RentakAsia - Overview
RentakAsia (The Rhythm of Asia) is designed to bring about a convergence of music, the arts and culture in a unique way. For two days, the high-tech venue of Malaysia's first Commonwealth Games (National Sports Complex, Bukit Jalil) will reverberate with the sounds of pop, rock and folk from various parts of the world, scintillate with sights of colors on canvases and reek of the smells of various kinds of food.
It's an event designed to make major impact and is destined to go down in the history books as one of the most ambitious of its kind ever conceived in Asia.
You could say that it has been a project just waiting for the right moment to happen. The brainchild of Chief Executive Officer George G. Lourdes, the idea for RentakAsia germinated with a CD package about nine months ago.
One day, George and friends, Tapa and David Voo, were talking excitedly about a CD set called 'Rentak' that Tapa had brought along. After a discussion and an outpouring of ideas, the trio hit upon the idea of a one-of-a-kind festival that would fuse music, the arts and food. That was how RentakAsia came about.
As the idea took shape, they decided that it would not just be another large-scale concert event but a celebration that would bring musicians and music lovers from all over the world together in a environment that would allow easy interaction and self-expression and a free flow of ideas.
They were also determined to put Kuala Lumpur on the world map as a major venue for big entertainment events, with the National Sports Complex being the first and ideal choice for RentakAsia.
THE EVENT
RentakAsia, which is supported by Malaysia Airports Berhad and the Pan Pacific Hotel, KLIA, will be a two-day event held at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil. The entire sports complex - it has a number stadiums of varying sizes - will be utilized for the event which is scheduled to coincide with the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang on Oct. 20-22.
Visitors can experience all forms of music from the East and West. They will also be among to move about freely and enjoy shows by street entertainers - mime artists, clowns, jugglers, fire-breathers, buskers etc.
OBJECTIVE
Malaysia's ability to host a world music event will no longer be questioned once RentakAsia makes an impact. Although there have been a series of large music festivals here in the past, the scope of these events had been sadly limited by poor planning and inadequate funding.
The RentakAsia organizing committee has studied the problems behind these events and has taken all the necessary steps to ensure that RentakAsia will not only be as diverse as possible in terms of artist line-up and genre representation, but also be aggressively promoted as an event to be remembered forever.
And the fact that it is associated with the F1 event in Sepang raises its prestige even more.
THE CONCEPTUALISTS
GEORGE G. LOURDES - Chief Executive Officer
With over two decades of music industry experience, George is just the kind of go-getter with the chutzpah to think really big. And with RentakAsia, he has outdone himself.
His adventurous and innovative approach to marketing was the key to his success when he was with such companies as CBS Records (now Sony Music), Pacific Music Corporation (BMG Music), WEA (Warner Music), Noize Records, Sampoerna Music and Rock Records.
And for RentakAsia, he has pulled out all the stops to create a festival that he hopes will be remembered for a long time.
MUSTAFFA AHMAD HIDZIR (TAPA) - Creative Director
In charge of overall creative concept and design, Tapa is a man who thinks in terms of shapes and shades. He has designed the album artworks of many of Malaysia's top artists, and his tenure with such firms has Bloomingdale Advertising, Idris Associates and PTM Thompson Advertising has helped him gain invaluable experience in the field of visual conception.
DAVID VOO - Administrative Director
Having started out as an A&R Executive, David worked his way up to Assistant A&R Manager of the International Division of Rock Records. He has also worked with a number of other record companies, acquiring cataloging skills and a knowledge of repertoire that make him an asset to any recording company that employs him.
MOHD. HISHAM MOHAMMED NOOR (SHAM) - Art Director
A man of few words, Sham works closely with Tapa to create the artworks for RentakAsia posters, banners and other advertising media. He's a hardcore Pink Floyd fan who has a flower-power imagination.
