I’m talking about dissing other genres of music just because it’s not your cup of tea.

Let’s take Dubstep for example, since I’m quite familiar with this genre. If you don’t want me to bore you to death with technicalities, feel free to skip this part.

<Boring Technical Stuff>

If you’re not familiar to this genre, generally, it’s different from Electro, or Techno which normally has a steady pattern in 4/4 time. In layman’s terms, that’s “boom-clap, boom-clap, boom-clap, boom-clap” throughout the whole song, with some synths on top of it and breakdowns in between. Dubstep, on the other hand, is categorized under a different family with a different beat pattern (breaks) which sounds something like “boom-clap, boom-clap, boom-boom-boom-clap”.

We’re just scratching the surface, but to keep things short, the speed of a song (BPM or beats per minute) and the family a song belongs to defines its genre. Dubstep is…well, songs at breakbeat speed but in halftime (categorized under 140BPM, sounds like 70BPM).

Right, still following so far? Just take your time to understand and let it sink in.

Skrillex a.k.a Sonny Moore. (via ElectronicaOasis)

Now, Dubstep is a fairly new genre. To Malaysians, at least. With the rise of artists like Skrillex and Kill The Noise, more youths are getting into this genre because of its heavy bassline and how agressive and mechanical it usually sounds. The thing is, artists like Skrillex are categorized under a different sound of Dubstep, which focuses on the “huge slap in your face” side of it. This sound has been dubbed as “brostep” by the purists.

</Boring Technical Stuff>

Now that I’ve talked a little bit about the background, you can start reading again, because this is where the problem I’d like to talk about comes in. Some purists don’t enjoy the new stuff, while some supporters of the new sound can’t or won’t get into the old sound. Don’t even get me started on how fans of different genres like Electro or Trance cannot enjoy Dubstep, or vice versa.

I mean, why the hate?

Music is music, yes? You can argue that art is subjective, but there’s really no need to express any hate verbally. Peep this: my brother listens to mainstream music, leaning towards Hip-Hop. As much as I want him to get into EDM so that we can share tracks and have more things to talk about, I don’t give him unnecessary drama for loving (the old) Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z or Eminem because it’s his own personal taste.

Music is music. No room for angst.

The problem is more apparent in larger cities (read: Kuala Lumpur) where the scene is much more developed than small cities like Kuching. There is a huge gap between the different genres of EDM, which I really do not understand considering how everything comes from basically the same source when you strip it down: virtual studios, creativity and a lot of time and devotion.

If you ask me, I enjoy most genres from the EDM family as long as the production is top notch.

Seriously, guys. It’s time for the hate to stop. There are a lot of talents to be unearthed and there is no time to argue on what sound is better.

In the words of Carleed Khaza, one of Malaysia’s leading Hip-Hop artists, “Don’t just hate ’cause it ain’t your cup of tea. If you wanna hate, have some substance or else you’ll look dumb.”

I think those are wise words to live by, within context or not. That said, I’ll sign out with one of my favorite tracks at the moment. Peace out, guys! Spread the love!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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Doesn’t really matter, does it? The friend’s been drilling me about it though. Apparently, from what I gather, it grinds her gears whenever I pronounce it that way. I’m sorry, Lynn. I am only human, after all.

That said, I’m currently writing a script for a short film which will hopefully…fill my bank account with some much needed moolah. If…I mean, when I win this, saying that I’m a happy camper is an understatement. 11,000 bucks is a huge amount, considering the amount of cash I’ll be putting into this production. It’s also my first full scale production, and I’ll be frank, I am a tad nervous.

Hopefully things will go well. I have everything in my head already, but making the film a reality is going to be a whole different ball game.

Time to head to the drawing board again. Join me, won’t you?

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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Let me just kick things off with this update: 2011 ended in such an awesome way for me, I’m suffering from severe withdrawal syndrome.

I might be overreacting, but I assure you, I feel pretty shitty at the moment. I suppose things like these tend to happen when you’re surrounded by fantastic people who go out of their way to make sure that you feel right at home when you’re travelling.

What gets me is the fact that I’ve only met these people face to face for the first time.

I thought the trip to KK was already off the hook. Try imagining the look on my face when I realized that my trip to KL was twice as awesome. New friends are cool and all, then there’s the short but simple reunion with the sister…

…then there’s this.

Holy. Shit. It’s AC fucking Slater. Favorite DJ/Producer since 2009. I have never rocked the dance floor as hard as I did on the final day of 2011.

I’m sorry, 2012, I don’t think you can be as awesome as 2011. Nothing can change my mind, unless you can pull off that whole Mayan armageddon thing. Haa, just playing. All I can say is that I have a feeling that things are only going to get better.

