The 7th World Music Festival! at the Asia Culture Center
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- 2016-09-05
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The concept of world music has been subject to debate
for some time. It is a label that has essentially been put upon music that has
does not have roots in any type of modern Western musical form. The label has
not been without controversy, with some complaining that it stems from a
Western-centric point of view of the “other” i.e. non-Western nations, and is
grounded in a history of Western imperialism against nations of color. Nonetheless,
it is a label that has been embraced by the world community, and nations of
color at large, to describe a wide spectrum of indigenous traditional music and
its relation to modern day popular music. Some world music acts focus on
authentic traditional forms of music, while others seek to blend these
traditional forms of indigenous music with modern instruments or other styles
of music in a process known as fusion.
From
August 19th to the 20th, the Asia Culture Center hosted the 2016 ACC World
Music Festival. The festival brought together acts from all corners of the
globe as well as from home to produce a tantalizing lineup that drew quite a
crowd to this two-day event.
Day one started off with a bang as people packed the
Haneul Madang and the ACC Theater. The first act up was Filipino group Don
Juan, who gave quite a performance with their acrobatic hip-hop dance routine
that kept the audience on the edge of their seats. Kalaha from Denmark were up
next, and they performed an interesting blend of jazz, electronic and afro
beat; an indication of how multicultural Denmark has become over the past few
decades. But these two acts were nowhere near as popular as the Korean vocalist
Kim Tae-Woo, formerly of the mega hit boy band GOD and widely recognized as one
of Korea’s best vocalists. Throngs of people witnessed his mesmerizing
performance at the Haneul Madang and they were enthralled by his swooning and
crooning. Following his set, Belgium’s La Chiva Gantivawere set up at the ACC
Theater. They played a raucous brand of Colombian-African influenced psych punk
that was a testament to the growing diversity of Belgium’s population. Their
sound borrows from all types of genres kept the crowd on their feet.
Following their set, it was back to a Korean act, 2nd
Moon and Jun Su Kim, who play a blend of waltz, tango, pop, and jazz with the
help of some traditional instruments. DJ Koo ended the night and turned the ACC
Theater into a massive (drunken) dance party.
Day two got off to a slightly earlier start. The first act up was Malaysia’s Aseana Percussion Unit, who were very loud but also very rhythmic. They were followed by a fusion set of traditional music with the work of Korean traditional act Namu, Denmark’s Kalaha, and British jazz drummer Asaf Sirkis.
This
was followed by more fusion with a set by Mia Kim and the United States’ Tommy
Vig & Trio Closer. The night was capped off by an energetic set by Yemen
Blues, an Israeli group set up by Yemeni Jew vocalist RaivdKahalani, which
brought the crowd to its feet with its traditional Middle Eastern music mixed
with blues and funk.
In comparison to past
incarnations of this festival, the 2016 ACC World Music Festival really
expanded its scope and size, which was rewarded by the large crowds that
attended. Each act brought its own unique sound and style which kept the
crowd’s eyes glued to the performances. Hopefully the ACC can replicate the
success of this year’s festival next year and for the foreseeable future.
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Written by. Amos Farooqi, 9th ACC Reporters Corps
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Photo by.Nam Joseph, 9th ACC Reporters Corps
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Designed by. Jiyoung LEE, 9th ACC Reporters Corps