Friends, First & Foremost

Family of four

2009-08-16T14:26:00.000+08:00

pic taken one early morning in Bern, Switzerland. Family of four walking down the empty cobblestone streets.

alone

2009-08-09T21:48:00.000+08:00

Transitions

2009-08-03T21:54:00.002+08:00

Transitions in live, transitions in music. Sometimes the transitions go in sync without adjustments, sometimes they require a bit more effort. Goes both ways. I hope I make the adaptation fast, and comfortably.

Aly & Fila @ Zirca, 29th August. Can't wait, I've always been lamenting and waiting for them to hit our shores, and finally, they're here. This should be their first visit here. CAN'T WAIT.

Sad but probably true

2009-07-10T01:27:00.001+08:00

Trentemoller's remix of his own song Moan, featuring a music video of Laika the dog in a imagined recreation of what might have happened, and its eventual demise. Not for the depressed.

couple by the bus stop

2009-06-21T23:40:00.001+08:00

pic of the day: couple by the bus stop
took this picture about 2 years ago, on the way to school, during my exchange in St Gallen, Switzerland.
I remember it as a nice, natural but long kiss and as a sight that is rarely seen back home here.

New mix ready for mass consumption!

2009-06-20T20:37:00.002+08:00

Yes, yes, and yes. A new mix has been made fresh outta the ovens, and its ready for consumption in all its yummy aural goodness.

Mix Title: The Waves
Length: 1 hr 29 mins 10 secs
Size: 204.1 MB
Mixed by Alvin Tham

Tracklisting:

1. Peace (Breakfast Remix) – Saints And Sinners
2. Fine Without You – Armin Van Buuren ft. Jennifer Rene
3. Shana (Duderstadt Progressive Dub Remix) – Mr. Pit
4. Find Yourself (Cosmic Gate Remix) – John O’Callaghan ft. Sarah Howells
5. Exposure - Gareth Emery
6. Backstabberzz (Ummet Ozcan Dub Mix) – Ronald Van Gelderen
7. Starfighter (Deep Care Remix) - Haylon
8. We Came (First State Remix) - Vimana
9. Greece 2000 (Sander Van Dien Remix) – Three Drives
10. Cloud Shadow (Fred Baker Remix) – Greg Nash
11. Air Guitar – John Askew
12. Lost Horizon (Adam Nickey Remix) - Oceania
13. Sand Dunes (Daniel Kandi Remix) – A.M.R.
14. Sunset Boulevard – Alex M.O.R.P.H. ft. Ana Criado
15. No More Alone (Jon O’Bir Remix) – Giuseppe Ottaviani
16. I Need You – Jon O’Bir

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

Still high on Jon o'bir

2009-06-15T21:57:00.001+08:00

jon o'bir @ zirca

2009-06-14T15:21:00.009+08:00

my co-blogger has just reminded me that i have yet to post an entry in recent times with a "when's your next blog update coming" statement.

Well, all i can think of now was the night out last night at Zirca. Jon o'bir was in town and he's a performer. he looked at home on the stage of zirca with the psychadelic lights blasting in the background. music was driving and the crowd was into it, including my bf. been a while since i've seen him so into the music and dancing to his heart's content. :)

i took a flaming lambo once i reached zirca but oddly, it was weak and made no contribution to making me feel high. what drove me for the 3 hours non stop on the dance floor was the music and the amazing build up. I still remember those days where i would hear trance and house but my body wouldn't know how to move to it, and on the other hand i would move effortlessly to the beats of r&b music. Now, it seems i've been converted to a 'trancehead', a term used by my fellow blogger. the 'dirty' beats of hip hop and r&b barely keeps me moving for more than 5 seconds (unless i'm intoxicated) and music like last night feels right at home and lights up a little fire in my heart.

(finally! after 10 attempts to upload this!)
shows how happy the crowd was last night =)

Yet Another New Mix

2009-06-12T19:40:00.004+08:00

Things have been going rather well the past few days, and I've managed to churn out yet another mix. Decided to go for a chilled, laidback feel for this mix, with a beach sunset feel to it. Hopefully it gives a sense of change and some variety to my mixes :)

Mix Title: Say It Again For Me
Genre: Melodic/Uplifting Trance
Length: 59 mins 56 secs
Size: 137.19 MB
Mixed By Alvin Tham

Tracklisting:

1. Morning Dust (Hawk Remix) – 3 Colours
2. 1000 Miles Drive – Jay Lumen
3. Coral Sea – Black Pearl
4. Bounty Island (DJ Shah’s San Antonio Harbour Remix) – Black Pearl
5. White Sand (High Noon At Salina’s Mix) – Sunlounger
6. Never Be The Same Again (Markus Schulz Dub Mix) – Markus Schulz
7. Autumn Tactics (Chicane’s End Of Summer Remix) – Chicane
8. Colombian Soul (Patric La Funk Remix) – D. Ramirez, Mark Knight
9. Into The Light – Gabriel Batz
10. Everytime (Funkagenda Remix) - Lustral

