Asia Pacific Quarterly: Death-metal Rudra, Aboriginal Difang And Nasyid-pop Huda

Singapore's premier death-metal band, Rudra, has both confirmed and transcended the country's indifference to its own pop music. The act has sold more than 5,000 units of its eponymous debut, released last July. Locally produced English-
language pop usually sells less than half that figure. But more than 90% of that total came from sales in foreign markets, including the U.S., Italy, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and even Romania. Says Hirmie Abdul Rahman, owner of Candlelight Productions, which signed Rudra, "The Internet really saved us. We e-mailed many foreign labels to buy the CD from us, and we conducted more than 30 e-mail interviews with metal 'zines and radio. Altogether, we distributed to more than 20 foreign licensees." Rudra is billed as "the dawn of Verdic Metal," and the band's bassist/vocalist, K. Kathirasan, says, "Many journalists were fascinated by the fusion of traditional Indian instruments and lyrics based on Sanskrit texts. Also, they had never heard of death-metal from this part of the world." This year, the band is slated to perform in Chicago. (Rudra's e-mail address is rudra singnet. com.sg.)

The Emperor Group of Hong Kong‹a long-established company involved in fields as varied as financial services, real estate, retailing and manufacturing‹has launched the Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG), tapping former Warner Music and Capital Artists executive Frankie Lee as its CEO. Lee has also managed Cantopop stars such as Aaron Kwok, Sammi Cheng, Leon Lai, Anita Mui, Sally Yeh and Lui Fong. "Merging its creativity and inspiration with the richness of Chinese culture, EEG defines new horizons for show biz," says spokeswoman Susan Yeung. "Its businesses include music production and distribution, [live] shows, artist management and film production." The company plans to be active in the entertainment industries in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, while sourcing and distributing repertoire worldwide. Among current EEG projects are a romantic movie titled "The Accident," which debuted in January, a TV drama called "House Of Dragon" and a movie coproduction with Big Mandarin Cinema Circuit Ltd. titled "Assasination Amour," which opened on Valentine's Day and stars Cantopop superstar Andy Lau.

The Aboriginal Taiwanese singer heard on Enigma's song "Return To Innocence" has achieved notable sales in his homeland and Japan for his latest, long-awaited album. The 76-year-old Difang released "Circle Of Life" on the Magic Stone label last autumn and since then has seen sales of 100,000 units in Taiwan and 20,000 in Japan. The album was produced by Dan Lacksman of Deep Forest fame. Magic Stone also plans to distribute the album as world music in North America and Europe through partners to be announced. "We are very excited about this project," says Magic Stone president Landy Chang. "This is something new for us."

The Indonesian multimedia giant PT Datakom, through its subsidiary Yasawirya Tama Cipta (YTC), recently launched an album of 10 Indonesian national songs, "Simfoni Negeriku (The Symphony Of My Country)." The launch commemorated the 70th annual Youth Pledge Day. The project, which cost less than US$150,000, was aimed at reviving a sense of nationalism during economically and politically difficult times, says YTC president director Youk Tanzil. PT Aquarius Musikindo bought recording and sole distribution rights, said to run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Aquarius marketing spokesman Bondan Irawan. "It is the most expensive rights purchase we have ever bought," says Aquarius president director Surdjoko. Some 3,000 albums were released and sold for $6.65 on CD and $2.25 on cassette. Surdjoko hopes the album's nationalist songs will attract a sufficient audience. However, serious music in a pop disguise has a poor record in Indonesia. Vanessa Mae's "Violin Player" has sold 30,000 copies, compared to the 800,000 units sold of local pop group Dewa 19's "Pandawa Lima," for example, notes Irawan. Nine songs on the "Simfoni Negeriku" album were freshly arranged by noted conductor Addie Moeljadi Sumaatmadja, in collaboration with the 60-member Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra. The classic-pop style is reminiscent of Lalo Schriffin. "Tanah Airku (My Homeland)" and "Indonesia Pusaka (Indonesian Treasure)" feature soloists Rita Effendi and Agus Wisman, respectively. The national anthem, "Indonesia Raya (Great Indonesia)," was arranged by Dutch conductor Jos Cleber.

"Andaman Sea," on the Pisces/In & Out label, is the much-anticipated second album from Boy Thai, a group of traditional Thai musicians dedicated to modernizing the centuries-old Thai classical tradition. The band's 1995 debut album, "Siamese Samba," surprised many Thai classical-music lovers with its blend of Thai and Western styles. It has sold some 20,000 units, according to Pisces‹10 times the average for a local release. One song from the disc, "A Day On Sado Island," won the Season Award (the Thai equivalent to a Grammy) for Best Instrumental Song in 1995. According to Pisces managing director Amporn Chakkaphak, strong sales and positive response for the group's live shows encouraged the band to experiment further. The new album, released in late November 1998, has already charted high in local retail stores like Tower and Imagine. Group leader and composer Chaiyoot Tosa-nga, a master of the ranat ek (Thai xylophone), has brought his own virtuoso playing to the forefront on this album, which features local tunes, such Latin styles as salsa and a cover of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon." Chaiyoot already has written a symphonic concerto for the ranat ek. To reach a wider audience, Pisces has teamed up with major label Onpa, which has set up the subsidiary label In & Out to promote independent labels. Overseas interest has been strong, and Boy Thai aims to join the world-music festival circuit in the near future. Says MD Amporn, "First, we want to encourage Thais to listen to their own music, then we hope to reach international audiences."

Thai-Thanawut has never been this happy. All of Bangkok has heard of his music. And nobody dares claim that they haven't heard of "Prateung," his debut album, which has enjoyed success among local fans in Thailand. The tale of fortune and fame of this 29-year-old former backup singer began when he first walked into the offices of Genie Records, an affiliate of dominant Grammy Entertainment, gave them his demo tape and landed a deal. The title track of Thai-Thanawut's album tells the unusual story of a young man's crush on Prateung‹who turns out to be a transvestite. With its catchy hooks and upbeat style, it has become a quick hit with estimated sales in excess of 300,000 units. A second, easy-listening single from the artist, "Chai Loei," also has been well-received.

After the pioneering success of Warner Malaysia's Raihan (who had Malaysia's biggest-selling album of all time at 600,000 units plus), Warner Malaysia has developed another group in the same nasyid-pop vein. This time, it's an all-girl group called Huda. Tony Fernandes, regional MD of Warner Music Asean, says, "Since Raihan, there have been a lot of bands doing nasyid music. People got tired of it, but good songs will always stand out. We believe we have a killer album on our hands.'' The campaign for Huda is supported by TV exposure, and Fernandes adds that the album mixes traditional and contemporary repertoire.

Rock Records Philippines (RRP), since it opened for business in August 1997, has largely promoted its international catalog but is now building its domestic roster. The local affiliate of the Taiwan-based independent powerhouse, Rock has high hopes for singer Melissa Gibbs and her RRP debut album, scheduled for release in the first quarter of this year. She's being primed for regional Asia-Pacific success. According to Anna Tolentino, RRP sales and marketing manager, the album, untitled as of yet, will contain songs by composers from various Rock Record territories in Asia and most likely Australia, where an affiliate is planned, allowing different songs to be promoted in different territories. Says Tolentino, "We're still looking for the right songs. Aside from recording in the Philippines, there are plans to record four or five songs in Australia and several songs in Singapore. Melissa Gibbs has a distinctive voice that can break in other countries. She likes the music of Natalie Imbruglia and Alanis Morissette, and her songs also have attitude."n