1.       Hi my name is
Leonard Tan… artiste moniker Leonard T & StarFunk.

2.       And I make the kind of music that
Makes people dance, laugh and cry.

3.       My first music memory is
Prancing around to 70′s disco records by Boney M, Bee Gees and Abba, played on the turntables by my parents.

4.       A lot of my songs are inspired by
Early 80′s electronic bands like The Human League, Alphaville, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys… and old-school hip hop / electro rap bands like Run DMC, Beastie Boys…

5.       And I like to write / produce them when
I’m sad… it’s because I draw the most inspiration when I’m feeling down, and the music-making perks me up again.

6.       When performing live
I rely alot on my songs’ guest singers to pull off live performances. I’m more of a behind-the-scenes producer. My own live shows involve DJing at private events and parties.

7.       Making music is a lot
Like working… at least for me. I’m committed to giving my best at whatever I do, especially when it involves using my creativity. I do not need to “get high” or drunk like some musicians claim they need to be in order to express themselves fully. I’m sober when I work on my music, though I wish I could have a few drinks while at it. But I can’t, I need to concentrate and focus on all those flashy lights and buttons on my synths!

8.       My favorite song to play live is
“The Lights Have Gone Out”…. that’s my own song! (Both my vocals and Maia Lee’s are in it)

9.       The kind of clothes I wear on stage could be described as
I don’t really notice, but everyone asks me why I’m always wearing the same Bruce Lee T-shirt. It’s not the same, I have dozens of them. Now that you mentioned it… hmm, yeah, my stage clothes…

10.   My musical heroes are
Too many to mention, but similar to those bands I mentioned earlier. I wish I could be making music like Prince though.

11.   I love them because
I grew up with them, they were my childhood companions throughout, in a way. Their music was on my cassette Sony Walkman all day, even in school.

12.   When I get on stage I feel like
They say God is a DJ… but nah, I don’t feel godlike in any way when I spin to a crowd, I just feel I’m lucky to be in such a position, controlling the mood and energy of the crowd.

13.   When I’m not making music you can find  me…………or……………………..
Drinking red wine and beer, in my boxing class, at the gym, cycling… but mostly drinking red wine and beer

14.   One day I will
Die. But before that happens, I want to make sure I leave behind an endearing musical legacy, a stamp on Singapore’s music scene as the No.1 dance / electronic pop music songwriter and producer who ever lived. Oh well, that’s my dream at least!

Timbre @ The Substation, 45 Armenian Street S(179936)

Catch Heritage Live on 13 Jan 2012, Fri, 9.30pm at Esplanade Recital Studio

1. Firstly, why are you guys called Heritage?

My brother Ashley and I actually joined this band Heritage. We never found out why it was called Heritage, I guess it was just a name they thought sounded cool. Nothing deeper than that I afraid!

2. How did  you guys get  together in the 70s?
We(my brother and I)were in a few bands before Heritage, notably Barbed Wire, Polecat and Fried Ice. When Fried Ice broke up, the guitarist Ray Anthony joined Heritage, and when Heritage’s bass player and vocalist left subsequently he invited us to join.

3.  What were you guys  influenced by back then?
The progressive rock movement that was happening in England and the USA. Of course the bands that initially awakened our interest in music were the 70s groups The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals – I mean at the school assemblies we were belting out their songs when we were supposed to be singing the national anthem! Ahem!so much for patriotism…But we were influenced from a young age by my dad’s jazz, blues, calypso and rock and roll records. I also remember listening to a daily children’s programme by Aishah Akbar just for the classical music pieces. Chinese, Malay and Indian music also permeated our daily life and their influences magically bubbling to the surface in our original compositions later on!

4.  The 60s and 70s were considered the Golden Age of Singapore music with bands like The Quest, The Straydogs and Naomi and The Boys – how influential was  Western Pop Culture to Singaporeans back then?
Western pop culture was considered hip because of the constant new songs, trends and fashion that we were being exposed to every week, every day even as does today. A young mind is always impressionable and receptive to new things is’nt it?