Download the mix HERE

Woot

2009-06-07T15:14:00.002+08:00

Had a great night out with a couple of friends from way back, its amazing how after all these years people can just come together and mingle, have fun, like the years that have since flown by were mere blips in time. Pump Room was great as always, not the first time I've had a brilliant night out there. The house music section to the end really brought out the dancing side in me, and I loved it. Due to a minor miscommunication, I ended up being split from my buddy for the night, and had to wait inside Rebel, and then Zirca later on, for another friend to go back home. Rebel is reminiscent of the now-defunct Smoove room of the late MOS Singapore. Zirca, on the other hand, seems to have gone in the right direction in my opinion. The large screens on the walls with the visuals was a marked improvement in aesthetics compared to the old MOS, and the placement of the dj booth right in front was a good move as well imho. Yes, it does the whole superstar dj glorification thing, but i guess it gives the dancers a focal point visually. Reached home at near 7 in the morning, headed to bed straight.

Jon O'Bir will be at Zirca next Saturday, and I should probably be headed down to catch his set. A tidbit for the upcoming Jon O'Bir gig, this is a video diary of his account of Digital Society V2.0 in Leeds, where he spinned with the likes of Aly & Fila, Solarstone, Greg Downey, and Alex Morph.

Song for the video is Jon O'Bir's I Need You.

The Exile

2009-06-05T00:43:00.002+08:00

New mix up for grabs everyone :)

The Exile
Genre: Trance
Length: 1 hr 23 mins 51 secs
Size: 192 MB
Bitrate: 320kbps
Mixed by Alvin Tham

Tracklisting:

1. Angel Falls (Signalrunners Fierce Remix) - Lange
2. This World Is Watching Me (Cosmic Gate Remix) - Armin van Buuren & Rank 1
3. Falling (Richard Durand Re-work) - First State
4. Autumn (Jon O'Bir Remix) - Emotional Horizons
5. Still Time (Aly & Fila Remix) - FKN feat. Jahala
6. Get Wicked - Axel Karakasis
7. The Dark Side - Axel Karakasis
8. Drop It Your Love (Fabio Stein's Funk-O-Panic Remix) - Danny Oliveira
9. Vandalism - John Askew
10. Beauty Hides In The Deep (John O'Callaghan Remix) - The Doppler Effect
11. Dream Flight (Mike Nichol Remix) - Erik De Koning
12. Once Again - Greg Downey
13. New Jersey - Joint Operations Centre
14. Smack - Simon Patterson
15. Blue Sunshine (Sean Tyas Remix) - Nish
16. Red Moon Slide - Nitrous Oxide
17. Breaking Ties (Above & Beyond's Analogue Heaven Remix) - Oceanlab

Download it HERE

Comments can be made on the Soundcloud page itself!

amnesia

2009-06-02T01:46:00.002+08:00

So what turned out to be the greatest anticipation since forever ended in much trepidation and embarassment. Alcohol does things to people, compels them to act stupidly (mostly), often with much bravado. For a person on long-term meds, this creates a whole new other ruckus to deal with in the aftermath of it all. On immediate recall, the morning after was

panic attack
panic attack
panic attack
adrenalinrushadrenalinrushadrenalinrush
overwhelming sense of shame
overwhelming sense of guilt

Despite trying desperately to recall every single detail as to what happened the night previously during the later parts, nothing seems to register except for a few blips here and there. in other words, I had no recollection of how I got home, except for an inkling here and there. I do remember certain embarassing things that I've did, and I thought I might have gone overboard. And then

panic attack
panic attack
panic attack

To which I reached out for the nearest tab of anti-anxiety pills and downed one of the motherfuckers as fast as I could.

I don't even understsand why I bother putting myself through this shit at all. Getting all drunk and losing control seemed to be my subconscious aim of the night, its as if my mind just wanted to lose it all, for whatever reason it was to be.

I can still remember each panic attack vivdly, sudden shot of adrenalin, sudden quickness of breath, the irresistable urge to kick out.

I look around at my surroundings, it being familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. The last sight I remembered was me lying face down on the ground in a carpark. This was one of the worst episodes ever.

Once again, I've resorted to holing myself up at home and rendering all social functions and events void until it is essential that my presence is needed (which is never), only then will I leave the comfort of my home. Until then, its twisted feind Roald Dahl and my cat Lizzy for company.

God, Goddess, anyone up there, I would seriously like to have a reboot to my life/be rebooted right now. Please kindly consider my application, thank you.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Regards.

Here in the Tropics...

