What do you like best about being part of Mono?

Being able to do what we love to do for a living and meeting friends around the world. There was a time when touring internationally and releasing records was just a small dream. We're very grateful for the opportunity to spend our lives making music.

What’s it like collaborating with the legendary Steve Albini?

We've met a lot of amazing, talented people over the years but there is only one Steve Albini. He just really understands the sound we are trying to create and helps us keep it as organic and live as possible. It's always a pleasure to work with him and his team. They are very kind and welcoming.

How does touring feel like?

We are constantly on the road so touring has become a part of our lifestyle. It does take a lot of energy, but at the same time it's exhilarating and rewarding in so many ways. It makes us happy to revisit the crowds that take time out of their schedules to hear us play.

Playing live or recording? Which do you prefer?

Playing live. There is an interchanging of energies during a live show that just cannot be imitated during the recording process.

Who is your musical hero?

Beethoven. It's hard to explain but I find myself admiring his unusual visionary talent.

Which artists would you like to work with (that you haven’t yet worked with)?

There are so many talented artists out there. I think we may be interested in collaborating with someone in the film world. Perhaps a filmmaker with a similar vision as we do.

We can feel so much of emotional depth in your music and a great cinematic vision in songs like “Ashes in the Snow” and “The Battle to Heaven” from Hymn to the Immortal Wind, in your opinion what makes a great song great?

The approach for Hymn to the Immortal Wind was different because the songs and the story chapters are based on one another. In my opinion, songs that I have grown to love are the ones that make me feel, make me visualize, and make me empathize with its creator. Some of the greatest songs in history demonstrate the kind of human resonance we seek in a good book, film, or spiritual experience.

You are busy with your sixth studio album; what can we expect?

We're trying to write new songs with a new vision, while still keeping the essence of our sound. I'm very happy with what we've created so far.

How much prep work went into Macbeth?
Nikolai Foster (the director) and I started our initial meetings for the project way back in December last year. From then on we've had many face-to-face meetings between ourselves and many Skype meetings with the Singapore team to get it ready.

What were some of the challenges you faced while recreating medieval Scotland at Fort Canning Park?
The extreme weather conditions at Fort Canning Park massively affect the way it is designed. We've a very shiny black glossy floor that will get very hot during the day, so it's been constructed from a very heavy-duty fiberglass to hopefully withstand this. Also, the pyrotechnics and effects used during the show will be heavily affected by elements such as wind—something you don't have to consider in a conventional theater.

What were some unusual inspirations for the production design?
I look for inspiration everywhere. One of the costumes for the witches came from a music video I was watching while on the treadmill at the gym. Other design elements were borrowed from everywhere, including the architecture of the Park where the audience will be watching the performance—see if you can spot them.

Your favourite scene from the play?
The Banquet. The tension that Nikolai has created is thrilling to watch.

Catch Shakespeare in the Park—Macbeth through May 1, May 4-8, May 11-15, May 18-22, 7:30pm at Fort Canning Park, Cox Terrace., 6332-1302 $38-75 from Sistic.

How’s it rocking Andy?
I’m all good, just came back from a couple of days of DJ-ing in Abu Dhabi and I’m feeling very relaxed right now. In Abu Dhabi all of the clubs are located in the hotels because of alcohol laws, so I’ll just say that hotel staff are very keen to make sure you enjoy your stay.

Who are your musical heroes?
I don’t actually come from a very musical background, so growing up I was free to make my own choices when it came to music. When I was about 11, I came across Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) LP, and as of that moment, I was hooked on every aspect of hip-hop, and among my favorite artists were Nas, Ghostface Killah, Jay-Z and Big Pun. My all-time hero has to be Mix Master Mike (of the Beastie Boys). He has such a unique and crazy style when it comes to scratching, and having seen him live on a couple of occasions, he certainly knows how to set the geeky aspects of DJ-ing aside and rock a party.

Any emerging UK artist you’d like to flag up?
My favorite emerging artist of the moment is a Peckham-based rapper called Giggs, who possesses a unique flow, vocal-tone and slow delivery that has taken over the UK ever since he exploded onto the scene with his debut single “Talkin’ the hardest.” It is worth checking out his singles, “Don’t Go There,” “Slow Songs,” and “Look What The Cat Dragged In.”

