The Future is Now, Future Music Festival Asia Comes to KL!

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  03 Feb 2012 in Features

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Regional

Shinichi Osawa (JPN)
Also known as Mondo Grosso, Italian for ‘big world’, Shinichi could very well be Japan’s very best electronic act. Over the course of his career he has worked in genres from acid jazz to house, with strong influences of underground club music, though his recent work has been in the genre of electro house. HMV Japan rated Mondo Grosso at #95 on their Top 100 Japanese Pop Artists. It’s a big Shinichi world out there and we’re just living in it. www.shinichi-osawa.com

Jalebee Cartel (IN)
Having rocked individual gigs as well as live gigs, they’re not your average dance act (just look at the instruments they bring along to the stage). Singles ‘Apartment 88’ had peaked at the #1 spot on Pete Tong’s Bedroom Bedlam Chart and ‘Destiny’ won Best Sunset Soundtrack on BBC Radio. Not a newbie to the festival world, these boys from India will be showing us what’s up at Future Music Festival Asia. www.jalebee.in

Nikhil Chinapa (IN)
Aka VJ Nikhil, you might have recognised him on MTV India at one point. He is now the festival director of Goa’s Sunburn Festival and also a DJ in his own right. As a DJ Nikhil plays whatever he feels like. His sets are moody, varied, often erratic but usually fun. www.facebook.com/nikhilofficial

DJ Pearl (IN)
Nikhil’s significant other is also a DJ herself, known for her funky, tech sounds and electro beats. Pearl and her husband are important figures in India’s dance scene, having formed Submerge, a platform for up and coming local DJs. www.djpearl.com

Pet Conspiracy (CN)
China’s most prominent art-rockers Pet Conspiracy has kept a wildly strange following of art freaks and beat loving people. Their shows often feel like a tourist on acid at ‘80s Chinese disco. And that is precisely what they’re going for. petconspiracy.bandcamp.com

Electrico (SG)
Formerly Electric Company, indie pop rock outfit Electrico has been around in the uber-small Singaporean scene since 1996. Although they’ve been credited for reviving Singapore’s independent music scene, they aren’t resting on their laurel. Electrico is always challenging and exploring new sounds with each new project, their rewards include 3 acclaimed albums, two no.1 hits and numerous top 20s -that showcase their evolution, and a whole lot of fans. www.electricomusic.com

Inquisitive (SG)
His inquisitive mind is naturally curious of different genres, so much so that his music fuses from electro, dance, rock, house, heavy metal, dubstep and pretty much everything! Inquisitive quickly and surely won the attention of peers and professionals alike, in both the local and international club scene. Now, in his prime, the stage is set for Inquisitive to further expand into the realm of music production and performance. www.djinquisitive.com

Agrikulture (ID)
In the past 5 years, Agrikulture has grown from a trio of producer-DJs to a full-fledged elektronic band (complete with a deranged vocalist). They’ve played at festivals around the region with the biggest visiting international acts, released an album and are currently working on their second. With a strong grassroots following and musical far-sight, Agrikulture have come to represent all that is cool about Jakarta. www.myspace.com/agrikulture

Knatz (TH)
Knatz’s been in the Bangkok scene for more than a decade now. Early in his career he played alongside Bangkok pioneer DJ crew The Beat Lounge before joining Bangkok’s biggest club night Dudesweet later on in 2006. Knatz is the first DJ in Bangkok to mix hip hop, Baltimore club, Indy rock and electro together so seamlessly. djk-natz.blogspot.com

Sandwich (PHI)
Formed in 1995, Sandwich has played almost every single rock genre of the ‘90s – from rap rock to grunge. Now in their prime the band has matured to a rather nondescript indie rock sound. www.myspace.com/manilasandwich

Goodnight Electric (ID)
A trio dance act, Goodnight Electric focuses on synthpop – inspired by pop music in the early ‘80s-‘90s era, namely The Cure, early Depeche Mode, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Kraftwerk, The Lightning Seeds, Figurine, & Lo-Fi-Fnk wrapped around simple synthesizer and computer-based sequencer sounds combining electropop and new wave elements for what comes out as distinctively Indo indie dance. www.goodnightelectric.com

Project E.A.R (SEA)
A raprock superband made of bros from all over South East Asia who are stuck in a timewarp. These bros are still rocking it like it’s the late ‘90s-early ‘00s. www.myspace.com/projectear