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Executive Producer and Music Director Datin Azanin Dato’ Ahmad |
As part of Azanin’s ongoing commitment to the Arts, in November 1996, she established the first Label of its kind to further promote and preserve the rich classical music tradition of Asia, in particular the Malay Archipelago. “Seru” is yet another effort by Azanin to further promotes the aesthetic qualities from traditions deeply embedded in indigenous society. |
“SERU” can be purchased at: 0r at Tower Records 1st Floor, KL Plaza 179 Jln. Bukit Bintang 55100, Kuala Lumpur |
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Angin Dwipa will continue to record only the highest expression of our great music heritage by master musicians. The label employs the best equipment and purist techniques to ensure that the beauty of the music is captured unsullied. All performances are recorded live, with no overdubs or mixing Whether in the studio or on location, Angin Dwipa recordings strive to produce the best and most faithful rendition of the original performance. THE MUSIC “Seru” (the calling) is the first volume of Angin Dwipa’s Asian Mystique Music Collection. This volume I is a showcase of our musical traditions mainly from Kelantan, the northeastern state of Malaysia. It is drawn from the main indigenous theatrical traditions of the MakYong Theatre (traditional Dance Theatre), Wayang Kulit (Shadow Puppet Theatre), Main Petri (Medicinal and Healing Ritual) and Gendang Silat (Malay Martial Arts). The music of this maiden release is also the Soundtrack of “Tun Fatimah” - the 1996 dance theatre production by Suasana Cultural Centre. This Seru C.D which has been proclaimed by an established classical music reviewer as the first ‘Audiophile’ material of the region was launched by the Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Information, Dato’ Mohd. Shafie Apdal in November 1996. |
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THE INSTRUMENTS As in the main traditional theatrical forms in Southeast Asia, melodic percussion, wind and string instruments accompany the music on Volume 1 of SERU. Percussion includes various gongs and drums. The gongs or tawak are suspended from wooden frames and each is tuned differently. The gedumbak, a single-sided drum, is the lowest-tuned drum with the longest sustain due to an opening on one end. The gendang is a double-sided hand drums while the geduk rests on a stand and struck with sticks on one side. The kesi are small cymbals usually played in a set of two pairs. Two are fixed face-up and two hand-held. The canang, on the other hand, is a series of horizontally arrayed small gongs and can played both rhythmically or as a melody. The serunai is a double-reed wind instrument. The player uses circular breathing techniques to create continuous melodic lines. Finally, the rebab is a three-string spike fiddle and the main instrument of the Makyong theatre, a unique Malay traditional form of theatre. |
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THE MUSICIANS Led by Abdul Rahman Yusof, the musicians featured on SERU are possibly the last generation of master musicians from Kelantan. Ordinary village folk by day, they carry the responsibility of passing on a cultural heritage that has been handed down over the centuries. Future volumes from Angin Dwipa recordings will feature music as far as the Andaman Seas and the Mekong River to the Sulu Seas. “SERU” will make an excellent gift for both Malaysians as well as members of the international community. |
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