RAMATHEVAN THEVAN - Production Director
Rama has spent almost two decades creating, coordinating and organizing large events for corporate companies. He is also something of an expert in helping event organizers prepare proper documentation for international shows and events.
SIVAKUMARAN BALAN NAIR - Productions Director
After having developed Music Connection Sdn Bhd into a leading music entity in the country, Siva is sparing no effort to make RentakAsia another success story. He has played a key role in promoting concerts featuring Michael Jackson (History Tour), Def Leppard , Kenny G, the Scorpions and David Gates & Bread in Malaysia.
ARIANNA TEOH - Public Relations & Communications Consultant
The former beauty queen-turned-entrepreneur is helping with negotiations in finalizing the artist line-up for RentakAsia.
LOGISTICS
The logistics have been designed in such a way that everything will be done entirely in Malaysia using local expertise and equipment. Foreign artists will have no need to bring in any equipment from abroad as the Malaysian organizers can supply almost everything they need.
About three months will be spent building the stage which will be set up at the venue 15 days before the event. There will be a working crew of 500 people to handle everything from backstage chores to security and sound and lighting.
MECHANICS
The RentakAsia organizing committee will consist of experts in various entertainment fields. These will also include those well-versed in the fields of communications, public relations, sound engineering and stage and artist management.
The international artists' venue at the the National Stadium will feature a stage design with ethnic-themed art motifs and state-of-the-art sound and lighting. Up to six international artists will be performing each day.
Other tentative venues include:
· Stadium Putra 1
· Stadium Putra 2
· Pusat Akuatik Nasional
· Stadium Nasional
· Amphitheatre
The Food Village is an outdoor venue for local and franchised food vendors. A selected area at Bukit Jalil will be transformed for this purpose. Local cuisine and international fast food will be available at the stalls set up there.
There will also be a Music/Arts/Crafts Village, an outdoor venue for both local and foreign recording artists. Individual booths will also be allotted to local and foreign record companies to display and sell music software and merchandise.
MARKETING
Merchandise
Special RentakAsia caps and T-shirts featuring various designs will be on sale.
RentakAsia CD Box Set
The RentakAsia CD Box set, The Sound of Malaysian Ethnic Rhythms, will offer three CDs - one containing authentic Malaysian folk songs featuring traditional instruments, the second with tracks where ethnic instruments are used in modern arrangements by contemporary artists, and the third, a CD-ROM with interactive features.
All-Entry Ticket
An all-entry ticket will be available online for those who want to enjoy the festivities to the max. Public transport to and from the venue for the two days of the festival will be arranged.
ADVERTISING & PROMOTION
Campaign
An aggressive two-month advertising and promotion campaign will be launched to create awareness about RentakAsia over TV, radio, in the press, on buses, and via buntings, posters and billboards. The campaign will include a street carnival and other dynamic activities. Art pieces created by various artists and art students for the stage will also be donated to various interested parties as part of the campaign.
ARTISTS
A galaxy of international artists will be featured in RentakAsia. Negotiations are still underway but the final line-up will be confirmed soon.
SPONSORS
Major corporate sponsors are expected to support this event. A list of confirmed sponsors will be posted here soon.
STAGE BACKDROPS
All stage backdrops will be done by professional artists and students from MIA and ITM, whose creative expression will later be transferred from canvas to posters, backdrops, leaflets and the like. Each of these designs will be given a different feel but at the same time be centered on a common theme.
SCHEDULE
The performances will take place at the Bukit Jalil Sport Complex on Oct. 20 and 21, 2000. The events will commence at noon and draw to a close at 1am on both dates.
CONCLUSION
A mega-event like this offers extensive global exposure and is the perfect platform to highlight issues related to the music industry in Malaysia and the world. It offers sponsors immediate and immense media exposure while attracting intense global interest in Malaysia like no other event has done before.
(RentakAsia, 5A, Jalan Wan Kadir 2, 60000 Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Tel: 603-7727 7286 / Fax: 603-7727 7268.)
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