2009-05-31T02:03:00.006+08:00

something i took at the Art house quite some time ago.

think the words from the 1st para does suit the mood set by the first song on the blog pretty well...

things on my mind now

emo

drunk friend - worried

snow

Truth and Lies

2009-05-19T00:50:00.007+08:00

Tomorrow's the 1st paper, wish me luck :) 10 more days till this shit is over. And a whole pile of rubber dogshit will commence thereafter. Life's neverending story, yep.

You may have heard the 1st song on our revamped music flashplayer in the top right corner, Oceanlab's Breaking Ties. Well, that's the song in a more chillout tone, the video below has the song in its full dance glory.

Oceanlab comprises of producer trio Above & Beyond with vocalist Justine Suissa.

What's unique about this video is that the accompanying video to the song is actually not the official video for the track itself, rather someone synced it to the track. Pretty interesting, take a look, if not for the song itself.

Oceanlab - Breaking Ties (Above & Beyond's Analog Heaven Remix)

And even though I may return
To empty places on my own
Where I remember everything you want me to forget.

You and I
Truth and lies
I've been fooling myself, too long

You and I
Breaking ties
How could we be so right and so wrong?

Much Ado About Nothing

2009-05-18T03:22:00.002+08:00

Another late night, another day wasted on memorizing facts and information that I couldn't care less about. Upgrade, enrich, raise one's self-worth in society. I can't care less about the elements of the law of contract. Doesn't interest me a single bit. Can't care less about accountancy, can't care less about finance. I just want to make music. Unfortunately, that's not a very viable option to self-sustenance in the society we live in, is it? At least for an amateur bedroom producer wannabe. What are we holding back for? Why shouldn't I pursue what I'm really interested in? Prospects must be one of them. Survivability another. I'm such a wimp. But there is some hope.

I will:

1. Get whatever job I can with whatever grades I have from my degree.
2. Sell my soul for minimum wage.
3. Use that to supplement my passion that is creating music.

Hopefully it works out. That's all I've thought out for now, that's all my plan entails for the time being. I'll live in a spartan dwelling, just the essentials will suffice. The dining table doesn't feature in my plans.

I've come to think of creating electronic music as like being a conductor in an orchestra with a blank score sheet in front of me. And within this orchestra, I have an infinite number, type, of instrumentalists. What i'm failing at currently is telling the instrumentalist what sound I want out exactly. Making all the sounds emerging from them sound cohesive and balanced. Evoking emotions from the instrumentalists. All while writing the notes out while conducting at the same time. This conductor has much to learn.

I think experimentation is fun. You learn from trial and error, you learn from people's mistake. Applies both to life and music creation alike.

People have done more with less. I have the tools with me, if the other person can do it, why can't I?

I believe I can.
Hence, I must work harder. I must learn more, enrich myself, upgrade myself.
This is what I want to do.

Till then, my soul lies with the devil.

Pondering

2009-05-15T19:49:00.003+08:00

With the exams looming around the corner, much time has been spent at Starbucks sipping on some dark mocha frap with a stack of notes in my lap, headphones playing out some chill beats to enter what I call the "zen zone". And so it happened that I played Digital Witchcraft's Proton Radio Mix from 2003 (you can get the set here). In this set, the start and end of the mix involves a man talking, much to do about existence, life, philosophy mostly. Being curious, I went to check out the tracklisting from the site itself, and saw that the vocal samples came from a film called Waking Life. Pretty much a philosophy film with various themes built in it, but there are some intriguing conversations that occur.

The following is from the end/outro of the Digital Witchcraft mix, overlapping Planet Funk's Inside All The People (Harvey's Sleepy Ibiza Mix)

Let me explain to you the nature of the universe.

There's only one instant, and it's right now, and it's eternity.
And it's an instant in which God is posing a question, and that question is basically:
'Do you want to, you know, be one with eternity? Do you want to be in heaven?'

And we're all saying, 'No thank you. Not just yet.'

And so time is actually just this constant saying 'No' to God's invitation.
I mean that's what time is. I mean, and it's no more 50 A.D. than it's 2001.
And there's just this one instant, and that's what we're always in."

This is the narrative of everyone's life.
That, you know, behind the phenomenal difference, there is but one story, and that's the story of moving from the "no" to the "yes."
All of life is like, "No thank you. No thank you. No thank you."
And then ultimately it's,
"Yes, I give in."
"Yes, I accept."
"Yes, I embrace."

I mean, that's the journey.
I mean, everyone gets to the "yes" in the end, right?

Makes you think, doesn't it? And it was this that sparked off the whole thought process: birth, life, death. Transcend.

What is it that we are to do in our lives? To achieve? To reproduce? To carry on the human race, evolution and all? To understand humanity? Or is it a morality test? Is there a god?

