BQ Bar
The bar is a favorite among expats and tourists and boasts a metropolitan vibe. So it's no surprise that pub quizzes are a regular feature. Friendly competitions where groups of three or more −from friends to total stranger− come together to test their trivia knowledge and winners stand a chance to win anything from a bottle of wine to a pint.
39 Boat Quay, 6536 9722. Quiz entry is free.

Brewerkz
Held on Tuesday nights, pub quizzes here add even more punch to the already lively microbrewery. Challenge your knowledge of everything from geography to history, sports and science. What’s more, with half-price pints, this joint is the ideal getaway after a hectic work day.
#01-05/06 Riverside Point, 30 Merchant Rd., 6438-7438. Quiz entry is free.

Video: I-S and friends at Brewerkz quiz night

Harry’s Bar
The best thing about pub quizzes is that they’re versatile. Though the rules are similar (just get the answers right), the number of trivia rounds, people on the team and prizes is up to anyone’s fancy. At Harry’s Bar, the pub quizzes can last hours and feature barrels of laughs for the participants. Check with the bar for more info.
28 Boat Quay, 6538 3029. Quiz entry is free.

How's your year been so far?
It's been a good start to the year, thanks. I finished off my Wide Awake artist album and started the year with some great shows in Europe and North America.

What are you currently busy with?
The Wide Awake album tour is now starting and I'm doing dates worldwide, plus I've just started work on the track selection for In Search Of Sunrise 9 which is due for release later this year. Your first full album release Wide Awake is making waves.

How did you put it together?
Very nicely! When I started with the production I told myself “I'm only going to make tracks that I like and will not look to make just "trance" or "house" or any one style. The title track featuring Ellie Lawseon is getting charted worldwide.

What can you tell us about that collaboration?
Good vocals are very important to make a track crossover. Amazingly I've still to meet Ellie in person—we made the track by e-mail sending samples back and forth!

How do you approach production work? Any special rituals?
Only one! I need to feel good; then I can produce anywhere, whether be it at home, studio, in an airport or hotel, or even in a plane.

Tell us more about your podcast, "In Search of Sunrise Radio."
This is something I'm very proud of. It's on a growing number of FM stations around the world and on AH.FM every Friday. And of course it's available as a Podcast on iTunes.

Define your kind of trance.
Melodic, energetic and for dancing to!

What do you think of the trance scene right now?
It's maybe not as big as house at the moment but with good music coming through trance will last forever.

Which was your most memorable gig and why?
I think Sensation in Melbourne during NYE 2009. Playing to 50,000 people was a very special experience!

You’ll be spinning in Azzura, Singapore; what can we expect?
I'll do what I always do—make you dance!

Catch Richard Durand at his Wide Awake Album Tour on Mar 12, 6pm. Azzura, 46 Siloso Beach Walk, Sentosa, 6270-8003. $30 includes one drink.

In 1998, Indonesian sea-cucumber divers discovered the shipwrecked remains of a ninth century Arab dhow in waters north of Belitung Island on the east coast of Sumatra. Unknown to them,they'd stumbled across the most important maritime discovery in history.

The dhow carried more than 60,000 artifacts ranging from exquisite ceramics to rare and extraordinary items of finely-worked gold. Dating back over a thousand years, the find is considered the most important collection of late Tang Dynasty artifacts ever found outside China. “This exhibition will change the way we visualize the contacts between East and West more than a millennium ago,” says director of the Smithsonian’s Freer of Art and Arthur M. Sackler galleries, Julian Raby. “It brings to life the tale of Sinbad sailing to make his fortune in the China trade.”

Among the many dramatic objects on display is an extraordinary tall ewer measuring over a meter in height, with a dragon-head stopper. Beautiful gold and silverware was also found on the Belitung shipwreck, including a gold octagonal cup decorated with figures of Central Asian musicians and a dancer. The cup is the largest and heaviest Chinese example of its kind, upstaging even pieces known to have been given by the Tang imperial family to the Famen Temple in the city of Xi’an.

