WOMAD 2004@Fort Canning Park
WOMAD Day 1
Friday 27 August 2004
for all those who don't know what WOMAD is, it stands for World of Music Art Dance. it is a global event, patronised by all the artistic creative people forming this global village, more so like a tribe of individuals who seek something different from mainstream music and dance. yes, it is sponsored by Singapore's National Art Council as well as corporations like Heineken Beer and MTV World.
the opening act was done by Nii Tagoe, Francis Angol and Mhd Alidu, from Ghana and Dominican Republic respectively.
they played a mix of African drums, flutes and bass, accompanied by modern Indian dance and Mime-act. i was very impressed, how they fused Afrikan folk music with modern electronica into something energetic and smooth flowing; choreographed a fusion dance, with Indian movements and rhythmic beats and western mime-act. the mime-actor did an acrobatic soliloquy in his semi-gymnast outfit initially, which was joined by a group of traditional Indian dancers at the later part, with a change in melody. it was very interesting to watch such a different performance and appreciate foreign culture. i was trying to decipher the dance and make sense out of the mime.
Art is an expression. what is the artiste trying to tell me? what are the moods that the musician is trying to convey?
the next act we watched was by Coco M'Bassi from Cameroon. quite refreshing to listen to Cameroon modern lounge jazz, rooted with classical and blues. her unique voice is stirred with very complicated tonal punctuations and sounds.
the performace by Temple Of Sound, UK was superb! it beats any clubbing experience!!! it's a fusion of relentless electronica-dub basslines, latinized percussion and mantric vocals focusing on shaabi-blue hues. it rocks the underground! plus the seductive belly dancing of Natacha Atlas from Egypt was a crowd-teaser! Revolution of Love was just so compelling! unfortunately, the crowd was not much of fun, no one danced too much except for the Caucasian youths... everyone seemed so stiff! hey people! relak lah!
we missed the very much anticipated electrifying, adrenaline pumping gig by Wicked Aura Batucada, Singapore! these guys are solid! they have a human soundbox called Danny who can really rap all sorts of noise, a very motivated percussion band, mostly drummers and soulful guitarists, playing mainly Brazilian music with Asian hues! i am so sad! that is why in order to catch them one last time, we are going to WOMAD Day 3. support local musicians!
listening to artsy-fartsy performances, watch simplistic modern dances, laze on the open greens, lying beside your loved one, under the blanket of stars is really a wonderfully sweet experience. just unwind together and appreciate artistic expressions of the exotic kind.
but be warned, go to WOMAD with a canvas sheet. we laid on the grass patch without any canvas since we went there directly after school. i can promise you that you will itch all the time, with weeds and grass and insects irritating your bare naked skin. i am still itching right now despite having came home and well bathed... urgh...
anyway, they do sell beers, cocktails, soft drinks and lotsa different types of light meals over there at reasonable prices. so fear not about not having anything to eat. the hot-dogs are quite delicious, and there's also Turkish ice cream! whoopee!
ah yes, talk about ice cream. unlucky me (once again....) got into another unlucky encounter. this time, before the performance by Hamid Baroudi of Algeria started, Joshua wanted to take a sit at this stone tablet beside the area. i sat down beside him and guess what? i sat right on this puddle of melted chocolate ice cream. well.... my pants got wet with sticky melted ice cream, it felt cold and uncomfortable so i wanted to go home immediately.... darn.... missed another amazing performance of contemporary dance music fused with normadic origins...
Womad Day 2
Saturday 28 August 2004
tonite was so good! but we were so late, only reached there at 8.30pm.
Zap Mama from Cameroon was so good! her genre falls between soul, funk, pygmu songs, dub and Afro-Cuban rhythms. she and her 3 accompanying vocals rocks! they could kick up the crowd into a full-swing club mode with their soulful eccentric beats! watch them perform their sexy dance moves, the way they sways their hips and butts to the rhythmic beats, sashaying to the change in the soulful melodies; follow her prompts and encouragements, humming and dancing to her music makes you feel so alive! the crowd response after their set was "encore! encore! one more time!" unfortunately due to time constraints, the coordinators didn't allow an extension of Zap Mama's performance. such a pity...
Talvin Singh is the clear winner of the night! he infuses traditional Indian tabla percussion music with new arrangments into a blazing club set. he synergizes Indian traditional beats with contemporary Drums 'n' Bass rhythms of urban UK, modernizing and introducing ancient music to a new age crowd. he had an entire 2 hours section to himself, at a club set organized by Heineken. but the area they choose was far too small to accomodate the crowd so it got very packed and stuffy. i was partying to the Nu-Beats and perspiring big time at the same time. dang! but the music was so satisfying... it feeds my empty soul!
met Xueli there last nite too, she was on duty as Porject Coordinator. cool! but she can go on talking n talking, quite tiring to listen. haha... Jsilly Joshua spilled a portion of red wine on his white T-shirt, i wonder if the stains could be washed off... but it didn't seem to matter to him. he was happily dancing away. heehee... =)
unfortunately, i had to leave earlier to come home, since my grandma was making a hell lot of noise about me coming late.... i am so bloody pissed right now, what can't the old folks just leave us alone for a damn evening to enjoy my much awaited outdoor performance? i am not sure if i am able to attend tomorrow night's event too... urgh! bitching aside for this article, stay tuned for the next angst-filled article.
to all artistes at WOMAD 2004:
you guys kick ass!!! i really can't wait for the arrival of this event next year! take care of your voices, do make more kick-ass music, play with new instruments and arrangements! see ya again next year and God bless this ugly chaotic with sweet world peace!
the night can be trashy, but he makes everything seem cheerful and fine again.
WOMAD Day 3
29 August 2004
it's a big joke played by the heavens as again. some kinda omen? planned to go to WOMAD Day 3 (closing events 'cos today's the final day). took a cab down to Fort Canning Hill from Siglap. reached there only to realized that we didn't bring enough money to buy tickets at the door! (gasp!) even if we combined our meagre assets, it's still $20 short for both tickets, food and drinks. thus, we stood outside for a good half hour contemplating whether to withdraw cash or just go home to have dinner and an early rest.
Finale: Good bye WOMAD. till we meet again next year, with more explosive and charged-up Nu-Beats, Club Sets, Afrikan-Soul and Cameroon Rap. meanwhile, we decided to go home.
posted by Veen @ 08:50
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