GUIDE TO THE LUMINA SOUNDTRACK
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It is fitting that the first song to grace the LUMINA soundtrack is "Breathe" from The Dreaming Punk, aka Kenny Png, aka the seer of the independent music collective, The Enigmatic Army. "I spent more than three months searching for music for the LUMINA trailer, and the hardest part of it was that I couldn't describe what I wanted. I knew it had to be special, I knew it had to convey the right mood to fit the imagery and mythology behind LUMINA," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "When Kenny offered me the chance to collaborate with the Enigmatic Army, I was ecstatic. The music is so expressive and radio friendly, and there were so many different styles to choose from - it felt like I had discovered this amazing library of music just waiting for the world to hear it." Editing the trailer came easily after choosing "Breathe" for the dreamy, atmospheric first half of the trailer, and La'Dies' "Human Trafficking" for the action packed intense second part of the trailer.
Kenny Png is the seer of the collective known as The Enigmatic Army, a group of musicians, writers, producers and directors who believe in expressing themselves without having to bend over to commercial pressures and clique-ish posing. Kenny leads with his boots dirty as he is an avid filmmaker, musician and photographer who mixes mediums and narrative styles all the time.
Having been trained in theatre at an early age, Kenny rejected the notion of fictional story telling in favour of documentary styled reflections and subtleties. His frustrations with the fixed norms of film and television making have also made him take the step to cross mediums whenever he can no matter how unpopular it may prove.
Kenny’s past credits include jury honours and screenings at the Sidewalk Cinema (Vienna), Singapore International Film Festival, Creative Circle Awards, SFX Radio Art (Seoul) as well as awards and accolades at the Asian Television Awards for his professional work in television.
As chief creative of The Enigmatic Army, Kenny has also been responsible for the direction of the artwork, music and supporting media for 4 full length album releases including Kid Without Candy by ambient folk musicians, Sajid & The Lost Boys from New Delhi, India.
By day, Kenny works as a senior producer at a Singaporean production house, conceptualizing and directing non-fictional content that can be watched on AXN, Animax, Disney Channel, Channel News Asia, Mediacorp among others.
www.theenigmaticarmy.com
www.alivenotdead.com/KenPng
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"I get asked about this song all the time," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "Paired with the atmospheric 'Breathe' from The Dreaming Punk, 'Human Trafficking' from La'Dies stands out as a masterpiece of metal. I like that there are multiple sides to the indie music scene in Asia - it's not all one flavor and it's most certainly doesn't all sound the same. It's amazing how different a good musician can sound when he goes from project to project - Kenny Png, who recorded 'Breathe' doubles as the bassist in La'Dies! I would love to have that kind of flexibility when making films."
La'Dies (pronounced "La Dice") is probably the first Mandarin Gothic punk metal band to emerge from the tight lipped city of Singapore. Merging different styles and experimentation, La'Dies gives the audience a hard dark mirror into their own lives as mannequins in the urban city.
La'Dies is Rui (vocals), Dani (guitars), Ken (bass), Hao (keyboards), and Alfe (drums) and is an ally of The Enigmatic Army.
www.theenigmaticarmy.com/bands/la-dies.html
www.myspace.com/ladiesyche
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The wonderful hypnotic closing song to LUMINA Webisode One is "Make Me Real" from Italian independent postrock quintet, Sense of Akasha. "When I was looking for the right song to end the first webisode, I knew it had to be something that conveyed the sense of a blossoming fairy tale romance, something fantastical yet also filled with longing and urgency," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "The lyrics to 'Make Me Real' fit so perfectly with the taxi scene between Lumina and Ryder, it felt as if it was written just for us."
Come listen to the soundtrack of your own road movie. The emotional and intense melodies fit the landscape perfectly, leading your view to the horizon, leaving your anger and solitude behind.
Sense of Akasha features Armin (vocals, guitar), Klaus (vocals, guitar, bass), Ivo (drums, glockenspiel, sampler), Christian (vocals, bass, guitar) and Irene (vocals, cello, piano.)
Read Jen Thym's interview with Sense of Akasha here.
www.senseofakasha.com
www.myspace.com/senseofakasha
You can buy Sense of Akasha's music on www.hongly.it or on iTunes. "Make Me Real" is courtesy of Riff Records and published by Fridge Italia.
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"Regine's voice can go from whisper thin to epic in just a few moments," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "I love the built up passion LGF's 'Grey', as well as the pairing of her distinctive melodic voice with those loud punky guitars."
