As suggested, Indonesian trio The Trees & The Wild own up to a pastoral and bucolic kind of folk, lined with ear-catching melodies and an acoustic strum. It was this delightful sound that chalked up thousands of listens on the group’s MySpace in 2001 and raked in the accolades (from Time Magazine, no less), before its debut, Rasuk, plastered the band across the map. So while it may have been a quiet hobby that started it and a gentle sway that guides it, these guys make nothing short of a deep impact.

Since you started making music as a hobby, how does it feel to be a working band now?
Well, everything hasn’t really changed. I think we are still the band that we were four years ago.

What’s been one of your biggest highlights as a band?
I think playing shows abroad is one the highlights! So pumped to play again in Singapore! Can’t wait to see you guys!

How have your surroundings influenced your music?
We live in an area that has two totally different environments. One part is the industrial part and the other one is the typical green suburbs part. I guess somehow those opposing environments inspired the music We also wanted to make a sound that was more relevant to us.

Since it’s been two years since your debut Rasuk, can we expect a follow-up soon?
Yes, we are currently working on our second album. The process has been so exciting, because our additional members are also involved in the arrangement. It’ll be a bit different from the first one.

The Trees & The Wild will be playing Singapore’s inaugural UpToTheSky Festival on 3 December at Old School, 11 Mount Sophia. Tickets cost $89 with reservation and $95 at the door. Email figure8@figure8-agency.com or call 9866 9259 to reserve your tickets. More information is at www.figure8-agency.com. Or find out more about the festival in the October issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.myspace.com/thetreesandthewild

Text: Min Chen
Image & interview courtesy of: Figure8

In case you didn’t get the bulletin, girls kick ass – and pretty often at that. And here are four of them who do it on an annual basis: Cherry Chan, Debbie Chia, Natalie Pixiedub and Pamm Hong, the three accomplished DJs and one creative cat behind the FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp. For the past four years, the Bootcamp has been playing foster mother and mentor to our fledging female jocks within an environment that’s loving, supportive and always FFFun. We steal Cherry, Debbie, Natalie and Pamm away to grill them on the FFFeline-led curriculum.

Tell us how you girls found each other.
Debbie: Cherry gave me my first gig in Singapore with Pop My Cherry! We’re all just girls in the music scene of around the same age that like to do, make and share stuff.
Natalie: Debbie and I knew each other in secondary school, when we were listening to riot grrl bands! Cherry and I met later at some party. We like to bake and compare notes about boys. We also have a slightly unhealthy obsession with FFFelines.
Cherry: We hang with the letter F every week – it likes to knit and meow softly whilst listening to vintage records.
Pamm: By some mighty kitty chance, Cherry decided to rope me into this project as creative director! To this day, I’ve been grateful and giving my best for these girls. I couldn’t have picked a better feline empowered team to work with.

How did the FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp emerge from there?
D: It actually arose out of necessity, like I needed a good way to spend $10,000 because I was nominated for some award, and the Girl DJ Bootcamp had been an idea I was toying about. So although I didn’t win the award, I went ahead with it anyway, with the support of my ex-boss Cynthia, Nat, Cherry, Aresha and recently Pamm. Fundamentally, it is about giving other girls the same opportunities that I was given, and maybe even make it easier for them.

And how does it feel going into your fourth year?
N: It just keeps getting better every time we do it, as we experience new lecturers, new dynamics, new venues and modes of teaching. We also put more and more thought into the process versus the first year where we just went into it head-on with a “LET’S DO IT!” attitude.

What does the Girl DJ Bootcamp mean to you personally?
N: It is a really great opportunity for girls to step up to the plate, take control of their own interest and actually do something about it!
C: A mind-opener and soul enhancer. When you create and get in depth with quality music, your world and consciousness expand. The Bootcamp is there to give a taster.
D: I like how the community gets together, and the old get to link up with the new and share what they know in a meaningful and deliberate way. I like how it creates connections where previously there were none before, and this applies to everyone who is involved.
P: I think the Bootcamp does much for simply believing in yourself. The world is so huge and there’s no space for conflict, and I kind of want to be able to tell other people (girls especially) that it’s really just you who steers your route in life and no one else. Oh, and that girls can be better than boys at anything!