“The milestone exhibition is a testament to how history and heritage can transcend boundaries and encourage greater cross-cultural understanding,” says chief executive officer of the National Heritage Board, Michael Koh. Singapore is Shipwrecked’s first stop in a world tour expected to conclude in 2015. And what better location to exhibit these rare gems than the new ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands. Wander through the 12,000-square feet exhibition space for a glimpse into the ninth century world; for insights about the ship and the crew’s life onboard; to learn about the discovery, recovery and conservation of the cargo; and to inspect close to 450 artifacts salvaged from the shipwreck.

It's an exhibition that tells a story strongly linked to that of our own—the blossoming of a city from a fishing village into a modern thriving metropolis due to its strategic location in the global trade network. And it's well worth seeing.

Embark on a voyage into the Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds exhibition through Jul 31. ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Ave., 6688-8868. $10-30.

Sarah Harvey loves painting portraits of people in water. Who would have thought that something so ordinary could be captured so extraordinarily. From the textural detail of every ripple, to the uncanny clarity of the submerged figures, Harvey manages to evoke a sense of comforting retreat while exploring the sexual and fantastical nature of her subject matter. Quiet World exhibits 18 of the award-winning artist’s paintings, which take viewers on a journey through the underwater world and away from the sanctuary of the familiar. At first glance, her works seem filled with soft colors and blurred images, but on closer inspection you might notice the differences between the figures. In Cubist Water, her interests in cubism materialize in a depiction of the face from a multitude of viewpoints. Shattered Triptych focuses on the figure becoming one with its surroundings, with the water marks and the figure appearing to merge into one shape. The closer you are, the more you’ll see. “My Inspiration comes from many places, and often it is my subconscious that tends to pick it up,” she says. “It is a feeling I get when I see something that tells me if that object, view, color or other visual excites me.” Influenced by Francis Bacons’ Carcass and crucifixion paintings and works from Jenny Saville, Harvey invents her own world. “The paintings Ripples of Light and Abyss are much calmer at first look and really concentrate on the beauty of the female form,” she says. “The vulnerability of the girls’ open bodies can be seen by the viewers. But if you read deeper into them, one will begin to question if there are darker sub-tones to the aesthetic beauty seen.” Harvey’s work will be exhibited at Collectors Contemporary, a local art gallery run by Dr. Alvin Koh, who shares similar sentiments to Harvey. “Her paintings are visually arresting, transporting the viewer into her world. The paintings evoke a multitude of emotions that vary from serenity to uneasiness. However, the beauty of each painting is undeniable.” If you haven’t gotten enough of Harvey’s work, expect more from the British artist as she experiments with other elements and techniques. “I have recently become quite interested in video, so perhaps this could be something you might see more of in the future. I am also currently using imagery that I took the last time I was in Singapore of chickens submerged in water and exploring other subjects as well.” Chickens submerged in water. Watch this space.

Quiet World is on Mar 10-Apr 23 at Collectors Contemporary, #01-03 Petro Centre, 5 Jalan Kilang Barat, 6878-0103. Free.

Widely known as the frontman of highly-acclaimed local rock outfit Electrico, Dave Tan also does a fair share of DJ-ing. Under the guise of Hook, he has been dropping his eclectic selection of disco-infused house, deep house and a touch of rock ’n’ roll whenever the mood hits. Having helmed the decks at KPO, House@Dempsey, Tanjong Beach Club and La Maison, he is currently residing at Singapore’s highest club, Ku Dé Ta. Every Wednesday and Thursday at the club and Friday to Saturday at the Skybar, catch Hook as he drops seminal grooves and old school favorites. “I’ve got A.D.D so you’d be hard pressed to find me playing one genre for a prolonged period of time,” he says. “I love to mix it up anyway and I try to keep an interesting flow and energy going depending on the situation of the room.”

Hook's Top 5 Selections

Depeche Mode “Nothing”
The grooves and arpeggios in this track are so quintessentially Mode and so damn groovy, it has heaps of attitude and flows very nicely into a lot of the dreamwave stuff that I play nowadays.

Hall & Oates “Rich Girl”
White guys with so much soul, this was their first number one hit back in the day and it’s a meaningful, feel good soul-blues popper. I love to end my sets with stuff like this to ease you out of electronica. Like a nice sorbet.

