By Wilfred Pilo and Emellia Tamoh
KUCHING, July 14: It was a special treat for concert goers and visitors at the ultimate Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2019 workshop stage at the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) when the iconic and legendary sape player Mathew Ngau Jau performed with his Orang Ulu band called Warisan Telang Usan.
As the sound of his sape echoed in the air of the jam-packed workshop tent, the audiences especially first time RWMF participants were all mesmerised not only to the unique music of the Orang Ulu but also to the rhythm of their traditional dancers.
Mathew who is also the Malaysian National Living Heritage, was believed to have given the foreign audiences some very unforgettable moments and a lifetime experience in their short stay in Sarawak.
On the many venues where the workshops were held, participants were seen having a great time dancing to the rhythm of the music played by musicians from different parts of the world.
Apart from the sharing of music and performances, there were also workshops showcasing traditional rituals of some ethnic indigenous people of Sarawak.
Meanwhile, DayakDaily team ceased the opportunity to speak with a Malaysian world music band from Kuala Lumpur, DARMAS, who happened to take a break from their schedule.
The band spokesperson, Purnama Maqasuci said that this was the third time the band was invited to play in RWMF.
“This year, we played on the second day of the RWMF and it was our third time participating in the event. We were elated by the audiences present. We found out that this year, the crowds were the largest,” he said.
“We have learned a lot from fellow world music performers have been coming over the years and also this time round. There are truly professional,” he added.
Purnama said because of RWMF, the band was able to come out with their first album “Darmas Teja” which comprised of six singles on traditional music namely “Timang Bubu”, “Jurus Nam”, “Melawan Arus”, “Zapin Manis Untuk”, “Basikal” and “Canggung Inai”.
Other band members Pown Hasril, Achik Wahid ,Karim, Ainal Johri and Razali were all pleased with their own performances this year. It was their hope that people will continue to love world music and their style of folk music.— DayakDaily
