How did the idea of doing Future Music Festival Asia (FMFA) in Malaysia come about?
Livescape Asia’s three directors are major festival kakis. We’d also been in contact with the Future Entertainment guys in Australia and they were looking to extend their iconic festival into Asia. The timing, mutual admiration for each other, plus a stroke of luck and a pinch of good fortune allowed us to pull off the first show really quickly.

How did you go about finding and securing a suitable site?
One of the biggest challenges was to find a venue and site that could not only accommodate more than 25,000 people but also allow us to put on the level of show we wanted. The options were limited but fortunately, our main choice the F1 track (Sepang International Circuit) is a world class setup that has the needed infrastructure to stage FMFA. 

Were you nervous about whether it would be a success?
If any organizer tells you they are confident about the success before any show, then they are either delusional or on some serious meds! There are far too many factors at play to say that anything would be a success before it starts. Sometimes “success” has to be measured up to a month or months after the event. 

What’s the biggest challenge in putting on an event like this?
There isn't one particular challenge that I would say is the biggest. As you can imagine, it's just a crazy logistical puzzle that needs to be solved. Take for example the artiste liaisons. We had a team of over 60 liaisons, drivers and ushers to coordinate the movement of the more than 60 artistes we had. From airport pick-ups, hotel check-ins, sound checks, dinner, interviews, performance time and getting them back to the airport and on the flights, it was run like a military operation. But we have a great team of people working every single aspect of putting this show on and the results spoke for themselves last year. We're very confident that we will raise that bar even higher for this year's edition.

What was your favorite moment from last year’s festival?
When we knocked off work at 7am the next morning! The whole festival was a massive blur for everyone who worked on the show. But I have one memory that still makes me smile. It was seeing one of my heroes Grandmaster Flash dropping Duck Sauce's Barbara Streisand to about 8,000 people on the helipad stage just as it was hitting dusk. The sight of all those bodies jumping up and down, fists pumping in the air will stick with me forever.

And the most worrying moment?
Any promoter will tell you that the worst moment of any show is the last half hour before the doors open. That’s when doubts creep in and there’s a mountain of work still left to do. I guess you would call that the necessary pains of the job. 

The best set you’ve seen at FMFA to date?
For crowd reaction, Pendulum absolutely smashed it to bits. They seriously took everyone by surprise. Musically I loved Jalebee Cartel's live set. For sheer pride and admiration, it was seeing our local and regional heroes holding their own against the big boys. Goldfish and Blink (Malaysia), Bud Culture (Malaysia) and Agrikulture's (Indonesia) sets went down well.

Who are you most excited about seeing this year?
I would be lying if I said that I wasn't really looking forward to seeing PSY. We caught on to this very early on and recognized the sheer immense potential this performer and song had. I'm also really proud that we were the first festival series to take the out of the box approach in booking him. I am immensely excited to see Armin and the ASOT600 show happening. Not because it is an Asian debut but he has long been one of the top DJs. The fact that he is the most consistently voted #1 DJ in the world speaks for itself.

What’s going to be different this year from before?
We're closer to realizing the complete festival this year. We took a lot of lessons learnt from last year to improve things this year. The festival lay-out is a lot better planned. There are a lot more things going on in different areas. For example, we're curating a food village to feel like a Malaysian version of a village summer fair. There's also going to be better chill out areas this year for you to take a breather in between sets from acts you want to see. I also am personally much happier with the acts on offer this year. At the end of the day, a music festival's most important aspect is the music. And we have some great music this year.

How would you compare the live music scene in Malaysia to that (a) in Singapore and (b) elsewhere in the world?
Every country and every region has great things going on with the live music scene. I guess that's what makes going to gigs in different shows so interesting. If things were the same everywhere, this would be a very boring world. What's important is keeping an open mind and enjoying that diversity!

Future Music Festival Asia (FMFA) is on March 15-16 at Sepang International Circuit.

For more details, check out our news piece about the Future Music Festival Asia.

Annalakhsmi

With its ornate brown doors and intricate interior furnishing, Annalakshmi provides a great, homey ambiance for enjoying vegan classics such as chapathi, dosai and thali. Round off your meal with a lassi and pay-what-you-want as you leave. 

