"Come together with us for a journey to a musical and spiritual sanctuary"
21st August 2010
8pm to 11pm @ Going Om, 63 Haji LaneFREE!
(a social initiative in support of Migrant Voices)
A little overdue, but still worth doing.
Much thanks and a whole lot of gratitude to the following individuals and organisations for helping to make Migrant Sounds 2010 such a success! Perhaps there will be more in the future. Who knows?
Thanks to:
Kai Lam, Isa Syed and Arnold for lending us their amps.
Khaled and Josh for transporting, setting up the sound equipment and manning the sound as well. Amazing.
Tan Peiling for her excellent artwork and design of the postcards.
Ashish for providing video documentation.
Mux, Cotton Island and Seyra for their thrilling performances and ambitious soundscapes.
Yuzuru for helping out with the food.
Barry and the Going Om crew, who provided much of the vision, guidance and inspiration to see us through to the planning and the coordination. No doubt it wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.
Migrant Voices for being the original catalyst for us to pursue this musical endeavor. Thanks for all your effort and selfless contributions to the community.
…and not to the forget, all those who came down, sweated and shared the journey with us. Hope it was as memorable for each of you as it had been for all of us here.
Signing off,
Great empty
Great empty
After self-releasing their debut EP “Desire the Creator” in March, the instrumental quartet is working hard on new material for their upcoming full-length, of which 2 new songs will be debuted at Migrant Sounds. They hope for the event - which has been masterminded by themselves, to be a small step towards realising their ever humble musical aspirations.
Great Empty are an experimental, instrumental band. One of the most beautiful aspects of their music is the raw simplicity that lies at the heart of all their tunes. There is no need for grand opuses, or pitch-perfect production quality. I think flaw is their gift to the realm of music, to ache and bleed out the last vestiges of honest emotion beyond the limits of control. It is heartfelt music, something that’s worth remembering and listening to. - brian koh from wakingupto.wordpress.com
mux is a collective formed by bani haykal, luqman hakim and siraaj anwar; out to experiment and devise new performances weaving sound design, music and text.
mux’s approach to performance deals greatly with the coexistence of lateral storytelling and layered, yet minimal, sound and music compositions. the stories they tell incorporates stream of consciousness, almost always resulting the text to become more of an ambient than a direction leading towards an end. their interest in discovering new methods to deliver the crux of a given piece has resulted the trio to explore further into film soundtrack, sound design and live foley.
the collective works extensively with guitar pedals, phrase recorders, microphones and various appliances and props to generate live sound samples. aside from sound ambient, their music works are written and arranged to allow the trio room to intensify the songs, complimenting the nature of the text and its delivery.
within the collective, bani haykal writes and experiments with prose / monologues / poetry / screenplays, often exploring the bleak nature of existence intertwined with fictitious backstories and characters. luqman hakim is a musician, guitarist and songwriter for his band Tinkerbell’s Open Cascade. in mux, luqman performs the main musical compositions, arranging the pieces to offer fluctuating temperament accordingly. siraaj anwar is a sound effects manipulator whose array of props includes an electric shaver, a glockenspiel and wind chimes, creating textures of the performance. aside from doing sound effects, siraaj plays bass for local rock band, Page.
(taken from substation.org)
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Cotton Island
“I was born in taiwan, moved to singapore when i was 12. then i kept on moving.. lived in the US, Paris, Riga and traveled around Europe. I have always loved music and enjoyed playing. I started writing songs when I was in high school and have always dreamed of having a band and touring. however, i was too afraid to fail before i even started trying to become a musician/ songwriter, so i just put that dream aside for years. finally, after a few dramatic events in my life, i have decided that i can no longer run from my dream, and i can no longer deny my passion for music. so i recorded my first demo in sweden with some friends. and started as a street musician to playing cover songs in bars, and now having my own concerts!
