I am the singer, guitarist and songwriter for indie-rock band, the Great Spy Experiment (GSE). GSE create music that is the best of indie, rock and dance put together. As much guitar-led as it is beat-driven, with indie riffs juxtaposing irresistible pop hooks and melodies that tug the heartstrings, the music is created with the dancefloor in mind and the bedroom at heart. Widely regarded as one of the leading lights of the Singaporean independent music scene, the band has featured in internationally renowned events such as the Baybeats, One Movement, Singfest, ZoukOut, MIDEM and South-by-Southwest festivals and brought their music to audiences as far and wide as London, New York, Perth, Cannes and Taipei. The band's first album, Flower Show Riots, released in September 2007, garnered rave reviews and widespread acclaim both in Singapore and abroad. February 2013 saw the release of sophomore album, Litmus, yet another milestone in the band's quest to change the face of Singaporean independent music. The album was an instant hit, going straight to the top of the iTunes album charts in Singapore within 24 hours of its release.
The band disbanded in 2015, playing their final show at the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore on 5 June 2015, becoming the first Singaporean independent band to headline a music concert at that venue. After an eight-year hiatus, the band began writing and performing again. They made their return to the stage in October 2023 with a fourth appearance at Singapore's premiere independent music festival, Baybeats. In the same month, they released Sanctuary/Secrets, a two-track single that exemplifies the GSE sound – powerful and rousing, yet deeply poignant and moving.
In 2016, I released an EP under the guise of faux-band, The E’s. It comprised a selection of songs that I had written between 2010 and 2013 but for various reasons, never got around to recording. The EP was my first project as a mixing engineer and producer.
In keeping with my personal mission of changing the face of Singaporean independent music, I have also been actively involved in efforts to promote the development of young Singaporean musicians. I was a mentor in the National Arts Council’s Noise Singapore Music Mentorship Programme from 2012 to 2019 and have spoken at a number of music workshops and events.
Since 2019, I am focusing on dance music production, a culmination of my love affair with dance music which began in the late 1990's on the dance floor of Singapore's renowned superclub, Zouk. It led me to picking up DJ-ing, with a repertoire spanning the dance music spectrum, from jazz and broken beats to deep soulful house, and from deep, tech-house and tribal house to progressive house and trance. I am also founder of SRNDR Records, an independent electronic dance music record label.
