Section: La Carmina: Global Gothic

Singapore. Perhaps you think of a squeaky-clean, Southeast Asian utopia where it’s illegal to chew gum. Ah, but how darkness brews under the surface! I interviewed Saito Nagasaki, chairman of Singapore Dark Alternative Movement, about Singapore’s Gothic fashion and nightcrawling scene. It’s strong, vibrant, and I’m personally dying to check it out.

(The first two photos are by Razor Razin Photography; the rest are by Shirley Zhong Photography.)

La Carmina: How did you first become interested and involved in Goth / underground subcultures?

Saito:  I first became involved in subcultures when, unbelievably, I was entranced by the music of British group Manic Street preachers in my adolescence around 1996. I was studying abroad in Perth and the depth and breadth of such lyrics pushed me to explore my then-conservative musical boundaries and its related ideas. This eventually lead to my discovery of Garbage, Marilyn Manson, NIN and sideways to foreign language dimensions such as Dir En Grey, Malice Mizer and to increasingly niche genres. I came back to Singapore for National Service and was already part of the local ‘hang out group’ back in Far East Plaza with the pioneering batch of alternatives in Singapore… however the concept of ‘underground’ culture was always stigmatized as being rebellious teenage-esque tripe and not given much credit on our own shores. What I was a part of then was little more than a common aesthetic and the public perception disgusted me. I only developed on the cultural front when I met some really interesting people with resistant views of society on campus when I was back in Australia for university (much later on in 2003) that spoke to my inner curiousity and motivation to change fundamental perspectives. They brought me to attend Dominion, one of the larger Gothic events in the state and I was in love with the people, the atmosphere and the very structure of their community. It was then that I swore I would re-create some semblance of this glory when I returned to my home country.

La Carmina: Can you tell me about the Singapore Dark Alternative Movement and its work?

Saito: The Singapore Dark Alternative Movement (SDAM) is the culmination of alot of hopes and dreams back in the late 90s to form a social platform as a means to build solidarity among the alternative subcultures in Singapore. SDAM actually had its roots in 1998, April 10 from a loose gathering of like-minded individuals (mostly Gothic) that gathered at the only alternative apparel shop at the time, Lost Soul. The owner of Lost Soul, Sand Chai is generally regarded as the pioneer of the community and held in matronly regard as the creator of what would be the common ancestor of various splinter groups to come. Groups like the now defunct Singapore Gothic Covenant (led by Christopher Choy) and our sister community, SGdomsubs (currently helmed by Master Alex) that cater towards the SM oriented populus.

It was through a lot of informal activity and purely social interactions that bred the initial batches of supporters. It was around 2004 that I emerged as a driver of change to push the community from a very insular and elitist sect to a more grassroots and expansionist initiative. This was about the time when the acronym ‘SDAM’ was created and what was to come was modelled from my experiences abroad in western-gothic communities such as the Perth Order of Gothic Societies, starting with my creation of a operating committee to more effectively tackle functional areas. As the numbers swelled and the social networking phenomenon blossomed, we drew upon some of my professional experience to create various event Brands to address several functions: Find closet cases that subscribed to the music, but not the culture and recruit them into the community, expand the awareness of the local alternative community to Singaporeans and the greater southeast Asian sphere and to destroy harmful stereotypes of the culture that are ingrained in the national mindset.

Some of the brands we came up with were: the Alternation series, that became the longest running alternative music night in Singapore. The Dark Friday series, that put the community on the global gothic map with guest sets from international exponents like Eskil Simonsson of Covenant, Angelspit, DJ Panic (Resident of Slimelight) and even the likes of DJ Mini from Montreal, Canada. Outbreed, an annual ‘Gothic rave’ concept I imported from my freelance promoter days in Perth. And Finally and most recently, the Heart of Darkness series that focused more on local talent and formed a staple in the local gothic social diet on a monthly cycle up till our host venue was closed. Our next project “Necropolis” is a smaller, pub based event that incorporates a large amount of deathrocker and psychobility elements. Necropolis is due to launch on 18th September at Pardis (67 Boat Quay). We keep archives of the events on our website - www.sdam.sg – and our community facebook group.

