Rhythm of the Rainforest ~ Sarawak 2005

First published on 1 Oct 2015. Reuploaded July 2024.

The annual Rainforest World Music Festival that has put Sarawak on the world music map since its humble beginnings in August 1998 is now an established event in the international music festival calendar. In 2005 I was commissioned to produce a feature-length documentary capturing the essence and spirit of this joyful, exuberant and intoxicatingly colorful festival. An 80-minute version was released on DVD in 2006. This 45-minute cut intended for local TV never got aired but here it is now on YouTube!

Produced & Directed by Antares
Production Coordinator: Emanar Alaya
Cameras: Aaron Chung, Jon Yap, Tan Yu Ming, Antares
Editing & Effects: Daljit Singh/Daily Rushes
Executive Producers: Sarawak Tourism Board

Released on DVD in July 2006 as a 79-minute feature-length documentary.

Mak Minah would have celebrated her 94th birthday...

Video footage featuring the Chiling, Luit and Selangor rivers in Ulu Selangor, Malaysia edited to the song 'Sungai Makao' by Akar Umbi. This video officially launches the Ecowarriorz blogspot and is my personal tribute to Mak Minah who was a true guardian of the environment and an inspiration to many. ~ Mary Maguire

A Tribute to Mak Minah

(14.9.1930 ~ 21.9.1999)

Ceremonial singer... noblewoman... cultural representative of the Temuan tribe... free spirit and a friend to all.

Mak Minah (Menah Kuntom) was born in Pertak, Ulu Selangor, between the First and Second World Wars. Those who remember her in her youth report that she was extremely feisty and perhaps even a little wayward. But her second husband, Batin Angong of Gerachi, was a mature tribal leader who groomed Minah for the important role of Batin’s wife, and taught her all the songs he knew. They had a daughter and five sons – the eldest of whom, Ramsit, is now Batin of Gerachi.

When Batin Angong died, Mak Minah moved back to Pertak to live with her sister Indah. It was around this time that Minah befriended Antares and Rafique, two musicians seeking sanctuary in Kuala Kubu Bharu from the clangor of the Klang Valley. Before long a musical collaboration began which led to the formation of Akar Umbi – a “trance-ethnic” fusion group – and widespread acclaim for Mak Minah as a cultural representative of her tribe. Her goodnatured willingness to be a friend to all made her an ideal ambassador for the marginalized Orang Asli community.

Audiences everywhere were uplifted by Mak Minah’s soulful voice. Her songs reflected the love and reverence indigenous peoples feel for the land. They were a powerful antidote to the cynicism and myopia of a “modern” worldview centered on money and power.

Offstage, Mak Minah was a fearless and outspoken advocate of cultural and spiritual autonomy for the Orang Asli. She fiercely opposed the State government’s plan to relocate two Temuan villages for a dam project on Sungai Selangor which would destroy the wild beauty and sanctity of the Pertak area.

“I will fight the dam as long as I live,” Mak Minah repeatedly said. But it is a heart-rending fight that has set brother against brother, mother against son, neighbor against neighbor. The psychological conflict and uncertainty exhausted her.

Mak Minah’s passionate love for the rainforest where her tribe has lived for countless generations is an inspiration to all of us who share an alternative vision – one where mutual respect for all tribes and the healing of the earth take precedence over economic and political
expediency.

POSTSCRIPT

The last time I saw Minah alive was around midday on the 21st of September, 1999. The day before I had taken her to the clinic because she was complaining of aches all over her chest and back, and she had no appetite. The doctor said Minah had a viral infection and prescribed some medicine, suggesting that she drink lots of Glucolin to get her energy back. I was on my way to Kuala Lumpur and told Minah I'd look in on her the next day.

At 3 a.m. I received a phone call informing me that she had died in her sleep at 7:03 p.m. at the Kuala Kubu Bharu hospital.

Her granddaughter Sembo and another friend were by her side. A week ago she turned 69 and three weeks earlier she had returned happy and fulfilled from Sarawak, after performing with Akar Umbi at the 2nd Rainforest World Music Festival.