What can we expect from your set in Singapore?
I have yet to DJ in Singapore and have only heard good things, so I’m itching to set up my turntables and take your infamously enthusiastic crowd for a ride. Without giving too much away, you can expect an energetic set of party hip hop and R&B combined with a taste of the UK scene. Don’t expect to have any time to catch your breath during my set.

Gear up for a sweltering urban night at Ministry of Sound: Smoove presented by Courvoisier on Apr 30, 9pm. The Forbidden City, 33 Merchant Court, River Valley Rd., 6557 6272. $28-32 includes one drink.

What inspires you?
I'm always inspired by new countries; the energy and freshness is so uplifting. Not knowing what is around every corner creates a tension I thrive on. Sonically I am a huge lover of all music, from acoustic to disco and electronica. It all depends on the time of day and mood I'm in. I love the way music makes you feel and how it can transform you.

Does having a famous dad open doors in the music industry or was it more difficult to live up to the great expectations for your Jezebel parties?
I'm sure my father creates a certain allure for people coming to our Jezebel parties, and it has definitely opened up doors in so far as I have had the chance to meet so many great performers. I have never let my Jagger name get in the way of what I do; I am very independent and feel that I have carved my own identity with all that I do.

How do you manage to juggle so many different interests—fashion, jewellery design and hosting music parties?
I love all the different mediums I work in, and for me they all share one artistic common goal. It's always hard to get your priorities right especially with a family, but I am lucky enough to love what I do.

What have you been listening to recently?
2 bears’ (a collaboration between Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard and Raf Daddy) Curious Nature EP and Felix Dickinson’s latest album of ace remixes are what my ears have been glued to.

You are famous for your parties. What kind of a set can we expect from the party in Singapore?
No-holds barred chaos set to a Balearic backdrop and a heady, intoxicating cocktail of house and disco.

How do you unwind after a marathon revelry session?
I often like to go home and have a last drink together with my team. We are like a family, so it’s always great to have a good natter about how everything went. But it’s usually so late though and we have had so much fun dancing that we are all ready for bed.Gear up for some jumping Jezebel tunes till the sun rises at

Amnesia Ibiza, Apr 30, 9pm. Azzura, 46 Siloso Beach Walk, 6270-8003. $48-68 includes one drink.

Your very first camera?

It was a Nikon F. I was 16 years old, and saved up my earnings from my job as a camera assistant to Mr. Choi, my first photography teacher in Hong Kong.

What were some of your earliest images?

Mostly portrait shots of my friends, maybe that was why I became fascinated with shooting people.

How did you start working with Hong Kong-based auteur Wong Kar Wai?

During the mid 90s, I was a nobody, just an ordinary creative professional, working full-time in a company. Fortunately, we had a mutual friend who hooked me up with a meeting with Kar Wai, who was impressed with my portfolio, and immediately made me the official photographer for Happy Together.

How was it like working with him?

Very interesting. He doesn’t say much but has a great eye and feel for beautiful images. Sometimes, I can’t even understand why he picked a particular photograph, but that is his special gift. The best thing about working with him is the amount of freedom that he gave me, not even once did he interfere during my shooting sessions.

What was the experience of working with Tatsuyuki Tanaka, the famous Japanese manga artis, like?

It was an awesome project with a very tight deadline. I am usually very particular about cropping my images but in this project, I followed the perspective of Tatsuyuki’s storyboard very closely. With any collaboration, it is important to show the vision of all the different artists involved.

You have shot numerous famous personalities, who has impressed you the most?

I enjoy shooting actors because of their ability to convey an emotional feeling. Some of my favorites include Gong Li, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, who get into character effortlessly. You don’t even have to give them special instructions.

Your heroes?

I come from a fine art background, hence my fascination with Anselm Kiefer. From the world of pop culture, I like Andy Warhol.

What’s your philosophy?

Never play safe, always push boundaries. I get bored easily and like to find places that are ugly(for example a tacky restaurant) , shooting images from a new perspective, and capturing an essence that others have not seen.

Here’s you last chance to catch This is ‘Real’ A Wing Shya Retrospective, which ends on Apr 23. ION Orchard Art Gallery, 2 Orchard Turn, 6835-8748. Free.