Read the rest of the interview in the October issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.facebook.com/fffgirldjbootcamp
fffgirldjbootcamp.tumblr.com

Text: Min Chen
Photography: Ryan Chang
Apparel: AL&ALICIA
Makeup: Ettusais

Your iTunes may know him as Gotye but to his friends he’s just Wally De Backer. The Belgian-born multi-instrumentalist is beloved for his expansive electronic pop tunes that are heady as they are heralded. From his first self-packaged four-track demo to his latest self-produced opus Making Mirrors, everything Gotye’s done has been so distinctively diverse and poetically gallivanting simply because it was all so DIY. That isn’t to say that Wally’s entirely averse to outside input though. Read on as Gotye converses about his learning curve.

You play a bunch of instruments and sing as well! Which was the first one you picked up?
I’m okay with the synthesizers, piano and vocals and stuff like that, but I think the studio is my main instrument. I don’t think I play too many different things but I do dabble a lot with samplers and studio things. The hard part isn’t necessarily playing, you just need to know the basics… it’s putting all the elements together that’s tricky.

Most of your previous albums have been self-made and independently released…
Up till very recently, yes, that’s mostly the case. I do have help in a couple of great managers recently and a fabulous mixer but I do most of the producing, recording, writing and performing. It was very difficult, but it allowed me a closer look at the mechanics of the Australian music industry.

Tell us about your new album Making Mirrors. The name itself implies introspection. Was that the thematic inspiration for the album?
I actually didn’t really set out with a specific concept; it was more about exploring different directions and seeing which was the most exciting. And once I’ve had a bunch of songs it was a matter of picking ones that had greatest meaning when put together. Song selection and sequencing are very important things to me and it just so happened that this theme emerged as the most interesting.

Read the rest of the interview in the October issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.gotye.com

Text: Hidzir Junaini

Made up of fun-loving French boys Alex and Médéric, Beataucue is steadily gaining recognition for its infectiously glitchy noise and acid synth layers dripping from its proud catalogue of critically acclaimed Kitsuné-released EPs. Name-making remixes of Brodinski and Noob, and Two Door Cinema Club got them attention but it was their stunning originals such as “Disque Oh!” and “Cha Cha Cha” that really made clubland take notice. Here’s our tête-à-tête with Médéric just before Beatacue’s block-rockin’ set at Zirca.

We hear that Beataucue means something rude in French. Care to elaborate?
(Laughs) Yes. It’s supposed to loosely mean cue the beat actually but if you say it really fast, it sounds like dick in the ass in French. I don’t know why we chose that. When we started we just needed a name for MySpace and we found this too funny. People in England and other countries just think it’s a classic name and have no idea.

How did an upstart DJ duo go about getting noticed in the beginning?
At this time Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor” wasn’t big yet, we just heard a rip online and we decided to make a remix of it. It was our first one, so it was rough but we sent it to Diplo and he liked it. So he started playing it and that got attention. From there we got more opportunities to remix for Brodinski and Noob and many others so it just kept gaining momentum.

Tell us about your latest EP Falcon Punch…
It’s basically just a collection of the best tracks we made last year. We’re happy with it because it stretched our creativity and took us to different places. There’s also a collaboration with Shinchi Osawa, which was a pleasure.

What would be the coolest thing Beataucue has to do before you guys call it quits?
Wow, we’ve always wanted to play a big festival like Ultra Music in Miami. But I think the coolest thing would be for us to have a release out on Mad Decent because Diplo and so many of the DJs on there were our inspiration. Hopefully we get to accomplish both dreams someday.

Read the rest of this interview in the October issue of JUICE, now out at these spots.

www.myspace.com/beataucue

Text: Hidzir Junaini
Interview courtesy of: Zirca

We reckon this pair never stops working. Besides having day jobs, Melvin aka Betaphats has an insatiable appetite for producing and picking up new musical skills, while Kurt aka Clash The Disko Kids pours his heart and soul into dropping dance beats for party people. Lucky for us, these two hard workers aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Last year, they joined forces to become the electronic force that is Pocket Magik, and are currently working on a debut album that promises to usher in a musical era that’s soulful, timeless and genre-less. The guys let us in on what they’ve been up to, after making space in their busy schedules, of course.

