Thanks to a few excellent remixes I've heard so far, I decided to give it a shot. Here's my interpretation of the NDP 2013 theme song. I couldn't find a vocalist so it's unfortunate you have to hear my half-baked vocals. Possible goose-bumpy experience ahead. You have been warned! :)

This remix is largely an adaptation of the song lyrics; not so much the original melody. I retained the original opening melody as a continuity of sorts. But the rest of the song is pretty much my own pop-rock groove. This remix is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license. Further remixes are welcome. The backing track, guitar and bass stems posted at http://ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/43090.
 
Happy birthday, Singapore.

Acknowledgements:
NDP 2013 theme song originally composed by Elaine Chan; lyrics by Selena Tan. See http://ndp.org.sg/about-ndp13/#themesong and also http://youtu.be/f0rj7XnZFe4

Let Our Hearts Sing (NDP 2013 Remix)

A rock guitar instrumental. My first remix for 2014. The backing rhythm guitars and drums are from http://ccmixter.org/files/copperhead/43936 (CC-BY-NC). The lead guitars and re-arrangement are mine. Enjoy! 

Everything About Her (2014)

Someone wrote to me recently, requesting for the piano-only version for this remix (http://ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/32816) done almost 3 years ago. Decided to rework the piano track: cut the number of refrains and tweaked a few notes. Enjoy!

Beyond Jupiter - Piano Instrumental 2014

A slow-tempo guitar instrumental track, along the post-rock genre. The dry stems (drums, bass, guitars) can be downloaded from http://ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/47788 under a CC-BY license. For CC attribution purposes, please credit to "Ivan Chew ArtistIvanChew.tumblr.com". Thanks!
p.s. The vocals version is at http://ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/47787


To Free Me (Instrumental)

This remix started as a totally unrelated instrumental composition (let’s just say it was highly unsatisfactory). Then I discovered kpsa_jaiyen97’s Thai song pells over at ccmixter.org. I reworked my instrumental track, added heavy metal guitars, a whole lot of reverb-heavy drums with some drum machine beats thrown in — OK, not bad. Mai pen rai indeed. Hope you like it. CC-BY-NC licensed acapella track is at http://ccmixter.org/files/kpsa_jaiyen97/52373

Rock On - Mai Pen Rai

Having discovered the Japanese Bubblegum Pop Heavy Metal band, Babymetal, I wanted to create a song along that feel. Serendipitously, I came across the traditional Japanese lullaby "Takeda no Komoriuta". I've heard that song before but never understood what it meant (until I read the Wikipedia entry). Playing around with the lyrics, I thought it would suit the arrangement I have in mind.

The next challenge was to find a female singer. It's my fortunate to have my friend, the talented Ms Lynn Dresel, on board this track. She recorded her vocals on GarageBand and sent over the files. I did a mix, we exchanged comments in less than a day, and here it is.

The Burakumin backstory to the lyrics was especially poignant for me. Rather than envision this as a protest song (it's not), I saw it as a song of one's resolve to do better, in spite of whatever that is troubling us.

I had fun with it. Hope it rocks your day too.

Special mention to my Japanese friend and fellow Babymetal fan, Kanako, who helped explained more of the backstory/ context of the lyrics, Burakumin etc.

Lyrics
Mori mo iyagaru, Bon kara saki-nya
Yuki mo chiratsuku-shi, Ko mo naku-shi

I would hate baby-sitting beyond Bon Festival,
The snow begins to fall, and the baby cries.

Kono ko you naku, Mori wo ba ijiru
Mori mo ichi-nichi, Yaseru-yara

This child continues to cry and is mean to me.
Every day I grow thinner.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeda_Lullaby

Credits
released May 22, 2016
Vocals: Lynn Dresel
Arrangement, Composition, Mixing: Ivan Chew 

2016 Takeda Lullaby (ft Lynn Dresel)

This is a remix of a track released in 2010, for the Sound Out Singapore project. I made this track a little more spiffy, with updated and more punchy beats, a faster tempo, and remastered the track.

The original album and original instrumental track, here starfishstories.bandcamp.com/album/2010-sound-out-singapore

2016 Petals In A Crystal Stream - Remix

This track was first published in Feb 2010, over at http://ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/25318 

In 2010, I only had GarageBand (iLife '09). I remember I recorded the vocals using my 2nd gen Macbook Pro using the built-in mic. The vocals weren't clean and were a pain to mix. It was heavily gated and lost a lot of the dynamics. The chorus was overly compressed too.
 
I rediscovered the track recently and attempted a remastering, just to see how much better I can improve the track. I re-recorded some parts of the vocals, but most of it was from the original. I also added a new Erhu part.

The instrumental track is by WillemWillem, licensed under CC-BY.
http://ccmixter.org/files/WillemWillem/25244

LYRICS: OF SECRET THINGS
================
* If Beauty came to you,
would you know her grace,
could you in your shadowed prison
View unscathed her face?

* Stepping noiselessly
As moving moth-wings, so
Might she come suddenly to you or me
And we not know.

* Amid these clangs and cries,
Alas, how should we hear
The shy, dim-woven music of her sighs
As she draws near,

[CHORUS]
We drank our wines
And danced our dreams
We sang the songs of lonely kings
Chinese lanterns, paper globes+
Dragon Gods in tissue robes+

We rode the beam up to the moon
And watched the jasmine flowers bloom.
Tea cups, gold pins, silver rings
Of love, of life, of secret things

[BREAK]
SHE kissed me when she said good-bye

Inspired/ Remixed from poems in the Public Domain (archive.org):
* “If Beauty Came to You” by William Kean Seymour (1887 – 1975);
+ “Lamps and Lanterns” by E. H. Visiak (Edward Harold Physick, 1878 – 1972).
http://ia600308.us.archive.org/17/items/miscpoetry00chesuoft/miscpoetry00chesuoft.txt

Of Secret Things (2016 Remaster)

My 4+ year-old niece was recorded on video, playing a tune on the piano. Apparently, when asked to practice, she decided to do a little improv. When I left a comment on the video her dad posted on his Facebook wall, he jokingly said I could use it for my remix. So here it is. Not so much a remix per se, but an extension of what she played.


Nats Do - Re - Mi

Composed, arranged, recorded and mixed entirely with GarageBand for iPad. A reprisal of this earlier track: http://ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/32816 Hope you enjoy this as much as I've produced it.

Dreamer's Journey: Beyond Jupiter

[Re-upload: amended the lead guitars slightly]

My friend has been, umm, 'encouraging' me to play and record Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven on a guitar I built. There's plenty of excellent covers out there as it were. Rather than one more, here's my interpretation/ adaptation/ inspired rock guitar instrumental tribute of a true timeless classic. It is indeed one of the world's best song, imo.

This was recorded with a made-from-scratch guitar (Tele; single coil pickups), recorded direct into Logic Pro through a Line6 audio interface. All amp effects are Logic's. Some of the noisier tracks were cleaned up with Audacity. Mixed and mastered in Logic Pro X.

Stairway To Heaven Tribute (Metal Guitar Instrumental)

Decided to remix my friend's 2008 field recording of a 7th Month auction. Gave it a hip hop treatment. Enjoy. BTW, my samples and stems available here for those into remixing (CC license applies). http://ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/39742


Hokkien HipHop Auction Pop

A former-librarian turned entrepreneur from Singapore. Who mucks around with his Mac. He had 10 blogs and one podcast at one time. Ivan volunteers at Creative Commons Singapore and likes to seek like-minded folks interested in online musical collaborations. The idealist in him believes we can change the world, one tune at a time.  
                

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