GALICIA, Spain - The Bidayuh traditional music band from Sarawak, Madeeh has been hand-picked to represent Malaysia at the 20th anniversary of WOMEX, the largest world music expo. The expo, taking place in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain from Wednesday, 22 – Sunday, 26 October, is represented by Sarawak Tourism Board under Malaysia Major Event stand by Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).

The Madeeh ensemble who plays Bidayuh roots music from the upper Padawan region of Sarawak, performed on a daycase Stage at the Cidade da Cultura within the exposition area. Picked as the first band to perform on the daycase stage which only opens to WOMEX delegates, Madeeh has attracted attention from many music industry professionals from around the world. Sharing the same stage with Madeeh is Paolo Angeli from Italy/Spain who performed on the same day.

 On stage, Madeeh presenting their musical instruments which are part of a centuries-old tradition of music and dance, developed in the communal life of the longhouses. The instruments are the pratuokng, a zither made from a bamboo tube, sritakng xylophone and the gaduok hand-drum. ‘Madeeh’ means cousins, relatives, brotherhood or sisterhood and the ensemble members are all related and came from the same longhouse. They are led by Arthur Borman ‘Bai Kis’ Kanying, an expert on the history of the Bidayuh people and on searching out the best bamboo for making the traditional instruments.

WOMEX 2014 is the annual international world music expo that brings together the business of world music from across all borders to interact on a global platform. Comprising of 60 acts with more than 300 artists from 25 different countries is truly a music expo like no other.

This year for the first time ever, not just one but two Malaysian artists have been hand-selected to play at WOMEX. Apart from Madeeh, the traditional Kelantaneese band ‘Geng Wak Long’ who displayed the beautiful culture and heritage of Kelantan will also be performing. Both bands have performed at the Borneo World Music Expo in Sarawak, the same platform and the music market of its kind similar to WOMEX, but held in Asia. The selection process at WOMEX is conducted each year by a jury of esteemed members from the global music community, with the utmost stringency, to put together the programme for every World Music Expo.

 According to Ben Mandelson, Founding Director of WOMEX, having the performance presence of Madeeh and Geng Wak Long this year at WOMEX reinforces the presence of Malaysian arts professionals at WOMEX over the years. “WOMEX was created with the intention of bringing the people from the world music industry together. It is one of the biggest and best places to discover music and connect with people on a global scale and I think that Malaysia has been a great addition to our expo” he added.

 Showcasing at the Malaysian stand are the renowned Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) and Borneo Jazz promoted by Sarawak Tourism Board. For STB, the World Music Expo is one of the important platforms for band selection for next year’s festival. There are 600 exhibiting companies from 40 countries presenting their music product within 245 stands at the trade fair.

At the Malaysian stand, Tony Nagamaiah, General Manager of Malaysia Major Events says “I see world music as a medium that transcends language and culture. Malaysia offers a unique perspective in that aspect as we celebrate all races and traditions in truly spectacular environments”. According to Tony, Malaysia is a world class location for people and what Malaysia Major Events is doing at WOMEX this year is to create the opportunity for festival organisers and world music musicians to collaborate and showcase Malaysia on an international stage.

2015 will be the ‘Malaysia Year of Festivals’, the year which promises an array of events to celebrate diverse festivals unique to the country. The internationally renowned Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching, Sarawak has been acclaimed as one of the ‘Top 25 World Music Festivals’ for the last 5 years by Songlines, a renowned world music magazine. The festival attracts nearly 25, 000 visitors for a fusion of traditional roots to world beat. At WOMEX this year, Sarawak also proudly presents the well-recognized Borneo Jazz held in Miri, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. The 2 days event features Jazz musicians from across the globe.

The Malaysian delegation to WOMEX is led by Malaysia Major Events, a division of Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia (MoTAC). Presented at the booth are the Sarawak Tourism Board, Penang Tourism, JL Productions as well as Madeeh and Geng Wak Long. 

Were you there at the 2nd edition of Asia Music Festival? No? You have no idea what you've missed people! This was my 2nd time covering this event and here I am, sharing with you,my dear readers, my experience.

Before the actual event starts, strolled along the EastWood Valley Musical Corridor and watching the visitors getting their tattos. I was so tempted to get a tattoo but I've told myself, wait till I gain more weight and if i were to do a tattoo, it would have a meaning to me. Something that really impacted my life and it would be there as a constant reminder. (Checkout the slide show above. *pictures taken on day 1 and 2).

The evening started off with DrumCall. A group of percussionist mostly based in Kuching,Sarawak beating the beat out of their instruments. It was a slow start at first but not long after that, you can see visitors starts storming the front stage and dancing little by little following the rhythm of the drums. 