Beets

The warm, laidback environment is great, but that's not all we like. Try their sambal oelek-spiked butternut squash and tofu salad and portobello mushrooms with aubergine caviar and peperonata. Accompany the meal with healthy juice concoctions such as their Sunset Beets, or a feijoa martini.  

Cafe Salivation

A good serving of mouth-watering vegetarian food in the form of pasta, sandwiches, pizzas and wraps await you in this guilt-free restaurant.

Ci Yan

The highlight of this place is definitely the rich Tibetan heritage. The dish sets of brown rice and soups are a must-try for patrons.

LingZhi Vegetarian

This joint promises to entice vegetarians or anyone looking for a healthier choice with exciting dishes such as the aeroponic vegetables salad with apple, braised spaghetti with fresh tomato and spicy sauce and crispy vegetables cake served with sweet sauce.

Naive

Located along the up-and-coming East Coast stretch, Naive treats diners to a range of simple vegetarian dishes such as wild mushrooms braised with wolfberry, herbs and broccoli and home brewed tea.

Original Sin

Value-for-money three-course sets are available in this long established vegetarian restaurant in Singapore. It may have lost a little bit of its indie, suburban vibe (thanks to the gentrification in Holland Village over the years), but still ranks high in terms of service. Try their broccoli risotto and creamy porcini pasta.

Veganburg

Despite it being styled like a fast-food chain, Veganburg tries to revolutionise it by serving healthy meals such as the cracked pepper mayo burger and a crowd favorite, the seaweed fries.

Whole Earth Vegetarian

Singapore's first and only Thai-Peranakan vegetarian food restaurant. Classics such as the assam pedas and tom yam will appeal to the health-conscious looking for a tasty meal.

To read more about vegetarian food in Singapore, visit VeganAsh's blog.

If you're not fond of the typical Lunar New Year offerings, try celebrity chef Guy Savoy's six-course Kraemer's Dragon Menu ($250++), which has items like their signature artichoke and black truffle soup, pan-seared duck breast, as well as quince dragon fruit, on it. Through February 28

The award-winning fine dining Cantonese restaurant Hai Tien Lo once again presents its yu sheng platter, plus other festive delights like traditional stewed chicken with eight treasures and lotus seed, and their Treasure Bowl, which is made up of whole abalone, dried oyster, sea cucumber, pork knuckle, hokkaido scallop and deer tendon, amongst other ingredients. Seven to eight-course set menus are available for $98-999++ depending on number of diners. Through February 24

The Prosperity Chinese New Year Menu ($338-668++ for four-eight persons, inclusive of red wine) at Peranakan restaurant Indocafe - The White House features lo hei (with abalone, salmon and of course, yu sheng), prawn gulai tumis, ayam buah keluak, sambal eggplant and the favorite pulut hitam. Through February 24

Modern Chinese restaurant Jin Shan is offering three different menus: Good Harvest Set (braised shark's fin with crab meat in soup, baked king prawn, stewed ee fu noodles shredded duck and sweetened rice dumpling with almond cream), Fortune (prosperity salmon raw fish salad, braised fish maw, fried rice with preserved meats) and Success (braised abalone with sea cucumber in oyster sauce, steamed live lobster with minced garlic, braised mee pok with minced meat in XO sauce). $128-288++ per person for minimum two people. Through February 25

For a Japanese twist, try Keyaki at Pan Pacific Singapore. The Wafu Lohei is a sahimi laden toss of shredded pumpkin, carrot, radish, cucumber, Mandarin peel, rice crackers, tuna, salmon, yellow tail and tobiko. $98-288++ depending on number of diners. Through February 24 

Enjoy the likes of double boiled chicken broth, salt cured black tiger prawns, roast kurobuta pork belly, pineapple layer cake and more at Ku De Ta, for $158++ (with a wine and champagne pairing option at $88++). Available for lunch and dinner through February 28

Not only is The Terrace at The Sentosa, A Beaufort Hotel offering a buffet dinner menu ($75-88++) featuring prosperity salmon yu sheng, Cantonese hand-carved roasted meat, treasures fried rice, as well as a dessert table with golden mandarin orange cake and a pink chocolate fountain, they're also hosting Auspicious Sunday Champagne Brunches ($152++) on February 10, 17 and 24. These will feature Lunar New Year specials from around the world like fish amok (Cambodia), lemongrass tilapia (Thailand) and spicy green papaya salad (Laos). The hotel's also got a special menu for large groups ($888++ for a table of 10) hosted at the Conference Centre. February 9-24

