Fans of nu-metal/nu-rap rock band Linkin Park can mosh your heads away in excitement because the band who brought you hits like Papercut and Numb are coming back to Kuala Lumpur after a 10-year absence!

And how did we find out? Well, the band casually announced it over their Facebook page in flawless Malay. Yep, flawless Malay. Not something you see everyday from an internationally-renowned band that’s globally fueled the rage of teenagers since 2001.

Anyhow, the date of the band’s return is set for August 19 2013, just two days after you restore your post-Good Vibes Fest excitement.

Chester, Mike, Joe, Phoenix, Rob, Brad and Dave will be bringing back their energy to Kuala Lumpur as part of their Living Things World Tour, so it may be time to get your money saved up!

Tickets unfortunately, are not available yet. But if you’re a hardcore Linkin Park fan with a LP Underground membership to show off, you can buy your tickets off the LP Underground website from June 19th onwards.

UPDATE (June 17, 2013)

Ticket prices of Linkin Park’s return to Kuala Lumpur has finally been announced!

Free Seating: RM95, RM195, RM295
Playground Zone: RM350
Rock Zone : RM450
The Pit : RM550
VIP: RM680

To purchase the tickets, go to TicketCharge or call 03-92228811 or visit The Wonderland+’s Facebook page.

On June 15, KL Live is opening its doors to Heineken Green Room to exhibit a supercharged showcase of music and creative artists. Look forward to a live line up that runs from top New York indie surf-poppers, The Drums to Malaysian hipster pin-up Darren Ashley, DJ action from disco and psych-infused electronica experts Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED), Deer Society and Twilight Actiongirl (TAG).

Transforming the interior of KL Live into a futuristically themed arts space, the night will not only consist of live acts, but also newly created art spaces curated by visual artist themancalleduncle.

A special Green Room edition of Pecha Kucha, the global design networking and social event Pecha Kucha founded in Tokyo. Presented in collaboration with British Council, this special music-themed edition will bring together Malaysian creatives from all walks of life to deliver fast moving presentations explaining their passion for music.

The Drums

Hosted by Twilight Actiongirl’s Bunga, Heineken Green Room features  an amazing line up of Heineken alumni and stylish scenesters delivering their 20 slides at 20 seconds each. You can expect to get to the stories behind the music with Heineken Thirst winners like DJ Blink, outspoken fashion photographer Vincent Paul Yong, radio DJ Mmmeng, style and music journalist Miranda Yeoh, Green Room collaborator Irman Hilmi (The Off-Day).

“Design elements surround us in the everyday world. With Heineken Green Room we have the ideal space to explore the areas where music, design and creative passion collide,” comments Jessie Chuah, Heineken Marketing Manager. “Mixing together music, design and visual arts icons from Malaysia and across the world allows us to both challenge and inspire our fans and create an experience that is unique to Heineken Green Room. We call it Social Design.”

Helping to create that unique experience will be architectural design collective Kontak! Turning the idea of indoor and outdoor spaces back to front, Kontak! will be using futuristic and floating materials to transform the bar into an industrially themed aerial park that floats suspended above the heads of Heineken’s music fans to create an uplifting and relaxed drinking space.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED)

We’ll also be unveiling a series of exclusive commissions from some of Malaysia’s leading emerging visual artists. Lecturer and gallery owner James Ly combines striking graphic design with freehand collaging work. His work for Heineken Green Room, titled “Reciprocal Phantasmagoria”, explores how pop culture remixes and re-consumes itself and imagines how we can break out of cycles of behaviour to push our societies forwards.

The Off-Day, a new retail and design space by Irman Hilmi, will be premiering Malaysian Rock History. The work is a series of gig posters that reimagines Malaysia’s music history through a new filter, and asks, what would the local music landscape have been like in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s if platforms like Heineken Green Room had existed then?

On the music front, Brooklyn-based four-piece The Drums will be making their first Malaysian debut for Heineken Green Room. The band makes music that is hard to classify, pulling in references as wide as dream pop, classic British indie, vintage surf rock all wedded to the kind of harmonies that are straight out of classic 1960’s girl group harmonisers like The Shangri-Las.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED) will also be gracing Heineken Green Room. Blog hit Household Goods, mixing House and psychedelia, has amassed over 2 million views on YouTube and debut album Trouble was critically acclaimed last year.