Coming a long way from their very first gig in June 2002, Little Green Frog (LGF) have bravely planted the flag for Singapore's Chinese indie rock scene.
LGF writes, motivates, arranges and performs their own songs. This DIY spirit has led the band to enjoy a rare freedom to write their own thoughts, hopes and fears into music.
With gig experiences from the Esplanade to the Istana, LGF hopes to make their music heard through their high energy performances. LGF also hopes to make new friends and renew old ties with everyone who enjoys its music.
LGF is an ally of The Enigmatic Army.
Read Jen Thym's interview with LGF here.
www.lgfband.com
www.theenigmaticarmy.com/bands/lgf.html
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"How do you convey that unique sense of Mong Kok, the chaos of the street markets and the pulsing beat of Hong Kong? As much as Hong Kong is a modern open city, it's also a densely packed, shopping and food haven, and a wild chaotic mix of tourists and locals," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "There's nothing quite like the rush of being in the middle of that crowd, but 'J.D.R.' from La'Dies brings you close."
La'Dies (pronounced "La Dice") is probably the first Mandarin Gothic punk metal band to emerge from the tight lipped city of Singapore. Merging different styles and experimentation, La'Dies gives the audience a hard dark mirror into their own lives as mannequins in the urban city.
La'Dies is Rui (vocals), Dani (guitars), Ken (bass), Hao (keyboards), and Alfe (drums) and is an ally of The Enigmatic Army.
www.theenigmaticarmy.com/bands/la-dies.html
www.myspace.com/ladiesyche
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"LUMINA Webisode 4 is a turning point in the series. It was the first webisode that Bettina and I edited after we wrapped filming, and it is, for the most part, untouched," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "The love between Ryder and Lumina was palpable even on the film set, and when paired with Tim Be Told's "All of Me", it transcends all practical boundaries. Tim's voice is incredible - every time I hear this song, I am moved by his passion and sincerity."
Tim Be Told is a 5 piece songwriting power house, whose catchy soulful pop-rock sound elicits unavoidable comparisons with Maroon 5 and the Fray. Since their dorm room days of musical mayhem, the Charlottesville quintet has won UVA’s Battle of the Bands, created a booking frenzy on the college music circuit, and garnered major music industry interest. Their unmanufactured, self-taught musicianship can be heard on their long awaited new EP "From The Inside."
In a short space of time, the band has amassed an army of followers, inspired their online fans to donate their Facebook statuses, and has a Top 10 ranking in MySpace’s unsigned chart (VA), with over 300,000 plays.
Their popularity has earned them opening slots for such bands as OK Go and Parachute and rankings in the very top of the MySpace unsigned charts. This overwhelmingly positive reaction motivated the band to ditch their conventional career paths and the rest, as they say, is history!
Each member of the band hails from a different cultural background. Pianist and lead singer Tim Ouyang is Chinese, guitarist Andrew Chae is Korean, guitarist and backup vocalist Luan Nguyen is Vietnamese, drummer Jim Barredo is Filipino, and bassist Parker Stanley is of western European descent and 1/8 Cherokee Indian. Despite their distinct backgrounds, the band has a mainstream sound that appeals to a very diverse audience.
Read Jen's interview with Tim Be Told here.
www.timbetold.com
www.myspace.com/timbetold
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"I knew I wanted to use 'Awaken' from ah5ive somewhere in LUMINA as soon as I heard it. There is a haunting tone in the lead singer's voice, a sense of longing that I could immediately relate to," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "At this point in the series, Lumina is torn between the comfortable but dreary real world and the dangerous and exciting fantasy world that Ryder and the Dark Realm represent. Love is so rarely straightforward."
ah5ive's previous album “Yes or No” was released in 2001, a significant beginning to their music career. He has since participated in various local and overseas music festivals like Taiwan’s Spring Scream (2007, 2006), Singapore’s “Hua Yi” festival (2005), Singapore Fireworks Festival (2004) and Singapore Music Festival (2001). After 7 years in the music scene, marks the release of his 2nd self produced mini album, “Searching Everywhere for You and Me.” Through deeply personal lyrics, ah5ive brings out the search for self-identity, the courage to pursue dreams and the anticipation of true love.