I started packing goods to make extra money and that’s when I was looking around for fabric at the factory to make tube tops for women. I just wired up a sewing machine and started sewing for fun. Quite unsexy but it sparked off my interest to make bigger and better garments.

It is not easy to run a label. Travel is a killer, money management is tough and doing the nitty gritty is really time consuming. Some people also don’t understand how the business works in terms of product development and meeting minimums.

Getting the team to gel and look out for one another is just as important as cooking up new ideas.

I love making clothing, but the manufacturing industry is a far cry from the bright lights of the fashion industry.

Jakarta influenced me to see way beneath the surface of this industry. Working at a factory and seeing a garment materialize will give you clearer vision to understand the entire industry. It’s a better perspective on fashion that focuses on the core of the industry. Going back to what it’s all about. It’s a solid education that you can’t really buy.

I like the Black Keys because it’s a great soundtrack to muffle the sound of 650 sewing machines in the factory. When I’m at home with my wife it’s all Jose James. That guy’s got a voice that would make any lady melt (and most men, too).

I have this terrible habit that I still haven’t given up. I am severely addicted to candy, gummies and jelly beans. It is quite alarming. But it keeps me at peace so I don’t think I am ready to give it up.

I love making clothes for the masses but if Charlie Sheen liked our gear, I wouldn’t mind him wearing it. He’s tearing it up right now with his whole self-destructive frenzy he’s got going. That would be fun and much needed press. Although on a more somber note, I think Jose James would be a solid spokesperson for our brand. Classy, cool and supremely talented.

I tend to read a few fashion magazines and I always see a lot of people vouching for all of these world famous brands that don’t really need any endorsement. In their quest to be unique by endorsing a highly sought after product (Chanel 2.55), they’re actually falling into that category of “cheerleaders.” Why be a cheerleader for something or someone when you’re not getting paid? Why endorse something that’s already so successful? If you want to be unique, why not endorse something that people have never seen?

I don’t really have any personal heroes. I’m not so big on idolizing. I bet they wouldn’t be too happy about us idolizing them in the first place.

I do however look up to my father: A great combo of street-savvy, downright toughness and brains; he is a real man. He was never formally trained in garment manufacturing but ran a factory nevertheless, despite all the pressures of running one.

I spend a lot of time with my wife. She is a great person to be around with. There are not many people who will always have your back.

Bar Bar Black Sheep
Enjoy the cool riverfront breeze at this second outlet of Bar Bar Black Sheep. A casual restaurant with full bar, Bar Bar Black Sheep serves a mix of Thai, Western and Indian food.

Brewerkz Riverside Point
What better way than to celebrate an all-American night with great food, great beer and a great view? Here, you’ll find a full range of handcrafted or premium beers, delicious patties and a view of the Singapore River.

Harry’s (Boat Quay)
A hit among the professionals slogging nearby, this brass-rail style bar is recognized as one of the key pioneers of the Boat Quay area. Guzzle beer, chat with your mates, listen to live music, and forget about work.

IndoChine Waterfront
Amid a magnificent view of Boat Quay and Empress Place, and a slightly OTT setting with trimmings like crystal chandeliers, Sukhothai Buddhas and Shan antiques, Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese food get a glamorous spin with the famous IndoChine group.

Kinki Restaurant & Bar
Kinki’s funky floral interior is loud as the hip-hop music that blares in the bar. Enjoy fabulous food (blowfish, snow crabs and foie gras) while relishing in the glittering view of the Marina Bar waterfront and Marina Bay Sands.

Overeasy Bar & Diner
Designed by Takenouchi Webb, this office-crowd favorite has an industrial feel—take its cast concrete bar and the red diner booth seating—and puts a funky twist on the classic American diner. We particularly like its alfresco area, the perfect setting for an after work binge on its Seaside Sangria.

Pre.Lude 
Cool summer cocktails are the order of the day at this bar on the roof of the Fullerton Boathouse. Arrive early for the choicest seating. 

Privé Waterfront
Located at Singapore’s only privately-owned island Keppel Bay, Privé is a multi-concept joint comprising a restaurant, gastrobar and bakery on the waterfront. Its sleek gastrobar stocks a wide array of drinks and cocktails, with nu-jazz, house and funk tunes pumped out by resident DJs.

