Reuben Kee
Encyclopedia
Reuben Kee En RuiReuben Kee En Rui (simplified Chinese: 纪恩锐; traditional Chinese: 紀恩鋭; pinyin: Ji En Rui; (July 9, 1984 - November 23, 2007) was a Singaporean dragon-boat paddler, composer and part-time model. He was also known for contributions within the M.U.G.E.N
community, serving as one of its most recognizable names. As for his music, a large amount was based upon remixes of video game music, earning him some notability with OverClocked ReMix
. He was fluent in Chinese and English.
Reuben Kee died on November 23, 2007 as the result of a boating accident that claimed the lives of several contestants, including four of his teammates, in the 2007 Cambodia
Tonle Sap
competition.
Furthering his skills as a self-taught pianist throughout the years, he was given the opportunity to be President of the Piano Ensemble at Nanyang Polytechnic
, venturing into composing a variety of music including orchestra
, electronic
, rock
, jazz
, hip hop
, techno
and many other genres. He presented some of his musical work through his site on occasion, the majority of which lied in remixes of video game music.
Kee also joined Yamaha's Magic Fingers 2003 contest and made through the quarter and semi finals to make it into the finals and top 8.
During that same year, Reuben was also involved in composing and arranging the soundtrack of a project mod for the Operation Flashpoint
engine for the Singapore Armed Forces
and public awareness. The project was developed by Kee's university, Nanyang Polytechnic
, and later submitted to the 2007 Independent Games Festival's Mod Competition.
His father stated of him regarding his music that "he was a very responsible boy. I don't spoil my children, his keyboard was the most expensive thing I had ever bought him. He made good use of it, teaching himself how to play and giving other people lessons as well,"
In an e-mail sent to The Straits Times
by the artistic director of theatrical group Act 3 International, Ruby Lim-Yang, Reu was cited as a gifted composer. Reuben Kee had assisted Ms. Yang on a children's musical in the past.
On January 19, 2007, Reuben Kee completed the soundtrack for the film "To Speak", a movie based on the true story of Ratana, a 12-year-old Cambodian girl living in an impoverished rural village. The original soundtrack was Reuben's first venture into the film industry.
Male Pageant which was held on March 31, 2007 in the tropical island of Sanya
, People's Republic of China
.
and dragon boat racing
. Kee was also a member of Singapore National Dragon Boat team, and competed in several events.
On weekends, he taught disabled children how to swim.
Reu served a role as the head prefect of San Yu Adventist School, and was also the co-captain of Polytechnic's dragon boat team, overlooking 50 juniors. Said juniors went on to state they saw him as a role model. According to Ivan Ho, Polytechnic's sports facilities officer, he was a dynamic leader that "always gave 110 percent", and went on to point out he was both well-liked and the designer of the team's t-shirt logo.
community, Reu was the creator of the "Evil Duo" - Evil Ryu and Evil Ken, characters that lured many people into exploring the capabilities and uses of M.U.G.E.N
as far as edited and original content goes, and at the same time inspired many others to make several renditions (as well as copies) of the 'Evil' concept.
Most notably, Reu also conceived the original concept of the M.U.G.E.N
character Dragon Claw, which was modeled in 3D and then rendered in 2D, with a flair for highly cinematic combos. His advanced graphics, as well as the fact that it is entirely original (as all the work was made from scratch by Reuben), place it in a small category of M.U.G.E.N
works, as the majority are from edited commercial games. Dragon Claw, being completely copyrighted by Reuben Kee, is also one of the first merchandised characters, having shirts and even a coffee mug manufactured for the purpose of selling them.
Reu was also active in the video game music arrangement
community, contributing on OC ReMix
and VGMix as well as distributing music through his personal website. Many of his pieces featured his talents on the piano.
M.U.G.E.N
M.U.G.E.N is a freeware 2D fighting game engine designed by Elecbyte, written in C which originally used the Allegro library...
community, serving as one of its most recognizable names. As for his music, a large amount was based upon remixes of video game music, earning him some notability with OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...
. He was fluent in Chinese and English.
Reuben Kee died on November 23, 2007 as the result of a boating accident that claimed the lives of several contestants, including four of his teammates, in the 2007 Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
Tonle Sap
Tonlé Sap
The Tonlé Sap is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997....
competition.
Biography
He was born to Mr. Freddie Kee Thiam Hock 紀添福, and mother, Patsy Kee. He was the youngest of two children, with an elder sister, Shimona Kee En Ci. His name is commonly seen shortened to just "Reu".Musician
Reuben played around with the piano since a very young age, but it was when he was 12 that he decided to pick it up on his own. Although his piano training stopped at grade 3, the skill he displayed with despite imperfect techniques at the piano always impressed and won crowds. Drawn to music which he heard in games, he started to play his own arrangements and variations based on them.Furthering his skills as a self-taught pianist throughout the years, he was given the opportunity to be President of the Piano Ensemble at Nanyang Polytechnic
Nanyang Polytechnic
Nanyang Polytechnic is a Singaporean polytechnic located in Ang Mo Kio next to Yio Chu Kang MRT Station, Singapore.-History:*Established 1 April 1992...