In between the band performances, the crowd was entertained by one of the best DJ's in the industry, with at least 20 years of experience, once crowned as the Malaysian DJ Champion for 3 years in a row, DJ RoundHead. From Old Skool Hip Hip to the latest hits on the decks. That kept the crowd grovin'.He even did some frestylin'. As seen on the picture above, Dj RoundHead taking the crowd to a whole new level of frestylin' emcee.

Second up on stage was Pisco from Taiwan. How did they got their name? PIano + Disco = Pisco.. What I love about this band? The the lead guitarist and bassist was a girl! The bassist, probably the cutest bassist I've ever seen,with her bob cut hair style, small sized girl-next-door look can really slap that bass. Who would have known that this Apple App Editor by day, a turn into a badas* chick at night. Not to miss the lead guitarist, if you've seen through the slide show I've made, is purely rocker chick but still cute at the same time.

The third band that was performing that night was Masia One from Singapore. The first band that played reggae which got the crowd really grovin'. I mean, how can you not move to Reggae? Honestly, based on her autobiography, I was expecting her to perform more Hip Hop based genre but I had fun listening to her as well. It shows that Masia One has really developed into a multi-genre artist.

This band was one of the bands that I looked forward see performing on the first night. Pancake80 from the Philippines and they didn't disappoint me. The vocalist was very versatile with her notes and they played my all time favorite song which was Cryin' by BonJovi. The lead vocalist plays the harmonica and guess what? Their guitarist looks like Jacoby Shaddix (PapaRoach vocalist) too. :D. 

This was the last band that was performing night. A band that was no longer a stranger in our local music scene. SalamMusik from Kuala Lumpur.

Misaluvi and Motion Family was the opening act for Day 2. Although this group doesn't sing or play any musical instrument, the energy they brought with them was definitely there. Not much I can say about this group as we, the Sarawak Bloggers was busy taking our group picture during the performance. Sorrrrrryyy.....

Next up was SoulMate all the way from India. Being the 2nd performer up for the night, bringing blues rock genre was really soothing after the energetic performance by Misaluvi & Motion Family. Tipriti, the female vocalist/guitarist is considered one of the finest female singers to have emerged from the North East India, paired with Wallang, who is considered one of the respected blues guitarist of India, you know they're gonna make your heart skips a beat with their performance. I personally fell in love with Tipriti's soulful voice. They really know their music well.

This one here, is a proof that music knows no language. Retrospect from Thailand.Although they sang mostly/if not all, in Thai language, it didn't stop the crowd from jumping around rocking to their music. I have to say that this band, was the cherry on top of the cake.

MAD August!! I love this band! Somehow they remind me a lot of one particular Hong Kong Band, Beyond. MAD August stands for Make A Difference and August was included in the band's name because the band was formed in August. They performed a few of their singles and did a cover of Nirvana's Song, Smells Like Teen Spirit.. Two of the band members got tattoo-ed earlier that day at the tattoo expo too.

The last band to perform that night was Ras Muhamad representing Indonesia. Known as the Indonesian Reggae Ambassador, Ras didnt disappoint the crowd that night. From the start of his performance till the end, you can see the dance floor was packed. Towards the end of the performance, they did an impromptu performance with Masia One and Salamusik. 

Need I say more? Let the pictures speak for themselves. 

Well, that was one of the best events I've attended so far.  Before I end this post, I would like to thank Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) for the opportunity, the performers, my fellow Sarawak Bloggers, members of media from all over the world, and the volunteers who made this all possible. I kid you knot, I'm already looking forward to the next event by them.

If you wish to read more on the event coverage, below are the links of my fellow bloggers who covered the event as well.

Abang Joe
Elena Aradia
Miss Alvy
Cik Reyyana
Fabian
Pei Pei
LadyBird Eileen


Pictures?
You can find them Here
Or  if you want to see the pictures taken by the official photographer, Andy Kho, below are the links.
*Note : Please take note that all pictures, be it taken by me or anybody else, if you wish to use them, please give credits to the owner of the pictures.

Asia Music Festival Day 1 By Andy Kho
Asia MUsic Festival Day 2 By Andy Kho

MIRI – Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club, the venue of Asia Music Festival will offer free shuttle bus service to the event venue on both festival days Friday 3rd October and Saturday 4th October.

 

Shuttle bus service operated by the Eastwood Valley will be made available free to shuttle festival attendees to Asia Music Festival or just to reach their golf club and hotel property located at Jalan Miri by-Pass. According to Rebecca Wong, Eastwood Valley’s Director of Marketing, shuttle bus will leave Eastwood Valley every hour from 5:00pm until 9:00pm. This bus will drop off and pick up at the Boulevard Shopping Complex (entrance next to KFC), Imperial Shopping Mall (lobby entrance of the hotel) and Bintang Mega Mall (mall main entrance, near Coffee Bean).