So what’s the story behind Pocket Magik?
Melvin: It started in the middle of last year when I was searching to learn more about music production. The process of producing a great track had always intrigued me, and I knew I needed a crash course in production. This led me to Kurt, who had already produced many great tracks and remixes under Clash The Disko Kids. We were both passionate about music production and figured we could work together on a collaboration project, which led to the birth of Pocket Magik.

Sounds like a match made in heaven!
Kurt: The working dynamic between us is pretty smooth and simple, yet inspiring. We were both born with passion in our disciplines, and we think that’s pretty much the key in making anything work in our lives. In a nutshell, we complement each other.

And now that you’re putting together your first album, how’s the experience been like?
M: It’s been an enjoyable process and we’ve really learnt so much from each other. The process of producing and the fact that we are still constantly learning new things and brainstorming for new ideas and executing them, make me feel truly alive. When I look back at the stuff we’ve done, I’m really glad we met up and made this happen together.

How about a sneak peek into the album’s sound and direction?
M: It’s timeless, groovy, deep, melodic and intense. We’re heading towards a genre-less era and we listen to a wide range of music. We wouldn’t want to restrict ourselves to a specific genre.
K: I agree with Melvin. We’re definitely heading towards a genre-less era. We just want to make good music that will please everyone’s ears – music that can be passed down to the next generation, that you can listen to in your car, your bedroom, in the clubs, or even while taking a stroll in the park.

The rest of the interview can be found in the September issue of JUICE, now available at these spots.

www.facebook.com/pocketmagik

Text: Nadia Shah
Image: Pocket Magik

He’s been 16 years in the game and ATB still resides pretty comfortably in the trance stratosphere. It was “9pm (Till I Come)” that brought André Tanneberger to light way back in the ‘90s, but it’s his seven studio albums, countless compilations, and relentless gigging that has landed and kept him within the Top DJ bracket since. Respect! ATB has also just issued his eighth statement, Distant Earth, a sumptuous 2-CD spread of his emotional and energetic electronic sound, plus momentous team-ups with Armin van Buuren and Dash Berlin. Yes, it’s as epic as it sounds. Lay your ears on it when ATB rocks up to Zouk this F1 weekend (woot!), but before that, let the man do the talking.

Could you give us some insight into Distant Earth – what went into the making of the album?
When I’m on tour, I experience so much affection from the people I meet, especially from the people dancing and smiling right in front of the DJ booth. I’m taking these moments of emotions home with me to bring them into the studio, and to use them for new tracks. So you can say much inspiration for the new album came from the people all around the globe and the album is part of these unique and fantastic moments, which we have celebrated within the last few months.

Aww, that’s sweet! Your collaborative track with Armin van Buuren is pretty epic too. How did that happen?
Armin is a brilliant and talented musician, and it was such a pleasure to work with him. Over the past years, I spoke a lot with Armin van Buuren about the idea to produce an ambient track. Finally, we both found the time to produce this great track for my album and I think when you listen to the track, you can hear the specific characteristics of both of us.

What is it that keeps you motivated in your creative process?
The people all over the world are my biggest motivation. It’s really fantastic, and I’m more than thankful to have the possibility to travel all over the world to meet so many people and to celebrate with them at these unforgettable parties. There couldn’t be any bigger motivation than to see all the smiling faces during my playtime and to have a great time all together.

So in summary, what should we expect from your set at Zouk?
100% ATB, which means an unforgettable night with great music, good moods and people who just love to celebrate.

The rest of the interview can be found in the September issue of JUICE, now available at these spots.

