Entertainment and Recreation

Obscure Music Genres You Should Check Out

You might be one of the few whose ears feel like they’re about to fall off from listening to today’s music. If you’re tired of auto-tuned vocals and anemic lyrics, perhaps it’s time to take the off beaten path for something totally different.

Chiptune
Sometimes called 8-bit music, it’s a type of synthesized electronic music that will remind people of beats from old arcade games and computers. Remember the background music from one of those old platform games? This genre will take you down memory lane.

Lowercase
Lowercase is a type of ambient minimalist music in which sounds we don’t often hear in the background are amplified. Like a clink of a glass or the rustle of the leaves. Don’t be surprised too if you don’t hear anything in some parts of a composition.

Spacesynth
Sometimes called spacedance or spacedisco, this type of music focuses on melodies and is like a mix of disco music and futuristic sounds. It’s almost similar to house music when you listen to it, but it’s more relaxing and less noisy.

Throat Singing
Throat singing has been practiced by some ethnic groups. It’s a form of overtone singing or chanting. The most famous types are Tuvan, Inuit, Tibetan and Rekuhkara. Tuvan throat singing is practiced in Mongolia, Tuva and Siberia. The singer produces one pitch along with one or more pitches together.

Drone Music
This is another minimal music type similar to lowercase. It focuses on repeated and sustained notes or tones. These notes are collectively called drones. It’s perfect for those times when you need to listen to music that isn’t distracting you with lyrics and beats.

Bubblegum Dance
Do you like lively beats and happy, cute music? You don’t need to limit yourself to the Japanese pop group AKB48 anymore when you listen to this Eurodance subgenre. If you like bubblegum pop, bubblegum dance isn’t that far off. The group Aqua who sang “Barbie Girl” is perhaps the most popular of this lot.

Symphonic Metal
Sometimes called opera metal, it combines metal and classical music. The band not only plays the electric guitar, bass, and drums but also includes keyboards or piano, violin, cello and sometimes a choir or orchestra.

Visual Kei
It’s a type of glam rock in which the performers dress up in elaborate androgynous costumes and heavy make-up. There is no specific type of music associated with visual kei. The genre is considered separate mostly for the looks of the performers. The music varies from heavy metal to pop.

Mathcore
Mathcore is characterized by unusual time signatures, dissonant chords, angular melodies and peculiar chord progressions. It’s a subgenre of metalcore, a mix of hardcore punk and metal. Think of chaos, but chaos that’s systematic.

Danger Music
Sometimes called anti-music, it’s a type of concept music that was formed because of the idea that it might harm the performer or listener. The genre relies heavily on the performance, just like any other type of performance art. They will sometimes do dangerous tricks during shows.

Contemporary Asian Authors You Should Read

Asia has had no shortage of brilliant writers. Whether they grew up in their hometown or had to move to other parts of the world, their pieces reflect their Asian heritage that distinguished them from other writers.

The following is a list of today’s most notable Asian writers.

Amy Tan

Amy Tan was born and raised in the United States. Her works reflect the life of generations of Asian Americans. She is famous for The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and The Kitchen God’s Wife.

Anchee Min

Anchee Min became an actress when she was 17 years old at Madame Mao’s Shanghai Film Studio. She went to the United States in 1984 and is well-known for her works Empress Orchid, Red Azalea, and Pearl of China.

Arundhati Roy

Arundhati Roy is passionate about social justice and economic equality. Known as an activist, she is also famous for her work The God of Small Things which won the Booker Prize in 1997.

Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami was influenced by Western writers such as Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostoevsky and F. Scott Fitzgerald. His most popular works to date are Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Short, and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

Jhumpa Lahiri

Jhumpa Lahiri was born and raised outside India but was schooled about her Bengali roots since she was a young girl. Besides writing, she also teaches creative writing. Her works reflect the lives of Indian immigrants. Most notable are The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies, and Unaccustomed Earth.

Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro moved to England in 1960. His debut novel, A Pale View of Hills, garnered an award, and since then, he has produced outstanding works like An Artist of the Floating Worlds, The Remains of the Day, and Never Let Me Go.

Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini and his family moved first to Iran then France and finally to the United States. They tried to return to their hometown Afghanistan several times but after the coup in 1978, they stayed in California ever since. His most notable works are The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Lisa See

Lisa See was born in Paris and currently lives in California. She was awarded National Woman of the Year in 2001 by the Organization of Chinese American Women. Among her best works are Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Shanghai Girls, and Peony in Love.

Salman Rushdie

Salman Rushdie lists among his influences Anton Chekhov, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Joseph Conrad. Besides novels, he writes essays as well. He received death threats when he published his work The Satanic Verses. His other notable works are Midnight’s Children and Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

Shin Kyung-sook

Shin Kyung-Sook won the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2012 with her novel Please Look After Mom. Among her other notable works are I’ll Be Right There, The Girl Who Wrote Loneliness, and Li Chin.

Non-Stop Shopping Experience

Singapore as a whole is a wonderful island with different natural and man-made attractions. One example of a natural spot in the place is the Singapore Botanic garden. Even if it is maintain properly by man, it is still a natural reserve because of a lot of flowers and plants that are found here. And mind you, nothing is made by man in this plant and flower sanctuary.

christmas_singapore_03

On the other hand, man-made structures take place but with authority. One example for that is the Merlion (A half fish, half lion creature). It was made by man but it has now become one of the famous and most visited landmarks in the country. While seeing and getting close to these attractions are mostly done by many foreigners as well as locals, having a fun and great shopping spree at their state-of-the-art mall is quite amazing.

4548498722_70805b371d

If you are looking for what is trending today for fashion, touring at the Orchard road is recommended. Orchard road in the main point for trade in the country and online casino is a very well-known shopping avenue. Here, you can find international and local brands. However, if you think that Orchard Road doesn’t have the things that you desire, going at the Marina Bay Area is the next choice.

Also, shopping places like Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam are included in the list. Here, more cultural items such as necklaces, bracelets, rings, antiques, textiles and other ethnic products. While you are shopping at these places, you can turn your back and visit Tiong Bahru, Haji Lane and Ann Siang Hill.

orchard