RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC
FESTIVAL: An aftermath!
This massive annual event in Sarawak attracted flocks of culture
and music hounds from around the world, a big leap from when it
started back in 1998. The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF)
has become to be known as a musical, cultural extravaganza.
The festival this year that happened from 13th to 15th
July saw a wide variety of music groups from across the
world, various genres and a complete treat to the ears
of the audience! There were about 23000 people from
various parts of the world who attended this festival.
The family-friendly event featured not only music acts but also
mini sessions, exhibitions, talks, and other environmental
activities such as tree planting campaigns and bringing
attention to creating a greener future. This year, RWMF
also focussed on mental, spiritual, and physical wellness
with yoga workshops, meditation sessions, and Tai-Chi.
We had the opportunity to chat with some
of the performers from the festival.
Raghu Dixit- India
This is your first time at Rainforest World Music Festival. Tell us about
your experience playing at the festival and your experience witnessing it.
This has been a long time coming for us! I had heard about
this festival and if I am not wrong, we had even sent in emails
and demos requesting the festival to feature us in the past. I
believe that everything happens when they are meant to be and
here we are in 2018 playing the prime spot on a Saturday night
to the largest crowd the festival has ever witnessed. Surreal!
Having impromptu jams with Slobodan from Balkanopolis and
Mike Ladd during our set was an added joy! Being on stage in
front of such an amazing crowd brought the best out of us. We
had a blast being on stage and will surely count RWMF as one
of our top few concerts abroad. We also made so many new
friends from the various bands from all around the world!
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It was also a joy watching other bands. I particularly
liked Balkanopolis, Mike Ladd and the band
from Chile which closed the festival.
Your band got the prime spot on Saturday when compared
to all the 3 days. Was it pre-planned? Did the festival team
let you know about the prime spot or it just happened?
It just happened, like everything else in my life! We had the
best and the largest crowd the festival has seen and I cannot
be grateful enough for this opportunity! I thank the Festival
Director Ms. Jun- Lin Yeoh and our booking agent Chirag Jain
for the amazing hospitality, opportunity and for creating such
a beautiful happy festival in an incredibly gorgeous venue.
Your band was most enjoyed and the festival saw the maximum
turnout on Saturday and you made everyone dance and enjoy
the show. Some bands and lot of visitors did mention that your
act was the Best this year. How do you feel about it?
Grateful. Time and time again we have done it on International
platforms but it is blessing to be out there doing what we love
and people love us for that! There is a lot of hard work behind
each of our little victories. I have a great set of musicians in my
band and our love for each other and friendship and camaraderie
brings it all together on stage. There are so many people behind
our success. Without their help, we would be nothing.
Your favourite gear on stage right now
It is undoubtedly my Gibson Studio Deluxe Acoustic
Guitar and my Sennheiser e945 Vocal mic. These two
are a must for me to be able to perform my best.
Waratoo, name changed from Narasirato- Solomon Islands
What’s the genre of music you play?
We play pan pipes, traditional music that we got inherently
from our ancestors from Solomon. We continue to