PRISMATIC
AUDIBILITY
Coloring
outside the lines using all of your favorite colors. Bobby
James
and
Christina Sing
are unlikely conspirators at first glance, but their similar
vein of great songwriting and rock-star ambition make them
the perfect match. . With mentors and influences such as
Bjork, Garbage, BT, Paul Simon, Sade, Seal, Peter Gabriel,
Foo Fighters and Junkie XL, a sound this eclectic can only be
narrowed down to one adjective: timeless. Since their
conception in 2004, Destineak has been tirelessly collecting
their puzzle pieces, taking each new instrument, sample and
nuance and carefully crafting them into their debut EP.
With over 4000 shows under his belt, Bobby truly takes the
gauntlet for most sweat poured on stage. A veteran punk rock
drummer who has toured with the likes of
Kid Rock
and
Megadeth,
the music industry has been promoting the astounding drumming
skills of this showman since the 80’s. First with Young
Gun, breaking drum sticks mercilessly while pounding on his
kit and touring the States at the young age of 17, then
moving on to form DDT with lead singer Brian Howes
(Capitol/EMI). DDT received critical acclaim for its
impressive fusion of ska-punk-reggae-adrenaline drenched
rock. Signed to
Lars Ulrich’s
label
TMC/Electra,
the band sold over 180,000 records worldwide, and nailed 2
Top 10 Hits with their songs "Walk About" and "Pistol Whip".
They toured extensively all over North America and Europe
with many major arena rock names including
Static X, Sevendust and Scorpions.
Bobby went on to play with
Noise Therapy
and spent a huge portion of the 90’s touring North
America, ripping up stages once again, signed with
Redline Entertainment
and selling over 75,000 units in the US.
Spending countless hours on tour busses gave Bobby the chance
to develop 2 crucial skills: producing slick beats and
twisting up wicked visuals. Inevitably, this led to the birth
of his own project:
Drumattic,
a one man drum show with original digital dance compositions,
and visuals projected on huge screens with a probing light
show. It was at one of these shows that Bobby met his soon to
be co-writer and partner
Christina Sing,
who was awed by the rawness of it all. Opening for Drumattic
at a
Thomas Lynch Fashion Show Event
with her band
Free Spank,
Christina approached Bobby about his music, eager to share
her experience in the industry.
Born
in Vietnam,
Christina Sing
(born
Phuong Thao Nguyen)
immigrated to Canada in 1986. She grew up in Vancouver, her
family finding community in the local church. As a leader in
the choir, Christina came into her own, developing the need
for catharsis through music, and the love for performing.
Christina began writing her own songs, and soon began
collaborating with DJ’s and producers in the Vancouver
dance scene. At the age of 18, she received her first
12” vinyl release on a local Vancouver label
called
PFB Recordings,
run by
Sean Dimitrie (Bombay Records),
who also co-wrote the jungle track called
“Time”.
Sean Dimitrie
and Christina (still writing under her maiden name Nguyen)
would develop a writing relationship that would produce 3
worldwide releases. Their jazzy deep vocal house style
emerged on DJ’s turntables everywhere as
“S’more”
was released on
Transport Records
in 2001(also remixed by
DJ Rasoul and DJ Iz),
and “Every
Player’s Dream”
came out on
Village Recordings
in 2003. Another collaboration "Huff
and Puff"
was just released by
Om Records
in 2006 on
Om Lounge Vol.10.
While
playing in Vancouver clubs fronting numerous acid jazz and
funk bands, Christina studied music from 2002-2006 honing her
singing, arranging and producing skills. She studied
Classical Voice for one year at Douglas College, and went on
to study for the next 3 years at Capilano College and VCC,
earning a diploma in Vocal Jazz. Never ceasing to write and
perform, Christina developed an arsenal of material,
prolifically writing.
Seeing Bobby hold the crowd entranced with his
Drumattic
show, Christina got him alone and played him a song with her
guitar. The rest is a musical fairytale with a dance floor
ending. Jamming led to the next 3 years of non-stop
recording. It was apparent that they were developing a sound
that was like no one else…which made them both excited
and nervous. Surrounded by mainstream radio in Vancouver
permeated with pop rock and hip hop, their blend of
electronic funk rock was refreshing but scary. So they hit
the stage to get a reaction. Sure enough, Bobby’s fat
beats and thick raunchy bass lines combined with
Christina’s luscious voice could not be denied on the
dance floor. Their live set up is a feast for the senses,
with Bobby alternating between mixing tracks on his midi
controller, playing percussion, and hitting V-drums
triggering loops, vocal effects, and synth lines. Christina
mixes effects, plays keys, and belts it all out in an energy
driven prance, sexy and regal.
2 large video screens project original visuals
scripted to every beat of the music, taking the audience from
one emotion to the next. Their sonic experimentation and
innovative live show has since kept them busy with big shows
at venues such as
The Commodore, Devonian Gardens (AB), The Ford Centre, Canada
Place, La Mirada Centre for Performing Arts (CA), Santa Clara
Convention Centre (CA), San Jose Centre for Performing Arts
(CA),
and countless clubs.
With the completion of the record approaching, Destineak is
vying for global spotlights. Drums and vocals dishing out
calculated fresh noise, creating a new mantra for the
underground dance music scene:
“We
are coming up and at you LOUD-listen up!” Destineak: a
Unique Destination.
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