And after the 2nd album collaboration with The Enigmatic Army thus release the new song "Awaken" on the compilation album Playspeak.
ah5ive is comprised of ah5ive (vocals), lo-fi (lead guitar), Kiwi (bass), Rix (guitars) and Takai (drums) and is an ally of the Enigmatic Army.
www.ah5ive.com
www.theenigmaticarmy.com/bands/ah5ive.html
www.myspace.com/ah5ive
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"Anton Wong's 'LoveSong Sing It' was a very late addition to the LUMINA soundtrack," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "I was talking to guitarist D'in Cheung in mid-August and he introduced me to their music producer, Anton. We hit it off immediately - he got all my 80's music references and had a great grasp of the local music scene. When I discovered that he had made 'LoveSong Sing It', I loved it! It is a little bit of a departure from the indie rock feel of most of the soundtrack, but I felt that the song had strong catchy beat and fit Webisode 6 well."
Anton Wong is a musician and a music producer with an eclectic taste in music, ranging from electronica to post punk. He has collaborated with numerous local musicians, including D'in Cheung and K.Lo. He produced the latest Crazimalz album and likes mindless speed metal.
His music video for "LoveSong Sing It" was a finalist in the I Shot Hong Kong Film Festival 2009 and screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival 2009.
www.alivenotdead.com/antonwong
www.myspace.com/greenplastickisses
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"Killer Soap is one of those bands that are just as great live as they are in the studio," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "I first heard them when they were playing the Global Battle of the Bands China Finals in Hong Kong, and they just blew me away." When she needed a dynamic and high energy rock song to end Webisode 7, Thym knew that "Somebody" was the perfect pick. "There is so much happening in Webisode 7, we needed a song that would keep the viewers in the right mood as they tried to untangle what they had just seen."
Killer Soap is a five piece independent rock band from Hong Kong formed in 2004, with Rocky Chan on lead vocals, Man Man Lau and Kevin Au on electric guitar, Isaac Ming on electric bass and Gould Wu on drums. The name Killer Soap is a reflection of their cultural background, blending together the local Hong Kong Chinese culture as well as the British colony culture. If you translate Killer Soap into Cantonese, the same sound translates to “the ultimate lethal weapon.”
The music of Killer Soap is also a mix of the east and the west; it consists of fast, upbeat, catchy tunes as well as moody, touch-your-heart ballads. The catchy melodies are reflect influences from J rock and J Pop, while the rhythm section and the guitar arrangement are more influenced by the west.
Since the band's inception in 2004, they have performed at more than a hundred gigs, including several appearances on local television. Four of their songs are included in the computer game “Audition” – an online music game with more than two million registered players. In winter 2008, they took first prize at the China Global Battle of the Bands and competed in London at the World Finals with 26 other talents from all around the world.
www.myspace.com/killersoap
www.alivenotdead.com/killersoap
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"Early on in my talks with Kenny Png, the seer of the Enigmatic Army, he showed me a wonderful gem of a music video he had made for 'Silent Movies' by Sajid and the Lost Boys," says LUMINA director Jennifer Thym. "The song stuck in my head - and the symbolism in that music video was so fitting to the Lumina and Ryder relationship! The whole album [Kid Without Candy] has a lush atmospheric sound to it, and it's on the brighter more hopeful side of melancholy, making it a perfect fit for the emotions we wanted to convey in LUMINA."
Hailing from New Delhi, India, Sajid and the Lost Boys are an ambient folk outfit who smooth the gap between the frantic modernity of emerging India and her passionate people, through their gentle melodic whispers.
Best described as a cross between The Kings of Convenience and Duncan Sheik, Sajid and the Lost Boys combines the soulful melodies of rainy afternoons with a raw honesty to reflect the emotional stirrings of the everyday man caught in the rush of time.
His songs have appeared on compilation CD's such as Sahi Bol The Urban Transmission (HMV SaReGaMa) and The Traffic Jam. Sajid and the Lost Boys is an ally of the Enigmatic Army.
www.theenigmaticarmy.com/bands/sajid.html
www.myspace.com/sajidsmusic
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Finding the right song to end the first season was no easy task. LUMINA director Jennifer Thym listened to hundreds of promising songs. When she was invited by guitarist D'in Cheung to check out some demos from his new band, she was immediately taken with the acoustic version of the song "Run Away." "It had a rough and emotionally raw feel to it," said Thym. "They captured something on that demo that night, something magical and distant and beautiful."
Born in Singapore, D’in spent his chidhood in Norway before moving to Australia to further his studies. After completing his education he returned home to serve the army for two years. He finally settled down in Hong Kong and is pursuing passion… MUSIC. Always on the lookout for more opportunities, he likes composing and playing the guitar. He is a fan of rock, pop, electronica, trip hop and ambient music.
K.Lo is a a talented and versatile vocalist, singing for metal sensation Crazimalz and other bands.
http://www.alivenotdead.com/paradox_din
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