Ensembles Asia / Asian Music Network aims to bring together a diverse group of musicians who are active in the Asian underground music scene. These artists dedicate their time and resources to a type of music that does not promise economical return or social status, but do so out of passion and a sense of connectedness. We can confidently say, that there is no more central location or dominant scene for experimental and adventurous music, but instead there are many dispersed small, interwoven communities around the world. Our goal is to connect these communities on a grassroots level and facilitate new collaborations that might not happen through conventional channels of social media or because of physical distance. Lead by Japanese musician / composer Otomo Yoshihide, a research and curatorial team was formed together with Singaporean musician Yuen Chee Wai and Hong Kong based musician dj sniff (Takuro Mizuta Lippit) to explore and start a dialog between these micro-scenes throughout Asia.
The Asian Meeting Festival 2015 is the first public presentation of this project - musicians from Southeast Asian countries are invited to play concerts for the first time in Japan with various local musicians. Screenings of independent films and discussions will be held by the directors and artists themselves, shining new light onto the musical development in the region. We see this not as a one-off event but as a starting point for a long-lasting relationships among the artist communities that can take place in different locations in the coming years.
dj sniff
Yuen Chee Wai