Of course we have had our share of stereotypes from a uneducated public, but the sheer quantity of controlled mainstream media exposure, coupled with accessible events has made a lasting impression locally. Additionally, we discovered that generation Y did not take kindly to labelling themselves anything, i.e.: Goth, punk, metal, etc due to the advent of social networking and the incumbent Singapore dichotomous mindset (we have to be one person at work/school and another in our social lives all the time) – because of this, I coined ‘Singapore Dark ALTERNATIVE movement’ rather than ‘Singapore GOTH movement’ as it would pigeonhole everyone involved.

Recently I have handed the torch over to one of the Generation Y enthusiasts and committee member from the my last term ‘in office’, Dalsix Visser. It is my belief that it is in the best interest of the movement to contemporize with a progressive attitude. I will, however, be taking a page from Singapore’s patron LKY, remain in an advisory capacity for the fledlging new leadership to benefit from my industry connections and experience. I was thoroughly lucky to have the support of a few diehard committee members such as Faith, Murderfreak, Lyn, Vanessa, Nevar, Alex, Simone and allies like DJ Mentor and Syvester Henry and many many more that saw SDAM through to today.

I’m now more focused on my band Aesgrade (www.myspace.com/aesgrade) and am continuing as the host of “Taste of Darkness” on Mesh radio (www.meshradio.sg). It’s actually been a bit of a relief to be able to get my head into music again as creative expression is never very far from my heart. My band especially began as a fun project with a like-minded enthusiast (zero One) who had leanings towards dance music. Through my network we got signed by label Paternoster and published by Netmanagement in Hamburg, Germany and will be releasing a CD soon… if our cards are played correctly. To date I’ve had two live performances in the capacity of the project, one of which was in the middle of Mandai, a forested area near the night safari in an botanic/orchid garden.

La Carmina: How would you describe Gothic fashion in Singapore? How has it evolved?

Sait: Oh yes the fashion has moved on a bit from its initial interpretation of Victorian and a misunderstood quasi leather punk look - much of the fashion was a bit of an adaptation to what some of the senior members brought back from trips to America, Japan and Australia (myself). Recently we had one DJ Ghoul join us from the Netherlands and this has also brought in some interest in the deathrocker vibe. Of course there are the hardliners that still hold their candles morbidly against the daybreak, fighting all attempts to evolve the lamentable ‘classic local style’ of band T-shirt and jeans. Popular brands include Demonia & New Rock boots, Dark Angel, Alchemy Gothic and *cough* imported Hot Topic. There is even a few crossovers with Lolita labels such as Baby the Stars Shine Bright (BSSB) as well. The cyberpunk look is the most compatible with our climate and seems to be the mainstay of the regulars in the events with hair extensions, mesh tops and spiky accessories.

La Carmina: Can you recommend some Singapore Goth clothing brands, designers and shops?

Saito: Rather amazingly, there is very little local exponents for original Goth fashion. A lot of DIY goes on by modifying existing commercial apparel – however a couple of local designers that appeal to the archetype such as perfect in black and even retail giant Nautica. Lique Vanique, one of our former committee members has started a couture design too.

Some of the shops I highly recommend visiting are Haru (Far east plaza #03-42/46, shop 3 & 6), Black Alice (a lot of Lolita apparel), Lips (#03-08, Orchard Road, 228213, Singapore ), Wizard of Oz (for stompy boot needs!) and Dark Angel (they once had a warehouse store in Singapore, but have maintained friendships with our members, Fantasy and medieval wear including Corsetry and couture).

Music and culture wise, there is an overlap in interest with artistic Noise/electro centred around Flux us (www.flux-us.com.sg), nationalistic X’Ho (www.xhosux.com) and several awesome local alternative bands such as Cosmic Armchair (synthpop), Dualtone (industrial), Meza Virs (gothic metal) and Strobe like a butterfly (industrial rock).

La Carmina: What do you predict for the Goth / BDSM scene in Singapore? Is it growing, changing?

