxi! (Laughs) No, really it’s been fun; we’ve spent most of it catching bands at UpToTheSky here. We’ve caught almost all of it actually and it’s been amazing! Most of the bands today have been from Southeast Asia and one thing that struck us was how totally different they were from one another. Like that band, White Shoes and the Couples Company, that’s one cool concept band right there. I immediately wished that we could take the band on tour with us in America. You get a sense of how incredibly assured they are, like they knew what they wanted to be from the beginning.

High praise indeed! Was Deerhoof as assured in beginning, 17 years ago?
Well, we began with a totally different line-up; it was just me and some other guy. It was a duo. We were in another band, a grunge quartet that sounded like The Melvins. But the other two quit totally suddenly, without warning. They just called up and said, “We’re done.” Apparently they were going out for years and they broke up so they couldn’t be in the same room together. So Deerhoof was a happy accident, we formed it as a replacement. The way we started, it was all wild, extreme noise and the singing was all just screaming and stuff. But it’s obviously different now.

And being together for so long, does it make it easier or harder to make new music together?
Honestly, it doesn’t feel like an old band. I think it feels a little bit like a new band. I haven’t been in another band, so I have no point of comparison but what I can say is that for this band at least, it never gets easy. It’s never just smooth and we never settle into one style or groove. I guess we’ve never figured out how to really play together, but it may be good thing because it keeps us sounding different and going in different directions when writing.

Read the rest of the interview in the January 2012 issue of JUICE!

deerhoof.killrockstars.com

Text: Hidzir Junaini
Photography: Hong Wei Loong
Interview and photo-op courtesy of: Figure8 Agency

Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin built Cults from the ground up through stellar songwriting and old fashioned relentless touring and as they say, good things come to those who work hard. The first ever song they wrote together, “Go Outside”, became a sensation and any fears that they couldn’t translate that magic into a full-length were quickly allayed with the release of Cults’ eponymous debut. The record was an earwormy ’60s-styled sugar rush that combined unsettling content with enough indelible pop to make us drink their Kool-Aid. So here’s the story of their rise, true believers.

Is it true that “Go Outside” was the song began it all?
Brian: Yeah! Actually it was the first song that we wrote together for this band. But the first song I ever personally wrote was “Rave On”, which is the last song on our record. I wrote it three years ago. Then I had a hiatus for a bit before Madeline came along.

And obviously it became this breakout success. Did that homerun of having made a big initial impression help alleviate or add to the pressure?
Madeline: I think it added to the pressure because we had only come out with only two or three songs. And everybody had no idea what to expect and we didn’t know whether people would like what we had planned.

So considering those fears, what was the thought process behind the first album?
B: When we nailed those first songs, we started stressing about how we were going to keep writing songs that were as good or better. We tried a bunch of different things, like working in different environments and it ended up being really bad for us. So we went back to doing it how we did originally, just working in our apartment with the same fun attitude.

Can you give us an idea of what to expect at your debut Singapore gig at Laneway 2012?
M: There’ll be a lot of dancing! You guys better like to dance over there. (Laughs)

Cults is part of the Laneway Festival 2012 line-up. Catch them at the festival, which takes place on 12 February at Fort Canning Park from 1.30pm to 1.30am. Tickets are available for $135 (excluding booking fee) via SISTIC. More information is available at singapore.lanewayfestival.com.au.

www.cultscultscults.com

Text: Hidzir Junaini
Image & interview courtesy of: Chugg Entertainment

Barely four years into its career and Bombay Bicycle Club has had every form of support, awards and petals being thrown in its way. But of course: this North London four-piece doesn’t just possess the obvious talent for pop songcraft, but also the balls to stretch that sound from trad-indie (I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose) to freak folk (Flaws) to pop-funk (A Different Kind of Fix). Before they hit us up for The People’s Party, we got on the phone with bassist Ed Nash…

The band has gone from unknowns the indie household names in a few short years. Has it been quite an adjustment?
I like the life of the band but we try not to pay attention to the success. It’s great that people like our music but we haven’t let that go to our heads. We’re still normal people who hang out with each other and live with our mums, so not much has changed.

Good on ya! Tell us also about A Different Kind of Fix – how would you place it on the band’s evolution chart?
We’ve done three albums over three years and they’ve all been entirely different. Flaws was never intended to be our second album; it was more of a side project since we had a load of acoustic songs and all that happened to work out. So when going in to make A Different Kind of Fix, we went back to our first album to continue that musical thread. In a way, I guess our third album’s more like our second one!