Mak Minah had a very sweet smile on her face when they buried her on a hill we shall henceforth call Bukit (Mount) Minah. Ironically, she was the first to be interred in a virtually inaccessible new tribal gravesite allocated to Gerachi Villagers in view of the government's determination to inundate the old Temuan burial site with the proposed Selangor Dam. Minah swore to resist the dam to her last breath and she did.

[Reposted 14 September 2011. Source: Magick River website. Listen to Mak Minah's musical legacy here!]

MORE THAN A MERE FESTIVAL (repost)

Opening Ceremony and Welcome Party, 12 July 2007

RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL (13-15 JULY 2007): the 10th edition of Sarawak’s best and biggest gawai*

It gets harder and harder to review Sarawak’s Rainforest World Music Festival without sounding like someone who’s had a lobotomy and can’t stop grinning like an imbecile. Especially when this was the great 10th anniversary reunion we’d been anticipating since the end of last year’s bash.

So I’ll start from the bottom of the scale of joy with the unmistakable pong of dogshit as I checked into my room at the Santubong Resort, which houses the performers and media guests every year. Then I noticed the dogs and their handlers stationed around Cell Blocks 8 and 9 (which accentuated the penitentiary architecture of this remotely-located 3-star hotel all the more). I found out later the dogs were part of a bomb-sniffing team imported from the Philippines for the occasion. The Sarawak Tourism Board was taking no chances. A 55-man security team from Miri was on hand to scan festival-goers at the entrance with metal detectors. Sign of the paranoid times…

But the moment the music begins the untameable magic of Santubong kicks in… and petty discomforts like the clammy heat and long queues for the shuttles fade from memory. How many sweet and sweaty bodies were counted on Saturday night alone, grooving to the music? 9,000…11,000? I don’t know, but from where I stood near the stage it was certainly the hugest crowd I’ve seen since the festival’s quiet start in 1998.


On the bill were 19 of the hottest acts drawn from the previous nine years: Black Umfolosi, the ever-popular gumboot-dancing a capella group from Zimbabwe made their third appearance – and, once again, had the crowd waving their hands and singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in perfect unison. Gets a tad tiresome for the jaded ones like me – but it’s soulful stuff, I admit.

Black Umfolosi strut their stuff on the first night of the festival

Also on their third round were Shooglenifty – the Edinburgh-based “acidcroft” band that’s been cranking out their own brand of funky Celtic fusion since 1990 and has acquired a laid-back sophistication along with an iconic mystique. Core members Angus Grant (fiddle), Garry Finlayson (banjo), Malcolm Crosbie (guitar), and James MacIntosh (drums) were a joy to behold in action; Luke Plumb, their 28-year-old mandolin player from Tasmania, combined teen appeal with prodigious technique, and new bassist Quee MacArthur was rock solid (though I found myself missing their former bassist Conrad Ivitsky’s syncopative agility).

Shooglenifty rides again at the Rainforest World Music Festival!

The third band to have played three times at the RWMF was Inka Marka – a South American group based in Melbourne. As usual, their mellifluous voices blended with panpipes, charango, and flute to conjure the uplifting poignancy of the Andes.

The Tuvan throat-singers of Huun Huur Tu teamed up once again with Russian techno-trance band Malerija to effect a molecular shift amongst the tranced-out crowd. The first time they performed in 2003 there was a full moon which magnified the general euphoria.

From Madagascar we had Tarika Be, featuring the alluring sisters Hanitra (pronounced “Anch”) and Noro, with an instrumentalist named Njaka in tow, whose sensitivity as a musician was remarkable for one so young.

Hanitra’s songs of freedom, courage, and nonconformity – and her irresistibly sexy stage image – were in stark contrast to her demure and prayerful solo performance on the small stage, accompanied only by the delicate lyricism of Njaka’s valihy (a bamboo zither originally from Borneo, which has strong genetic and cultural links to Madagascar).