Tears For Fears “Working Hour”
Songwriting at its best. Complex yet simple and very emotive. TFF will always be an inspiration to me.

Sebestien Tellier “La Ritournelle (Jake Bullit Remix)”
A classic funk jazz number with beautiful haunting vocals; perfect for sunsets. However the Jake Bullit remix stuffs it with some major fat groove and rhythm with a dirty modulated funk-filled bassline to boot. It’s a pimp version. Very sweet.

Massive Attack “Unfinished Sympathy (Kamouflage Loves Fred Mix)”
An amazing deep remix of a Massive classic. A nice ride through tribal grooves and funky percussions to an explosion of ambient melodic vocals in true Massive Attack fashion … then back to the beats. Shiok.

Se7en1nch
Size does matter, and with a name like Se7en1nch, the bar and grub joint wins hand down in the raunchy name department. However, the only kinkiness you’ll find here is pole dancers showing just a bit of flesh. Nothing much to drool at. Founded by Crazy Elephant’s boss Keef Ong, the joint is notorious for their long list of absinthe laced drinks—probably the only thing that’s sizeable.
#01-16 Clarke Quay, 3B River Valley Rd., 6338-8776. Open Fri-Sat 11pm-6am.

Does Your Mother Know?
A “men’s” favorite hangout, the bar's name hints cheekily at undisclosed lifestyle preferences. For eccentric divas, queer folks and just about anyone bent on having a good time, DYMK is the joint of choice. Try their potent house specials like Mommie’s Temper, Mother Knows, Mother Doesn’t Know and Flower Power.
41 Neil Rd., 6224-3965. Open Sun-Thu 7pm-midnight; Fri 7pm-1am; Sat 8pm-2am.

Hookers Bar & Grill
Don’t be deceived by the name; the bar and grill venue is neither run by pimps, nor does it boast a stable of hookers. Though situated in Singapore’s seediest area, Desker Road, the joint is rather cozy with laidback music and unassuming décor, and it serves up a commendable offering of Mexican, Western and African cuisine.
120 Desker Rd., 8111-0883. Open Sun-Wed 3pm-midnight; Thu-Sat 3pm-1am.

One’s from Berlin, the other from Bristol; one drops deep rooted house, the other funky and euphoric sets; one’s a legend, the other an up-and-comer. But both these DJs represent the sound of the future, says I-S.

Alex Barck

Who: Part of the iconic six-man group Jazzanova, Berlin native Alex Barck has been spreading the group’s jazz-influenced dance music for more than a decade. With fans like Gilles Peterson acknowledging their innovative sound and meticulous production, trust Barck to carry the flag of tomorrow’s sound with his incredible DJ sets.

Music: Soul, funk and afro-rhythm tunes are on the cards and Barck’s distinct sounds are represented in deep-rooted grooves and beats. Focusing more on the organic side of music with raw percussion and succinct bass-lines, Barck’s known to work the crowd into a frenzy with his progressive mixes.

Crowd: Expect hip-shaking hipsters, Champagne twirlers and chronically fashionable types.

DISCO:VERY with Alex Barck of Jazzanova and Jeremy Boon is on Mar 4, 10pm. Velvet Underground, 17 Jiak Kim St., 6738-2988. $28-35 includes two drinks

Marc Vedo

Who: The up-and-coming Portuguese-English DJ, producer and promoter hailing from Bristol has helmed the decks at leading clubs around the world. From Godskitchen, Ministry of Sound and Eden, Ibiza, Vedo has been dubbed the “rising force in the international dance scene” and the “next Sasha” by leading publications. At only 26-years-old, he has already bagged 10 years of DJing experience.

Music: Eclectic choice cuts of danceable favorites from house to trance. Whatever his essential selection is going to be, expect to dance till your shoes come off.

Crowd: With a broad palate of sound, we anticipate a more diverse and up-for-it gathering.

Koolwaters 10th Anniversary feat. Marc Vedo is on Mar 5, 10pm. Stereolab, G/F Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Blvd., 6337-0800. $28 includes one drink.