And it also seems like you guys have got a pretty legendary live reputation…
It’s just how we started and us at our best. I mean, we look laidback and quiet on first impressions, but we get pretty energetic on stage. Our shows are pretty big now but back when we started, we used to play smaller stages, where it could get pretty crazy.

We bet it’ll be crazy when you hit Singapore too! Excited much?
Yes, we’re more excited than anything! We’ve stopped over in Singapore on our way to Australia before, but to finally be able to play this show is amazing. We’ll see you there!

Bombay Bicycle Club will be headlining The People’s Party, which happens from 14 to 15 January at the *SCAPE Playhouse at 2 Orchard Link. Tickets are priced at $108 (for one day) and $178 (for both days) and are now on sale at all SISTIC authorised agents. Find out more at www.untitled.asia.

www.bombaybicycleclubmusic.com

Text: Min Chen
Image & interview courtesy of: Untitled Entertainment

It’s rare for a band’s name to encapsulate their audience’s reaction to their music so perfectly, but Holy Fuck have achieved that – efficiently and explicitly. Ever since their debut in 2005, these Torontonians have bandied about their penchant for membrane-melting and dance-inducing electronica across three full-length albums (Holy Fuck, LP and Latin) and many more continents with delirious glee. We caught up with founding member Graham Walsh ahead of the band’s gig at Avalon to get his take on why Holy Fuck fans should choose live.

What’s the most memorable gig you’ve ever played?
So many memorable gigs. It’s really hard to name just one. We played at the Primavera festival in 2008. That was up there as one of the best shows we’ve ever played. We were set to perform just as the sun was rising – 5am or something. There were thousands of people there, all really excited. During our last song, the audience jumped over the barrier, and climbed up on the stage with us. There must’ve been 200 people on stage, all dancing and going crazy! It was an amazing moment.

We noticed your live show is more visceral and possesses a slightly different dynamic from the record. Is that due to improvisation?
We started out as a live band first and foremost. It was always a challenge to capture the live energy on record. So, we did our best to capture the vibe of our show in the studio now that our music is reaching farther audiences and more people are hearing our albums before seeing us live. Due to the nature of what we play, and how we play it, it’s better for us to treat our live show and album recordings as different animals, thus, we improvise a little more live. We try and bring something more energy and more of a visual experience to our live show.

In hindsight, would you guys have picked another band name? Seeing as it sometimes distracts the more prudish types away from your music.
It’s hard to say. This band started out more as something to have fun with, and to play for our friends. The fact that we’ve come this far has way surpassed any expectations we would have had for the band. So, I have no regrets about the name at all.

The rest of this interview can be read in the December issue of JUICE, now available at these spots.

www.holyfuckmusic.com

Text: Hidzir Junaini
Interview courtesy of: Avalon

Amanda Tee’s been strumming her trusty guitar since the tender age of seven, which practically makes her a jaded veteran by the age of 22. Well, perhaps jaded isn’t right word. The young singer-songwriter is anything but, often coming across as a bubbly figure, full of determination and motivation. She’s been around the scene both as a solo acoustic artist and together with her energetic alt band Dugong Warriors and despite being busy with a burgeoning musical career, Amanda always makes time to share some words of wisdom.

What is the source of your inspiration when you write songs?
Sometimes my dog whispers into my ear when he wants me to write about a certain topic, and I’ll listen to him! He gives good ideas. My songs tend to cover a wide range of topics, not just the usual cheesy love songs! I try to keep it interesting as well, because to me when the lyrics are too literal and you know everything the song is trying to express on the first listen, it’ll get boring very quickly.

What advice would you offer to aspiring musicians?
The same I would give to anyone: eat healthy, and exercise. Also, keep the fire burning – sometimes it’ll be hard because the appreciation for local music still has room to grow, but it’s gotten a lot better in the past few years! There will be times when you’ll feel like no one’s really listening, but that’s just how we Singaporeans do it! We listen, we like, but we don’t necessarily tell you that we do!

Describe some hurdles you had to overcome and what did you bring away from that experience?
I’ve never had big problems with this, probably because I don’t really care! We just play for the fun of it – no stress, no crazy expectations, no fear of making mistakes. It keeps everything lighthearted and we actually still enjoy playing the same songs over and over again because we practically jam onstage!

Describe your band, Dugong Warriors, and how it was formed?
We’re pretty much a four-piece band right now – me on vocals and guitars, Angus on guitars, Pio on drums/percussion and Naza on bass. We all met one day when butterflies came to each of us and beckoned us towards a particular direction – before we knew it, we were all crossing each other’s paths!