Throughout the three days the general atmosphere was one of jubilation and joy. There was one outbreak of drunken aggro, promptly managed by the security crew, but the greatest annoyance by far were several loudmouthed sons-of-lumberjacks who insisted on jabbering inanely near the stage during quiet moments. However, even the intrusive foreground noise (compounded by the moans and sighs of tabla-player Siar Hachimi’s all-girls fan club) couldn’t deter Ensemble Kaboul from delivering a superb and heartfelt performance.

Khaled Arman, master of the rebab (which he plays like a sitar) engages with Siar Hachimi on tabla

Mas Y Mas captured in action on 13/07/07 by Antares

Arguably the biggest hit this year were Mas Y Mas – an entire Latin Afro-Cuban orchestra compressed into an ebullient trio from Nottingham, U.K. Featuring a spritely Wayne D. Evans on a hundred-year-old doublebass, Richard Kensington on percussion, and the incredibly talented Rikki Thomas-Martinez on guitar and lead vocals, Mas Y Mas (which means “more and more”) are indeed well-named. Every time they played - on stage or at their Latin Rhythms workshop - people kept demanding more and more of their infectious music and wit. Mas Y Mas first played at the RWMF in 2004 and instantly fell in love with Malaysia. Certainly it’s been a love reciprocated.

The Doghouse Skiffle Group from Hull went down pretty well too, considering the trio specializes in tongue-in-cheek cowboy tunes. Keith Cheesman held it together with his chunky rhythm guitar, Alan Harman did smirking chimp impersonations while thumping his one-string tea-chest bass, and Garry Pullen mesmerized the crowd with Hopalong Cassidy poses, Texan boots, and whimsical kazoo and washboard solos. Their audacious cover of the Beatles’ A Day in the Life (introduced as “an old English folksong”) qualifies them as past masters of their craft.

At their first appearance two years ago the Foghorn Stringband from Oregon got the crowd square-dancing under the stars. As traditional American country bands go, Foghorn plays as tight as it gets – but after three numbers their songs start sounding pretty much the same. From Peninsular Malaysia we had the Aseana Percussion Unit which features gifted homegrown percussionists like Kamrul Bahri Hussin and Kirubakaran. The group’s colourful exuberance and its muhibbah repertoire of crowd-pleasing numbers carried it through – but they were conspicuously lacking in emotional depth and musical substance.

Khac Chi, a versatile, Vancouver-based husband-and-wife act from Vietnam, are in a class of their own in terms of sheer musical skill and entertainment value. They travel with a portable museum of traditional and homemade instruments – mostly bamboo, with a few constructed by Chi himself from rubber honkers.

Bich and Chi have perfected a workshop routine with high amusement and amazement quotients

Also from Vancouver was the venerable multi-instrumentalist Randy Raine-Reusch (who proposed the idea of the RWMF ten years ago and served as festival director for the first few years). Randy’s presence as “proud daddy” added to the celebratory atmosphere - while his astonishing prowess on an exotic array of ethnic instruments was an education in itself. His inspired but all-too-brief performance - brilliantly backed by Johari Morshidi and Ainal Johari on percussion - encapsulated the essence of what “world music” is all about.

Randy Raine-Reusch & Tabuh Pak Ainal improvise on dulcimer, djembe and Malay drums

Sarawak was represented by sape virtuoso Jerry Kamit; a dynamic father-and-son percussion act called Tabuh Pak Ainal (named after Johari Morshidi’s precocious 16-year-old son Ainal, who began performing at 7); and the 30-member Kelapang Kelabit Bamboo Band (whose early set I unfortunately missed).

Mah Meri ceremonies and rituals are a rare and spectacular visual feast

However, I was very glad I caught the Mah Meri of Carey Island in action. Theirs was a visually spectacular act, rarely seen outside the confines of tribal tradition, and I was impressed by how impeccably they presented themselves before such a huge crowd of strangers. Another great opening act I witnessed was the item by Anak Adi’ Rurum – a beautiful bunch of Kelabit youngsters under the tutelage of Nikki Lugun whose sincerity and passion to preserve a fading culture brought an unexpected tear to the eye.

