07th, September 1997

Hilton all set for tenth year celebrations

The Colombo Hilton completes ten years of operation in Sri Lanka this month and to herald this occasion, entertainment and cuisine from all over the world has been brought to the hotel.

MATADOR comprising four Spaniards and two South Americans playing the famous and popular Gypsy King music, will be performing at the Blue Elephant, the discotheque at the Colombo Hilton, from 10th - 20th September. Beautiful Marcia Carr, a lady DJ from the United Kingdom is also here to spin her favourite discs, also at the Blue.

From Paris comes the ever popular Can Can dancers with different and new acts, and they will be performing at the Gables, while visiting Guest Chef, Cebellaic does the honours with his special creations during lunch and dinner. All this happens from the 5th - 16th.

The Ginza Hohsen not to be forgotten, has brought down a Japanese musician, and a Japanese hostess who will keep you entertained, while you enjoy the new menus put out specially for the occasion.

At the Lotus Terrace, everyone's favourite twenty four hour Coffee Shop, Middle Eastern delicacies prepared by a Middle Eastern Chef takes over the buffet during dinner. Entertainment by Egyptian Belly Dancers will no doubt complete the ambience of a Middle Eastern evening, ideal for the family.

Sri Lankan cuisine also takes a turn with Channa and his troupe performing in the evenings, while Queen of Curries Felicia Sorenson flits around making her special curries for those with a yearn for spicy food.

At the Wok, Chinese Chef from the Hilton's sister hotel, the Taipei Hilton takes over, and he certainly hopes to give yet another twist to Chinese cuisine from the 5th - 13th.

In the Thorana Lounge, there's a variety of entertainment. as Bob Brown and Brenda, two famous magicians from California will keep guests spellbound with their bag of tricks. Charming Charles Darden, the pianist from New York takes the keyboards with his inimitable style, as he sings his favourite blues and ballads. Two flair Barmen from the United Kingdom, who were also here before, go behind the cocktail bar and look forward to juggle their mixes for the night owls with a thirst !

The Il-Ponte Ristorante which has got a face lift, and in time for the occasion, takes great pleasure in having the Ouh La la troupe perform during dinner, while Guest Chef, Lucaccioni, a familiar face at the restaurant will produce sumptuous dishes all for our enjoyment from the 5th - 18th.

To complete this worldwide blend of entertainment which the Hilton has put together, are two stilt walkers from Germany.

Vibes from the tribemakers

Vibes from the Tribe Making its way onto local radio air waves in the last couple of days has been a breakthrough of sorts . The Colombo Tribe Project is, a CD of English music by a whole generation of new bands , intent on creating sophisticated original music from many different genres.

The producers of the album say "Over the past three years, we have seen the genesis of something new. Something exciting. Out of nowhere, a plethora of young musicians have emerged , playing their own music and singing their own songs. Every kind of music imaginable. Rock. Rap. R&B. Ragga. Power metal. In complete contrast to most of their musical predecessors who for one reason or another chose to solely do cover versions of mainstream pop music hits, what you are seeing is a backlash against this blandness. What you are seeing is young people who have the dream of writing , recording and performing their own music - whatever the cost to themselves."

In an unusual move, this CD will not be released to the general public. Asif Ansar, assistant producer explains why."We felt that the local market is too small for English music to really make any money from CDor tape sales .

Also there isn't sufficient copyright protection from pirating to enable us to sell our product without illegal reproduction. But Blood brother Records, the company that put the CD together is considering the possibility of a limited edition CD release since we have received so many requests for copies since the songs started airing on radio ."

He goes on to say "We decided to target radio as the key to unlocking this potential that we see in all the bands. The three FM stations in particular - Yes FM, TNL and Capital - have really opened up the music market and we hope that they will support the CD and give it air play. In countries like France and Australia, there are legal rules for playing a minimum amount of local content - because of that bands like INXS, MC Solaar and Midnight Oil have risen to international prominence, because of the support given from radio. We believe that the next stage in Sri Lankan radio is to support local bands and musicians who are doing good original music - it will help to keep radio alive and fresh too.

"From the hip hop end of things are four tracks by Brown Boogie Nation ."Lions and Tigers" is a scathing critique of the ethnic conflict - as the chorus goes "Lions and Tigers - and everybody wants to be king of the jungle" . Using a sampled beat from Ice-T's "Original Gangster" album , BBN string together a plea for peace in this shattered pearl. BBN are three ; Choirboy , L'il Hound and Looney Tunez . Their message is simple as Choirboy says " If you want to hear what the song is really about , just listen to the lyrics: The first casualty of war is innocence - so don't lose sight of the path to peace - let violence cease and keep your rage inside don't unleash the beast."

