MALAYSIA’S independent music scene is not one to be scoffed at.
Despite the continuous complaints of a lack of support for our homegrown artistes, our underground musicians are thriving on passion for their art.
That much was proven last Sunday, at the Voize Independent Music Awards, held at The Mist, Bangsar, KL. The show was slated to start at 7.30pm and guests, media, VIPs, judges and musicians all trooped in, ready to rock.
Aptly themed “Indiecent”, the night kicked off with beatboxing from Kraft, MC Vandal and Young Stunna; whose Daft Punk-esque stylings elicited roars from the crowd.
Poseidon Connection then took to the stage, amping us all up energetic guitar riffs and freakin’ cool vocals. Apparently at VIMA, “mother” is only half a word.
The MCs for the night were C Loco, Moe Nasrul and the lovely Adrea Abdullah, who kept us informed and entertained with their wacky one-liners.
I personally enjoyed Adi Rani and Juju’s performances, visiting artistes from Brunei. Juju’s smooth-as-silk vocals as she performed a cover of One Republic’s Apologise literally got us screaming her name.
Benchmarx were given the Most Electrifying-Exciting-Exhilarating Live Act award, one it certainly earned with its ear-thumpingly patriotic number (“Hey! Hey! Malaysia Boleh!”) and guitar-smashing. Yes, smashing.
Bellydancing, ballroom dancing and shaking it to Lady Gaga’s music were all par for the course from AXN, while Prema Yin’s performance of Eyo Eyo (Best Pop Song award winner) epitomised the ideals of a rock chick.
It was a good night for indie musicians nationwide, with well-known names like Elvira and Sasi the Don walking away with well-deserved awards (Best Female Vocalist and Best Dance Song, respectively).
AkashA added yet another award to its collection (Best Instrumental, for Irish Joget), and Neuyabe got the Thank You For Existing award. What a cool win.
2010/01/25
DENNIS CHUA
The second Voice Independent Music Awards held recently proved that acknowledgment and recognition spurs talent to soaring heights. DENNIS CHUA writes.
Siva Chandran, the founder of the Voice Independent Music Awards (VIMA) and managing editor of organiser Voize.my, announced this at the recent VIMA 2010 in Mist, Jalan Liku, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
He said: “It’ll no longer be a Voize event. Nevertheless we will still be supporting it as a member of the music industry. And we’ll be focused on Asia-wide acts in Avima, the Asian Voize Independent Music Awards.” Siva said Voize was pleased to see “superb acts” from neighbouring Brunei participate and win in the annual awards this year and the local awards event hoped in the future to see acts from Singapore as well.
“The Brunei artistes — rock group Karacoma, Feez Madea, Adi Rani and Juju — are amazing talents,” he said.
Deja Voodoo Spells (DVS), Melissa Indot, Kraft and super-group collective The MAD Project comprising Melissa, DVS and Altimet are this year’s biggest winners.
DVS won Best Rock Group and Best Guitar Goreng Riff, while Melissa won the Sunshiney-Smiley-Feelgood song award for I Can’t Smile Without You, performed with her nephews Jeffrey and Jeremy.
Kraft won Best Hip-Hop Song for Diamonds while The MAD Project won the Positive Message Award for its song Change.
Altimet said that Change was all about acting and thinking as Malaysians, and being hopeful of the music industry’s future. “We believe in the power of positive thinking.” Siva added: “It was a massive crowd this time, way past 900 people, with more than twice the number of celebrities at last year’s event. There was just so much action for the organiser to focus on, thus there were a few glitches.
“But it’s been an amazing 17 months since we first came up with the idea of the awards, and we believe that it’s made a difference in the lives of so many talented musicians waiting to be discovered.” Celcom chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly became this year’s most well-known inductee into the VIMA Hall of Fame.
In thanking Voize, he offered to give all-out support for next year’s awards and make it “thrice the size”.
