Hong Kong Music

I don’t remember seeing many people busking in HK a few years back. I’ve noticed many in the area between Pedder street and LKF these days and have heard of many more on Kowloon side. Just this past Wedneday night, the sounds of Enrique Iglasias’ “Hero”, and The Fugees’ “Killing Me Softly”, were livening up the Central evening air. Seems like more and more groups of people are daring to just go and play to the crowds whether they like it or not!

I’m a fan of these musicians! I think there is something very liberating about playing the streets. It adds a nice touch to the atmosphere, whether you stop to watch or are just passing by. It’s almost like musicians are on a mission to bring music to the masses.

Sometimes it can be tiring to hear generic tunes though, so I would like to see some less overplayed songs and more original ones – Something that makes me stop and ask for a CD. It’s also a great way for musicians to get exposure and reach the people who don’t particularly seek out gigs.

What do you think?

On 12th Jan, Forgotten Dreams Carnival took place at the Kwun Tong Promenade. The carnival was another Feel Music Experimental Lab event by Wikitopia/Videoatge with the mission of connecting experimenting and exploring through music.

“we wish to widen Hong Kong’s music scene, build up unique music style and find new music directions/ideas.”

With a line up of local bands, along with a mini flea market, some visual installations, and face painting, this was one of those events that aimed to bring the diverse people of Hong Kong together to have fun and relax while witnessing homegrown talent on a hazy Saturday afternoon.

Something I’ve noticed about events in HK however, is that people aren’t willing to travel a little further than they normally would despite the fact that this city is so tiny! For the HK islanders, Kwun Tong is too far. Either that or many people intend to go (Facebook RSVP), but don’t show up because of last minute engagements. There’s always something getting in the way. Though this event felt a little disjointed and lacking in numbers, the organizers still did a great job in terms of the quality and the willingness to bring something personal and fun to the Hong Kong community.

But this still begs the question. What should we do to get more people out of their homes and into the city to experience the up and coming music HK has to offer? More promotional efforts to get people excited? Perhaps things like this just take time, but kudos to the organizers for building up momentum.

Tell us what you think!

CLOCKENFLAP 2012

For the past five or so years, Clockenflap has been livening up our city’s music atmosphere. Founded and organized by Jay Forester and Mike Hill of HK’s Robot collective, the flagship festival ran in Cyberport on 12th January 2008 for a single day. After some fluctuations with location and duration due to space and government restrictions, it now looks like the festival is set to continue to be one of Hong Kong’s annual treasures. Since 2011, they seem to have found the perfect location on the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade and has been a two day festival, for two years running.

It’s a mix of international and local acts, brightening up the city’s scene for a weekend.

After being out of the city for two years, Clockenflap 2012 was the first one I attended. I’m a huge fan of music festivals, big and small. I was sad to have missed acts like Santigold in the previous year, but I, like most I would imagine, were looking forward to the year’s headlines: Azealia Banks and Alt-J from the US and UK respectively. But like many will notice, sometimes it’s even best not to expect anything, so that when you stumble across a new talented band, they really blow you away.

What I love about Clockenflap is that it generates a giant buzz through the musical community in the city. The energy level is so high and is similar only to the late March hype of the Rugby sevens. While the Sevens focuses on sports and playful patriotism, Clockenflap is more about discovering international and local bands. At the same time, the sense of pride we develop for having our own big music festival creates a kind of solidarity for Hong-Kongers.

On a more city personal level, the festival gives our local musicians a incentive to prepare and rehearse in the months leading up to the big show, and then expose the outcome of their hard work to thousands of people. Clockenflap 2012 showcased diverse local talent from the Hong Kong Welsh Male Choir, to XXX DJs Enso and Yao, to crowd-pleaser Jun Kung.

No doubt, many people are convinced buy tickets because of the big-name international acts, but the best thing is that in venturing out, they are able to discover local gold. Overall the sense of excitement and the relaxed vibe of the festival is a great asset to our city. It’s awesome to see that the music has the power to coax us busy Hong-Kongers away from our school and office work to spend some time appreciating our city and each other.

In the next couple of years, I for one am looking forward to more local bands playing and even headlining Clockenflap.