I was cooling off at the bamboo bar, staring into the lake and falling into sweet reverie with the medley of accordion, bagpipes and harmoniums streaming from the Iban longhouse behind me when furious African drumbeats pierced through the afternoon heat.  Not wanting to miss the rhythms and percussions of Yelemba D'Abidjan, I made a bee-line for the workshop.

Walking on wooden boardwalk that snakes through other Sarawak ethnic longhouses and trees of the surrounding rainforest, I felt privileged to be here at the festival.  Nothing could be more exotic than pairing eccentric, native-inspired world (and ethnic) music with the mystical allure of a tropical rainforest, found right here at Sarawak Cultural Village of Kuching.  Coupled with the presence of musicians and festival-goers that came from all corners of the world, this was one unifying party.

The little clearing, which held two stages for the night performances under open skies, provided wonderful acoustic reverberations; thanks to the thick, towering trees that surround it.  Tuku Kame, the resident performance troupe of Sarawak Cultural Village, was the opening act on the first night, hitting up an ethnic fusion set using traditional Sarawak instruments such as the Sape (a lute-like instrument of the Kenyah tribe), Jatung Utang (wooden xylophone) and Engkrumong (bronze xylophone usually played by the Iban ethnic group).

The six-member band Shannon delivered one of the highly acclaimed performances during the three-day festival.  Though Polish, they played Irish, Scottish and Celtic music.  What's more, they fused traditional instruments like Bodhran and bagpipes together with electric guitar and modern drum set.  Sounds schizophrenic?  Not at all.  Their music was high-spirited; full of escalating rhythms that worked the audience to a frenzy.  Oh, did I mention that they wear kilts too?

Yelemba D'Abidjan from Ivory Coast, Africa was equally arresting.  Their dance percussions anchored by fast and raging drumbeats sent the night into a feverish pitch.  Raw, relentless energy made their act highly physical with theatrical and ritualistic elements thrown in for good measure. 

But when Petrona Martinez from Colombia graced the stage, it was like a burst of sunshine.  At 67, she is hailed as one of the most authentic Afro-American voices of the Caribbean.  She performed the bullerengue, which was originally a joyful Afro-Colombian dance rhythm sung by pregnant women who would meet in secret when their husbands went off to the village dances.  It was truly amazing.

After the first night's performance, Acquaragia Drom, a four member Italian Gypsy band, had the crowd infatuated with their infectious music and interesting gypsy dance repertoire.  So much so that the audience were asking for the same songs - 'Ussa Sa' and 'Tarantella' - on their second and third night's performance.

Faiz Ali Faiz's performance was intense and highly spiritual.  Coming from Pakistan, this group performed qaw-wali music, which is partly inspired by Sufi poetry.  Their music led the audience through the themes of love and then the pains of separation.  Interestingly, these themes can be interpreted religiously or in the context of sexual love, depending on the listener.

Namgar, considerably the most exotic band in this eclectic line-up, was stunning nonetheless.  Their songs were infused with the experiences of early travellers along the Silk Road.  From the Buryat lineage of Mongolia, Namgar performed some mesmerizing traditional dance song, many of which are slowly disappearing.

As for the local acts, I was entranced by the sweet but haunting melodies of the Sarawak nose flute, played by Baun Lenjau.  Belonging to the Kenyah tribe of Orang Ulu Sarawak, she is the last of her kind.  Paya Kajan and Wasti Laweng also traveled from the Upper Baram region of the Northern Sarawak rainforest to bring us the soft, earthly tunes of the native lutong (zither instrument of the Orang Ulu).  Dynamic father and son duo, Tabuh Pak Ainal won the affections of the crowd with their fast-paced rebana and Sundanese drum percussions.  Jerry Kamit, who is a member of Tuku Kame, did a solo piece on the Sape.

Other notable performances include the American quintet from Portland, Oregan called Foghorn Stringband.  Their easy-to-like rhythms of bluegrass tunes got the crowd breaking into fun-hearted line dancing.  Separately, Florencio Mess and the Maya K'Ekchi' Strings from Belize performed a set consisting of simple music using instruments which Florencio hand-made himself.  Chulalongkorn University Ensemble of Thailand mixed traditional Thai music with influences from the funkier Laotian beats.  Also in the performance line up were Djamel Laroussi from Algeria playing rai music, Sarawan from Iran and Kurdestan, and the witty trio from Australia who named themselves Old Spice Boys.

While the nights were taken up by energetic, awe-inspiring performances by a total of 12 international and five local acts, the afternoons were slightly more relaxed, allowing everyone to catch a breather and recuperate for the night to come. 

The afternoon workshops were casual, educational and entertaining at the same time.  Sitting on the floor with the musicians at the various longhouses, many had gotten very close (and personal) with the musicians, all in the good nature of learning the ethnic instruments and musical background of another country.  I particularly enjoyed dancing to wild abandon in the gypsy dance workshop; among others, which grouped similar instruments together to form an interesting 'learn and jam' session.

I believe this is the very reason why this Rainforest World Music Festival was so powerful - the music and the musicians were so approachable.  The atmosphere at this festival was not pretentious at all.  The audience was never merely spectators but played as big a part in creating the music as the musicians.  Needless to say, you should have been there.

Words and photographs by Lim Chee Wah