Tammorra, a rousing Sicilian group with impressive vocal power and musicality, was a very welcome rerun. As was Shannon from Poland – a big hit in 2005 with their virile Celtic folkrock sound. However, this time around, the band had evolved in a different direction with a major change of personnel: Marcin Drabik had joined them on electric violin with a flamboyance reminiscent of Jean-Luc Ponty on steroids, and band leader Marcin Ruminski’s delectable fiancée Maria Namyslowska was featured on keyboards and vocals, contributing not only a feminine element but also fresh musical ideas. Not everybody was pleased with the new Shannon sound – but I found it ecstatic, triumphal, adventurous, and even more danceable.

As is often the case, the real finale happened spontaneously after the festival – when Enrique Sanchez (Inka Marka) and Rikki Thomas-Martinez (Mas Y Mas) began singing romantic Latin duets at the poolside and Garry Finlayson (Shooglenifty) whipped out his banjo and proceeded to play some exquisitely epiphanic riffs. Soon the Foghorn fellows began insinuating their prudish 4/4 beats into the mix - but just as I was on the verge of wandering off to bed, a few members of Black Umfolosi jumped in with their Zulu chants and transformed the cowpokes into true-blue world musicians. I finally dragged myself from that festive scene with the trill of magpies serenading the dawn.

EPILOGUE

The Sarawak Tourism Board has done such a great job with the Rainforest World Music Festival it has now become a famous fruit-bearing tree whose seeds are being planted in other gardens. Indeed, Penang just hosted its first world music festival from July 20-22 with RWMF artistic director Yeoh Jun Lin leading the team. And rightly so, for Ms Yeoh herself was originally a product of Penang.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SARAWAK TOURISM BOARD
VIDEO CLIPS © ANTARES/MAGICK RIVER

[More video clips will be added as I finish editing and compressing. Bookmark this blogpost and return over the next few days for more great moments from RWMF 2007!]

*This review first published @ kakiseni.com

First posted 26 July 2007, reposted 11 October 2020

Huun Huur Tu & Malerija @ RWMF 2007 (Clip #2)

Tuvan throat-singing from Huun Huur Tu works beautifully with techno-trance embellishments courtesy of Russian duo Malerija. They were a unanimous hit with the 17,000-strong crowd at RWMF 2007. Unfortunately this wasn't my best footage... but I'm sure Huun Huur Tu fans won't mind :-)

I returned from RWMF 2007 with 8 hours of video footage and have just about finished picking out the best sequences to transfer on DVD. Perhaps I'll arrange a public screening in Kuala Lumpur for folks who missed this year's festival (and for those who want to relive the musical highlights) in the coming weeks.

TAMMORRA @ RWMF 2007

Tammorra - a lusty, life-affirming Sicilian group - in action at the Rainforest World Music Festival, Sarawak, July 2007.

SHANNON @ RWMF 2007

Polish Celtic folk-jazz fusion group SHANNON explores new musical territory with the addition of Maria Namyslowska on keyboards and Marcin Drabik on electric violin (with Marek Kwadrans on bodrhan). Captured in action at the Rainforest World Music Festival, Sarawak, on 15 July 2007.

APU @ RWMF 2007

The colorful and exuberant Aseana Percussion Unit (APU) represented Peninsular Malaysia at the Rainforest World Music Festival 2007. Today, Malaysians celebrate the 50th anniversary of Merdeka or Independence (though from whom or what it's hard to say) - so it's only appropriate that APU be invited to liven up the party with their feel-good muhibbah stage act!

Inka Marka @ RWMF 2007

Inka Marka - easy-on-the-ears and on-the-eyes, this charming band of South American exiles in Melbourne have never failed to uplift and win the hearts of audiences at the Rainforest World Music Festival. Inka Marka are Jose Diaz, Michel Bestrin, Enrique Sanchez, and Jaime Carrasco.

[Video shot by Antares, 15 July 2007]

Foghorn Stringband @ RWMF 2007

The Oregon-based Foghorn Stringband is characterized by "tight instrumental work - fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass and guitar - reminiscent of early bluegrass, but their powerful approach is whole-heartedly old-time, centered largely by the fiddle." Caught in action at the 2007 Rainforest World Music Festival, Sarawak.

