The second edition of Borneo World Music Expo will be held June 16-18, 2014 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. The host hotel is the Hilton Kuching Hotel, downtown. Borneo World Music Expo will feature conferences, workshops, meetings, encounters, a trade fair and music showcases
The public is welcome at the evening showcases. Artists scheduled this year come from Sarawak, West Malaysia, Kalimantan, India, Java, Myanmar, and Thailand.
The Expo’s Director, Gerald Seligman provided details about this year’s edition to World Music Central.
What’s new this year at Borneo World Music Expo?
We’re using the same model this year, but concentrating even more on acoustic and traditional music, thereby providing a platform for some of the best of what the region has to offer, music that tends not to get as much exposure. Other than that, we are increasing the number of programmers we are bringing in to 25, up from 20 last year.
Beyond that, this year we are further honing our approach and our offering. The conference sessions are mostly practical, with keen advice on local and international markets and how to enter them, with tips on how to professionalize, and with information on what Malaysia is doing to support their arts – and their artists. At the showcases, we will be presenting groups once again from Sarawak and the Malaysian peninsula, along with special guests from India, Myanmar, Thailand, Java and elsewhere. Three days of concerts, two full days of conferences, plenty of comradery and great music.
What did you learn from last year’s inaugural event?
Last year we initiated the event to help guide and train musicians and professionals from throughout the greater Asia region. The intention was to present their music to a carefully-selected group of venue and festival programmers from throughout the world.
Our ten groups made a great impact. Four ended up with international concert dates or tours. A fifth had a serious offer that only fell through due to budgeting issues. A sixth, Madeeh, presented at the Rainforest World Music Festival, picked up a European agent and has an international career launched. That is a success rate we are proud of and one that we hope to match, even better, this time around.
Some of the artists scheduled to showcase this year include Barmer Boys from Rajasthan (India), Ding Yi Music Company (Singapore), Korphai (Thailand), Geng Wak Long from Kelantan (Malaysia), Aye Su Kyaw Ensemble (Myanmar) and Madeeh from Sarawak (Malaysia).
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