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| Melissa Indot (centre) with Jeffrey and Jeremy (right). |
Melissa said her winning song was one that was “close to home”. “It’s all about the small things in life you care about, and you find them in the ones you love,” she said. Budding singers and songwriters Prema Yin and Amanda Imani hailed the awards as a “major incentive” to soar higher. Prema, who won Best Pop Song for Eyo-Eyo said: “VIMA is the one event that discovers true talent, those who make their own music.” Amanda, who won third prize in the same category for Selamilah Cinta, said: “It’s my first win, and a night to remember forever.” Feez Madea came in second with the song Fly, and considered VIMA the one avenue for Brunei’s musicians to “expand” their following. “It’s an honour to win in Malaysia for the first time, and in the future I’d love to collaborate musically with leading Malaysian talents,” she said.
Another first-time winner Jzelynn Simmons, who bagged Best Digital Album for Percaya, said her award was a triumph for “musical innovation”.
“It’s the right time for all artistes to embrace digital technology. I’m working on another album that’s going to be out mid-year,” she said.
Dance producer Colin Poh of the group Electro Pup said VIMA was the best thing to happen to Malaysian music in recent years. “It recognises talent across the board, not just in vocals but also in dance.” His group shared the Best Dance Act award with Ze! Two-year-old band An Honest Mistake (AHM) won Best College Act. Its leader Darren Teh said he and band mates Leonard Chua, Danny New and Kevin Theng were busy with their first album scheduled to be released in May.
The group behind the hits This Song Is So Random I Don’t Know Why and The Snake With Limbs cited rock groups Four Year Strong and Early November as its inspirations.
Benchmarx comprising expats Steve Northcott, David Ross, Erik Richardson, Gary Blanton and Kenny Peavy marked its first-time competing with the award for Best Live Act.
Northcott said: “Our music is about our experiences in Malaysia, and our song Malaysia
Singer-songwriter Jerome Kugan won Best Remix for Tomas. “It’s an award I’m sharing with the brilliant DJ Sugs. He helped me take this song, inspired by a film set in Cuba, to a whole new level, and it’s really good.” Kugan is working on his new album City Of Mud which will be out next year.
Best Pop Vocalist
Adi Rani
Best Female Vocalist
Elvira
Best Rock Song
Blinded — Crush
IKTS — Karacoma
Life Is A Demo — The Poseidon Connection featuring Kraft
Miracles — Inverted Coma
Best Rock Group
Deja Voodoo Spells
Hujan
Hui Se Di Dai
Best Rock Vocalist
Sam — Bunkface
Best Hip-Hop Song
Diamonds — Kraft featuring Mia Palencia
Jamalo — Soundcircus Micbandits
Best Hip-Hop Solo
Young Stunna
Best Hip-Hop Group
Micbandits
Best Dance Song
Music In Me — Sasi The Don featuring Dr Alban
Best Dance Act
Electro Pup and Ze!
Best Dance DJ
Headmasta
Best Remix
Tomas — Jerome Kugan and DJ Sugs
Best Collaboration
Change — The MAD Project
Best Instrumental
Irish Joget — Akasha
Most Mind-Boggling Genre Bender
Dylan And Puvan featuring Matilda Radge — Jokkaneh Figureh
Best Song To Do Away With Monday Morning Blues
My Christmas — Enoch Cosmic
Best College Act
An Honest Mistake
Best Guitar Goreng Riff
Billie Jean — Deja Voodoo Spells
Best Producer
Diversify — Yuri Wong
Most Mind-Blowing Music Video
O-Two — Mr Koma
Best Chinese Act
Reno
Smoothest R&B Act
James Baum
Sunshiney Award
Melissa Indot — I Can’t Smile Without You
Most Electrifying Live Act
Benchmarx
Positive Message Award
Change — The MAD Project
Thank You For Existing Award
Neuyabe
Best Freaking Act
Pesawat
Song Of The Year
Sisa-Sisa by The Times
Excuse Me by Pesawat
Best Digital Album
Percaya by Jzelynn
Hall Of Fame
Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly
Jasmine Low
Issa Rodriguez
Too Phat
Clair Rozells
Paul Moss
Junk Magazine
(The VIP lounge upstairs)
The entrance