A Day In The Life of the Doghouse Skiffle Group

Alan Harman, Garry Pullen, and Keith Cheesman (three quirky dudes from Hull, England) impersonate Bat Masterson, Hopalong Cassidy and Wyatt Earp on tea-chest bass, washboard, and guitar. Check out their audacious interpretation of "an old English folksong" - A Day In The Life - by The Beatles! Captured live at RWMF 2007.

Randy Raine-Reusch with Tabuh Pak Ainal [RWMF 2007]

Randy Raine-Reusch - Vancouver-based collector of exotic instruments and a master musician of worldwide repute - teams up with superb Sarawakian father-and-son percussion unit, Tabuh Pak Ainal, at the Rainforest World Music Festival 2007.

Huun Huur Tu & Malerija @ RWMF 2007

Huun Huur Tu - everybody's fave-rave Tuvan throat-singing phenomenon all funked up with some tasteful, techno-trance from Malerija (who add the Russian rush). In concert on 15 July 2007 @ the Rainforest World Music Festival, Sarawak.

A Starry-Eyed Vacation from Bloggoria

[photo taken 07.07.07 by Anoora Chapek]

It's that time of year again: the Rainforest World Music Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary from July 13-15 at the Sarawak Cultural Village and you bet I'll be there! Having been a performer at the very first festival back in August 1998 (read my euphoric report here!), I haven't missed a single year. I look forward greatly to the reunion with fabulous musicians from all over the world who have all played at this festival at least once over the past decade - the boys from Shooglenifty (a totally hip Edinburgh trancedance band that's been around since the 1970s), Mas Y Mas (great buddies who have visited Magick River twice since 2004), The mesmerizingly charismatic Hanitra (Anch) of Tarika Be and her delightful sister Noro, the friendly Inka Marka guys from Melbourne, three good-humored chaps from Hull who call themselves the Doghouse Skiffle Group... and, of course, Huun Huur Tu, the sensational Tuvan throat-singers with their Russian acoustic/electro-trance collaborators, Malerija! Oops, forgot to mention my Mohican wizard friend Marcin Ruminski who heads Shannon, the powerhouse Polish Celtic group that rocked the crowd in 2005, and the wholesome, sweaty boys from Oregon who call themselves the Foghorn Stringband :-)

Back before anyone notices I've been gone. Good time to browse my blog archives, ha ha.

Peatbog Faeries ~ Live at RWMF 2006!

Possibly the hippest, most happening Celtic trance dance band on Earth. Captured in concert at the 2006 Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak by Antares on a hand-held Panasonic DVC32. Visit the official Peatbog Faeries homepage!

Here's a bit of gossip (from bassist Innes Hutton) all the way from the Isle of Skye where the PF colony is located:

howdy do da,
it's goin great just finished a new album (what men deserve to lose i.e. faeries will only steal what m.. d...t...l....) we've been at it all winter. will be out in july. it's banging.....of course . there's a new track on our myspace page. we are happy for you to upload the vid. the more on utube the better


i'll pass on your regards to the boglets. I'm sure you'll have a great festy this year. i'll miss you all but not the jelly fish

all the best to you and yours

innes




Visionary artist Michael Kaluta faery gazing with his friends.

Les Yeux Noirs ~ Live at RWMF 2006!

LES YEUX NOIRS ("DARK EYES") IS A HOT GYPSY FUSION GROUP BASED IN PARIS.

I SHOT THEIR ENTIRE 50-MINUTE CONCERT AT THE 2006 RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL IN SARAWAK ON A HAND-HELD PANASONIC DVC32.

THIS 10-MINUTE HIGHLIGHT IS ALSO VIEWABLE AT DAILYMOTION AND GOOGLEVIDEO.

CHECK OUT THE SLABIAK BROTHERS, ERIC AND OLIVIER, ON DUELING FIDDLES... AND THE "YOUNG PAGANINI" ON ACCORDION!

Psst! Email me if you're interested in acquiring a homemade DVD of Les Yeux Noirs at RWMF 2006!