Sounds of the Jungle
I thought my 3rd time at the Rainforest Festival may not be as exciting, as the novelty factor would wear out. I was wrong. It was the familiarity that made it that much better; that knowing that the afternoon workshops are great, that you gotta do the 'german' at 5pm to get a good spot(read: put your blanket down and vanish till the concert starts), what shortcuts to take to get the Damai Beach, where to eat, how long it takes to get to the peak of Santubong.
I was supposed to go alone, until last minute; Marjan responded to my SMS invite, then I met Reena through work. Reena brought the German interns, who from 8 dropped to 2. At the end, 5 of us shared a room for 4 people, on bunk-beds, no airconditioning, at one of the long houses of the Village.
For those who dont know the set-up, the Festival is hosted at the Cultural Village of Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo), what may sound like a sad local government initiative to get people interested in the Sarawakean culture, but surprise, surprise! It's well maintained, the longhouses are well kept, the whole compound is green, clean and managed by good folks, and hey, they sell beers and wine! Location-wise, the Village is squeezed inbetween the Damai Beach and the Santubong Mountain. With its rock-exposed peaks, the mountain majestically looks down at you, literally. I was walking around the village one late afternoon, sipping on a glass of white wine, hearing the drumming sounds of some bands rehearsing their beats for the night, the orage flare of the setting sun casting its magic at the Santubong mountain, surrounded with people speaking so many different languages; all getting together for the love of music.
The band line-up this year appeared interesting, but not fascinating. All turned out very good, with some bands surprising the audience more than others. My personal bests were Petrona Martinez from Columbia. She's a 67-year old chanteuse, singing Caribbean folk stories to the beats of very african sounds. Amazing voice! My second fav was the Polish band called Shannon, playing Celtic tunes. I was embarrased to hear it at first (check the logic of Polish and Celtic), and was about to hide when they started playing, but i needed not to run anywhere; they were liked by the audeince not only for their music, but attitude too. Found out later at the workshop that Celtic music is the foundation for all the beats and rhytms used in today's rock music. So it's not just the instruments that make the music, it's the rhythm you choose to go with. Aha!
The Italian Gypsy band, Aaquaragia Drom kept us all do some good gypsy dancing, which reminded me of all the wedding music and dancing done in rural Poland.
I also liked the Algerian band Djamel Laroussi, he reminded me of the kind of music Khalid plays.
Besides music, it’s the company you go with that makes the difference. I got to know Marjan better, beyond just her notorious-cum-contagious laughter. Together we worked hard in reforming the german boys, getting to know Reena a little better. All great fun and good company.
I was supposed to go alone, until last minute; Marjan responded to my SMS invite, then I met Reena through work. Reena brought the German interns, who from 8 dropped to 2. At the end, 5 of us shared a room for 4 people, on bunk-beds, no airconditioning, at one of the long houses of the Village.
For those who dont know the set-up, the Festival is hosted at the Cultural Village of Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo), what may sound like a sad local government initiative to get people interested in the Sarawakean culture, but surprise, surprise! It's well maintained, the longhouses are well kept, the whole compound is green, clean and managed by good folks, and hey, they sell beers and wine! Location-wise, the Village is squeezed inbetween the Damai Beach and the Santubong Mountain. With its rock-exposed peaks, the mountain majestically looks down at you, literally. I was walking around the village one late afternoon, sipping on a glass of white wine, hearing the drumming sounds of some bands rehearsing their beats for the night, the orage flare of the setting sun casting its magic at the Santubong mountain, surrounded with people speaking so many different languages; all getting together for the love of music.
The band line-up this year appeared interesting, but not fascinating. All turned out very good, with some bands surprising the audience more than others. My personal bests were Petrona Martinez from Columbia. She's a 67-year old chanteuse, singing Caribbean folk stories to the beats of very african sounds. Amazing voice! My second fav was the Polish band called Shannon, playing Celtic tunes. I was embarrased to hear it at first (check the logic of Polish and Celtic), and was about to hide when they started playing, but i needed not to run anywhere; they were liked by the audeince not only for their music, but attitude too. Found out later at the workshop that Celtic music is the foundation for all the beats and rhytms used in today's rock music. So it's not just the instruments that make the music, it's the rhythm you choose to go with. Aha!
The Italian Gypsy band, Aaquaragia Drom kept us all do some good gypsy dancing, which reminded me of all the wedding music and dancing done in rural Poland.
I also liked the Algerian band Djamel Laroussi, he reminded me of the kind of music Khalid plays.
Besides music, it’s the company you go with that makes the difference. I got to know Marjan better, beyond just her notorious-cum-contagious laughter. Together we worked hard in reforming the german boys, getting to know Reena a little better. All great fun and good company.
posted by Magdalena Wszelaki @ 10:28 AM
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