Saito: With the changing face of the gothic and BDSM culture globally, Singapore is not too far behind Europe because the new breed of members are better at importing foreign concepts, keen to share ideas and are increasingly well educated. I saw local community through its infancy and with heavy heart have witnessed a lot of former enthusiasts ‘go vanilla’ to better fit into their work places and social circles. However, there is an undercurrent that we have ignited and even sleeping bats have nostalgia enough to kill their civilian disguises in time to come. We had a lot of the teens growing into their adulthood and have began to assimilate with other subcultures, cross-polinating the length and depth of the entire spectrum. It is my belief that the separate scenes here don’t have enough critical mass to explode into their own ecosystems yet (particularly in Asia, which is juxtaposed with Western countries in that they have highly polarized subculture leanings) and I’m proud that SDAM provided a firm basis for a lot of would-be exemplars of their individual style and expression. In the next five years we might actually see a different alternative evolutionary tangent, one that has rationalized its very visual roots to a more cerebral and diversified mindset. Such a community would spawn versatile individuals who can be underground/Goth while wearing the mantle of popular culture, to KNOW that they are alternative with no reservation and to proactively pursue all related interests bravely without fear of reprisal while enriching the totality of Singapore society that hosts them.

A thousand thanks to Saito for the eloquent and fascinating interview! We’ll be exploring Gothic fashion and subculture in Korea, Australia and Russia next… what would you like to see? I’m always happy to hear your comments on my blog: www.lacarmina.com/blog (I’ll be posting more Tokyo Gothic Lolita store photos, nightlife and footage from my current TV shoots there.)

† Dark Wishes †
LA CARMINA

The original Goths weren’t the members of Joy Division (haha) but the Visigoths and Ostrogoths – the East German tribes who invaded and ultimately decimated the Roman Empire. Today, Deutschland remains a Gothic hotspot, albeit in the black-lipstick-wearing, subcultural sense.

Which dark fashion trends are currently taking over Germany? Let’s probe my friends Holger and Jen, who worked on the recently-released Schillerndes Dunkel, a lush reference book on dark culture. (Except for the book cover, all photos below are by Holger of Seventh Sin Photography.)

LA CARMINA: Can you describe the Goth fashion scene in Germany today? What looks, brands, accessories are popular?

HOLGER: The “Goth Fashion Scene” here in Germany is very much dominated by brands like Aderlass and the XtraX collections, which predominantly serve the younger Goths. But there is also an increasing number of people who are getting tired of that “off the rack” look. At the last Wave Gotik Treffen we saw an increasing number of a) smaller brands vending their own original designs and b) self made outfits . It seems Steampunk is making a strong showing, and any sort of Victorian and historical costumes are coming back into style at the festivals.

JEN: Lip Service is also popular here – especially the Blacklist line – but harder to find and up to twice as expensive as it is in the States.

LA CARMINA: Germany is known as a center for Goth culture, and home to several famous dark music festivals. Why do you think the culture flourishes here in particular?

HOLGER: M’era Luna, Amphi and many other festivals are highly commercial and just serve the Goth Pop-culture. Wave Gotik Treffen is still different: with no sponsors and no profit, it still tries to maintain the “Treffen” (meeting) character by featuring unknown artists. There are also a growing array of independent events around the Treffen, such as the Victorian Picnic, the Spiegelpalast Program and the Blaue Stunde.

JEN: Germany definitely has a stronger and larger Goth scene than the US. Germany is simply a smaller country with a higher concentration of cities, so it’s easier for organizers to draw people in to events and get exposure for alt sub-cultures. Scenes which originated in other countries such as Goth, Punk or Techno seem to be taken more seriously here in Germany. People treat them as more of a lifestyle which makes these trends last longer.

Another factor in the popularity of Goth could also be the modern history of Europe. From WWII through the Cold War, the reunification of Germany, the break up of the Soviet Union and the birth of the EU, Europeans have more recent experience with vast political/socio-economic changes than the average North American. Many people who came of age during or after the nineties seem to share a certain cynicism and lack of identification with new world order. So music that refers back to a supposed mythical and heroic past is understandably appealing, similar to the way that Post-Punk songs about a doomed future and inevitable hopelessness appealed to the those who came of age in the eighties during the Cold War.