The award-winning Thai restaurant Thanying at Amara Singapore and Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa is offering a Chinese New Year menu ($78 per person) with a Thai twist, with three yu sheng options (Thai-style salmon, abalone and vegetarian), tay-po curry with codfish, stir-fried softshell crab with curry sauce and the Double Happiness Fish Niangao. Through February 24

Green Corridor Run

Fitting in perfectly with the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s efforts to promote community activities  along the Rail Corridor, the Green Corridor Run (January 27, 7am) is a 10-kilometer run with a difference. If the thought of running through a scenic trail with fellow sports and nature lovers doesn’t spur you to put on your running shoes, nothing will. The Green Corridor Run promises to be a unique course over former railway land—from the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station to the old Bukit Timah Rail Station. “Most races in Singapore are road races,” says Green Corridor Run founder Ben Williams.  “This is a trail run... and runners will be surrounded by greenery from start to finish and will get to see a part of Singapore that not many have seen. The main aim of the race is to raise the profile of the Rail Corridor and to give the community an opportunity to show their support for keeping the area as natural as possible.” Participants will be capped at 6,000 (with slots almost filled up) with three start waves separated by 30 minute intervals, aimed to reduce the amount of people on the course at any one time; though a recent recce run suggests it's the mud, not your fellow competitors, that you'll need to look out for.

Jamie's Italian

There's plenty of F&B openings on the horizon, but this is one of the biggest. After all, Jamie’s Italian will be the first of Jamie Oliver’s chain restaurants to arrive in Asia (and at VivoCity, no less). A collaboration with mentor Gennaro Contaldo, this highly-anticipated venue opens in the third quarter of the year. Expect the same kind of unpretentious, fresh yet rustic food that The Naked Chef is known for.“Jamie’s Italian is all about taking really authentic Italian flavors and offering something exciting and delicious, but at an affordable price,” says Oliver in an exclusive interview with us. “We don’t serve anything fussy, just great produce cooked well. The restaurants have a nice casual, relaxed ambience but there’s always a really fun buzzy vibe, too. It feels like we’ve cracked that great balance when, be it business lunches, people out shopping or families, everyone can have a great time. Oh, and we’re aiming for a really cool, relaxed, industrial feel.” You heard the man.

John Clang's first major solo show in Singapore

The first major solo exhibition here by revered New York-based local photographer John Clang has been a long time coming. Housed at the National Museum, Being Together: Family & Portraits (January 23-May 26) amasses a total of 90 works by the 39-year-old, featuring his past oeuvres like Being Together, new portraitures of the modern international family with its juxtapositions of images through a series of photographic projections as well as Fear of Losing The Existence, where images of Clang’s parents are blurred out, shot while they were on a vacation in Hong Kong. “For this exhibition, I have the majority of my work installed as a typology. This attempt will allow viewers to look at the various images and allow them to compare the subtle differences and similarities between them, to allow for further analysis or contemplation,” says Clang. “It speaks about my fascination with time and the different dimension. I would like the images and the installation to evoke an expression... a feeling. A well-curated exhibition always makes me think beyond what was presented and I hope to be able to achieve that with this one.”Certainly, with the works’ effortlessly haunting and lyrical quality about time and existence, this monumental exhibition is simply unmissable.

Super Fly

Last year was great for frequent flyers: It marked the introduction of local low cost airline Scoot and plenty of new routes. In 2013, expect even more new flights to historic destinations like Chinese cities Qingdao (from $202 return) and Shenyang (from $262 return) both starting on January 11. Indian budget carrier SpiceJet is also set to fly a Singapore-Madurai route from mid-April, making easier to get to India’s Southern state Tamil Nadu for its famed Dravidian architecture, beach resorts, religious landmarks and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.Further afield, look out for Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS)’s new Singapore-Zurich service going for US$1,384 ($1,700) return. The airline flew a Singapore-Bangkok-Zurich route for decades but stopped in 2009. Fans of SWISS can hop back on the national carrier starting in May.

