Hear. Here. Singapore. Episodes

The oldest Hindu Temple in Singapore is the Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge Road, in the Chinatown district. It's famous for the annual firewalking festival and the daily poojas. More low-key and intimate is the Archanai...

Listen to the mesmerizing soundtrack of a pooja, as a nadaswaram (long horn) and thavil (double-sided drum) add syncopated beats, drifting tempos and intricate phrases to the ringing bell as devotees seek the blessing of the ...

In the heart of the downtown core of Singapore is an open field where many historical events took place as Singapore bloomed from British Colony into the vibrant, thriving, independent city-state that it is today. It's big en...

One of my favourite highlights at a Chinese Wedding Reception in Singapore is the Yum Seng, a toast to the newlyweds where going LOUD and LONG is great. If you've never been to a Chinese Wedding Reception, I'll give you a 3-i...

Has the search for the perfect sound spa for the ears finally found a winner? I visit Bukit Timah Railway Station, part of the Rail Corridor, and if you walk 500m from the road, you'll find yourself in tropical forest, teemin...

I explore a park that's right in the city, with a major expressway running along its western perimeter. It would seem a foregone conclusion that traffic noise bleeds into the park, and while that does happen, you don't notice...

Singapore has Four National Taps when it comes to water sources, and the cheapest is local catchment water, i.e. natural rainfall. Rain water is carefully diverted into the reservoirs around Singapore, and in the east, the bi...

Covering 18 hectares in the heart of the downtown core, Fort Canning Park is an unlikely candidate for a quiet spot to relax, but the trees do an admirable job of blocking traffic noise. While wandering in the area behind For...

In this ep, I visit a 132 year old cemetery surrounded on all sides by residential housing. The Japanese Cemetery Park in Hougang is a gazetted memorial park and offers a sound spa for your ears, as the houses form a sound ba...

Every Chinese New Year, lion dances take place all over the island in the 2 week festive season that starts every CNY. On Day 5, I was in Plaza Singapura on Orchard Road, and one troupe performed for hours as they performed t...

Walla is the buzz of voices created by Hollywood sound designers so a nice sonic atmos can be added to a scene where the extras had to be silent. It got me thinking - how does walla made by Oscar-winning sound designers compa...

Asian horror films like Ringgu, The Eye and Shutter revolutionized the genre, with Hollywood studios remaking these classics for English audiences. One common trope is cemeteries, which made me think: what does an actual Asia...

The landmark of the historic Kampong Glam Malay Heritage District is Sultan Mosque that dates back to 1824. It was the first mosque in the world to use a microphone & loudspeaker system to amplify the recital, and because of ...

In 2019, Changi Airport handled over 1,000 flights a day, which meant a take off or landing every 83 seconds. Then the pandemic took a heavy toll on the aviation industry, and Changi was reduced that to just 80 flights a flig...

One of the best open spaces you can enjoy are museums, many in classic older buildings. Singapore Art Museum's 2 buildings in the downtown core are renovating, so they're over at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. The best exhibit for...

The last of my series of soundscapes for the venues for Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022 is for Victoria Theatre & Concert Hall. Commissioned by Arts House Limited for the Singapore International Festival of Arts...

I was commissioned by Arts House Limited to create soundscapes for 6 of the venues used for Singapore International Festival of Arts. This is for Goodman Arts Venue, which had an opening air performance space, and features th...

The 2022 Singapore International Festival of Arts marked the first major festival in Singapore since the relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures. I was commissioned by Arts House Limited to create soundscapes for 6 of the venu...

With the relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures in Singapore in April 2022, Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022 would be the first festival to take place. I was commissioned by Arts House Limited to create soundscap...

The Arts House at The Old Parliament was one of the venues for Singapore International Festival of Arts 2022, the first festival since the relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures. I visited as the crews were setting up in this...

The pandemic closed and constrained Singapore's performing spaces for 2 years. The 2022 Singapore International Festival of Arts marked the first major festival in Singapore since the relaxation of Covid-19 safety measures. I...

22km from the city centre, on a quiet hill, lie the remains for over 4,400 who died in the line of duty during World War II. The Singapore Memorial bears the names of 24,346 soldiers and airmen killed in SE Asia, who have no ...

Not all ice is frozen equally - solid carbon dioxide, aka Dry Ice, sublimes in air straight from solid to gas, which makes it critical in transporting anything that needs to stay cold. It also sounds insanely cool when you pu...

I visited several places in Singapore to record the same place using 3 different spatial techniques - mono, stereo and binaural. Use headphones for this episode, cos the binaural effect only works with headphones. The set-ups...