5.  Was there  any Singaporean act that has somehow influenced you guys to start playing?
Watching and listening to the local bands back then did have a cumulative effect of igniting the latent spark that was within us. Before we started playing music I remember watching The Straydogs and Pest Infested at the National Theatre and being impressed that they were doing blues and rock stuff that we had just got into!

6. What was  one your  most memorable gig in the 70s?
All the gigs were memorable in a way but maybe the one that stands out I think is the Warner Brothers concert at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur in 1978. We played to an audience of 12,000 and our performance went down exceptionally well with the cheering Malaysian crowd. The next day we were in all the major newspapers!

7. How  vibrant was the  local music scene back then?
I remember a time when local bands and artistes headlined concerts and kind of ruled the airwaves.

8.Did you guys hang out with other bands?
There was always a friendly rivalry among the bands that’s what I can say. I hung out with my band more!

9.How did Heritage  ended up touring Amsterdam? How did that come about and any Rock star moments?
Trilogy, an off-shoot of Heritage, not Heritage per se busked in Amsterdam’s streets and parks. We were not getting any appreciation for our original compositions in Singapore so we packed our bags and left for greener pastures. Mainly we wanted to see how our stuff was received in another context, in another land.

It was summer, it was fun, the Dutch dug our trio’s songs and we made some money to cover our living expenses. We were invited to play on Dutch radio and were featured in couple of magazines.

10.Tell us more about  your gigs in Amsterdam? How receptive were the audience towards an Asian band?
Besides busking in well-known tourist spots like Vondel Park and Dedam Square, we did gigs in clubs like Flower Power and even an Art Exhibition next to an indoor riding school! We had planned to tour Europe busking but we had such a nice time in Amsterdam we stayed the whole summer. Anyways, people from Spain, France, Germany, Italy all came to Amsterdam because of its liberal culture so it was like micro Europe. We always got a good response to our music, even the police would smile and wave, eventhough busking was actually illegal!

11. How long were you guys there and did your musical perspective change once returning to  Singapore?
We stayed for three months until Autumn and then it began to rain so we came back. Back in Singapore it was like a culture shock all over again because we could’nt play originals in clubs. From a high of having the freedom expressing ourselves with our own music back to having to play covers for living, it was sad. It nearly broke my heart..

12.  Tell us about your first album? Which song meant the most till today?
Our first album under the WEA label was recorded in 1979. We were first local band to produce and record an album of 10 original compositions. Back then we were known as band who played their own songs. I remember I was in the Capitol Cinema watching a movie when Jimmy Wee, who had left EMI to head WEA, leaned over from the seat behind and said, “Hey Atwell do you want to make an record?” and I “Yeah sure of course!” After that I could’nt concentrate on the movie I was so excited. So, we put our heads together and came up with 10 songs..The first recording was an experience I will never forget. Little Boy Lost is the last song on the album and probably the most memorable. Composition-wise it is the most melodic and is like a fairy tale about a curious little boy who gets lost in an enchanted forest We will be playing it at our Esplanade concert.

13. Boy Becomes Man? What’s with the album title?
 Boy Becomes Man is the title track. Its a song narrative of how an African boy has to ritually prove his manhood by killing an animal. We set out to do a powerful song of epic proportions complete with real African chants! Ha ha!

14. How has the band evolved musically from the first album and Boy Becomes Man?
Well, the Boy Becomes Man album has more direction and some of the songs have strong messages if you listen carefully. We tried dealing with more mature themes although for the first album we did sort of touch on some. Songs are the perfect vehicles for messages don’t you think?

15. After  playing together for close to 2 decades, was The Realms of Fantasy just another album or  some way a special album?
It was like an experimental album. The songs were also personal and we wanted to record them for posterity if you like. We knew we would have trouble selling the idea to the recording labels so went ahead and recorded it on our own. Moreover, two talented members Rosita Ng and Dharma(now in The Observatory) were leaving the band so we wanted to record their contributions.

16.  Winning COMPASS must have been quite an achievement for a band that has never been mainstream per say. How did that feel?
The COMPASS Artistic Excellence Award was like a form of recognition from our peers, most of them musicians of all genres, for an underground and unorthodox band, so it felt good.

