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Five bands you need to listen to after Rainforest World Music Festival 2017

Published on July 22, 2017

Entertainment

Missed the 20th edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF)? It’s okay because KajoMag has got you covered.

Here are the five bands you need to listen to even when the music and dancing has stopped in the Sarawak rainforest.

O Tahiti E (Tahiti)

I would not only recommend this band for you to listen to – it is a group you have to watch.

Founded in 1986, O Tahiti E is one of the oldest dancing groups in French Polynesia. When the women dance, their rapid hip-circles and powerful hip slides are mesmerising to watch. The men are equally captivating as they move their legs to beats faster than the naked eyes and ears can follow.

This group made the crowd scream “I am moving to Tahiti!” during their performance on the second night of RWMF 2017 from Aug 14-16.

Watch their video below and you might be screaming the same thing as you stare at your screen.

Okra Playground (Finland)

What made Okra Playground stand out during the RWMF was the harmonisation of its three vocalists – Päivi Hirvonen, Maija Kauhanen and Essi Muikku.

Their voices immediately catch your attention from the first note. Added to the melodious tunes of this band are the sounds of the kantele, a Finnish plucked string instrument, and jouhikko, a stringed bowed lyre.

As you close your eyes and listen to their songs, you can almost feel the freezing winters of Finland.

Watch their video here.

Achanak (UK/India)

It is fun, upbeat and makes you move your shoulders to the beat of Bhangra music.

Achanak is a multi-award winning, six-piece band based in the UK but still holds true to the band members’ Punjab roots.

The result of this east meets west concoction is a nice blend of traditional Indian percussion and Western rhythms.

The band also sings in traditional Indian vocal style, transporting listeners to the sets of Bollywood movies.

Watch their video here.

Calan (Wales)

Grab your clogs and step dance along to the traditional Welsh tunes of Calan.

It is easy to tell this five member band is proud of their Welsh background, as they sing Welsh folk songs and play traditional instruments such as the fiddle, pibgorn (an early Welsh musical instrument similar to the clarinet) and harp.

One member who really stands out is Bethan Rhiannon. She easily draws the audience attention in with her vocals, clog dancing and accordion playing.

Bethan Rhiannon from the Welsh band Calan.

Listening to Calan will make you jig, step and hop to the vibrant sound of the Wales. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Watch their video here.

Hanggai (China)

If you think that playing the morin khuur is not cool, Hanggai from China will prove you wrong.

And if you have no idea what that is, allow me to enlighten you: also known as the horsehead fiddle, the morin khuur is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument.

What makes this instrument buck the trend of other traditional musical instruments is how it surprisingly fits in perfectly with the punk rock genre.

This Mongolian folk music band from Beijing successfully combines Mongolian throat singing (khoomei) with rock music, making their songs almost like nothing you have heard before.

Watch their video here.

About Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF)

The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is an annual three-day music festival celebrating world music. It’s been held in Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, Malaysia every year since the music festival’s debut in 1997.

It has daytime workshops, a crafts bazaar, food stalls, and main-stage evening concerts.

If you were there during RWMF 2017, let us know in the comment box which band was your favourite!

Rainforest World Music Festival to feature Tai-Chi sessions

Published on June 22, 2017

Entertainment

Tai-Chi practitioners at the Sarawak Shenlong Tai-Chi Chuan Society.

KUCHING: The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) will be holding Tai-Chi sessions as a part of its wellness programme.

The sessions will be hosted by the Sarawak Shenlong Tai-Chi Chuan Society and led by one of the Society’s instructors, Lai Cho Sin.

Focusing on the Tai-Chi Chuan method, Tai-Chi is a mind-body exercise is classified as a martial art, with principles of relaxation that can be applied in daily life.

Originating from China and believed to be founded by Taoist Zhang San-Feng, Tai-Chi Chuan holds principles and practices that are in sync with nature and shares philosophies based on Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Thanks to its low-impact and slow movements, Tai-Chi does not tax the body.

Grace and fluidity of movement are important in Tai-Chi and the slow movements have led the practice to be called “meditation in motion”.

The Sessions will be open to all ages and any level of physical fitness and will be held in the morning on July 14 to 16, in the Festival grounds at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

The Sarawak Shenlong Tai-Chi Chuan Society was established in 1988 under Master Wu Kuo-Chung and has an office located at Jalan Wan Alwi bin Tuanku Ibrahim, Kuching.

The Festival features a variety of other wellness programmes such as meditation, yoga and Zumba sessions.

Among the various activities lined up for this year’s 20th anniversary celebration include the Festival’s mini sessions, cultural talks, arts and crafts for children, traditional cultural food and crafts bazaars, as well as over 20 bands on the three-day stage shows.

For further information on festival activities, logistics or tickets, please log on to rwmf.net

Rainforest World Music Festival is organised by Sarawak Tourism, endorsed by Tourism Malaysia and is jointly supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Youth & Sports Sarawak and partnering with Malaysia Airlines as the presenting sponsor with Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad (ZIMB) and Zurich Takaful Malaysia Berhad (ZTMB) (Zurich Malaysia) as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partner.

Can you smell what the Rainforest is cooking?

Published on June 21, 2017

Entertainment

Vendors and event organisers at the vendor briefing.

KUCHING: The East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Forum (EATOF) Asia Food Kitchen will be among the coming attractions at the upcoming Rainforest World Music Festival to be held in Santubong.

The kitchen will, among others, feature exotic foods from EATOF member countries such as Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam and of course Sarawak.

For foodies, the Sarawak Culinary Heritage area will provide a spread of authentic traditional food from the different races in Sarawak, such as Bidayuh food prepared by the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) and the Kayan food provided by Lepau restaurant.

Meanwhile, preparations have begun at full swing as festival vendors for the Rainforest World Music Festival were briefed on the festival’s layout, health and safety, as well as security of the venue.

The Food and Village Mart, EATOF Asia Food Kitchen and Sarawak Culinary Heritage vendors attended the briefing earlier this week at the Sarawak Tourism’s office.

Kamarul Bakeri of Borneo Tru Events Sdn Bhd, the event partner for the Festival’s Food and Village Mart, along with the Board’s Director of Events and Corporate Relations, Angelina Bateman explained the do-s and don’t-s of the Festival grounds.

The Food Mart, located in front of the Orang Ulu & Iban Longhouse, will have 13 food and seven beverage stations, each with exclusive menus to ensure an exciting variety for festival-goers.

The Village Mart will be located around the venue and will comprise sales of festival memorabilia, various types of tattoos, hand & leg massages and many more.

Eddie Libau, Assistant Officer of Environmental Health was also present at the briefing to explain the Department of Health and Safety’s requirements for the Food & Beverage vendors.

Among those presenting at the briefing was Grace Wan, from Adeco Marketing, which will be supplying vendors with biodegradable plates and cutlery.

While vendors have the option to seek other sources for their biodegradable dishes, every vendor is prohibited from using Styrofoam, plastic, or other non-biodegradable utensils.

The Festival will be held at the Sarawak Cultural Village on July 14 to 16.

There will be wellness programmes, informative talks, interactive ‘mini sessions’ in the afternoon as well as night concerts throughout the three-day festival.

Some 20 international bands will be performing, while many local bands such as At Adau will be taking center stage with their cultural performances of Sarawak.

This event is organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board, endorsed by Tourism Malaysia and is jointly supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia and Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Sarawak, with Malaysia Airlines as the presenting sponsor.