Womad in Singapore: One Music, One Heart, One World

What kind of music do I listen to? Pop, rock, alternative, classical, hip hop, r&b, heavy metal, jazz, house, trance... and now, world music!

This love interest began when the Singapore Tourism Board invited The Kikay Machine show of Juice TV for a taste of Singapore. So off I went together with The Kikay Machine producer, Anna Coronel, and Jay Juico and Eric Lizardo of Juice TV to Singapore to experience the WOMAD Singapore 2002: World of Music, Arts & Dance.

Officially recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the World’s Biggest International Music Festival, WOMAD was founded by rock icon Peter Gabriel 20 years ago, when he thought of a concert involving artists from Africa. The idea later bloomed into a vision of a much larger event incorporating music from all over the world.

The first WOMAD festival held in Shepton Mallet in 1982 was attended by more than 15,000 people. It was a "magical affair with world-class performances from a bewildering array of stars from around the globe!" Of course, Peter Gabriel performed.

WOMAD concerts have taken place in 21 different countries presenting some 2,000 international artists playing to a live audience of over 1 million. Countries which have hosted WOMAD include Australia, Austria, Canada, Canary Islands, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, USA and the UK. Holding WOMAD annually, Singapore is already on its fifth year! I just hope the Philippines will soon experience its first.

As we stepped into the Fort Canning Park of Singapore, I was overwhelmed by the sea of people already there as early as 8 p.m. Unlike other concerts, this was anything but chaotic. Everyone was sitting on a blanket on the vast green grass enjoying the cool evening with great music. The dress code that night spelled comfort: flip-flops, sarong skirts, tank tops, shorts, trainers, bandannas and beads. No drugs at all, just a little alcohol (the event was sponsored by Heineken big time!). Some even brought their own coolers, and even more romantically, surrounded themselves with candles. It was a lovely sight. Couldn’t wait to join them!

But of course, little-miss-excited-me couldn’t stand still! With an eclectic festival line-up of live performers such as reggae superstar Lucky Dube (South Africa), UK club outfit Badmarsh and Shri, cutting edge dance technology by Rizwan Qawwali, UK DJ outfit Temple of Sound, popular 60’s group Trio Mocoto (Brazil), spirited sounds from Inti-illimani (Chile), guitar master Bob Brozman (USA) with Rene Lacaille (Hawaii) and Takashi Hirayasu (Japan), I was already planning my night. With two main stages set up, you could catch six to seven live performances on each stage. I couldn’t wait to hop over from one stage to another.

But of course, little-miss-shopaholic-me couldn’t stand still! I was so delighted to stumble upon WOMAD’s Global Village. Singapore has two favorite pastimes: eating and... shopping. (Now you know why I love it there! Haha!) Well, the Global Village gave festival-goers a global dimension to both. We could choose from a spectrum of Mexican, Italian, Mediterranean, American, Indian, Nepalese and even Filipino food. After eating, I was able to shop the world at the Global Crafts bazaar. The place offered traditional handicraft, Burmese textiles, Vietnamese fashion, funky jewelry, sand art, Indian artifacts, Moroccan handicraft, cool Rasta wares, African and Sri Lankan batik, all at very tempting prices.

But even more tempting were the nail art, body crystals, body and face painting and the natural Moroccan foot spa. My shopping feet were ready to give up and get some pampering at the cozy candle-lit foot spa tent.

Yet a few feet away, I curiously took a peek at a group of young kids. The sign red: WOMADKids. Well, this area wasn’t just for the young — it was for the young at heart too! That night, they had Australian artist Amanda King teach craftmaking for flags and headdresses. The little kids explored tribal painting, jewelry making and beadwork. They also had fun painting and decorating their own WOMAD t-shirt. They completed their activities with a storytelling session so colorful, I was ready to sit down and listen.

But of course, the music-lover in me couldn’t stand still! Nearby, I heard a soothing beat with a mix of vocals and sounds from around the globe blended with a unique singing. I immediately checked my guidebook for the event. Scheduled on stage that moment was Dreamcatcher. I was mesmerized.

A few years ago, a cheeky tune by Touch and Go called Would You rocked the UK charts. The chorus featured a sultry female voice saying "I’ve noticed you around. I find you very attractive. Would you... um... go to bed with me?" Sound familiar?

Well, the man behind this piece of pop seduction is writer / musician / producer David Lowe a.k.a. Dreamcatcher. He has produced for numerous global commercials and TV and film soundtracks, including the new music for BBC World and Discovery Channel.

For WOMAD 2002, Dreamcatcher featured composer/vocalist Meiko Shimizu who developed a new style of singing derived from the Okinawa vocal mannerism which wasn’t very far from African styles of vocal expression. Her first solo album "Totem" (1988), which combines Japanese melodies with African rhythms and Arabic overtones, won her critical acclaim in the USA and Europe. Today, she goes by the stage name Apache 61. She completed her first Apache 61 album in 1997 and was dubbed the "Japanese Drum ‘n’ Bass Female Ninja" by the press.

Dreamcatcher certainly caught me! So on our second night of WOMAD’s three-day festival (Yup, we went back!), we checked our program guidebook and was thrilled to discover that they were conducting a workshop that night. That’s right, aside from music listening, shopping, eating and pampering, WOMAD also presented learning. They had at least seven workshops conducted by the different artists each night, which certainly added to one’s festival experience.

But don’t be fooled. It was anything but a boring classroom. From Dreamcatcher, composer David Lowe and performer Meiko Shimizu demonstrated how a song can be constructed from sounds gathered from the festival audience. "It’s about a journey," said David Lowe. "I imagine it to be more than music but I always imagine it to be a place." The sounds of crackling fire, a sheep, and old man’s laugh and cough, the howling wolf, a barking dog, guitars, whispers, hand claps, growls, shouts and body percussion — whatever noise could become "music."

As soon as the 30-minute workshop ended, I rushed out to buy their CD at the booth nearby where they sold albums of all the WOMAD performing artists. I was hooked! Not only did I buy Dreamcatcher’s disc, I found myself with two more CDs entitled World Lounge and World Music. It was a compilation of the different music at Singapore’s WOMAD 2002. After treating my sense of hearing to diversified music, I certainly did not want to limit myself to one artist.

I remember during our very first day in Singapore when the Singapore Tourism Board briefed all the media from Asia, Juli Yeow, assistant director of Arts and Entertainment for STB concluded her short talk with their objective: "to tempt you to come back to Singapore over and over again!"

Well, mission accomplished. I’m definitely more than tempted.

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For more on the WOMAD, catch A Slice of Life in Singapore soon on Juice TV! In the meantime, watch The Kikay Machine for fashion, beauty and wellness (Home 42, Destiny 47, Dream 16, 8-10 a.m., 8-10 a.m., 2-4 a.m. and ZOE!! 8-9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays).

E-mail me at my new e-mail addy: rissa_samson@yahoo.com.