Music: The ‘Vibe’ at Vibrations!
by Nilma Dole
The rhythm of the pulsating drum
beats rock the night away, the coconut palms sway to the music and the
thousands of tourists who have made Hikkaduwa their holiday destination
gyrate their hips to the melody of Vibe.
Drumming to their hearts’ content at the Vibrations every partying
Friday night, the band Vibe is not your average drumming dudes. They not
only started the whole drumming frenzy in Sri Lanka but they also gave
birth to notable drumming bands like Nadro and Elephant Foot.
“We nurture in-born talent of potential drummers and once we really
get down to drumming, it’s all pure music all the way” said the lead
dude of Vibe, Janaka Nanayakkara.
Together with his mates Nilanga, Nimal, Prageeth, Weerakkody, Sanjaya
and Gayan, they heavenly hammer everything from traditional bera to
Tharaboka, African Congo drums to Djembe, from Timbals to bass and
everything in between.
“The thing about playing as a percussion band is that we let the
rhythm flow naturally with minimum practice so the energy exudes well
when we perform. Hence, we always look for the audience’s reaction and
mood and play accordingly” said Janaka, whose father Siripala
Nanayakkara was a famous tabla player.
About Vibe itself, Janaka says that even though many of the founder
members have gone abroad, the talent of drumming in Sri Lanka is
immense.
“We even had a workshop for locals and tourists to give them basic
drumming classes so that they can go back home happy that they learnt
something valuable during their holiday” he said. Janaka also mentions
that the flavour and essence of drumming is unique and they don’t play
the same beat again, even when they practise.
“We maintain uniqueness in our music which means we don’t depend on
synthesizers for added spice and we have energy to prove to our audience
that we mean business when it comes to drumming” said Janaka, No doubt,
Vibrations has a massive turnout until the wee hours of the morning
proving that Vibe is a force to reckon with.
“We started Vibe as a hobby just to crack a few coconut shells
together and playing the bera but once we discovered that everyone loved
our raw music, we decided to make it regular” said Janaka.
He said that the band derives their influence from Carlos Santana and
because of meeting plenty tourists from around the world, right in
Hikkaduwa, they have been influenced by drum bands from all over the
world. “We are open-minded when it come to music and we appreciate
people introducing us to their music and in this way, we can bridge the
divide by uniting in music”.
He futher commented about the local industry, “The problem with the
music industry here is that people don’t realise what music potential we
have and how we have to harness it.” Speaking with experience when they
performed abroad, Janaka said that there have been technical problems
when the proper sound technics don’t work abroad.
He said, “The so-called sound engineers are just helpers connecting
plugs together and when it comes to a show where thousands are watching,
in the time of a crisis, it’s the drummers and the dancers who save Sri
Lanka’s musical face abroad.”
Janaka and his band have done several shows in Europe and the Middle
East and even performing for major events in Colombo before they stopped
due to complete lack of organisation on the part of the event managament
companes. There should be some special guidance for those in drumming
and Vibe is more than willing to help would-be drummers to gain the
know-how, he said.
“The Sri Lankan youth have the in born talent of hitting a drum
before they can walk and if guided properly everyone has the potenal to
shine. My advice to newcomers is to make their own identity so that they
will be recognised for their own sound and be Sri Lankan in using
traditional drums to show the world that Sri Lankan music totally
rocks!”
Pic: Nilma Dole
|