Also set for the big time is local live performer Darren Ashley, whose soaring vocals and catchy electronic tunes have helped to earn him a massive hipster following with both his band and for his club-based solo sets, like this one, a Heineken Green Room exclusive. Rewriting the music rulebook is standard operating procedure for The Deer Society, the indie and electronic outfit whose parties and events have shaken up the KL scene. They will also be making their debut at Heineken Green Room and bringing some of their trademark gritty magic to the night.

Which of course brings us to Twilight Actiongirl. As well as opening for The Drums, these longtime Heineken collaborators will also be celebrating a decade of indie-pop mayhem at Heineken Green Room with an exclusive exhibition of the group’s history.

Deer Society

On June 15, KL Live is opening its doors to Heineken Green Room to exhibit a supercharged showcase of music and creative artists. Look forward to a live line up that runs from top New York indie surf-poppers The Drums to Malaysian hipster pin-up Darren Ashley, DJ action from disco and psych-infused electronica experts Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED), Deer Society and Twilight Actiongirl (TAG).

Transforming the interior of KL Live into a futuristically themed arts space, the night will not only consist of live acts, but also newly created art spaces curated by visual artist themancalleduncle.

A special Green Room edition of Pecha Kucha, the global design networking and social event Pecha Kucha founded in Tokyo. Presented in collaboration with British Council, this special music-themed edition will bring together Malaysian creatives from all walks of life to deliver fast moving presentations explaining their passion for music.

Reciprocal Phantasmagoria (James Ly)

Hosted by Twilight Actiongirl’s Bunga, Heineken Green Room features  an amazing line up of Heineken alumni and stylish scenesters delivering their 20 slides at 20 seconds each. You can expect to get to the stories behind the music with Heineken Thirst winners like DJ Blink, outspoken fashion photographer Vincent Paul Yong, radio DJ Mmmeng, style and music journalist Miranda Yeoh, Green Room collaborator Irman Hilmi (The Off-Day).

“Design elements surround us in the everyday world. With Heineken Green Room we have the ideal space to explore the areas where music, design and creative passion collide,” comments Jessie Chuah, Heineken Marketing Manager. “Mixing together music, design and visual arts icons from Malaysia and across the world allows us to both challenge and inspire our fans and create an experience that is unique to Heineken Green Room. We call it Social Design.”

Malaysian Rock History (Irman Hilmi)

Helping to create that unique experience will be architectural design collective Kontak! Turning the idea of indoor and outdoor spaces back to front, Kontak! will be using futuristic and floating materials to transform the bar into an industrially themed aerial park that floats suspended above the heads of Heineken’s music fans to create an uplifting and relaxed drinking space.

We’ll also be unveiling a series of exclusive commissions from some of Malaysia’s leading emerging visual artists. Lecturer and gallery owner James Ly combines striking graphic design with freehand collaging work. His work for Heineken GreeRoom, titled “Reciprocal Phantasmagoria”, explores how pop culture remixes and re-consumes itself and imagines how we can break out of cycles of behaviour to push our societies forwards.

The Off-Day, a new retail and design space by Irman Hilmi, will be premiering Malaysian Rock History. The work is a series of gig posters that reimagines Malaysia’s music history through a new filter, and asks, what would the local music landscape have been like in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s if platforms like Heineken Green Room had existed then?

On the music front, Brooklyn-based four-piece The Drums will be making their first Malaysian debut for Heineken Green Room. The band makes music that is hard to classify, pulling in references as wide as dream pop, classic British indie, vintage surf rock all wedded to the kind of harmonies that are straight out of classic 1960’s girl group harmonisers like The Shangri-Las.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED) will also be gracing Heineken Green Room. Blog hit Household Goods, mixing House and psychedelia, has amassed over 2 million views on YouTube and debut album Trouble was critically acclaimed last year.

Also set for the big time is local live performer Darren Ashley, whose soaring vocals and catchy electronic tunes have helped to earn him a massive hipster following with both his band and for his club-based solo sets, like this one, a Heineken Green Room exclusive. Rewriting the music rulebook is standard operating procedure for The Deer Society, the indie and electronic outfit whose parties and events have shaken up the KL scene. They will also be making their debut at Heineken Green Room and bringing some of their trademark gritty magic to the night.