 

The first schedule that runs from Eastwood Valley at 5:00pm will first reach Boulevard Shopping Complex approximately around 5:15pm, then Imperial Shopping Mall around 5:30pm and Bintang Mega Mall around 5:45pm. The shuttle bus will then return to Eastwood Valley and will continue its service for 6:00pm, 7:00pm, 8:00pm and 9:00pm before returning to Eastwood Valley at around 10:00pm.

 

The major purpose of this service is to provide easy access to festival goers to attend the 2 day festival and at the same time to ease traffic congestion at the venue. 

 

The festival organizer, Sarawak Tourism Board who is promoting “greening the festival” program is also encouraging festival goers to use this free shuttle service to reach the venue while reducing the carbon foot print. “Festival goers are encouraged to help and put into practice the greening effort as their small but worthy contribution to save the environment” says Dato’ Rashid Khan, CEO, Sarawak Tourism Board.

 

At the inaugural event last year, the event drew more than 3,000 people over the 2 days of the festival. The 2nd edition of Asia Music Festival this weekend will feature artists from Asian countries namely from India, Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

 

The festival will also add a DJ gig into this year’s program by featuring  Malaysian famous DJ Roundhead who will be playing an array of famous dance music at the post-festival late show on both nights which will last until 2:00am. Festival gates open at 5:00pm both Friday and Saturday.

 

Other than music, the festival will also incorporate a range of Asian food namely from Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, India, Malaysia and more. The Festival will continue to feature a tattoo exhibition which has attracted more tattoo experts this year from Indonesia and Philippines. 

 

Entry tickets to Asia Music Festival is currently on pre-sale offer at only RM25 for adults and RM10 for children/student (aged 3-18). Visit the website www.asiamusicfestival.net to purchase online. Tickets also available at Visitors Information Centre in Miri (+6 085-434180), Kuching (+6 082-423600) and Sibu (+6 084-340980). Door-sale tickets are priced at RM30 for adults and RM15 for children/students.

KUCHING – The Asia Music Festival will be featuring DJ gig for the first time this year by adding the Malaysian famous DJ Roundhead into the program. DJ Roundhead will be playing at the post-festival late show on both Friday and Saturday night, 3rd and 4th October. He will also be playing a huge array of famous dance music during a break between each bands both nights.

Performing as a DJ for with at least 20 years experience, DJ Roundhead was once crowned as the ‘Malaysia DJ Champion’ 3 years in a row when he entered the Malaysian DJ Championship competition from 1995-1997.

When he was in high school, he would work part-time jobs during the weekend just to blow it all away on CD's and records. That made him the "go-to-guy" when it came to house parties from high school all the way to college. Roundhead would bring his own player and set up his own mini console and rock the crowd at the party. Only after college he join a company during the 90's called Clubworld Entertainment that supplied DJ's to entertainment outlets around Malaysia, where then only he started his professional career.

Among his best moment is representing Malaysia in the Rotterdam Love Parade in the Netherlands for a crowd of 10,000 strong on a 34 wheel trailer while proudly flying the Malaysian flag in front of his console. He played as a DJ residency in Melbourne, Australia for a year before returning to Malaysia and is currently attached to TraxxFM in Kuala Lumpur.

The major challenge for any real DJ is being able to perform under pressure. The most interesting bit is studying the crowd earlier before any performance without undermining their expectations of entertainment. According to Roundhead, a real DJ can tell if a record or a song is going to be a hit or a dance floor filler. Knowledge is the key for everything.

Asia Music Festival now in its second year will bring again the very best eclectic mix of live music together for one mind-blowing weekend in Miri, Sarawak. The inaugural festival last year saw incredible performances from headliners from Asian region as far as India, Thailand and Korea. With the main goal to develop the brand of Asia Music Festival to be an iconic music festival of mixed genre in the Asian Region, the festival has recorded around 3000 music fans attending the first edition of the festival last year.

Asia Music Festival will also incorporate a range of Asian food as well as tattoo exhibition so there will be something for everyone. The festival will start at 5:00pm daily with a tattoo exhibition as well as food and village mart. Stage performance will begin at 7:30pm until midnight, followed by the DJ set with DJ Roundhead until 2:00am.

Eight international bands has been confirmed for this year’s festival. Get your tickets now at a pre-sale price, only RM25 for adults and RM10 for children/student (aged 3-18) at www.asiamusicfestival.net . Tickets also on sale at Visitors Information Centre in Kuching (+6 082-423600), Miri (+6 085-434180) and Sibu (+6 084-340980). Door-sale tickets are priced at RM30 for adults and RM15 for children/students.