From an unassuming student in Lim Kok Wing, to rapping a guest verse on Too Phat's final album, to party busting Diplo's set in Austria with Stereotyp, Arabyrd has got to be the most prolific niche artiste locally. This is no diva though, the early M.I.A comparisons go beyond their similar flow and tone of voice – Ara's antics on stage is attitude-filled, the kind that would get the crowd as boisterous as her. Her talent comes in multiple hues of the same gradient, and not with being only a live performer, Ara has added DJing to her skill set – as part of local duo Twinkies and solo as well. But don't mistake this as her new career path, her performance modes change according to the event – change doesn't have to be static, it's malleable.
Having been awarded with the Best Child Actor award at the 18th Malaysian Film Festival, Shawn Lee's adolescence was already a victorious one. You'd think that with one victory to his name would have led Lee to continue the comforts of a familiar vocation, but this young star set his eyes on something that was at the time considerably less awarded locally; beatboxing. The scene was still in its infancy, Lee had no mentor to look up to or local beatbox stars to seek knowledge from – thank the Internet for YouTube then. Shawn Lee taught himself the art of beatboxing purely through years of watching videos on the video-sharing site. With hard work and relentless practice, this autodidact vocal gymnast is now one of the best in the local scene who had ranked 9th in Beatbox World Championships 2009. Beatboxing paid off – Lee now has two victories to his name.
Quintet Kyoto Protocol weren't always the rockstars they are now. Years ago Fuad Alhabshi, Gael Oliveres, Shanjeev Reddy, Hairi Haneefa, and Shakeil Bashir were just five guys with corporate jobs (Fuad's in an asset management firm!) and a shared affinity for rock'n'roll that resulted in a series of bar gigs – mostly involving cover songs (as pub bands are wont to perform). Surprisingly finding their inner rockstars while doing so, the boys decided to start composing their own materials. Ignoring their fears of how the masses would react to them, the band went for it. Two music competitions (winning first place and runner-up respectively), a mainstream reality show (2nd place), an EP, and a full-length album later, Kyoto Protocol has become that rare Malaysian rock band that transcended the 'urban English act' label. Unafraid of a little swearing and attitude on stage like the best of rock bands, capable of genuine repartee with fans, and exuding a presence that'd inspired a legion of fanboys – Kyoto Protocol is the real deal.
More details on the event and registration here.