Last Saturday night, I attended a great gig that was headed by an old friend. Ong Shueh Li and Xenovibes rocked a unique venue - the actual parliament chamber in The Arts House - with their unique style of electronic music and improvisation.Shueh Li's music has evolved from her Electric Muse days in the early 2000's. She still plays the Theremin (possibly the only Theremin artist in Singapore) and the gig is very "live". The tracks now seem more defined, and they even sound better live than on the CD or the website.
One key part of the power of the live show is John Martinez, whose drumming on the Yamaha DTX Drums is excellent, both for his drumming skills and for his sound design. He explained his philosophy that digital drums should never be used as merely a substitute for acoustic drums, they are a totally different instrument and capable of much more sonically and musically.
I also had an excellent chat with Face, the trumpeter and keyboardist, who also is a deep house DJ with his own label and has been featured on Cafe Del Mar.
I'm hoping to invite Shueh Li and John, and possibly Face, to conduct some classes or workshops for the Electronic Music Lab the next time they're in Singapore.
In the meantime, check out the video.
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