LA CARMINA: How have you seen the fashion evolve in Germany over the years?

HOLGER: Many trends in Germany are growing and mixing. Beside the uniform and military styles, which are getting away from Army Shop and moving to fashion brands such as Uniforme Design, there is definitely a big influence coming from Visual Kei and Lolitas, although those two groups are not really part of the scene in Germany yet. Cybergoth is still a big trend, although now as it is fully commercial, most of them look alike.

JEN: When I first came over to Germany about 5 years ago, I guess that was at the end of the Batcave revival: fantastic makeup and Mohawks and iros, a drawer full of ripped stockings on each limb, and minimally a kilogram of safety pins holding the whole outfit together.

The military look remains strong, everything from fatigues to outfits in the style of SS uniforms, of course without the actual Nazi symbols because it is forbidden by law to wear those here. My German friend said that, in his opinion, dressing up like a zombified SS officer is one of the darkest, most provocative things you can do around here and that’s why people are attracted to it. That said, the zombie-Nazi look has become less popular in the last two years.

There’s been an influence of Japanese Lolita but with a European flair: Ero-Loli is more popular than Classic, Sweet or Gothic Lolita, maybe partly due to the fact that most European girls have a very different body type than the average Japanese girl. Some pay attention to every last detail creating an outfit straight out of Gothic Lolita Bible, while others incorporate one or two elements of Lolita style into their own look.

Steampunk is definitely a rising trend here.  Last year at the Wave Gotik Treffen we saw a handful of people wearing gorgeous hand-crafted steampunk-influenced outfits. This year, there were a lot more as well as at least three vendors offering exclusively steampunk clothing and accessories at the WGT market.

LA CARMINA: Where can you see the most fashionable German Goths? Can you recommend some events, websites, or club nights?

HOLGER: Wave Gotik Treffen, the Blaue Stunde or events by Viona-Art. She organizes a Victorian picnic at WGT in Leipzig, and romantic dance nights a few times a year in Belgium.

JEN: I would add anything organized by Peter Matzke, and for people who are more into the Cyber side, the Schlagstrom parties in Berlin. Most big cities in Germany have an online calendar with alternative events at http://www.schwarzes-leipzig.info

LA CARMINA: Tell me about the Schillerndes Dunkel book project. How did you become involved? What do you hope to achieve? (Cover photo by Silent View; model is Madame de Solitude.)

JEN: Schillerndes Dunkel (which could be roughly translated as Shimmering Darkness) is probably the largest full illustrated reference book on the dark scene. The book is broken down in five sections: Early History, Genres and Sub-genres of Dark Music and Culture, Developments in the Scene Since 1990, Fashion, Aesthetics, and Lifestyle and finally Themes and Discourses. Our contributing writers include: international artists such as Genesis Breyer-P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle, Psychic Youth), John Murphy (SPK, Knifeladder) and Klive Humberstone (In The Nursery), journalists, academics, DJs and event organizers, as well as scene members themselves. The text includes not only people’s personal remembrances and stories but also serious discussions about the different genres of music and culture, as well as various sociological, political, media and economic aspects of the scene. Additionally, there are over 800 illustrations, many of which are being published for the first time ever: photos, album covers, paintings, flyers and event posters even some Zines and pamphlets from the pre-Internet era.

HOLGER: My involvement was three-fold. I wrote my “Into the scene in 1978″ part, a short article about Japan (which was dropped due to space limitations) and participated with a couple of stage shoots of bands mentioned in the book. I also contributed two galleries of art, fashion, and club photos from Germany and Japan, and am supporting marketing and networking activities.

JEN: Our friend Alexander Nym is the editor of Schillerndes Dunkel. I volunteered to help Alex research the book and scan the massive amount of analog photos that had been contributed for the project. As we sat around the office over the next few weeks keeping typical Goth hours (i.e. in the office mid-day and working into the night) and probably making the rest of the Ploettner Verlag crew crazy with our selection of music, we started talking about various aspects of the scene in Germany and in the States: where it all started, where it’s going, the differences and similarities. A few of those conversations evolved into the article that I wrote for the book about commercialization and consumerism in the dark scene.