, venturing into composing a variety of music including orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and many other genres. He presented some of his musical work through his site on occasion, the majority of which lied in remixes of video game music.
Kee also joined Yamaha's Magic Fingers 2003 contest and made through the quarter and semi finals to make it into the finals and top 8.
During that same year, Reuben was also involved in composing and arranging the soundtrack of a project mod for the Operation Flashpoint
Operation Flashpoint
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, sometimes shortened to Operation Flashpoint, and abbreviated OFP, is a tactical shooter and battlefield simulator video game developed by Bohemia Interactive Studio and published by Codemasters. The game uses the same engine, Real Virtuality, as the military...
engine for the Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
and public awareness. The project was developed by Kee's university, Nanyang Polytechnic
Nanyang Polytechnic
Nanyang Polytechnic is a Singaporean polytechnic located in Ang Mo Kio next to Yio Chu Kang MRT Station, Singapore.-History:*Established 1 April 1992...
, and later submitted to the 2007 Independent Games Festival's Mod Competition.
His father stated of him regarding his music that "he was a very responsible boy. I don't spoil my children, his keyboard was the most expensive thing I had ever bought him. He made good use of it, teaching himself how to play and giving other people lessons as well,"
In an e-mail sent to The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
by the artistic director of theatrical group Act 3 International, Ruby Lim-Yang, Reu was cited as a gifted composer. Reuben Kee had assisted Ms. Yang on a children's musical in the past.
On January 19, 2007, Reuben Kee completed the soundtrack for the film "To Speak", a movie based on the true story of Ratana, a 12-year-old Cambodian girl living in an impoverished rural village. The original soundtrack was Reuben's first venture into the film industry.
Model career
As a part-time model, Kee became a 1st runner-up and the winner of Mr. Physique in Mr. Singapore World 2006 pageant. The year after, Reuben Kee was Singapore's contestant at the Mister World 2007Mister World 2007
Mister World 2007, the 5th annual Mister World male pageant was held on March 31, 2007 in the tropical island of Sanya, People's Republic of China....
Male Pageant which was held on March 31, 2007 in the tropical island of Sanya
Sanya
Sanya is the southernmost city in China and is a part of Hainan Province. In 2006, it had a population of 536,000, making it, after the provincial capital , the second most populous city on the island. The city is renowned for its tropical climate and has emerged as a popular tourist destination,...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Athletic and Educational Activities
In addition, Reu involved himself in several athletic activities including sprint kayakingKayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
and dragon boat racing
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
. Kee was also a member of Singapore National Dragon Boat team, and competed in several events.
On weekends, he taught disabled children how to swim.
Reu served a role as the head prefect of San Yu Adventist School, and was also the co-captain of Polytechnic's dragon boat team, overlooking 50 juniors. Said juniors went on to state they saw him as a role model. According to Ivan Ho, Polytechnic's sports facilities officer, he was a dynamic leader that "always gave 110 percent", and went on to point out he was both well-liked and the designer of the team's t-shirt logo.
Online contributions/activity
As part of the M.U.G.E.NM.U.G.E.N
M.U.G.E.N is a freeware 2D fighting game engine designed by Elecbyte, written in C which originally used the Allegro library...
community, Reu was the creator of the "Evil Duo" - Evil Ryu and Evil Ken, characters that lured many people into exploring the capabilities and uses of M.U.G.E.N
M.U.G.E.N
M.U.G.E.N is a freeware 2D fighting game engine designed by Elecbyte, written in C which originally used the Allegro library...
as far as edited and original content goes, and at the same time inspired many others to make several renditions (as well as copies) of the 'Evil' concept.
Most notably, Reu also conceived the original concept of the M.U.G.E.N
M.U.G.E.N
M.U.G.E.N is a freeware 2D fighting game engine designed by Elecbyte, written in C which originally used the Allegro library...
character Dragon Claw, which was modeled in 3D and then rendered in 2D, with a flair for highly cinematic combos. His advanced graphics, as well as the fact that it is entirely original (as all the work was made from scratch by Reuben), place it in a small category of M.U.G.E.N
M.U.G.E.N
M.U.G.E.N is a freeware 2D fighting game engine designed by Elecbyte, written in C which originally used the Allegro library...
works, as the majority are from edited commercial games. Dragon Claw, being completely copyrighted by Reuben Kee, is also one of the first merchandised characters, having shirts and even a coffee mug manufactured for the purpose of selling them.
Reu was also active in the video game music arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
community, contributing on OC ReMix
OverClocked ReMix
OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...
and VGMix as well as distributing music through his personal website. Many of his pieces featured his talents on the piano.
External links
- Pathos: Home to Reuben Kee's music Reuben Kee's personal website hosting his songs and M.U.G.E.N creations.
- To Speak - The Movie Official site of the film "To Speak".