:: ccMixter ::

After thinking long and hard (probably around 5 min coz i'm a premature decision maker) I've decided to make an account for a website called ccMixter. Rather than just write about it, I'm gonna make this interesting. Here goes;

On a rainy Wednesday morning, I'm here waiting for the frontman of Oligarchy to appear for this interview. Since stating in his blog that he's going to be creating an account for a website called ccMixter, our website www.madebelieveinterviewpleasedontclickonitcozitsfake.com was dying to interview him. Not only is he 45mins late, I was told to wait at this exact location (if I did not the interview will not happen). Drenched due to the lack of shelter, I wonder why am I standing on a huge "X". A flash of lightning struck, scaring the hell out of me. Then, I heard someone behind me saying, "Dude, theres a shelter right beside you man. Why are you standing in the rain?" It was him. Wan Oligarchy. Blogger of "Crainte la baise face", member of Oligarchy and a total jackass. "Coz you told me to stand at the X if not the whole interview won't happen" I told him. "Really? Hah!" He said as we made out way to a staircase nearby. Cheap place for an interview. As i gesture to start the interview he pushed his hands to my chest and said "Wait....." followed by a 5 minute long pause. "Ok go."

What is this ccMixter that you keep talking about?
ccMixter is a website where musicians go to get their mixes heard, to find music stems to create mixes, to have other people mix their mixes and lastly to know more musicians who are really into making mixes.

So why ccMixter Wan, don't you have other things to do in life?
Well, ccMixter is a good place for working out my brain, looking at a song in a different angle and working with what is there, not starting on a blank canvas which is how i usually approach music. Plus, its a good opportunity to meet and work with other musican to create music.

What made you want to be part of this ccMixter community and how long did you take to reach that conclusion?
A leuwauly cool dude name Ivan Chew (you can see him at some of the comments he left me at my comment column) introduce me to ccMixter at a mix class he that i went conducted by him. Hearing his work recently ("To be or not to be" is a leuwau track that I will one fine day do a remix off) gave me the inspiration to be more creatively active. Like I said, it seeing music in a whol---

Yes yes, "a whole different light". You've said that earlier on. Don't you have a Flickr account that does that? As in, making you be "creatively active".
Yes I do have a Flickr account but that website is for pictures. 2 separate art forms.

Ok smart boy, last i check you were in a band with a myspace and a reverbnation page. Why the need to have another outlet to showcase your music? Greed?
Ok.... Nothing changes actually. With ccMixter, I'll be working on mostly remixing other works (hence working on my mixing and eqing skills) that consists of stems (also known as samples). Recording of my vocals or instruments would be a bare minimum. The band website are songs that are already written or recorded or both. Its a very different angle of how I'll be working on musically.

So when can we see your work?
Firstly, its listen not see. Secondly, I don't know. Soon hopefully. If time permits. I'm super excited about this which means its going to be sooner rather than later when a piece of music finally pops out.

When would we know a mix or song is out?
I would unselfishly and unshamefully broadcast it here. Like how I just did listing out all the links in this make up interview.

Thank you so much for giving us this precious minutes interviewing you.
No problem. Send my regards to Fred.

Who's Fred?
Oh forget it

As I left the steps we were sitting on, I have to admit that I truly felt like I was in the presence of an artist. I shook hands with him, I saw a smile from this man that looks so sincere it made me feel truly grateful. All those talk that he's a jerk and an asshole was all rumors I guess. As I made my way to a nearby toilet, I realize only later on that he truly is a jerk and a total asshole. Not only did he get me drenched in the rain, the wall that I was leaning on while doing the interview has the warning sign saying "Wet Paint". Not only did Wan Oligarchy successfully got me to wait for 45 minute for an interview that was over and done in 5 minute, he successfully got me drenched. Finally, to top it all off, he manage to get my $50 cotton on top and my designer jeans ruined with white paint. I hate that dude.

