Tugu Drum Circle at #Urbanscapes

Usually, as the name suggested, the Tugu Drum Circle do their jamming every Sunday at Tugu Negara. This weekend, the plan changed. They were at Urbanscapes, right in the open at Medan Pasar entertaining the crowd and getting them to join as well.

It worked out great. They got all their equipments laid up on seats arranged in a big circle with the director right in the middle conducting the whole thing. Even those we couldn't drum just followed the interactions and the rest was history.

Getting the place readyEvery instrument was pre-arrangedG-Pro readyTime for a quick briefingIt went on a touch too long I thought with some of the participant already getting tired after around 15 minutes. They did jazz it up though, by playing alternate instruments and just having fun.

The most important guy was the one with the bass drum. He controls the tempo.And they get some of the sections to do a bit of a soloIt attracted a sizeable crowd and yes, there was somebody who started to dance - in a rather suggestive fashion - before being told off by security. On the whole, it was a spectacle. I wonder if my boys - Idlan especially - may be interested.

Cannot be Bo(a)rdered

The first floor of the Urbanscape House had an interesting offering. A whole floor of art exhibit. And all with skateboards. Neat.

The art side of things was fascinating enough and add to that some political nuance, I must say that it was very well curated.

There were a couple of pieces which caught my eyes.

Rather neat ....Rebels ....Let's sit down ....The first one was a burger. A wooden burger, paying homage to the plain old Ramly Burger. It was well carved.

The second one was a set of nine boards attached to a wall, each with portrait of current and past political leaders, all against the current regime. Themed "Dulu Lain, Sekarang Lain" - which basically meant the wind of change - it depict how connected there were now in the current political climate.

From the offCloser .....And we have a winner ....More room ....What's next?We are all connected ....Subtle but obvious.

Most of the exhibitors had had their work featured gone and abroad before. You can tell from their polished work. Definitely worth a stop.

The Urbanscapes House

It was finally back. And the new format had been a reassuring departure. Urbanscapes was coming back into town. And this time around it was snack into the heart of KL.

Rather than making it exclusive - and damn expensive - the organiser got the clue that the festival should be about the urbanites. By having a core in the middle of town - a converted old office building in Jalan Kasturi - as the heart of the festival, the party would be accessible to everybody. And you can get a sample of the festivities for free. If you wanted more, you can always pay for the gigs going on around town.

Want to try your luck?The main lobby with the stage on the backgroundLet's check the other floorsAt the Urbanscapes House when I visited yesterday, there were an art exhibit - at the basement and the first floor - cafés and shops on the other floor. There was a stage on the ground floor which I understood would be hosting some short film screening as well.

It was lively and happening on the ground floor while at the same time quiet and reflective at the art rooms. The layout of the house was just perfect for this kind of event personally and I find the whole set up refreshing. Like an oasis in the middle of the city - ironic that it was raining when I arrived.

Those were the themes I supposed ...The skateboard exhibition .... more on that laterYou can also choose to chill ....The location was ideal of you were taking the LRT - either you stop at Pasar Budaya or Masjid Jamek. For outdoor event, Medan Pasar was just right across the street from the House.

I was impressed with the skateboard exhibition on the first floor. I was surprised that some of the local exhibitor had been showcasing their work abroad all this while. The curating was also quite neat.

Some word game ....A peek outside from the verandah on the top floorTime to head back ....The final thing to mention was the verandah on the top floor. It would take you out to the open with a view of both the flag at Dataran Merdeka on one side and Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower on the other. A nice touch.

The House would be opened until the 7th of May.