Be there for ATB at Zouk on 24 September.

www.atb-music.com
www.zoukclub.com

Text: Min Chen
Image & interview courtesy of: Zouk Management

In but a few more moments, Avalon will be opening its doors to all you hungry punters. A week of music and mayhem will then ensue, where big names like The Chamical Brothers, M.A.N.D.Y, Daddy G and Boy George will be sharing the stage with young punks from The Bloody Beetroots to Simian Mobile Disco to Digitalism. Fun all round! Kele rounds off the line-up with (finally!) a live set to showcase his solo material from his brilliant 2010 debut, The Boxer. Before that happens, we tap on his shoulder for this brief confab.

Was there something that sparked your solo career?
There was no real big plan to make a solo career. Bloc Party decided to take a break but I didn’t want to stop working. I like my job, so I started going into a studio in 2009 whilst we were touring and I laid down the skeletons of ideas that went on to become The Boxer.

And the album does sound more upbeat and positive than your usual output. Did that reflect your mindset then?
Yes, making this record on my own was a very challenging yet positive experience for me. It felt like I had closed a door on the past and was embarking on something new. Although it was scary at times, I had to follow my own self-belief.

Was it also a conscious decision to go for a more dance-oriented sound?
It wasn’t really a conscious decision. I just didn’t want to go where I had been and due to the fact I was DJ again solidly, I was just sort of immersed in these electronic sounds. I saw the link between making people dance with your CD decks and making people dance with your guitar. I want to make a record that reflected that and I wanted it to be relevant to that world.

And before you go: any plans for another solo album… or a Bloc Party one perchance?
Yes, I would love to make another record. Right now, I’m busy finishing up touring The Boxer then we are going to see what happens with Bloc Party. Fingers crossed!

The rest of the interview can be found in the September issue of JUICE, now available at these spots.

Avalon’s grand opening happens on 16 September at the South Crystal Pavilion at Marina Bay Sands. Look out for its mega week of headliners from 21 to 25 September. Log onto www.avalon.sg for more information and ticketing details.

www.iamkele.com

Text: Min Chen
Interview courtesy of: Avalon

Jared and Michael Bell have seen their sibling tag team grow from a playful childhood project with toy instruments into a hugely respected ambient outfit, touring the world and earning flattering (but deserved) comparisons to names like Four Tet and Tortoise. Their meld of electronic and acoustic is a delicate balance that steps into post-rock borders but their resistance to indulgence makes them one of the few instrumental acts out there that embraces the value of brevity. Akin more to a Polaroid than an opus, Lymbyc Systym’s releases from Love Your Abuser to Shutter Release also transcend the quiet/loud ambient dynamic for more upbeat sounds. And although they thrive under wordless conditions, the brothers had a few insightful ones for us during our tête-à-tête.

Welcome back to Singapore! What’s changed with the band since your last visit?
Jared: We’ve been working on a whole new album and it’s almost finished! So we’re playing all new songs, which will be drastically different.

What’s the biggest difference that fans can expect from the new album?
Michael: Our new sound is more straightforward and tends to have less of the soft-to-loud dynamic. We still have those elements incorporated but I think the new songs, despite not having vocals, have a verse to chorus structure. We’re debuting our new stuff now on the Asian tour and it’s the first time we’ve played any of it live.

Name us your favourite bands with familial line-ups!
M: There’s an underground US band called The Slip that I really love! They’re two brothers on guitar and drum with a friend who plays bass. We always saw such a cool dynamic with them. And we really admire Boards Of Canada as well.
J: The National! They’re really big right now and their last record was pretty awesome. There seems to be brothers in every band now. (Laughs)

Why do you think that is?
J: It seems like a natural thing I guess, because if you grow up playing music together and listening to the same music, you just play better together.
M: I do think there’s something to be said about sharing blood and genes, in terms of how it helps with our understanding of each other. In some ways, it can be rough because of that sibling rivalry dynamic, but I do feel that sharing bloodlines and sharing tastes makes it that much easier to create art.