What is your motivation for being a featured contributor on the NS Portal?
I get to plug myself! Actually, I don’t really. It’s a great platform to write about local music and help plug events and other local music-related issues, so more people will know about them and maybe appreciate them more! The scene is growing, slowly but surely. Through this Get Groovin! column on the NS Portal (http://lifestyle.www.ns.sg/fit-life/get-groovin), I hope to help accelerate that growth!

Log onto the NS Portal and stand a chance at winning up to $500 worth of shopping vouchers by entering the Where’s Amanda’s Guitar? contest. To participate, you have to find Amanda’s guitar parts, which are scattered among photo images in the various Group albums and you’ll then have to combine the letters featured on each guitar part to form three words, describing an important aspect of the NS Portal. This contest is only open to NSmen. Good luck!

Sara Abdel-Hamid aka Ikonika is a child of many influences, and we don’t mean that from the traditional vantage point of a vinyl-head DJ. From drumming for metal bands to her early off-kilter dubstep productions, Sara’s range of perspective is key to her strangely spectacular sonic palette. It’s these playful, tangential spaces that spur a live crowd to both intellectual rapture and intoxicated raving. That’s the exact effect that enveloped her Heineken Green Room audience and that’s precisely why we’re so intrigued by this emerging icon.

How about your set at Heineken Green Room? That was some really something!
Really fun! I was looking at my Serato history and I realised that I played for three hours. I haven’t done that for a very long time; usually it’s like an hour or an hour half. When I get lost in it and play for that long, it shows I’m having a really great time.

You looked intense. Is that a usual thing when you play, do you just get in the zone?
I like to just imagine myself mixing records in my bedroom by myself, and trying not to wake anyone. (Laughs) I pay attention to the crowd but I’m not going to do the Jesus pose, you know? I’m not the kind of DJ that tells you when to move or when the drop is gonna happen. I think crowds are intelligent enough to listen to music and understand it for themselves.

An iconoclast is someone who breaks structure. Is that where the name Ikonika comes from?
In the traditional sense, it’s someone who destroys religious objects, but I’m not that extreme. (Laughs) I relate it to music because I kind realised that I’m not the norm. Especially in a DJ sense, because my songs are all wavy and wiggly and kind of hard to mix, but that’s the whole point. I’ve always been a rebel and I guess that has to do with my metal and hardcore punk background.

You started out dubstep but you’re so much more now. How would you describe how your sound has evolved?
Yeah, I’ve given up calling my music dubstep because people now think of dubstep as something else. Now the genre has such a narrow definition. I don’t even know what to call it, and calling it bass music would be boring. The BPMs have all changed, and I just go for tunes that share the same values as I do. Good melodies, sub bass, kicks, good drums and good groove. I have a techno mentality, I guess.

The rest of this interview can be read in the December issue of JUICE, now available at these spots.

www.myspace.com/ikonika

Text: Hidzir Junani
Interview courtesy of: Heineken

Back when Klaxons first broke out with the excellent Myths Of The Near Future, the band spearheaded an intensely energetic and magnificently colourful genre dubbed new rave. But as catchy as that as the label was, it was a pretty limiting term that invited misunderstanding. Their brilliant sophomore effort Surfing The Void, then set about proving that Klaxons weren’t simply for the pill-popping and party-hungry Skins generation. We spoke to the band prior to their DJ stint at Avalon to get a sense of their perpetual musical evolution.

Could you clear up some stuff about the making of Surfing the Void? We heard crazy stories about recording issues and the label forcing you bin the original version.
Well, before we recorded the album, there was the space of about a year where we were experimenting with certain musical directions, mainly a dense folky direction. After making a batch of music in this style we then decided to explore another direction, which became Surfing The Void. Sometimes bands make albums over one recording session other times bands make a record over the space of months or even years. Whatever it takes to make the record you stand by.

And in the end, Landmarks of Lunacy came out, featuring the unreleased stuff from the making of Surfing the Void. Was the band eager to get that stuff out there?
Yeah, I mean we loved the music we made during the period up to making Surfing The Void and wanted people to hear it. We decided to give it away as a free download on Christmas last year, which also made sense as the music had a winter-y feel to it.

In between the Mercury Prize, the massive festivals and all that, what’s been the band’s biggest moment?
The first time we all got in a room. It was instant lunacy, chemistry and excitement.

The rest of this interview can be read in the December issue of JUICE, now available at these spots.

www.klaxons.net

Text: Hidzir Junaini
Interview courtesy of: Avalon