Expanding boundaries
Paras Bunyi adds an experimental edge to the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival.
SOME things are done better in the dark and you can expect the Indicine room, an experimental space, at the upcoming Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival 2016 ( YSDAF) at KLPac, to offer one of the more curious – and experimental – aspects of programming at this mainstream arts festival.
Paras Bunyi: Sound And Imagery Of A Futuristic Local, a multimedia showcase, is set to present a different spin on the arts at the YSDAF, which runs on Aug 20 and 21 at KLPac.
It isn’t a large scale project, but it is loaded with content – traditional and contemporary – to attract those looking for an edgier angle to YSDAF. “We’re looking at Paras Bunyi to get a conversation going on the endless possibilities of working with sound and visuals,” says Faizal Nafis ( aka deejay Xes Xes Loveseat), one of the organisers of Paras Bunyi, who networked to get a diverse list of sound and visual artistes on board.
“Most of the participants are from the music scene, but the music scene can be a little fragmented, so this is a good chance to bring these talents together,” he adds.
The main music highlights at Paras Bunyi are sound artistes like Space Gambus Experiment and Goh Lee Kwang right to contemporary Nusantara music adventurers Menikmati and Another Universe ( electronic sape band), while the visual component is mainly represented by Nero One and The Tomoe.
“The sound element, which leans towards improvised music, requires the acts to use traditional instruments or samples of field recordings. Basically, we’re giving the musicians the freedom to design their own performance – with an ethnic ( music) backdrop where possible. The video projection brief is to be futuristic, but to use native imagery – manipulated or not,” explains Faizal.
The venue, which can host 50 people, will also be rigged with a three- sided projection screen and a performance space.
“The Indicine room is a compact venue, which is an idea space for us, to try out new things and be innovative with the set- up,” he adds.
The Akhyla collective, which includes producers, visual artists and musicians, is also a prominent feature at Paras Bunyi, with members like Vmprmyth, Reddi Rocket and Yahna involved.
“If you’re planning on moving around the festival, you’re more than welcome to come check out what’s happening in the Indicine,” says Faizal.
Faizal collaborated with Mustaqim Arifin ( aka Vmprmyth) and Andri Iskandar – all of them with a producer/ deejay background – on this Paras Bunyi project, which was one of the Pitch Start Grant Winners at YSDAF. The organisers were given a grant ( RM15,000) and the space to perform at the YSDAF.
“The grant made it possible to put together this project, which will see a couple of interesting collaborations and new faces performing,” he adds.
Vmprmyth will present a musical collage – from Malaysian sources – for his sets this weekend.
“The goal is to source for sounds locally. I looked for them within various cultures and time periods. It will be a ‘ Malaysian sound collage’ ... reconstructed within electronic music,” says Vmprmyth.
For certain, Space Gambus Experiment main man Kamal Sabran’s team- up with Andri Iskandar in the Harmonic Dissonance shows at Paras Bunyi will be one of the highlights at Indicine.
“Space Gambus Experiment will be focusing on a glitchy ethno/ electro improvised performance,” says Kamal, who will be playing the gambus and handling the electronics and analogue tape in this duo set- up.
Andri, on the other hand, will be playing the rawap, a stringed instrument associated with Uyghur music and culture in China.
“I will play it ( rawap) and channel the sounds into the modular. The sound then goes into the looper so I can ‘ mangle’ it,” says Andri, who will also be utising a semi modular synth, looper and vocal efx.
Sound artist Goh Lee Kwang reveals that he will be readying up an improv guitar set with Singaporebased Dharma Shan ( former The Observatory guitarist) this Sunday. He mentions that he has been warming up to guitar- based gigs, and a couple of low- key shows in KL have given him the motivation to move forward with the instrument.
“This is my first show with Dharma in KL. It will be a fully improvised set at Paras Bunyi. And if you ask me about ethnic stylings, maybe, you could say that I can make my guitar sound like sape or guzheng ( Chinese zither),” he says.
The Paras Bunyi programme starts at 10am and ends at 8pm on Aug 20 and 21 at YSDAF. Admission to the entire festival is free.
For more info about Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival 2016, visit klpac. org/ ysdartsfest. Facebook: Paras Bunyi.