Last night i dragged my good friend Zurina Bryant out to the Esplanade to catch a showing of d.v.d - a Japanese percussive/visual music group. I'm not a music fest kind of person, and i don't go to concerts. Since i was 19 and able to go, i've only been to two - the Cranberries when i was 19, and The Singapore Music Fest just last year. I'm not into big crowds of people, shouting to be heard, and long lines for the toilet. I have such an eclectic taste in music that i deem it only to be shared with consenting adults. nevertheless, i was offered some tickets to go, so i thought it would be a good opportunity to broaden my musical horizons, so i went.
Zurina and I went to the esplanade, i with a raging sinus infection and she with a raging case of exhaustion. But we soldiered down for a night of enlightenment. We both are open to new arts and enriching our lives with theater, ballet, and yes even music festivals.
Like this one
We met Siti who directed us where to go, and we were shepherded into the recital hall at the Esplanade. There weren't too many people seated, so we settled in the middle, turned off our fones, and got ready.
We were going to see d.v.d - a band of 3 guys from Japan. The only thing on stage was 2 drum sets facing each other, and a table at the back with 2 macs on it. That was it. What followed for the next hour was a percussive assault on the ears that was interpreted by visual cues on a screen. At first i found it jarring, then hypnotic (as in there is a long string of clear drool hanging from the corner of my lip), then soothing and sleep inducing - but in a good way! I felt totally relaxed in some of the songs, drawn in by the jumping squares, triangles, and pentagon shapes - like a refresher for geometry class. I soon found myself wondering if i was somehow growing more intelligent by watching the visual cues controlled by the drum beats. Or at least i was hoping i was. Each song had a different theme, and a different visual "cartoon" of sorts. some were dots of paint like colors running up the screen... some were tron like lines racing through space. Some were dots and lines. Some were jumping lines and flashing dots... you get the idea.
Look close enough and you can see the drool.
Then there was one that like a clock. I could clearly see hands, a face, and lines where the numbers would be. Then superimposed on that was a digital timer: hour, minutes, seconds. and a melodic midi music background and soft drumbeats. it was very fun! that one was my favorite.
Then.... there was a little ball with squatty legs running thru a field of lines. as the beats progressed, the ball was bent out of shape until it became an abstract little beast on squatty legs running through a field of lines and craggy rocks - most disconcerting actually. i found myself wincing, flinching, and feeling a most uncomfortable emotion, like a cat with its fur rubbed the wrong way.
There were 10 songs in total played, with an encore of 1. The audience was most appreciative, and zurina and i were a bit stunned actually. Stunned to realize the noise was over, and second... that it had been such a pleasant experience. We both promptly bought the, well... dvd of d.v.d and a cd as well.
We were ushered to a little VIP area of Barossa and met the other two bloggers, Pierre and Benjamin - really nice guys actually. We were treated to free nibbles and drinks, tho I was not doing well by this time with my terrible head that i only had Sprite (i was driving after all). Zurina and i got to meet Tze of Tze n Looking Glass, a Singapore based quartet, and we were given a copy of their album. I'm so excited to get to listen to it! We also met some of the band members of True Live, a Melbourne based band that we unfortunately didn't get to see in time.
Zurina, doing her thang.
By this time i had to call it a night, as i was starting to feel woozy. But i went home feeling as if my own eyes had been opened, and that to appreciate music is to appreciate art. And i love art :)
Random art. Appreciate it!
Thanks to The Right Spin for thinking of me, HTC for the passes, d.v.d for opening my mind, Tze for the album, Benjamin and Pierre for being fellow bloggers, Siti for the hospitality, the guys from True Live who dined with us, and of course to Zurina - for letting me take her out even when she was tired :).
From left: Benjamin, Pierre, Tze, me and Z
PS - CHEESE!