17. Heritage has been around long enough to witness the trends and happenings in the local music industry. From Anita Sarawak to Stephanie Sun, Siglap Five to Observatory – how vibrant do you guys think the local music industry is now? More importantly do you think the scene has reached the peak  or there’s still more to come?
Well, there are more platforms now and the concert scene is awash with international acts unlike before. Does that make the scene more vibrant? Local bands still can’t play a club gig with original material and you hardly hear homegrown stuff on radio!There is a marked preference for foreign bands among Singaporeans. Local bands are always put on the fringe at Arts events, and we are always mentioned last in line-ups if we are mentioned at all! I am afraid we are far from the peak, my friend.

18. So what’s next for Heritage?
To be able to play your own compositions is to have the freedom to express yourself truly. We have been trying to do that for years and every opportunity is indeed a god-send! To see and hear a band in its element doing its own thing, this is what we offer our audiences. Always have. All we ask for in return from our audience is to LISTEN.

19. When the day finally comes and the chapter is closed,  how would Heritage want to be remembered?
Well, we’ll be lucky if we are remembered at all!?

Flawed Element do not do things by half- they go all out in, well, Breaking the Silence.
The home-grown metal-industrial collective’s debut album is a monster that goes for the jugular.
Frontman Joe Chahal is wont to screaming ever so ofter, vocals shredded amid febrile guitars, thuderous drums and creepy F/X in Dcars and Wall of Lies.
Thematically, it’s the usual terrain of misanthropy and apocalyptic doom, but the band display sinewy talent in showing their quieter, vulnerable side.

Chahal’s wearied croak is buffed by piano and mournful violins in Nothing Remains and the last track, Worms On Concrete 2.0, which boosts hints of prog-rock and Radiohead-esque derringdo, proving they can still sojourn into frontiers yet discovered.

- ST Life! music by Yeow Kai Chai

http://flawedelement.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-silence

Album of the Year: Perfect Life by Yoga Lin
Best Album Producer: Stefanie Sun, Kenn C, Lee Weisong, Lee Sisong for It’s Time by Stefanie Sun
Best Local Lyrics: Liang Wenfu (倔强)
Best Local Music Composition: JJ Lin (她说 )
Best Local Artiste: Olivia Ong
Best Male Vocalist: Jam Hsiao
Best Female Vocalist: A-Mei
Best Group: SUPER JUNIOR-M
Best Band: Magic Power
Best Composing Artiste:Yen-J for Not Alone
Best Newcomer: Hu Xia
Most Popular Male Artiste: Derrick Hoh
Most Popular Female Artiste: Stefanie Sun
Most Popular Group/Band: Fahrenheit
Most Popular New Artiste: Anthony Neely
Most Popular Channel U Drama Hit: I Love Him, Ding Dang
Outstanding Regional Artiste (Mainland China): Ding Dang
Outstanding Regional Artiste (Hong Kong): Khalil Fong
Outstanding Regional Artiste (Taiwan): Hebe Tien
Outstanding Regional Artiste (Malaysia): Yu Heng
Rocket Award: Yoga Lin
Asia Media Award: Stefanie Sun
Honorary Award: Sky Wu
Y.E.S. 93.3FM Pick of the Pops Award: Top of the Pop, When Winter Becomes Warm by Stefanie Sun
Y.E.S. 93.3FM Pick of the Pops Award: Artiste with Most Chart Hits - Stefanie Sun and Yoga Lin (tie)
Y.E.S. 93.3FM Pick of the Pops Award: Top 10 Hits (song) - 飞轮海 (心疼你的心疼), 罗志祥 (拼什么), 周杰伦 (说了再见),  梁静茹 (你会不会),  陈奕迅 and 王菲 (因为爱情), 方大同 (好不容易),  蔡依林 (小伤口),  倪安东 (散场的拥抱),  田馥甄 (寂寞寂寞就好),  王力宏 (你不知道的事),  孙燕姿 (当冬夜渐暖)
F&N Fruit Tree Fresh New Wave Artiste Award: Yen-J
Bioskin Most Stylish Award: Derrick Hoh

Source: http://blogs.todayonline.com/poparazzi/tag/singapore-hit-awards/

It’s been years since Stefanie Sun last attended the Singapore Hit Awards (her last in 2005) and the songstress was all nerves and shy smiles during the award ceremony held last night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The biggest winner of the night, the 33-year-old claimed six awards in total including Best Album Producer, Most Popular Female Artiste, Y.E.S. 93.3FM Pick of the Pops Award: Artiste with Most Chart Hits, Y.E.S. 93.3FM Pick of the Pops Award: Top of the Pop and the Asia Media Award.