Now I’m working for Ploettner Verlag, the publisher, in  maintaining the website, coordinating bookings, and traveling to festivals and concerts around Europe with the rest of the team to promote the book.  We’re hoping to get started in the next few months on translating the book into English and even thinking about a second volume to include all of the wonderful artwork, photography and articles that we ran out of room for in this book.

So far the book has been very well received. Alex and some of the other authors have been touring Germany giving readings and leading discussions about some of the issues raised within Schillerndes Dunkel.  We love to hear from our readers online as well. You can find a discussion board on our Facebook Fanpage where you can interact with the authors and other readers.  The point of this book was not only to document this decades old movement, but also to provide a starting point for conversations and further discourse.

Many thanks to Jen and Holger for the interview! If you’d like to see more German Gothic, check out Seventh Sin Photography and the Schillerndes Dunkel book. And you can always find me, your vampiric tour guide, on my blog: www.lacarmina.com/blog

† Dark Wishes †
LA CARMINA

La Carmina (www.lacarmina.com)

Good evening, creatures of the night! I’m La Carmina, and I’m devilishly delighted to be writing a new monthly column for Lip Service Webzine called “Global Gothic.”

Who I am (other than a Lip Service fan and spooky kid)? I run a blog about alternative/Gothic fashion and lifestyle, particularly in Japan (think Gothic Lolita and Visual Kei ). I wrote three books on Japanese pop culture/food, including Cute Yummy Time (about turning your food into adorable characters) and Crazy, Wacky Theme Restaurants: Tokyo (think vampire waiters and cross-dressing maids). And I host TV shows on the subject of food, fashion and travel.

Bizarre Foods Tokyo w/ Andrew Zimmern

Ever since I was young, I’ve been collecting stamps on my passport. Now, I’m very fortunate to be able to fly around the world for work. (You may have seen me recently on Travel Channel, taking Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods to a horror prison theme restaurant.)

Whenever I have a day off, you’ll find me browsing local Goth clothing stores and nightcrawling at EBM/industrial parties. So the aim of this column is to shine the spotlight on dark, alternative fashion in various parts of the world. What is Singapore’s Goth scene like? What do people wear to clubs in Berlin, or music festivals in Australia? Let’s globe-trot together and get the scoop… beginning with Osaka, Japan.

In May, I was in Osaka and lady luck was on my side… Black Veil (one of the longest-running and largest Goth events in Japan) was celebrating its 10th anniversary with an all night ball. Japanese Goth female fashion tends to be an alluring combination of spooky and cute. I saw decadent feathered eyelashes, gems around the eyes, and grandiose trailing headpieces.

The men cross-dressed flamboyantly, or wore ruffled shirts and top hats that would befit an undead Victorian aristocrat.

Neon wigs, subdermal implants, elaborate tattoos… Every avenue of alternative beauty is explored in the Osaka Goth nightlife.

Where else do dark ones congregate? Fu-ki, ex-vocalist of Visual Kei band BLOOD, opened a heavy metal bar called Midian in Osaka. (Address, directions and more photos are here.) On any given night, you’ll find spike-haired and pierced rockers headbanging to Black Sabbath, downing cocktails with names such as “Black Rose,” and scandalizing newcomers with boy-on-boy action.

The best place to shop for Goth/Lolita/Rock/Punk clothing is in the Shinsaibashi district, especially the Amerikamura area. (I’ve posted an Osaka Gothic Lolita shopping map here.) My favorite Japanese Gothic/Lolita brands have boutiques in this area, including Atelier Pierrot, Black Peace Now, and the indie designer Dangerous Nude. There’s always fashion inspiration to be found in “Triangle Park”; just take a seat and watch the Goth/Punk youths strut by.

I’m excited to bring more Global Gothic coverage to you every 4th Wednesday of the month. Please feel free to connect with me via Twitter and Facebook — I always love to hear from you. You can also see my Harajuku adventures, Goth outfits, silly Scottish Fold cat videos and more on my daily blog: www.lacarmina.com/blog

† Dark Wishes †
LA CARMINA