Did you ever have a job that you hated? Worked really hard at? A long, hard day at work, finally you get to go home, get in bed, close your eyes, and immediately you wake up and realize that the whole day at work had been a dream? It's bad enough that you sell your waking life for ... for minimum wage, but now they get your dreams for free.

This is, will be, me in the future.

A Journey From 'No' To 'Yes'

Dreaming Of Work

I leave you, the reader, to explore the other notions put forth in the movie. On a side note, the movie has a nice aesthetic touch to it in the sense that its rotoscoped, creating a sense of surrealism, a dream-like state for the viewer. Adds to the whole lucid dreaming theme doesn't it? Brilliant.

Sights of Tasmania

2009-05-02T21:39:00.002+08:00

During my short break before I started my new job, i was fortunate enough to make a 8 day trip to Tasmania. A common exclamation made by friends was "Tasmania? why go to such a boring place?" To a certain extent, it is quite true. Tassie is quite boring. It's not exciting as the famous cities of Paris or Rome, or as stunning as the Swiss Alps. But it is still beautiful. It is still an enjoyable place to explore and get away from the humid weather and city buzz we have in Singapore. I enjoyed spending my days looking at scenery, woodcrafts and having fresh apple juice in the morning with my tassie cheese, jam and biscuits. And as usual, the open skies and sunsets never failed to make my day :)

To be honest, i think that these pics are in general one of my better compilations to date. sooo.. please drop a comment if there is something that you like or if you have tips as to how i can improve. Appreciate the feedback :)

Places visited:
Hobart - Huon Trail - Freycinet - Launceston - Cradle mountain

Sadly, even from the pictures, it can be seen that the landscape isn't as lush or green as it used to be due to lack of rainfall for the past few years. Most of the land is now filled with dry grass and even the National Park is filled with dying trees.

Lastly, pics of my most memorable sunset ever.
Location: Coles Bay, Freycinet

More cute jap pop/rock videos

2009-04-27T14:40:00.001+08:00

Chatmonchy - ヒラヒラヒラク秘密ノ扉

チャットモンチー秘密ノ扉 080227 PV
Uploaded by utadalove

and the Live version

チャットモンチー - ヒラヒラヒラク秘密ノ扉
Uploaded by ASHIKASAN

Reverb Lowdown: J-rock with a twist

2009-04-22T01:56:00.003+08:00

Something about japanese chicks rocking it out with weird band names that captivates me. Here're a couple of songs with female leads from a few J-rock bands.

Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs - Kono Spido No Saki E

Chatmonchy - Kaze No Fukeba Koi

チャットモンチー - 風吹けば恋
Uploaded by utadalove

Pop Chocolat - Sayonara No Hi

And my fave out of the lot thus far in today's quest for new music from the Land Of The Rising Sun, Miimi with their song Schema. Sounds like a toned down version of Evanescence, with melancholic overtones.

Miimi - Schema (Live)

RC plane

2009-04-12T22:17:00.002+08:00

photos by zm

RC Car

2009-04-10T23:36:00.000+08:00

An interest of AT's ever since he could afford it.
An interest that I'm beginning to pick up :)
photos courtesy of zm.

Reverb Lowdown: Handelskai (Part 2) - Mango & Shoreliners

2009-04-02T19:12:00.002+08:00

Some things just seem to sweeten up a day. This is one of those things.

Today was a feel good day.

Handelskai is a 8.5km long road in Vienna.

Handelskai (Part 2) is a song by Mango & Shoreliners.

Mango is a producer from Russia.

Mango is also a type of fruit, typically found in tropical areas.

Tropical is what we'd use to describe the weather here today.

Today was a feel good day.

This song is one of those things that sweeten up a day.

Vintage

2009-03-30T23:07:00.002+08:00

Reverb Flashback: This World Is Watching Me - Armin Van Buuren vs Rank 1

2009-03-25T01:00:00.003+08:00

Taking some time to remember the not-too-distant past, Armin @ Zoukout 2007. 645am. Dawn. Aching feet.

I want more than you can give
I'm so cold with every kiss
I can't cope with a love like this

This World Is Watching Me - Armin Van Buuren vs Rank 1

Colours of Tanjong Pagar

2009-03-23T01:41:00.002+08:00

once in a while, i like to take walks in the touristy areas of Singapore. Tanjong Pagar is known to be an office area but there are many interesting sights that can be found in there. Enjoy.

a promise

2009-03-23T00:32:00.006+08:00

A promise to never pick up smoking.

A promise to stop smoking after this last pack.

The End Is The Beginning Is The End

2009-03-16T02:14:00.000+08:00

The end is the beginning is The End.

SO IN LOVE WITH THIS RIGHT NOW

2009-03-04T22:22:00.002+08:00

SOMEBODY PUMP UP THE VOLUME PLEASE.

