Annex C

Annex C: Programming highlights for debut in Beijing
a. SYNDICATE LIVE MUSIC SHOWCASE
Singapore’s revolutionary music and visual collective - Syndicate is designing and
presenting a line-up of music talents who are at the forefront of music making and
experimentation.
Art rock experimental band The Observatory will open the showcase with a stunning
performance of their texturally complex and viscerally emotional brand of music. The second
musical set will be performed by NADA, comprising electronic whiz kid Max Lane and
performer extraordinaire Rizman Putra, that will offer a unique contemporary sound
featuring popular Malay songs of the past. This will be followed by an energetic electronic
set presented by DJ duo Kiat and Cherry in collaboration with Chinese independent
female vocalist and musician - ChaCha.
Rounding out audio-visual ‘assault’ is Syndicate resident visual artist Brandon Tay, who will
create a bridge between sight and sound with a spectacular live backdrop of visual wizardry.
Brandon Tay
Please refer to biography in Annex A
ChaCha
A vocalist and musician, ChaCha is one of the most celebrated independent
artists in China. The first ever Chinese musician to be accepted into the Red
Bull Music Academy, ChaCha has recorded with international artists such as
Clive Chin, Kode9, Adrian, Sherwood, Disrupt, The Bug, Rumi, Hamacide,
Vibronics and Desto. She also has strong ties to Singapore’s music scene,
frequently collaborating with artists such as Wordy Soulspeak, Webber, In3,
A-Long and Chee Productions.
Kiat and Cherry
Husband-wife musical duo Kiat and Cherry are the founding members of
Syndicate. A long-time stalwart of Singapore’s underground electronic music
scene, Kiat has been featured as the “Leader of the Nu-Skool” in
international music magazines. His music productions have also been aired
on BBC Radio 1, 1XTRA and Singapore's national radio. Cherry has played
alongside world-class musicians such as Four Tet, Moderat and Hudson
Mohawke at international music events. She was handpicked as a
participant of the well-known Red Bull Music Academy in London in 2010.
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NADA
NADA is a ‘digatalogue’ electronic group made up of electronic whiz kid Max
Lane and performer extraordinaire Rizman Putra. One of Syndicate’s cofounders and core members, Max Lane insists on flirting with low end
frequencies. A recipient of the 2005 President’s Young Talents Award,
Rizman Putra has performed and exhibited his works in Asia and Europe.
Together, the two collaborators provide a contemporary sound whilst
utilising Malay music samples.
The Observatory
The Observatory is a Singapore-based art rock, experimental and
electronica band, consisting mostly alumni from prominent Singaporean
bands of the nineties. Formed in 2001, the band is an influential force in
the Singapore music scene. Besides releasing six albums, The Observatory
has performed throughout Asia and Europe. It was also headliner for a few
regional music events such as MTV’s Pattaya Music Festival, Heineken Fat
Festival Bangkok and the Seoul Fringe Festival.
b. FILM-MAKER TAN SIOK SIOK “The CROWD AND I” SHARING
Tan Siok Siok will be sharing her latest project, featuring a photo book containing images of
the old Beijing hutong taken with her iPhone. The project is an open-source collaboration
where Chinese from all walks of life have shared their Beijing stories by captioning the
photos and by supporting the crowdfunding campaign for the publication. Siok Siok is also
documenting this process in a film, “The Crowd and I”, exploring how crowdfunding is
changing China.
Tan Siok Siok
Tan Siok Siok is a filmmaker and entrepreneur based in China. She is CEO of
internet start-up, Kinetic ONE, China’s leading multi-channel network focused on youth
culture, fashion, lifestyle and parenting. The multi-hyphenate is also an award-winning
producer whose work has clinched more than a dozen awards and nominations at the
Asian TV Awards and the Golden Bell Awards.
In 2007, Siok Siok completed a lecturing stint at the Beijing Film Academy, where she
directed a documentary about the Beijing Olympics. Her latest film project is
Twittamentary, a documentary about Twitter, the popular microblogging tool. Siok Siok
crowdsourced the stories and videos for this project.
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c. ROYSTON TAN SHORT FILMS SCREENING
Singapore: Inside Out will present a screening of selected short films from award-winning
Singaporean director Royston Tan and a post-screening discussion featuring Royston and
Chinese film producer Qin Yu. Qin Yu was the producer for Royston’s short film “Popiah”,
which won the Special Jury Award at the 2013 Hangzhou International Micro-film Festival.
More information will be shared at a later date.
Royston Tan
Royston Tan is an award-winning Singaporean filmmaker who has been hailed as
one of the most promising talents in the local filmmaking industry.
Most of Royston’s works focus on social issues and seek to challenge the boundaries
of societal expectations. As such, he is often regarded as the enfant terrible (which
means “terrible child” in French) of Singapore film. He has received over 75 awards for
his films, which have been screened at renowned international film festivals.
In 2002, the National Arts Council honoured him with the Young Artist Award. In
2004, Time Magazine cited Royston as one of the “Top 20 Asian Heroes”. In 2008, he
set up his own film production company, 10twentyeight. He also received the Singapore Youth Award, the highest
youth accolade from the National Youth Council, in 2010.
Qin Yu
Qin Yu is an established film producer and scriptwriter. In the last decade, she has
been actively involved in the conceptualisation and production of numerous awardwinning films which have been presented at international film festivals in Korea, Hong
Kong and Taiwan.
d. Literary Events
Singapore: Inside Out will be working with literary curator Alvin Pang to organise a series of
live literary events featuring notable Singaporean writers and Chinese counterparts in
Beijing. These aim to reflect the growing range, dynamism, sophistication and global
relevance of Singapore’s literary community. More information will be shared later.
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