The incident was an over a year or two ago when I listened to the album World Grooves by Putumayo. During that time world music selection was not all that varied plus the number of nightspots who were brave enough to venture there were close to none. It was my first introduction to world music from putumayo, one that I have been able to happily indulge myself again at Putumayo music’s 15th anniversary.

I was able to sample some of the sounds from the amazing new compilation African Party. The album itself is a colorful mix of music from South Africa all the way to Ivory Coast, a blend of the old & new. I found the music so infectious that I was playing it all the time on my music machine.

Raised in multicultural India, music has been something that has had a profound significance to my life & has transcended borders & Africa is home to some of the best music in the world.

I have always believed that art needs strife & Africa has more than it’s fair share of it. So the music that comes out of the continent is soulful & original.

Even though the majority of us myself included may not be able to understand the songs, the beauty of the music is hard to escape.

Listening to the African Dance Party compilation made me look up some of the names on the internet…. Some names are not really out there yet. The names that are there amazed me with the simplicity & originality of the music & visual accompaniments.

This is definitely an album you should check out. I got mine from Borders @ Wheelock place.

I will be having an interview with one of the artists pretty soon. Watch this space.

Get the album online Amazon or the Putumayo site.

Get it in Singapore at Borders.

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I recently sat down with nightsound+ for a look at this band’s stuff, this is what they had to say:-

TAI: How did you come up with the name of your group Nightsound?
NEIL: Nightsound was just a catch phrase back in school that we used for a school project. Not anything meaningful, but we just needed a name. Stuck with it since?
EUGE: Sorry, no comments. I’m only the cool bass player. *smile*
K: cuz we be nocturnal creatures of the night that function dependently on post-supper coffee.
ALAN: “Daysound” just doesn’t sound right.
XR: I think it was at night.

TAI: Tell us a memory of one of your live performances that you just can’t forget.
NEIL: Performance? Arts House Playden where we were playing with all kinds of musicians like Edmund on sax, Luke on percussions, the Fritz Quartet, and guess what? Taisuke Yamamoto, all the way from the Indian Ocean island of ChaCha who did a rap for us!
EUGE: I would have to agree with Neil on this. The Arts House Playden gig rocked! With all the talented people working on this show? It would have definitely made the republic of the “red dot” proud.
K: err…read the above.
ALAN: Yep it was one hell of a show with all the participating musicians rocking just above a restaurant.
XR: All the happiness, we’ll soon forget… all the promises…that we break…it comes around in time…

TAI: If you had to force Gandhi to fight you, how would you taunt him?
NEIL: Ow… Your last sentence nearly got me lethal…
EUGE: Knuckle his head.
K: use his bald head as a mirror whilst I brush me teeth.
ALAN: Pronounce his name as “Ghand Hai”?
XR: Why would i want Gandhi to fight me??!

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HUAT Ah!

Times ticking and shit is changing.
Gone are the times when I used to be young. Gone are the times when 2 dollars and 40 cents could buy you a pack of smokes. Gone are the times when bell bottoms were in fashion, the bigger the bell the better.

With the passing of time many things have either changed or have disappeared completely. I have a problem with regards to this.
A problem which bothers me deeply.
What ever happened to the Ah Bengs?

Where did they go? Because there used to be one squatting at every sidewalk, long sideburns swaying gently in the midday breeze. But it seems they have moved somewhere else. Somewhere I don’t know about. I search my urban jungle of steel and concrete but to no avail.

I love the Ah Bengs. There will never be another culture more iconic of Singapore compared to them. I had a pair of orange converse slippers myself. The slipper was made with material similar to that of a car mat. Shit used to get stuck inside. But care less! Those were some awesome slippers. Ah Bengs like orange. Orange and white.

I don’t believe they died. They couldn’t have all died. Maybe a few got into gang fights and died.
But not all. Where are the Ah Bengs?

I pondered this for days. I studied their trends and movement. I related my research to social structures. I propose a theory.

They did not die. The ah bengs have in fact become the act-japs. If you stare at an act-jap hairstyle for long enough you will see similarities to long bleached sideburns, swaying gently in the midday breeze.

“Why?” You may ask.

Blame it on the changing of ideals in Singapore.
In the past people just beat everyone else up. I guess there was nothing much to be said. People smashed each other with things like poles and chains and shit. Basically anything they could get their hands on. Maybe even dirty orange slippers.

Today there is a lot to be said. People don’t beat each other up anymore, they just stand around and talk. This makes me want to move my fists. If people don’t win the talk, they go back to the office, earn some money and hire a lawyer. Those bastards are the real gangsters man. If Ah Bengs had weapons, lawyers would be the machine gun.

HUAT AH!

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