I just feel like thanking these dudes again for being around and making my trip to KK and KL enjoyable. In no particular order: Karrot, Faliq, Richado, Audrey, Zimah, Pejal, Cassie, Max, Hassan, Melanie, Jasmine, Jacintha, Arthur, Mich, Harith, Arvindh, Alvin, Raula, Alea, Andre, Radzy, Ivan, Omer and of course, Stephanie. The links would direct you to their Twitter accounts so follow these awesome people if you’re on Twitter as well.

There’s no space to mention everyone that I met but know that I still appreciate the time we spent together. If you’re ever in town, buzz me up and I’ll return the favor. ;)

Phew. That felt good actually. Feels like a burden was lifted off of my chest. This horrendous headache is still killing me though.

Help?

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Women of Kuching, you may now let out a collective sigh of relief and whip out your purses because La Senza’s Pin-Up Concept Store is now officially open right here in Kuching!

The launching ceremony was a simple but elegant one, with a cocktail reception warming us up for the next part of the event, which was the ribbon cutting ceremony and the fashion show.

In the spirit of Christmas, La Senza’s theme for Christmas this year is “Santa Baby”. Tis’ the season to be drop dead gorgeous, ladies. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been a good girl or a bad girl, because Santa came early for you this year!

Fun fact: I would probably the last person to buy anything from this place, but know this, I didn’t leave La Senza empty handed. Oh, no, no, no. In fact, I left this treasure-trove of knowledge just a little bit wiser about female lingerie. 

I mean, who knew that push up bras are worn when women perform push-ups? I’ve always thought that these were meant to increase cleavage, but I guess I was wrong!

I kid, I kid. I really did learn a whole lot from Angel and PK (surprisingly) who were kind enough to enlighten this sad, uninformed man. Oddly enough, I find lingerie shopping to be a rather curious concept. I was told that I looked rather perplexed the whole time Angel and PK were explaining the idea to me.

Hey, knowledge is knowledge. Some time in the future, my girl would probably have the chance to experience the pleasure of just sitting at home while I’m out there hunting down lingerie for her.

Lingerie-shopping novice here. Anybody looking for someone to be their little apprentice?

La Senza’s Pin-Up Concept Store is located at G19, Ground Floor of tHe Spring. That’s right in between Clarins and L’occitane, so if you’re feeling a bit feisty this season, remember to pop by! ;)

Edit (20/12/2011)

iPhone users, rejoice!

A little bird told me that if you were to make a purchase of RM 200 at La Senza, there is a high probability that you will walk away with a limited edition La Senza iPhone 4 case.

Of course, there’s always a catch when it comes to limited edition goods – they’re only available while stocks last. First come first serve, people, so if you’ve been looking for that brand new casing for your beloved phone, this is probably the one for you! ;)

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You know, looking back at my childhood, I was not fortunate enough to grow up with art. I was a science boy. I still am, I’m just not as square as before. I remember figuring out how straws work at the tender age of 5. Dad instantly told me that I was destined for bigger things.

It wasn’t until recently that I started an affair with art. Photography, dancing, music, drawing (actually, nope, still suck at that), the works.

In any case, Studio 23 took my dance theater virginity, and it felt oh so good.

You can choose not to agree with me, but I loved every single second of the show. The first part of Dance Me A Story, “An Arabian Fairy Tale”, tells the story of a prince who’s searching for love. Typical love story, finding love in all the wrong places, et cetera…but what blew my mind were the fantastic storytelling, vivid visual effects, excellent selection of music as well as the perfectly choreographed dance moves.

Well, what do you know. That’s basically everything in a show, isn’t it?

My favorite part was definitely when the Water Princesses came on stage. Just between you and I, I’m a sucker for fluid movements. ;)

Then came the second part of Dance Me A Story, “Stronger”.

“Stronger” is the story of 3 women, rising up against challenges to achieve their dreams. While this doesn’t sound too exciting on paper (or on this blog for that matter), I loved how the lives of these 3 women are intertwined on many different levels.

Young Cathy, who’s looking for love, is actually connected to Sally, who is trapped in an abusive relationship. We also have Isobel, who dreams of becoming a professional chef. Isobel is one of The Conchitas, the rival of Cathy’s gang, The Jazzettes.

Interesting, no? The icing on top of the cake was definitely Serina and Albert’s performance near the end of the show. What did they do? I guess you’ll have to dig that up yourself. ;)

Once again, mad props to everyone involved in Dance Me A Story. I can only imagine the amount of effort put into a production of this magnitude. Let’s hope that this will set off a chain reaction that will introduce bigger and better things to our beloved city. Well done, Studio 23!

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