-- Adwin Pushpah
Interviewer for www.madebelieveinterviewpleasedontclickonitcozitsfake.com

:: Lessons in English ::

Leu-wau [leuw-wow]

-- adjective

1. Spectacularly speechless: A leuwau moment!
2. A higher level of awesomeness. See also : Euphoria
3. Slang. Mind blasting: I can’t believe that this blog is totally leuwau!

-- Related forms

Leu-wau-ly, adverb

Leu-wau-ness, noun

:: Eyegasmic delight ::

girl meet boy
Originally uploaded by hsalnat

Check this picture out. I'll use his name as how he would introduce himself with. hsalnat is a local (and by local i mean Singaporean) photographer. He's the creator of all this whacked-me-out-till-my-eyes-pop-out-of-my-eye-sockets pictures. Here's an example of what he is capable of doing. He sells most of this photograph and has done other cool things with it. Buy it by either contacting him directly thru his flickr account or at the Red dot museum every first weekend of the month. When you're there says "Wan told me so". Just for fun, ask him "Do you know Wan is a cyborg that uses 3-D glasses on an everyday basis coz life in 3-D is always better than life in double Ds?" Now, getting the leuwau (pronounce 'leuw - wow') to Red dot museum people!

:: A new game in mind ::

A new game in the works. Its going to be called "I know what you don't know". More info once the first one is found. Here's something cool to rock all of you with.

:: Jizz in my pants ::

:: Chronicles of a broken fibula ::

22nd November 2009

The day that start it all. First day of work, went to help out a friend and lost my footing. Can't walk without making funny faces. Slept.

23rd November 2009

Got up, can't even stand. Took off from work and went to the nearest Polyclinic. Doctor said, "Its a broken ankle, have to send you down to the hospital." Consultation with the doctor and was put on a cast until the end of the year. This is how my ankle looked like with a hairline crack.




















8th July 2010

Got back from the doctors and was told the excellent news that my bone is fully healed and I was put on a 2 year calling list. That's around 8 months of healing (maybe earlier if I'm no smoker).




















During this 8 months, it taught me so many things. It got me focused and it got me recharged to take life by the balls and make it work. You see people, life at times don't go our way. Instead of changing things, we should adapt. Adapt to the situation. Those first 2 months is the most humbling time I was ever put into. I learned to be patient. I learned to be more focus on what I want. I saw real friends emerge from the shadows and helped me mentally to get thru that really painful period. I saw what and who is more important in my life. Was it painful? Well it was. Not physically, but mentally. It was only during that time was I force to sit back and look at my life as a whole and make decisions on what's important. What are they? Well, in time people will see. Is it negative? Well no. I can't be putting negatives into my life when all I'm striving for is the positives. Happy to survive that hard test in my life, happy to be where I am now in life and really really super stroke to be told my ankle is fine. Now 2010, what more can I get done before this ends? Should take pictures of the cast i was in that was decorated. Good times.

:: Introducing "Back as one" ::

As promised, today is the 4th of July and I've released the demo of "Back as one" on the awesome awesome oligarchy reverb nation page.

A little history on the song.

Written way way back in 2003 (thats 7 year ago man!), it is the 2nd song written by Oligarchy (interesting note: the first song is a song called Valium). How did the song came about you might ask... Well in 2003, even before Oligarchy was fully formed and named, me and Suf started writing songs. We were around Tampines and we only had my guitar to write down song ideas. We got the skeleton down and brought it to the jam room a few days later with a recently joined bassist name Bob. We played it to him, he got down writing the bass part and shazaam, the song was born. It was the second song ever written for this project and the very first to have everyone in the group putting their creative parts in it. The song is pretty much what an 18 year old filled with angst would write. If you ask me now, i'll say i don't really know what i was babbling about. This song has only been played live ONCE in 2005. Releasing this song, although not in its original arrangement, is really a walk back into the past.

Remembering how that song was made just brings back memories where everything was so simple and pure. Recording it was really a humbling experience. Sitting down, remembering what i was feeling when it was first written and trying to be 'in that moment' was really really nice. I hope people would enjoy it just like how i enjoy making it.

Keep checking for updates to know what other songs will be released soon. Yes, soon. Happy independence day.

:: Guess where this is ::