The vintage Asian aesthetic has a fond place in my heart – probably something to do with the many happy hours spent watching badly dubbed martial arts films – but I must admit I’m less familiar with the musical stylings of recording artists of the same period, for example Bao Na Na, Bai Bing, and the Ming Zhu Sisters. What have I been missing? Not much, judging by the records’ original vinyl covers, but the remixes look like something to sit up and take notice of, visually at least.
Kult gallery in Singapore has handed over a vintage 12” vinyl sleeve from the 1970s and ’80s to a selection of artists to have their wicked ways with. Smashed up, mashed up, perverted and subverted, the modernised edits are being exhibited as Chinatown Vinyl Squad, with a before-and-after comparison to show what mischief the cheeky artists have been up to. Eric Foenander, for example, obviously shares a love of chop socky, as his formerly romantic cover has been kicked upside down by the introduction of action film icons like Mr Miyagi, Kato and the creepy old supernatural villain from Big Trouble in Little China. Closing date is 29 March.
Eric Foenander (Before)
Eric Foenander (After)
Ryan Ady Putra (Before)
Ryan Ady Putra (After)
Dawn Ang (Before)
Dawn Ang (After)