Which of course brings us to Twilight Actiongirl. As well as opening for The Drums, these longtime Heineken collaborators will also be celebrating a decade of indie-pop mayhem at Heineken Green Room with an exclusive exhibition of the group’s history.

SLOT TIMES

9.00 – 10.00pm             Twilight Actiongirl
10.00 – 10.30pm            Darren Ashley
11.00 – 12.00am            The Drums
12.00 – 1.30am              Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED)
1.30 – 3.00am              The Deer Society

Event Details

Date: Saturday 15 June 2013
Time: 9.00pm onwards (Pecha Kucha at 7.00pm)
Venue: KL Live, Life Centre, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur
Web: www.facebook.com/Heineken & www.heineken.com/my
Twitter: @Heineken_MY
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/15heWOT
Age Restriction:  Heineken Green Room is open to those above the age of 18 years only

Ticket Prices
Pre-Sale: RM88
At the Door: RM108  (Available at venue from 5PM on event day)

Looks like Kuala Lumpur is finally going to be on par with other major cities when it comes to music events, because this year is just packed with raves, parties, and concerts! The Good Vibes Festival is another newcomer that we’re really excited about, as it promises to be an event where music lovers can relax and enjoy live tunes while experiencing art, fashion and food attractions.

The official line-up of the first ever Good Vibes Fest has already been announced! Indie-rock fans in particular, will be overjoyed with the international line-up:

Smashing Pumpkins
Modest Mouse
Japandroids 
Ash

Malaysian acts like Kyoto Protocol, Deer Society, Twilight Actiongirl, Liyana Fizzy and more will also be taking the stage!

Good Vibes Festival
Date: 17 August 2013
Venue: Sepang International Circuit

Ticketing
Early Bird: RM128
Pre-Sale: Rm158
At the door: RM188
VIP:RM258

Date of ticket sales have yet to be announced, but will be available at wwww.myticket.my and Rock Corner outlets.

For more details on Good Vibes Festival, visit www.goodvibesfest.com

Raising the Bra, the all-female hip hop event in Kuala Lumpur is back for another bra-raising celebration!

Organized by Raising the Bar, Raising the Bra features an all-female lineup, with LIVE performances, DJ sets, graffiti demo, pop-up shops, giveaways (for the ladies) and more. With  Hunny Madu & Liang as hosts, the event will surely be a mark to support the females in the Malaysian hip hop industry!

So don’t forget to head over to The Bee in Publika on June 16th and show your “sistas” some respect!

Details:
Date: 16 June 2013, Sunday
Time: 8.30pm – 11.30pm
Location: The Bee, Publika

Facebook event page

After having set the bar earlier on in the year with acts such as Steve Aoki and Viscious Soundsystem, Wicked Nights are doing it again not ceasing to impress.

Over 10 years, Nic Chagall and Bossi have pushed boundaries and overcome feats resulting in worldwide fame due to their sought-after electronic music. After 3 hugely received albums, you will of definitely heard of Cosmic Gate. If you missed them at A State Of Trance this year, here is your chance to party with them in even closer proximity since the event is to be held in Neverland Club.

Wicked Nights’ next chapter is ready to whip the floors into frenzy as an evocative mix of trance, progressive and electro hits the speakers. For more information on how to get invites, log onto www.facebook.com/wickedentertainmentkl.

Wicked Nights featuring Cosmic Gate
Venue: Neverland Club, Kuala Lumpur
Date: 7 June 2013
Time: 10pm – 3am
Admission: RM85 plus 1 drink

Remember the good old days when music made sense and the vocals were so powerful, they sent chills down your spine? Retro Sunsplash brings enthusiasts together, bound by a charitable spirit and the drive of veteran deejays Francis Koh and Jay Subramaniam to have fun, ignore the sun and blast the songs of an era that just refuses to die.

The 5th edition of Retro Sunsplash is an iconic charitable party that gives the needy and nurtures the music of a century passed, while making you feel like you have been parting from 1969 to 1999. And that best part is that by the end of the night, you’ve helped so many underprivileged children with the necessities of growing up with possibilities.

Retro Sunsplash 5 will be bigger than before! Themed “Dance Music from the Last Century”, it is a tribute to the wonderfully diverse dance music and will feature music up to the year 1999. It will take place on Sunday, 2 June at The Retro Club, Asian Heritage Row.

