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Molek FMJason Kong: A Festival For the People #FMFA2014
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Jason Kong is Livescape Asia’s Head of PR who has Red Bull for breakfast, a pint of Asahi for lunch, and a glass of Chivas 18 on the rocks for dinner. He is also the man Livescape relies on when sh*t hits the fan.
It was 1am, and the final act of the night – The Prodigy – just took to the stage. By this point, everyone on the FMFA team had gone two nights without sleep and had been running purely on Red Bull in the past 48 hours and more. The FMFA production office looked like a scene from the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.
This was Day 2 of Future Music Festival Asia 2013, the first time we’ve expanded the festival to take place over two consecutive days. Much earlier, that same office would also have been the perfect scene for any reality TV show. There were tears, laughter, yelling, screaming, speech impairment – an emotional and physical rollercoaster of sorts. But when The Prodigy came on stage, and as we caught the smiles on the faces of the tens of thousands of punters sharing the moment, there were mainly just tears. This time however, they were tears of joy accompanied by huge sighs of relief.
We did it. We’ve managed to pull off the country’s largest ever two-day music festival. At that point, I remember turning to Iqbal (Livescape’s Director and Head Honcho) and sinisterly joking / asking, “What if we had to do this all over again but for three days next year?” Iqbal looked at me with a smile of derision. Neither of us at that point knew it would actually happen. Thinking back, I probably should’ve kept my mouth shut.
Fast forward to mid October 2013, we announced that Future Music Festival Asia 2014 would take place for three consecutive days. When I first heard of the decision, I thought, “Well, we’ll need more Red Bull.” No one in the team freaked out or complained because we knew for the punters, that would be something to look forward to. We just got to work. And that pretty much sums up how all of us at Livescape are; we live and breathe for you, the punters. No matter how exhausting and stressful it gets, a glimpse of you being in the moment with a huge grin on your face reassures us that the physical and emotional rollercoaster we go through is all worth it. Some Asahi and Chivas would help too.
It is also the same reason why we are constantly innovating and brainstorming for ideas to make your festival experience even better than the last. Which is why this year, we’ve also announced a new venue – the Bukit Jalil National Stadium showgrounds.
Let me stress though, that a lot of thought went into this before we made this decision. By moving to Bukit Jalil, FMFA will still be held at a venue close to the city – a request we’ve received in high volumes from the majority of fans. The Bukit Jalil National Stadium is also an iconic monument, one that Malaysians can identify with and is a proud symbol of our nation, which is fitting as all eyes will be on our country in March when we host over 20,000 foreign fans from an expected 85 countries this year. Moreover with the Bukit Jalil LRT station – whose operation hours will be extended from 13 to 15 March – right at the doorstep of the entrance to the festival, it would provide you with the convenience of getting to and from the festival site, while at the same time reducing traffic congestion. Instead of having to drive through traffic and risk missing seeing your favourite acts, park at an LRT station nearest to you and hop on the train towards the festival. When you disembark, you will be literally steps away from the festival’s entrance.
On site, expect to see our trademark ferries wheel, which will be making a return to FMFA this year, alongside a five-storey Trojan horse. Expect also massive stages with an all-out lights and sound production in a venue that will be overhauled with Safari themed decors.
On the music front, there are so many acts that excite us which we hope would excite you too. On top of that list is Eric Prydz who makes his first ever festival appearance in Asia at FMFA2014. Then, there are hip hop legends Raekwon and Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan, Grammy nominees Pharrell Williams and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Chase & Status who will be performing live, Knife Party and their epic Haunted House Arena, our very own Malaysian pride, Yuna, and not forgetting, Armin van Buuren’s return with his own handpicked list of phenomenal acts for ASOT650.
So till the big day comes, keep checking our website (www.futuremusicfestival.asia) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/futuremusicasia) for regular updates. We’ll be releasing our complete site layout and set times as we inch closer to D-Day.
For now, from all of us at Livescape, we’d like to personally invite you to what we believe will be the biggest music festival this part of Asia has ever seen. Trust us, you won’t want to miss this.
www.futuremusicfestival.asia
www.facebook.com/futuremusicasia