"Their other song "Brown and Proud" is equally forthright , claiming that rap isn't just for black Americans, but is now a global medium for young people. On a slightly less intense tip comes "Grammys and Oscars " a playful song where the boys let their imagination run riot on this song about the desire for fame and fortune." Getting back to the local content, "Colombo (And it's All good)" is apparently designed as an anthem for the city by the sea, paying homage to all the clubs, hang outs, people and attitudes that shape C-town (as they call it) and make it special .Everything from kothu rotti to fake Levi's…

Also in the hip hop corner comes Rude Boy Republic comprising of Asif, Shiraz and Rukshan who mix ragga and rap into their dance floor oriented tunes, with music and production by Mel "Herby " Kent of Passion Sound and Light . Their song "Free stylee" is "a playful take on the old school hip hop battle rap , done by the likes of KRS-1, Eric B and Rakim and the like." Underground Sound" is a dance tune designed to make you think while you dance.

" Rude Boy Republic are influenced by the West Coast sound of Spice 1, Ant Banks , the East Coast Sound of Redman, EPMD , WuTang Clan and for that extra kick the ragga sound of Buju Banton, Beenieman and Jamalski . The compilation is also well stocked with ballads, of which Deja Vu provides some of the sweetest - "Always on my Mind" and "Here in my Heart" . Deja Vu make sweet soul music in the latest R&B vein and their influences include everyone from Babyface to Luther Vandross.

The tracks are taken from their first EP "The Debut" released last year .Kevin Francke , lead singer of Deja Vu teams up with the only female vocalist on this album , the talented Shenelle Fernando for a duet called "Didn't Know" which reminds one of songs by Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion. Expect to hear great things from Shenelle Fernando, a young singer who has a voice that is firmly rooted in contemporary R&B. The rest of Deja Vu is comprised of Krishan , Shadwell and new recruitBathiya. Bathiya himself contributes a solo track to the compilation," Baby Come Back" a light hearted pop song with ragga overtones. Vocalist Bathiya provides the lyrics and the toasting , with music and production by veteran performer Dilup Gabudamudalige.

Still on the soul corner, comes Legacy with their single "Legacy".The producers say "We heard this at Take One studios one day and were blown away. Power pop with gospel overtones and a haunting message . You are not just a number on a page. You are not just a shadow on a stage. Great lyrics, great harmonies, classic song in the making.

" Legacy are Marsh, Lukshan , Seung In, Anushka, Rajinda , and Indika. Marsh sums up the experience of a lot of bands when he says " There were long hours in practice and in studios , indecently high expenditure on what seemed like an impossible dream, frustration, elation, and a dictionary full of mixed emotions . Finally , hopefully, by the grace of god we may see the dream take shape ….. "Expect to hear a more fully produced version of this song on the airwaves soon.

Providing the rock muscle aspect to the Colombo Tribe Compilation are Wreck who contribute four songs - "Down", "Disillusioned but Pretty" , "Round and Round", and Fly." A garage band with a whole bunch of different song writing influences from Rage Against The Machine to the Blue tones , Stevie Ray Vaughan to Oasis. Wreck comprise Adhil (rhythm guitar/vocals) , Anil (vocals) , O.P. (bass), Ajith (lead guitar) and Big Poppa (drums/vocals) . A band who have been recording since 1995, their other singles include "Nightmare," "The Other Side" and "Phone call" , on a soon to be released EP "The King of Sunflowers".

Finally, representing another generation of rock come one of the grandaddies of original music in this country - Cancer, who have been keeping the flame of rock alive for decades. A loose line up whose core includes Prasanna (vocals/guitar), Romesh (bass) and Barnes (drums) ."Footboard Feeling" is uniquely Sri Lankan rock with a defiant and funky attitude - using the metaphor of hanging off the footboard of one of Sri Lanka's menacing private coaches as a comparison for life. "While "Captain Zero" is David Bowie meets Bob Marley.

The tracks are taken from Cancer's fascinating "Case History" album which contains more songs like "Any time at all", "Weight on her shoulders" as well as baila like "Podi Nangi" .

Asif Ansar sums it up finally "To make an impact on the musical consciousness of a nation is not an easy task. By releasing a compilation together, the bands on this compilation have chosen to unite their talents to achieve a common goal ; to inspire more bands to getout there and do their own thing. This is the sound of the underground coming to a radio station , a television screen, a stage near you.We need the support of music lovers and all media personnel in Sri Lanka to help make an impact and forever change the scene here .

We hope that they will take it to their hearts. "

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