Featuring some of the best DJs who rocked the dance scene in Malaysia, Gabriel Chong (11.LA), Lively Harry (Cafe Iguana), Syko G (La Luna), Lil Kev (Miami), and Jason Koo (DV8).

These fabulous five will be supported by the likes of four other wizard deck masters Jason M (Cafe Iguana), Adrian G (Cafe Iguana), Raymond Chia (Phase 2), Warren V (Carnegies) and Simon De Cruz (Radio City).

There will also be  Pool Charity Competition, Raffles Draw, and more. The event targets to collect RM18,000 in cash contributions and the funds will be headed over to Persatuan Kebajikan Jagaan Sri Sai Selangor.

RETRO SUNSPLASH 5 
Date: Sunday, 2 June 2013
Venue: The Retro Club, Asian Heritage Row
Event Theme: Dance Music from the Last Century
Tagline: Charity. Fab Music. Good Times. Great Friends.

Do check out the Retro Sunsplash 5 Facebook page for more details.

Gig posters is a popular art form with countless designers inspired to help identify bands and musicians. The design of the poster not only shows the band’s attitude and tone, but it also needs to match and express their music and albums in the art. All of this while maintaining the impact of the piece, without overworking or overfilling the area and detracting from it’s overall arrangement.

How this inspiration comes from? Well, graphic posters started as early as the 1960s . Gary Michael Grimshaw is a graphic artist who specialized in the music business since his first concert design in year 1966. The MC5 “Grand Ballroom Opening Night” poster  is one of his most important pieces.

Image: MC5, designed by Gary Grimshaw

Now, the music industry is set on finding fresh new talents and graphic designers who are more involved in the music industry as a way to show their expertise. It’s turned to be valuable recently since it’s attracting art collectors as well. These progressive pieces of art are well copyrighted which explains why their masterpieces end up costing lots of money.

Check out some of these amazing posters that has music magazines, bloggers and music fans talking about:

Image: Gotye

Image: Owl City

Image: Mate of States, designed by Andrio Abero

Image: The Decemberists, designed by Gina Kelly

Image: Animal Colelctive, designed by Little Jacket

Image: The Lumineers

Image: Iron & Wine, designed by Dan Stiles

Image: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Image: Mumford and Sons

Image: Deadmau5

Image: Fall Out Boy

It has been 6 years since TVXQ had a show in Malaysia since “Rising Sun 1st Asia Tour”. But this time, in the form of a TVXQ duo, Yunho (U-know) and Changmin (Max) returned gloriously, taking down Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam as part of their comeback TVXQ! “Catch Me” Live World Tour.

The organiser JPM Music had a chance to speak to the TVXQ’s leader Yunho, and Changmin before their concert started. They’ve given their exclusive peep into their lives, both on and off stage, and we want to share this with you.

[Y= Yunho; C= Changmin]

Q: How do you feel about your return to Malaysia after six years?

Y: It’s been a while that I didn’t come back to Malaysia and thank you so much to Malaysian Cassiopeia for such a heart-warming welcome. I’m really sorry for letting people wait for us for so long, I miss my Malaysian fans.

Q: What would you plan to do this time in Malaysia?

C: We arrived Malaysia the night before our concert in Malaysia right after a show. Unfortunately we are very sad that we have no time to hang around places in Malaysia and we hope that we can do it next time.

Y: It’s a different experience for us that we stayed in a resort instead of staying in a hotel when we’re having concert tour. We would like to do it next time.

Q: The sun in Malaysia shines all the time. Do you like the sun? You should go swimming.

Y: Yes, I like the sun. I love the sun, and of course I will swin if time allows.

Q: Speaking about the concert tonight (18th May), are there any special things you want to share with your fans?

Y: Well, the stage and location given are great for us to set up the stage distance nearer to our fans and audiences, so we hope to have more eye contact, more interactions can be done and have more fun with them.

C: It’s been 6 years apart from our fans, we’re so sorry to let them wait so long, and we can’t wait to meet them and make them happy as well.

Q: Since it’s the world tour, and you guys would probably meet different people with different culture, will you have different types of performance too?

Y: Usually there’s not much difference bacause it’s the world tour concert. Anyway, we will spend more time interact with the audiences.

Q: Do you mind using Malay to greet our Malaysian fans as the start of your concert tonight?

Y: We’ll greet in English first for sure and will continued with some simple Malay greetings. It easy for us to speak and it doesn’t sounds difficult. I think I prefer to say “Kuala Lumpur” instead of “Malaysia”.