Stephan Luke - Pressure (Cedric Gervais Remix)

RING Network

2009-03-03T22:05:00.002+08:00

So this past weekend was a blast, with a birthday party on Friday leading to a night out at Zouk/Velvet, with Deadmau5 in Zouk and Shinichi Osawa at Velvet for ReadySet Glo. It was awesome! Deadmau5 appeared with his usual head gear antics, with a neon light flashing eye display on his headgear. The crowd at Velvet were brilliant as well, and to be honest, they were more amped up than the crowd at Zouk, but all's good all around!

That said, this song has been on loop today since the clubbing urge has yet to subside, enjoy!

Sidesmokers - Sugar Beats

2009-03-02T00:27:00.001+08:00

and i miss you.

a lot. a lot.

Reverb Mix: 90s Rehashed

2009-02-18T16:33:00.011+08:00

Entering the world during the mid-80s, the 1990s were the golden years, growing up with friends with none of the real-world red tape that gets in the way, it was all about true, down-to-earth friendship, friends who will be with you for life. Whenever I hear songs that come from the 90s, I get reminded of all the good times I had back then, most of it while schooling, and hanging out at school playing soccer, or at the tables playing carrom with friends. Alas, the school I once grew up in has been shifted, and it no longer exists as it once was today. Here are some photos of what it used to look like back then, as well as a mix containing songs that used to accompany us during that period, as well as some that came later.

Title: 90s Rehashed

Genre: Hiphop/Pop

Length: 28:44mins

Tracklisting:-

1. The Joneses (7" Surgery Remix) - The Temptations

2. Right Here (Human Nature Remix) - SWV

3. Too Close - Next

4. Cruel Summer - Ace Of Base

5. Fantasy - Mariah Carey

6. Ditty - Paperboy

7. Return Of The Mack - Mark Morrison

8. I Love Your Smile - Shanice

9. LA9X - People Under The Stairs

10. 93 'til Infinity - Souls Of Mischief

Download Link Here

(320kbps mp3 / 65.79MB / 28:44mins)

And There'll Be Sun Sun Sun

2009-02-18T15:51:00.007+08:00

The weather recently has been a killer, the muggy heat overwhelming. Still, good times ahead. At least the breeze still blows, the wonders of living in a little tropical island. With the sun as the theme, here're 2 songs that contain the keyword sun in some sort of manner :)

Noah And The Whale - 5 Years Time

and it was fun fun fun while we were drinking

it was fun fun fun when we were drunk

and it was fun fun fun when we were laughing

it was fun fun fun, oh it was fun! :)

Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream

We are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it

Always pushing up the hill, searching for the thrill of it

On and on and on we are calling out and out again

Never looking down I'm just in awe of what's in front of me

*Both songs have been added to our player. Hope you guys enjoy it!

CNY Part II

2009-01-31T00:17:00.005+08:00

the highlight: aerial views of tanjong pagar ports

spent quite some time staring at the ports that day. it's like looking at a moving lego set. ships coming in. unloading of the containers off a ship. at another side of the port, a ship is being loaded and getting ready to head out. meanwhile, the trucks are moving around the grided roads, moving the containers from storage to ship or vice versa. These activities seem to be happening at a leisure pace, yet i am reminded that the port is still fully operational on this key public holiday. A taste of the possible long hours i will face when i enter the logistics industry.

Nevertheless, i have to admit that i am attracted to it. after all, i couldn't stop returning to the edge of the building to get more shots of the port.

East Coast shoreline

beginning of sunset

2009-01-31T00:03:00.005+08:00

this post includes some of my best pics from CNY. Gorgeous, uplifting, can’t stop staring at it. Was having a conversation with a friend talking about how it seems easier to take awesome shots when we are in places like Europe because the scenery/architecture etc is just there, standing grandly and beautifully for us to capture. It is possible to get gorgeous shots in Singapore, but it does require more effort to find them. So when I first visited my uncle’s new home, I knew I will be an idiot to not bring my camera to take these rare shots when it’s there for my taking.

note: taken without a tripod hence composition ain't ideal.

tanjong pagar ports as it gets dark.

CNY Part I

2009-01-30T23:41:00.003+08:00

My turn to blog about my Lunar New Year celebrations.