RedDot BrewHouse (Boat Quay)
RedDot Brewhouse is the first bar and restaurant along the river bank with a steelstructured glass roof, allowing you to savor the unique craft beers like RedDot Lime Wheat and Monster Green Lager under the stars.

Scruffy Murphys
This Irish drinking den is nestled humbly in the heart of East Coast Park. The indoor area is cozy and laidback, and set like a cottage; fit for families and friends wishing to dine in a welcoming ambiance. Chill out at the outdoor beer garden where the beach breeze will keep you cool. A perfect escape from city life.

:phunk is a visual band. In our quartet, everyone collaborates in a style akin to playing a musical instrument, and adds a certain layer to the projects we are working on at that moment.

Our history pretty much revolves around music, be it working with local musicians to create cover art for their sleeves, or designing band tees for Depeche Mode and Rolling Stones. Even our work studio is surrounded by music-inspired paraphernalia like our Kraftwerk-inspired statues.

The four of us do think that we are Kiss. I am certain much of it stems from being a failed band; we were such bad musicians and decided that it would be better if we expressed ourselves through the visual medium.

The Mafia, that’s how we work. Our bonds are much thicker than simply a working relationship; we have been hanging out since our LaSalle days and have grown into a family. We usually avoid tiffs because we have an intuitive, psychic-like understanding of each other’s personality, we pre-empt before the implosion and that’s how we manage ourselves. We have been together for 16 years and I have to say that we have different personalities; but our aesthetic consciousness and visualization is frighteningly similar.

This sounds like an old boring cliché but travel inspires us. We travel a lot and enjoy meeting people in places like Berlin and Japan. From them, we learn more about the creative process and find out what really makes them tick.

We’re not sure where that is going to lead us to.

Dreams are important to us. We’d rather burn out than fade out. I guess we will still be energetic as we get older; great role models for us are graphic designer Milton Glaser (famed for his I ♥ NY logo) and Japanese fashion guru Yohji Yamamoto. They might be dinosaurs in terms of age but they still bowl us over with awe inspiring work.

As much as I admire and respect Norman Foster, I don’t think that the Parliament House is well-designed for its location, I mean the edgy dome would fit a mountainous region in Peru, but it’s just so out in our city.

The other gripe I have is the design of the gigantic cruise ship perched on Marina Bay Sands. For f**k’s sake, it should at least be even.

Conceited folks get on my nerves. No one is too good, even famous people are humble.

Telling chicks that you were a graphic designer in the ‘90s at Zouk’s Mambo Jambo on Wednesday nights would have gotten you laid. I am assuming it just sounded cooler than working in the engineering or IT industry.

Those were our wild heydays but we are all about maturity now and are in stable, long-term relationships. I guess none of us are going to be like Ronnie Wood snagging hot young chicks.

Dream On. I wouldn’t have passed my 2.4km run during National Service, if I didn’t sing that Aerosmith song while running— something that I really f**king suck in.

Modeled after Secret Wars—live art battles that take place in the kookiest urban spots of Europe and Australia (among them, an abandoned abattoir)—Face Off, the inaugural Asian league of this burgeoning street art competition, hits town for the first time. Choice weapons of visual assault: Free form, black on white, single medium, 8ft. by 8ft. boards, no extra time, one brush or marker. Two intrepid up-and-coming street art stalwarts, Addica and zero3sixtyfive, must draw or paint in black on a virginal white canvas in 90 minutes in a classic battle of the sexes. Guest judges TraseOne and the KillerGerbil will unveil the critic’s choice while the crowd will vote for the winner. Certainly more fun than your presumably secret ballot in the upcoming elections. "I agreed to come on board because I’ve seen this project going on outside of Singapore before in Europe and I had longed for something similar to happen in Singapore," says TraseOne. "This project covers pretty much all aspects of street art when we have to consider space, material and time, besides the concept, when creating work. Another important way this project appeals to me is the opportunity to pit our skills against not only locals, but against artists from around the globe, and to push local artists out into the global creative industry by bringing them overseas for collaboration opportunities." Face Off organizer, Michelle Luehman of Raw Art, tells us what’s in store: “I think people should be prepared for a surprise. This is going to be one hell of an event and it covers a lot of different interest groups. Anyone who thinks that this is restricted to a few fringe dwellers is going to have to reshape their thinking.”

