Singapore

Singapore (Chinese: Xīnjiāpō; Malay: Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர், Cingkappūr), officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At 710.2 km2 (274.2 sq mi), Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast Asia. This is substantially larger than Monaco and Vatican City, the only other surviving sovereign city-states. The population of Singapore including non-residents is approximately 4.86 million. Singapore is highly cosmopolitan and diverse with Chinese people forming an ethnic majority with large populations of Malay, Indian and other people. English, Malay, Tamil, and Chinese are the official languages. Singapore is a parliamentary republic, and the Constitution of Singapore establishes representative democracy as the nation's political system.

History

written by Marge

Singapura! The city state in South East Asia which, 40 years ago was littered with dirty alleys, chinese prostitutes and opium dens, has since transformed itself into a major international shipping, trade and finance hub. The governments policies towards capitalism are extremely liberal, however, the contrary can be said about its views on outdoor party culture.

The trance scene in Singapore is very small. Parties usually happen once a month in a nightclub in Boat Quay and are put up by The Om Project. DJ's are usually local aspiring DJ's mostly part of The Om Project crew. Occasionally a DJ from Malaysia's Epic Tribe crew drives down and plays, and a few times a year, an international DJ will happen to be passing by and grace Singaporean trance fans with his/her presence.

The Trance Scene

The Trance scene in Singapore was born in 2006, when the Om Project crew started organizing small gigs at Baba Black Sheep in the nice and colorful neighborhood of Little India. The scene soon moved to Home Club in Boat Quay, where you can dance to the underground psy tunes selected by Om Project and friends once a month.

Home Club changes look for the monthly occasion with Balinese backdrops, lycra decorations, styrophones and international decorators' creations and a colorful and smiley crowd. The line-up is always different and over the years it has included resident djs as well as djs and producers representing Asia and the rest of the world. Artists from Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and other Asian countries have played at Om Project parties, but also a wide range of international psytrance music artists from the five continents.

The atmosphere is incredibly cozy and welcoming. Home Club is a nice location with a big outdoor area and the Singaporean Trance family open its arms to guests, Trance lovers, artists and visitors and gives a new light to a city's ordinary clubbing scene. Most support comes from local people, who increasingly attend Om Project parties at Home Club. This greatly differs from other Asian countries, where mainly tourists and foreigners are the ones promoting and organizing Trance parties.

The scene is still small and familiar, but it has grown over the years and it keeps attracting people who are interested in experiencing a different atmosphere when clubbing in Singapore. The new crowd shows that more and more people listen to and love dancing Trance music in this city, a meeting place and crossroads of cultures in Asia.

[2010] In fact, SINGAPOREANS love Trance!

The expansion of the Trance scene in Singapore has pushed the Om Project crew to explore more genres within psytrance music and at the monthly meeting at Home Club you can now expect to fill your ears with and move your body to dark as well as underground full-on tracks. Furthermore, Om Project has recently launched the Om Project in Progress Sunday sunset parties in collaboration with Going Om, the best Chill Out café in Singapore, located in the tiny streets of the Arab district. From 6pm till late, the Om Project crew meets in Haji Lane to play and listen to progressive music in the street. The aim is to bring Trance to the streets, to get out of indoor parties and to share some time together before the beginning of the busy Singaporean week. It is also a way to go towards people and not to wait for them to come to clubs. In fact, these are free events open to anyone and happening on a random basis on Sundays.

Beside being an important platform for young local music producers and artists, Om Project is also collaborating with foreign artists and labels on many levels. The Om Project djs have been traveling and playing at festival and parties around the world since the very beginning. They share a special connection with Malaysian Epic Tribe and Trance crews in Thailand and Japan and they have recently established a strong relationship with the Indonesian scene in Gili Air.

In fact, in November 2010 the Gado-Gado compilation will be released in collaboration with the psytrance music label Purple Hexagon Records. An amazing compilation compiled by Kikx and the Om Project crew,featuring international artists in a magic mix that the name “Gado-Gado” perfectly illustrates. (a typical Indonesian/Malay dish with many colorful different vegetables spiced up by a peanut chilli sauce).

Although it is true that authorities are strict in Singapore, especially in regards to clubs opening hours, substances consumption and the possibility to throw outdoor parties, the young, dynamic and vibrant Om Project crew is doing a great job by demonstrating that it is possible to combine good music and good vibes in respect of every culture and system.

Therefore, if you are traveling around Asia and you stop by in Singapore to have a visa done or for a short visit, try to go when a Om Project party is on. Singapore has much to offer, firstly and mostly the love and enthusiasm for life of its people, features too often hurriedly overshadowed by the impressive innovative aspect and apparent coldness of this great city. You will discover the Trance local side of this amazing island in South-East Asia and, most importantly, you will find a new family!

Tell us more about SINGAPORE 2011

Support your local scene and let us know about it. Please write in the third person and take a neutral point-of-view. An article about a country should contain the following things:

history of the scene
overview about the upcoming year
parties
artists (acts, decorators, VJs & DJs)
labels
shops (music, deco, fashion, chillin and clubing)
other organisations (publications: radio, TV, print)
facts:

average price for a party,

average price for water/beer,

how many parties a week,

how long is a party in average,

how big are the big and the medium sized parties,

when is the best time to come by?

legal situation on drugs

contacts and addresses (links)

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Facts

Prices for the once-a-month gig are usually S$15 at the door, which includes one drink. The party generally starts at 10PM and goes on till about 5AM, sometimes even later. They usually attract about 75 people at their peak which is around 2AM. The only intoxicants are alcohol and tobacco as the local authorities have an extremely dim view on anything further. The death penalty is common in Singapore for those caught selling illegal drugs.