Find out more: http://entertainment.xin.msn.com/en/celebrity/buzz/asia/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5520230

Singapore Hit Awards, the most prestigious event in the Chinese music industry, jointly organized by MediaCorp Y.E.S. 93.3FM and CH U is here again! Now, in its 17th year, the Singapore Hit Awards 2011 will be staged on Saturday, 12th November 2011, at 7.30pm at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

With artistes from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore vying for top honours in this awards ceremony, audiences can expect a night full of excitement and entertainment. Come and join us at this star-studded event!

全城焦点所在、年度音乐盛事! 由新传媒属下电台Y.E.S.93.3FM主办, U频道联办的<<第17届新加坡金曲奖>>将于11月12日 (星期六),晚上7点半，在新加坡室内体育馆隆重引爆.

万众瞩目, 备受本地和海外媒体肯定的年度音乐盛事汇集了中国,香港,台湾,马来西亚和新加坡的歌手,一场热力四射的颁奖典礼值得期待. 和我们一起感受歌手的得奖心情, 支持你的偶

像, 感染现场的紧张气氛吧!

Your fondest memory of Singapore radio?

Listening to the radio while studying .

 The first local song you heard on radio?

Can’t remember any local song!!

Your favourite station and local  Deejays?

Jamie Yeo’s 987fm.

What can your fans expect from your set this Saturday?

Catchy upbeat songs about life.

Your fondest memory of Singapore radio?

My fondest memory of Singapore Radio was hearing my father Brian and brother Mark doing the same show on the same radio station. First time father son team.

 The first local song you heard on radio?

First local song I truly remembered hearing on radio was Roses by Gingerbread.

Your favourite station and local  Deejays?

I got a special love for The Muttons on 987FM and all favoritism aside, my dad’s Gold 90fm.

What can your fans expect from your set this Saturday?

All those who come down on Saturday will expect exotic dancing, mild nudity, potential streaking and yes a little bit of music.

In conjunction with Radio’s 75th anniversary, we are bringing a whole lot of MUSIC set to ROCK the Marina this November!

30 homegrown music artistes are set to take the stage!

Featuring legends Matthew & The Mandarins, Heritage, Max Surin, Douglas Oliveiro, to favourities Sezairi Sezali, Jack & Rai, Don Richmond, Vanessa Fernandez, to new acts Serene Koong, Natalie Hiong, Ling Kai, The Freshman, to rapper Sheikh Haikel, Sleeq, and to bands West Grand Boulevard, The Observatory, Cheating Sons and many more. It’s going to be the BEST local music concert of THE YEAR!

ONE MUSIC EVENT. MORE THAN 30 ROCKING ACTS. 8 HOURS OF NON-STOP MUSIC

DATE: Saturday, 5 November 2011

TIME: From 2pm

VENUE: The Promontory @ Marina Bay

ADMISSION IS FREE!

Logon to xinmsn.com/meradiorocks for more details!

PERFORMING ARTISTES

Alicia Pan ● Don Richmond ● Seyra and Band ● Vanessa Faith ● Natalie Hiong ● The Auditory Effect ● Douglas Oliveiro & Satellite ● Matthew and The Mandarins ● Cheating Sons ● Zahidah ● Jack & Rai ● Heritage ● Meza Virs ● B-Quartet ● Shigga Shay ● Shagies ● Vanessa Fernandez ● West Grand Boulevard ● The Observatory ● John Molina ● Sezairi Sezali ● Sylvia Ratonel ● The Freshman ●  Sleeq ● Serene Koong ● Trisno ● Tay Ke Wei ● Ling Kai ● Sheikh Haikel ● Mariam John ● Max Surin ● Run Neon Tiger ● Mark Bonafide