Get ready to Face Off on Mar 30, 6:30pm. The Hall, Old School, 11B Mount Sophia, 6338-7682. $12.50-15 from www.ticketcrash.com.

The fact that the budget for the third installment of the Singapore Biennale is lower, at $6million, than ever before is not a good sign. Yet veteran Matthew Ngui and his crew still promise a great show, despite the lack of any major headliners. We’re certainly hoping they can deliver; and looking at the line-up there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic. Here’s what to look out for, and what you might want to give a miss.

National Museum of Singapore (NMS)
93 Stamford Rd., 6332-3659.
Open daily 10am-7pm.

PERSIAN PRINTS
Tala Madani, the feisty young Iranian artist heralded for meshing naive charm and black humor in oil paintings of domineering male figures in works like Diving in Cake, is here to dazzle us with an assorted collection of art works.

LIFE, LESS ORDINARY
Popular urban photographer Beat Streuli unveils Story Lines, a three-channel video installation consisting of portraits of ordinary folks from the streets of Singapore and New York at two venues—NMS and Old Kallang Airport. If the indecipherable art works on show elsewhere make you dizzy, this tongue-in-cheek potraiture will be a welcome reprieve.

NIHILISTS R’US
Copenhagen based arts collective Superflex continue their nihilistic agitprop streak in Flooded McDonalds, a 20-minute apocalypse flick that observes the destruction of a specially built replica of the (in) famous fast-food restaurant including the carcass of Roland McDonald floating in the aftermath.

Old Kallang Airport
9 Stadium Link.
Open daily 10am-7pm.

KARAOKE FAIL
Amping up the aural element is Ang Song Ming, a young Singaporean artist who uses awkward, kitschy elements of music and sound like an all-female a cappella group covering Kraftwerk’s “The Robots.” Be True to Your School, in which former students of Japanese elementary school sing what they recall of their school song, is nausea-inducing, but all the better for it. All in pursuit of breaking down the walls of high art pretension.

THE RADIO STAR
Tune into Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Frequency and Volume, an interactive installation that aligns different radio frequencies to the shadows of gallery viewers, straddling the spheres of architecture and performance art.

DRAIN BRAIN
Former national sailor Charles Lim examines the nation’s drainage system in All Lines Flow Out, an invigorating mash of video installation and found art, offering some quirky, personal musings about the island in the process.

Singapore Art Museum & SAM at 8Q
71 Bras Basah Rd., 6332-3222, 8 Queen St., 6332-3200.
Open daily 10am-7pm.

MUMMY’S BOY
Looking to do more than just gawk at random exhibits in a gallery? Then Filipino street artist Mark Salvatus’ Wrapped offers the perfect antidote with some participatory art. All you need to do is draw the outline of an object you’re carrying onto the wall and the artist proceeds to fill it in with bandage patterns.

HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS
Food may well be the most democratic domain in our nation. Malaysian multi-disciplinary artist Ise enlightens us with insights into how six anonymous Singapore families buy, cook and eat food, through his installation of six fridges filled with items handpicked by the participants. Expect chilling revelations in Secret Affair.

Marina Bay
The Merlion Park, One Fullerton.
Open daily 10am-7pm.

FISHY BUSINESS
Half fish, half lion. All myth. Acclaimed Japanese provocateur Tatzu Nishi gives our beloved Merlion the quintessential Tatz makeover by building rooms around it. From Apr 4-May 5, residents and tourists alike can soak in the opulence of the Merlion Hotel for just S$150 nett per night for two. All 32 nights sold out within an hour, but the space is open to the public (and especially the kawaii photo brigade), for free, daily through May 15 from 10am to 7pm.

Back to the Drawing Board
It’s not all good stuff at the Biennale. These festival duds had us scratching our heads. Ceal Floyer’s installation piece titled Overhead Projection at Old Kallang Airport illuminates a big fat zilch. A lightbulb on an overhead projector seems more like a cry for help than inspired art. Self-Portrait, Our Landscape is a collection of self-potraits, represented via a distinct landscape or object, done by over 3,000 Singaporean students. To judge by the results, they might want to consider alternative career paths.

Catch these works at the Singapore Biennale 2011 through May 15. For more details, log on to www.singaporebiennale.org.