Q: Okay, let’s talk about your personal life. What do you do during your free time?

Y: Wow, recently we’re quite packed with out world tour. I love marine sports especially scuba diving during this hot summer time.

Q: So Changmin, since you’ve been involved in variety shows, how do you feel about it?

C: I’ve been hosting variety shows for almost a decade. I have good times, bad times, funny times for sure. I just hope that I can present my heathiest smile to everyone in front of the screen.

Q: Yunho, what do you usually wear on normal days and we’ve noticed that your fashion style has actually attract attention especially at the airport.

Y: I never think of my outfit has been labeled as “airport fashion”, because I’m just wear it after a small discussion with my friends. Anyway, I’m glad that people would notice me. And, I love wearing sandals and sportshoes because it’s convenient and comfy, I’d love to show my fans if there’s a chance.

Q: So let’s round up with the final question. Anything you want to tell your Malaysian fans?

C&Y: We’re really sorry for letting our fans wait 6 years for us. We hope that our concert tonight will run smoothly so that we can spend more time having fun with our fans. “Aku Cinta Padamu”!

Of a mixed Malay and Japanese background, Hana K is making her way up as an aspiring DJ in Kuala Lumpur. At only 19 she has already worked at some very prestigious events, that of which include Lets Glow Summer Tour, Neon Voltage Rave, Electrasia Vol.1 in Sri Lanka and the list goes on!

For Hana’s 17^th birthday her dad gave her a CDJ (a CD player that allows analogue control), and by the time she was old enough to be in clubs, she was already spinning for them. Hana really did herself proud when she landed a place on tour with Mr.Nasty and Guruguru (Bassagents) as these are DJs she had grown to look up to, attending their events and appreciating their sound.

Hana K represents the budding talent in Kuala Lumpur who just need to break out and make it big once and for all! Known for her crazy style and tiny frame, we don’t think we’ve ever heard such big sounds from someone so small! We can’t tell whether it is the mad style, overwhelming music or the whole feisty package- if you see Hana K you will remember her. Hana is a style breaker, firecracker and mad party girl.

 Photographer: Ikwan Hadee

Q: Which DJ inspires you the most?
Well this is a tough one. Since I started listening to dance music, I listened to all kind of DJs that inspired me to like their style of music. I started wanting to become a DJ when I used to follow my friend to his gigs. I also attended many different rave parties. After attending events and watching DJ’s spin in front of millions of people, my dream was to become one too.

Q: Is it easy for you to come across people with the same music taste as you in KL?
It’s pretty difficult because I feel KL’s music scene is a little outdated compared to places like Europe and The States. I realized that not many people used to listen to EDM as much as we do now 2 years ago. For people like me who like to listen to Hardstyle which is pretty much considered ‘Underground’ music here, it isn’t as popular as in other countries.

Q: We’re coming to see one of your upcoming shows. What can we expect?
Definitely the place to be to dance to good music!

Q: What would you say is the best part of your job?
Spinning to me is a hobby. If I were to think of it as a job, I love how I get paid to play in clubs because I get to enjoy my self at the same time.

Q: What lies in the future for Hana K? Anything for us to get excited about?
I would like to start producing music, that is my next step.

Q: What is one song that will never get old for you? Why?
I would say Dance4life by Tiesto! I have so many memories listening to this song. It reminds me of the first few times I attended raves with my close friends, and those were the best times ever!

Follow Hana on Twitter, or listen to her music on Mixcloud.

Only a few days from the triumphant return of TVXQ! to Malaysia!

JPM Music revealed that they’re putting together a 14 member crew of talented fans to dance on stage with the lads, Max Changmin and U-know Yunho and it could be you!

JPM Music will soon be randomly selecting 30 ticket holders to place on their shortlist and of course, the organisers are looking for fans with dance-ability so only 14 of these fans shall make the final cut! The names of the 30 dancers shall be announced on 15th May.

That’s not all! JPM Music has also teamed up with Daorae Korean BBQ restaurant to delight TVXQ! concert ticket holders with a delicious treat – 10% discount off your bill when you dine at Daorae Korean BBQ in Solaris Mont Kiara any time in the month of May!

All you have to do is just present your ticket to take advantage of this fantastic deal.

Terms: Discount is only valid when you dine at the Solaris, Mont Kiara.