This CNY is a sign of a new beginning for me. Left my first job. Getting ready for a new one. Starting the Lunar New Year afresh with holiday plans to Australia (YAY!) Just got my first business handphone. What more can I ask for? Before I start my new and perhaps somewhat stuffy job, I also decided to get 2 streaks of blue hair extensions; something that I've secretly been wanting to do I guess. Not willing to admit that I'm older than 21 :P

In line with my new year resolution to take more photos, I brought my camera out during visits, hoping to capture some festive shots. I had in mind happy moments, interaction, food, loh hei moments and lots of red. But alas, this isn’t a very good aim for a chatty and greedy photographer who can’t stop taking scenic shots. So this is what I manage to get. Minimal, but enjoy!

like this typical CNY setting. happy grandmother, hyperactive grandchild and the older grandson glued to the tv

introducing the star of the afternoon. she's really endearing. couldn't stop taking pictures of her

tender moment

2009-01-30T23:17:00.003+08:00

my sis is going to hate me for posting this, but after lots of consideration, i decided it's worth the scolding :) love it cuz it's so candid. a moment where my sis was frowning about some comment made and her hubby obviously thinks it's funny. check out that cheeky grin!

one of my aunties teaching 2 others how to make dumplings!

the head chef of the day. lots of yummy food to feed 18 'kids' and 18 aunties & uncles! Unfortunately, i was so hungry by the time the food came out, i forgot to take the end product :(

2nd day food by my wonder mum! lots more in the kitchen waiting to be served :D

Restless@Night

2009-01-27T01:08:00.005+08:00

Its the beginning of another Lunar New Year (Year of the Ox this time around), and its the usual hustle-bustle on the 1st day of the New Year, visiting relatives and the usual ho-hum. Everyone seems fine, despite the economic downturn and all, there was a certain upbeat mood to the day. We don't do much for the Lunar New Year celebrations, so its rather muted for my family and I. Christmas and New Year's Eve always seem to have better vibes, but I still feel its essential for us to go through the motions during this period. I guess its part of our heritage, and its tradition to go visiting, with the usual Cantonese banter, the gambling, the binge eating and drinking.

The night is quiet now, the street outside my window a silent room. No breeze to make the leaves rustle, no flickering of lights to let you know that time hasn't stood still. Eerie. To stave off the deafening silence, I've got my earphones plugged into my ears, volume ceiling high. Beats and melodies always make me feel better. I guess this is a common affliction for nocturnal people, the feeling of being alone and isolated. Its good sometimes, to allow the soul to recharge, perhaps after a hectic day at work/school, although most of us would opt for precious sleep. Often, in the wee hours, I'd take my iPod with me and play a few of my favourite tunes, sit on the benches at the base of my apartment, and just let the world pass me by. Let the many thoughts in my mind collide, merge, diverge. The Wind will occasionally make its presence felt, sometimes strong to send chills down my back, sometimes gentle, a mere tousle of my hair. The various vegetation around my apartment will sway in acknowledgement of the Wind, as if to signal their knowledge of me being around them. I like to imagine them dancing to the beats playing into me. Candid as it may sound, they move pretty well and in sync most of the time. Sometimes I lay down on the tabletops there and stare at the night sky, watch the cloud cover move across the tinged night sky. The feeling is brilliant.

I think I'll pay a visit to my night lounge later.

And most certainly, the following will be one of the songs that will be played.

Stoneface & Terminal - Pictures
(Video from Armin Only 2008)

black and white

2009-01-26T02:10:00.002+08:00

some things are meant to be in black and white.

2009-01-26T02:00:00.000+08:00

2009-01-26T01:56:00.000+08:00

Reverb 002: Endless Wave

2009-01-25T20:42:00.007+08:00

A new mix up for everyone, features some old stuff together with more current songs, hope it gets you on your feet and movin', or just bopping your head!

Endless Wave (65:16mins)
Genre: Trance

Tracklisting:

1. Revanche (Karybde Scylla Intro Remix) - Ferry Tayle
2. La Guitarra (Omnia Remix) - Orjan Nilsen
3. Red Sky (Duderstadt Progressive Dub Mix) - Santiago Nino & Damien Heck
4. Formentara What (Gareth Emery Remix) - Albert Vorne
5. Pura Vida - Sander Van Doorn
6. Dreamtime - Vimana
7. Introspection (John Askew Remix) - Terry Bones vs Fred Baker pres. Water Planet
8. Louvre - Dave 202
9. Sky Mountains (Alucard Remix) - Earthspirit
10. Shadow Hearts (Estiva Remix) - Miikka Leinonen
11. Phoria (Elevation Remix) - Majai
12. Another Sunday - Paul Van Dyk

Download Link Here

(320kbps mp3 / 149.4MB / 66mins)

Reverb Lowdown: Always - Oceania

2009-01-25T19:41:00.012+08:00

Genre: Trance
Artist: Oceania (aka Jeremy Cordonnier)
Title: Always

Happened to come across this song while surfing Beatport recently, and its melodic breakdown immediately got us hooked! This song is produced by a relatively unknown artist, Oceania is his alias, actual name Jeremy Cordonnier. It comes in 3 mixes, the Original, Stoneface & Terminal, and last but not least Mike Shiver.