My songs are inspired by tragic personal stories or tragic stories of other friends. I would call it indie folk rock. there are a lot of pure emotions, angers, frustrations and a hint of hope at times
I write for myself, and a lot of times it’s a healing process for me. I write to comfort others, and i write to not forget the importance of friendships.”
-David Lin
http://facebook.com/cottonisland
http://myspace.com/thecottonisland
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SEYRA
Seyra is a singer-songwriter, whose music speaks of the peculiarities of youth, hope and existence. Armed with a unique songwriting style and distinctive voice, her music captures the bittersweet aspects of life’s uncertainties. Her songs explore a gamut of emotions with her voice and melody: “Music is more than escape, the hum is all around me, in my everyday, it’s just waiting to be uncovered, there is no other way of expression that moves me. When I pick up the guitar, it’s exciting to not know where the melody will journey me to.” Influenced by an eclectic array of music and artists, she hopes that these varied soundscapes will work their way into her songs, melding harmoniously with her folk pop sensibilities.
Haji Lane will yet again play host to a unique concert to be held among its well-tread pavements, with some of the most original and inspiring homegrown musical acts to emerge in recent times. Quality acts like Mux, Great Empty, Seyra and Cotton Island will converge out on the streets on the 21st of August, from 8pm onwards, to play a captivating blend of tunes; promising a night of delectable melodies and carefully-crafted ambiance. Proudly hosted by the cafe bar Going Om on 63 Haji Lane, Migrant Sounds is a social initiative primarily concerned with raising awareness for non-profit organization Migrant Voices, an independent entity committed to recognizing and celebrating the artistic talents of migrant workers in Singapore. They are also renowned for their efforts in bridging the gap of social distinctions between Singaporeans and migrant workers.
The event will draw influences from an eclectic mix of styles and genres to create a lucid soundscape. The show will be opened by the warm mellow tracks of David Lin, an experienced performer of various parts of Europe under the moniker of Cotton Island. Following him will be the up-and-coming singer-songwriter Seyra, who has recently opened for Malaysian darling Yuna and released her debut self-titled EP. Then prepare to embrace the unique texture and deeply-resonant sonic shades of instrumental band Great Empty. Migrant Sounds will be capped off by the brilliant experimental and layered electro-acoustic sounds of Mux, helmed by the ingenious narrative explorations of B-Quartet vocalist Bani Haykal.
Migrant Sounds is set to provide a more intimate experience by engaging the senses of sight and touch through pictorial mementos that will be handed out to the audience during the live performances of the event. This thoughtful souvenir will elevate the journey to a musical and spiritual sanctuary.
For additional information on Migrant Voices, please visit http://migrantvoices.org
With 4 confirmed acts playing, Migrant Sounds is set to rock Haji Lane!
- Mux - we are especially proud for this event to be graced by the presence of this darkly-magical storytelling trio of talented musicians!
- Seyra - back after opening for Yuna and releasing her debut EP (available at Roxy Records and Straits Records), Seyra is here to stay!
- Great empty - Taking time off after self-releasing their debut in April and working hard on their full-length, this event is their gift to everyone. Vive la post-rock!
- Cotton Island - Singer-songwriter David Lin shall be there to serenade us with his brand of part-indie, part-folkish tunes.
See ya there! Also, Have You Gone Om Yet?
21 August 2010
Going Om, 63 Haji Lane
8pm – 11pm
“Come together with us for a journey to a musical & spiritual sanctuary”
Music has always been unifying in one way or another and people do recognize this sublime factor of it, though not so consciously always. Our aim is to provide an immersive experience for the audience through a harmonious melding of music and words, of song and story, of the simple bliss that exists between notes and letters. We want to remind others of the unifying aspect of music by inviting them to indulge in our journey of senses, under the pleasant haven of Going Om, our favorite cafe bar. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Lion city and out along the streets of Haji Lane, we want to channel a state of mind and create a natural ambiance through resonant sounds, to let everyone connect to each other—regardless of their backgrounds or ethnicity. It’s a free gig for all!