The rest of the interview can be found in the September issue of JUICE, now available at these spots.

www.lymbycsystym.com

Text Hidzir Junaini
Image & interview KittyWu

After three years spent in the company of drugs and alcohol, and 30 days in the throes of rehab, Mike Hadreas did the next logical thing: he made music. Setting up at a piano in his mother’s house, Mike laid down lo-fi lullabies that articulated his emotional turmoil and other pressing concerns from sex to death. Hardly the most lighthearted subject matter, but his intimate and fragile melodies do the soothing where it burns. Having stolen the Internet’s attention with those homemade tapes, the Seattle balladeer released Learning, his debut as Perfume Genius, last year, which wrenched more hearts and haunted even more dark nights of the soul. A fine hit, that was. It’ll be an equally poignant evening when the man comes to town for a gig later this month, but for now, we chat.

Hello Mike. Tell us how you got started making music.
Honestly, right after writing my first song I finally felt – without being high or drunk – that I was in the right place. That is a very important feeling. I still rarely feel that way. But sometimes when I am trying to make something real and everything lines up, this pit in my stomach lifts a little bit and I feel like I have purpose and am okay in my skin. That is a very dramatic answer.

Indeed it is. And since your songs come from such a personal place, was it difficult sharing them with the rest of the world?
My mum is in some of the songs and my friends, which makes it safe and more important to me. I try not to think about it too much. I was a lot more scared in the beginning until I started getting letters from kids – those messages helped me get over myself enough to buck up.

Has it also been a challenge translating your home recordings to something you can play on a live stage?
Some of the more ambient ones I haven’t figured out. But luckily, most of them are very simple and just require you to be present and as genuine as possible. I had never performed before and still get very nervous even after doing it for a year now, but it is just as fun and important feeling when it all rolls out.

And are you as excited as we are about your upcoming gig here?
We are very excited! We might even get a few days off between shows and we are really looking forward to it and already researching stuff to do. Send me all your hot tips! I’ll see you soon!

The rest of the interview can be found in the September issue of JUICE, now available at these spots.

Perfume Genius will be playing Chamber at The Arts House on 20 September. Ticketing details are at www.4imaginaryboys.com.

www.myspace.com/kewlmagik

Text: Min Chen
Interview courtesy of: 4imaginaryboys

In an analog-stocked bedroom in Belgium, Sebastiaan Vandevoorde has been couching his plans for dancefloor domination in nu disco and well, so far so darn good. After taking flight from the Villa production crew, he’s donned his Moonlight Matters moniker, and set to work on a couple of mixes and remixes that sparkle with smart, irresistible grooves and a warm personality – fit for moving your mind, your booty and your soul. Sebastiaan has been all over the world with that nu disco manifesto, lately falling in with the Kitsuné Club Night tour, which duly reached our humble shores. And just in time for us to catch the man on the up and up.

Hello Sebastiaan. You were previously with the DJ/production team of Villa – what got you going solo?
Um, I think there were a lot of creative differences. They wanted to take it a different way from the way I wanted to take it and I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to do musically. So we decided to split up, and now Villa is just one of the original members, Thang, and he’s now doing it with François, who’s making the music for Villa.

So what has been your musical vision?
I wanted to do more of a pop crossover thing and really make songs, whereas they were more into gimmick tracks and grooves. For me, it’s important to have a pop song structure and I really want people to have their brains dancing as well as their feet!

Ah, the perfect vision! And with your dedication to analog, what do you make of the shift in technology that now enables people to make music on an iPad?
I think you can make a hit album with an iPad or a laptop, for sure. It’s just a personal preference and sense of taste that I developed for those machines. Another important thing for me working with analog stuff is the way you’re thinking. Because I do nu disco, it was interesting for me to go into the minds of people who made disco 20 years ago and through those instruments, it was easy for me to decipher how they worked and how they thought.

And otherwise, how are you taking to life as a touring DJ/producer?
It’s amazing! You know, I’ve been in my bedroom for a long time, but the objective has always been to reach and move people, and I’m really happy with everything that’s happening right now. I’m really fitting into Kitsuné and I’m really feeling good in the Belgium scene. And I’m getting a chance to live my dream, so I’m thankful for that!

The rest of the interview can be found in the September issue of JUICE, now available at these spots.

www.myspace.com/moonlightmatters

Text: Min Chen
Image & interview courtesy of: Zouk Management