We'll start with the Original. On the first few days of listening, this was easily the best out of the 3. It starts out energetic and driving, giving you little snippets of what's to come, but not revealing too much, just a little melody here and there. It does drag on a little, but we'll take it as a longer build-up to enhance the breakdown. Now, onto the breakdown. Its simple, yet enchanting piano-esque melodies surround you amidst sounds of waves gently crashing, sea birds calling out to one another, and a full soaring chorus of airy vocals to give that peaceful, serene feeling. The flow of the breakdown is very well done, bringing the listener along a journey through a fantasy world, leaving it to them to colour their worlds with their imagination. The release soon comes after, but its after the release that the song shows its brilliance, as while other trance songs seemingly maintain the drive and drops off soon after the release, this song carries it on and even manages to bring it up a slight notch, with the addition of other lead sounds to conjure up an image of the melodies having a conversation with one another, harmonising together. Totally rocks our shoes off.

Now we come to the Stoneface & Terminal remix. Initially, we didn't quite like this version of the song, as its intro is somewhat generic and lacking, coupled with a somewhat short and uninspiring breakdown. But what got us was the way the breakdown was released. And boy did it get us, and it got us good. The breakdown was well-timed, with a nice tense build-up simply by using an acid line and great usage of high frequency sounds to give that fight-or-flight feel nearing the end of it.

AND THEN BAM!

Full in-your-face techy electro bassline with a strong kick supporting it, you'd have never seen it coming! Percussive sounds coming probably from some out-of-this-world sci-fi place soon invade the song, giving that industrialized, mechanical feel, all dark and grimey, and that irresistable urge to start moving that even our grandpa and ma can't resist! This will definitely work on the dancefloor, oh yes. The lead melody of the Original song only comes in nearing the outro, which is just about the only similarity that this Stoneface & Terminal remix shares with the Original version. The tone of the lead melody is different than that of the Original, in that its more enigmatic and shady sounding, think X-Files theme song melody and you'll get what we mean. This just adds on to the whole dark feel to the whole song, which serves to grow on you after extended listening.

Lastly, the Mike Shiver remix. Unfortunately, this remix didn't sound that much different from the Original, perhaps more polished sounding in terms of production mastering, but we still prefer the rawer sounding Original. This was just too tame after listening to the Original, and is just too similar.

All in all, we vote for the Stoneface & Terminal remix, even though the Original really provides a sense of fantasy, the Stoneface & Terminal version simply blew our heads off with its thumping bassline!

And as always, here're the Youtube videos for the Original and Stoneface & Terminal remixes respectively (hint: if the song length is 8mins or so, skip the 1st 2mins or so of the songs as they're the introduction beats for dj-mixing. Otherwise, just enjoy :> )

Original Mix:

Stoneface & Terminal Remix (Ripped from ASOT 386):

Reverb Lowdown: Different Feeling - Simon Patterson

2009-01-23T23:11:00.015+08:00

Genre: Progressive Trance
Artist: Simon Patterson
Title: Different Feeling

Okay, I admit this isn't the latest song out there, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be reviewed, considering its truly an amazing song.

Anyway, this song comes in 2 flavours, the Original Mix, and the Filterheadz Remix. Both are brilliant, but we prefer the Original Mix simply because the song makes you feel more, whereas the Filterheadz version brings on a more hypnotic vibe to it, slightly edgier, with minimal elements of tech sounds in it. The Original Mix, as mentioned, makes you feel more, giving you that all-familiar euphoria sensation associated with uplifting trance music.

So, onto the actual review of the song then.

The song actually shares similarities with another artist, Inpetto, prominent in the basslines and the texture of the main melody. Fine by us at AR, we dig that sound. The start of the song is, in our opinion, the best part. The way the song was programmed at the start is formulaic perhaps, but it still works like a charm. The percussive cymbals and hi hats are cut off, just as the muted main melody gradually rises above all, slowly expressing its full resonance as the song builds up its intro, and the cymbals are re-introduced once more. It just makes you feel charged up and ready to go, giving you a renewed sense of empowerment, that nothing in this world can stop you.

The breakdown is less promising, rather bland to be honest. It still does make you feel, just not as much as we would like it to be. It does get better right at the end of the breakdown, when everything kicks back in. Which leads us to....

The release and the eventual outro. The release, as with all club music, is typical, and it works in this song. The twinkly short melody just before the beats kick in again is a nice touch, giving that dreamy surreal feel that we at AR love. The additional background pad sounds adds that soar-to-the-sky sensation that is just ohsolovely, culminating in a full onslaught of melodies complementing one another to give you one full shake of twinkly melodic goodness. Simply beautiful.

There's a vague child-like innocence to the song, coupled with the introspective nature (at least we think so), it brings about a sense of reminiscence, joy, love. As for me, the song conjures up an image of 2 lovers moving in unison to the beats.