Quayside Isle

Sentosa heats up with a new swanky dining destination that’s right across from the equally luxe W Singapore at Sentosa Cove. Quayside Isle features more than 20 dining and retail concept stores targeted specifically at hotel guests from W, residents of Sentosa Cove and trendsetters (that will be you). While establishments like Spanish joint Sabio by the Sea, Tapas & Grill and Belgian bistro Brussels Sprouts are already open, Australia’s Grillado and Kith Cafe, Japanese restaurant Ezoca, and American barbecue specialist Cove Stadium will open next month.“Quayside Isle has an enchanting location that offers escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, allowing you to experience a unique getaway without having to leave Singapore,” says a spokesperson from City Developments Limited, which is behind the concept. “You get to enjoy a well-curated list of international cuisines with a panoramic marina backdrop, providing the perfect magical setting for lovers to romance, families to celebrate, and special occasions to be remembered. With a strong concept and so much to offer, Quayside Isle is set to be the Capri of Southeast Asia.”

River Taxi

With the newly launched river taxi service jointly managed by the Singapore River Explorer and Singapore River Cruise, the days of battling atrocious jams during commutes to work may well be over. The route runs between the Marina Barrage and Jiak Kim Street, with 13 overall stops. Each one-way trip costs $3, with an express service which brings you directly to a designated point for $4. Talks about acquiring car parking spaces nearby the 13 landing points are already underway, and intervals between departures are expected to be no more than 10 minutes during peak hour, with the first starting at 7am. Whether it'll be a success remains to be seen—but you have to applaud the attempt to improve commuting infrastructure.

Three New Hotels, Three Great Concepts

Far East Hospitality’s The Amoy is a 37-room boutique hotel located at Far East Square, with various types of rooms showcasing a unique blend of modern furnishings and traditional Chinese design and architecture, targeted to open mid this year, while Sofitel So Singapore will be the city’s first hotel to offer a fully connected lifestyle with complete Apple-based digital solutions including the provision of iPad minis in all rooms, also opening mid this year. But if you can’t wait till then, check into the just-opened PARKROYAL on Pickering. Centrally located near Chinatown and the CBD, this “hotel-in-a-garden” has over 15,000 square meters of lush gardens, waterfalls and planter walls. It’s also one of the most environmentally-conscious in town, boasting comprehensive energy and water conservation features such as the light, rain and motion sensors, and the use of rain harvesting and NEWater in its showers.

Singapore's First Goyard

Move over LV. If there is a luxury brand that no local fashionista should do without this year, it's Goyard. Its classic monogrammed shoulder bags were some of the hottest sellers over the past few seasons, and when its Singapore flagship store opens in the fourth quarter at Takashimaya Shopping Centre, expect a long crawling queue for these babies. Fans previously had to fly to Hong Kong to visit its flagship store located at The Peninsula (the closest they’ve got) to purchase its full range of trunks, bags and accessories—all of which will be made available for local shoppers soon enough.“Goyard is a special brand and one that evokes the romance of luxury, no ordinary task in today’s saturated luxury marketplace,” says Nash Benjamin, CEO of F J Benjamin Holdings, who is responsible for bringing in the French label. “As the retail environment in Singapore continues to evolve, Goyard will continue to be a leader in the highest tier and bespoke luxury segment.” Beyond the full range of ready-made bags, fans can also look out for bespoke trunks and personalized Goyard items featuring hand-painted monograms. Go gaga.

River Safari

Now that Kai Kai and Jia Jia have settled in, the River Safari, which was supposed to open last year, is scheduled to open in the first quarter this year (furry fingers crossed). Apart from our panda friends, the $160 million attraction from Wildlife Reserves Singapore, the same crew behind Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Jurong Bird Park, will bring the world’s eight greatest rivers—the Amazon, the Congo, the Nile, the Ganges, the Mississippi, the Murray River, the Mekong and the Yangtze—and their wildlife to town in an attraction that is half walking trail, half river cruise. It will also feature some 300 animals including 38 endangered species such as the Mekong’s giant catfish and giant stingray, and the Amazon’s capybara (the world’s largest living rodent), as well as over 150 plant species.And even more to look forward to: the Frozen Tundra, which will have a climate-controlled environment that simulates the glaciers and semifrozen freshwater systems of the Arctic North to better house Inuka the polar bear. There are also plans for three viewing levels, including one with an underwater view. Better late than never.