The girl, fully entranced with her eyes closed, her arms flowing with the melody.
The guy shuffles from right to left in sync with the beat, feeling her female form, as they celebrate the love that bonds them together.

The lasers are dancing away wildly, and the strobes add that rhythmic element to the whole visual setting.

Ahh euphoria. Its like a drug.

Here's the Youtube video for the song:

Thursday = Saturday

2009-01-23T22:31:00.003+08:00

Nursing a hangover currently, and not of the alcoholic kind. Its always after a night out that I have a social hangover, making me feel all drained for the next few days. All I wanna do now is just shut myself off from the world as much as possible and be alone. Give myself some time to recharge. Its not fun at all, but I guess that's the price to pay for going all out and having a wild time. Doesn't help if one is an introvert.

Being inebriated is fun in its own way, mostly because you do things you usually wouldn't do otherwise. Not so fun the morning after.

When your breath still reeks of alcohol till noon the next day.
When you start to remember the stupid things you were doing the night before.
When you start to regret.
When people's impression of you change in an instance.

I think the hardest thing is to actually live with yourself. To just fully accept yourself for who you are, knowing fully the wrong decisions, the mistakes, the immorality that one has done thus far. To live with it all. No one else will be able to know the full extent of the consequences of each wrong decision made, except yourself. How does one live with that? Looking into the mirror each day, I increasingly detest the person I see.

Who are you? What have you done?

Why?

I am my own enemy.

I am the roommate that I never want to live with, ever.

I am the very person who I criticise and judge against to people.

I am the perennial underachiever.

Isolate. That's what I do. That's all I can do for now. Pretend. Push those emotions down, push all the guilt somewhere.

Box it all up. Burn it. Shred it. Cut it up into a million pieces.

If only.

Forgive me

2009-01-21T23:53:00.003+08:00

Can you forgive me again?
I don't know what I said
But I didn't mean to hurt you

I heard the words come out
I felt that I would die
It hurts so much to hurt you

Then you look at me
You're not shouting anymore
You're silently broken

I can't live this life
Without you by my side
I need you to survive

So stay with me
You look in my eyes and I'm screaming inside that I'm sorry

And you forgive me again
You're my one true friend
And I never meant to hurt you

It hurts me too. But its something that we have to put as secondary in order to preserve the beauty of the whole journey thus far.

Friends, first & foremost.

Just One

2009-01-13T02:29:00.005+08:00

The 8 has progressed to a 9, and a new year has begun. Not exactly with the bang that us at AR would have liked, but I guess there's no harm in having a slow start to the year? Its almost as if Christmas ate into NYE, and NYE isn't even on the horizon. Yet. And just to complement that holiday-ish mood, here's a song to kick back to, with a cold beer in hand of course.

Song: One
Artist: Ohm G & Bruno
(Song added to Imeem playlist at top right)

One.

Just one.

This is how I feel it with you.

2009-01-12T00:10:00.003+08:00

You’ve got this feel of
Bringing to life
All of my senses
Completely revealed
Dropping my arms
Leaving me naked and light

Artist: Shanghai Restoration Project
Song: Miss Shanghai

Reverb 001: Holding Back

2008-12-29T02:19:00.012+08:00

Its never easy to fall in love again. To be or not to be? To let go completely and be vulnerable, or to hold back and protect yourself?

"When I close my eyes, I can only see, miles of headlights, flashing out the distance"

Mix Title: Holding Back
Genre: Trance

Tracklisting:-

1. Different Feeling (Filterheadz Remix) - Simon Patterson
2. Sky Mountains (Alucard Remix) - Earthspirit
3. Small Step On The Other Side (Elevation Remix) - Basic Perspective
4. Stuck In Friendsville - David West
5. 6 AM (Kyau & Albert Remix) - Cressida
6. 7 Skies - Kyau & Albert
7. Life Less Ordinary - Alex Morph & Rank 1
8. Light The Skies (Retrobyte Remix) - Cerf Mitiska ft. Jaren
9. World On Fire - Above & Beyond
10. Kalopsia - The Blizzard
11. Touch The Sun (Duende Dub Remix) - Alex Bartlett
12. Amsterdam (Smith & Pledger Remix) - Luminary

Download Link Here
(320kbps mp3 / 148MB / 64mins)

Visual - Starting Collection

2008-12-29T00:53:00.001+08:00

I'm not a photographer, just one who loves to capture images and beautiful moments. Note: not all the pictures on this blog are mine, some are awesome pics from friends or simply what I come across on the Internet.

Theme: On the road

stop & go

tut tut driver & passenger

photo by AT

Prologue

2008-12-27T02:09:00.001+08:00

Visual. Aural. An endless existence.