聽過才知好 [listening is believing]

【花樣年華】選曲。。。懷舊是把以前最好的一一復興。

可以想像兩個美麗兼性感的歌手怎樣把這些經典賦予新裝呢？

ladies and gentlemen, these are some the songs we would be covering in "my glorious years" triple-bill concert, can you imagine how wonderful they would be in jazz and bossa nova?

tonight we are meeting the DJs, photographer/videographer to discuss about the narration script and the video, which are the key ingredients to bring out the retro and nostalgic feel of the theme. this is the most time-consuming part of the concert. we promise to you that there will be plenty of surprises!

come and support us, RM105 tickets are selling fast!

最棒的評語 [short and sweet]

we have said it before, brasilieiro is our most satisfied work to-date, eventhough it was born at the time when the music industry is in trouble of all sorts.

the album has garnered many positive reviews in the past 3 months but nothing beats this one. it is obviously written by someone who understands and appreciates it very much.

it is very short but every word succintly captures the essence of the album!

read it here.

好難得的一刻 [rare and precious moments]

we don't know when was the last time the solianos gathered around for a family shoot. it must have been long time ago.

the shooting day was totally relaxing and cool. al pacino (our photographer) is a very efficient, young but talented chap. he goes about his job without much fuss and yet the photos turn out very nicely. he managed to give the pixs a "classic" feel which is what we demand of him.

we could see that the soliano ladies of tricia, bella and irene are more particular about how they look, much more than the gentlemen. they came early to do their make-up and try out the jewelries. thanks to jendela batik who sponsored the costume, the solianos really look "classic" and "classy" with them. thanks devo! thanks also to fairuz of audrey who sponsored the expensive jewelries!

we really think the ladies looked great and photogenic. some were teasing that bella looked like sharifah aini after the make-up and she wasn't pleased to know that! similarly, irene was accused of looking like misha omar, another statement that didn't make her very happy! to us, they don't look like anybody but themselves, their most photogenic self.

tano was obviously attracted the the most luscious object in bentley. no, not a woman, but the steinway grand with a price tag of RM1 million. he seemed so eager to caress the ivory with his nifty fingers. even rizal couldn't resist playing some tunes on the steinway... we didn't know he could play the piano! silly us, the soliano members are all multi-instrumentalist!

ador was visibly excited the whole day. maybe he felt happy to reach the end of the project. ador was instrumental in the whole project and the one with the heaviest burden and workload. we could see how he breathed a sign of relief when we finalized the mixing. naturally, he posed next to his fave instrument, the saxophone!

the group photo towards the end of the shooting was memorable. we will use this group photo to juxtapose against a similar photo taken 20 years ago! it would be a very interesting contrast of how the family members aged gracefully over the years.

now with the shooting over, we need to quickly decide on the album packaging... we want the packaging to look grand and classy, fully justifying the music of pusaka.

plenty of work ahead!

現場是最棒的 [live is the best]

we were talking to the bosses of loud+clear today about how very few music lovers are interested in live performances, especially the audiophiles (who are supposedly trying to reproduce "live" sound thru their systems).

imagine, 2v1g has sold some 20,000+ copies by now but still there are less than 200 people who come for our gigs or showcases. what small percentage is this! what does this tell us? that most music lovers are the closet type who prefer music played thru some hardware rather than the real deal? it is either that or music (whether live or reproduced) is never your priority entertainment. it is like people buying dvds rather than going to the cinema to enjoy the outing experience.

live performance is an experience where you can catch the artiste in his/her most natural form, exhibiting his/her true artistry, away from "enclosure" of the studio. if you get to see winnie ho live, you would be impressed with her stage persona and the way she interacts with the audience. you will get to see how pretty and demure is our bossa princess and the way she seduces with her lithe body and sweet voice..... live performance can never be duplicated.

the 2nd showcase in loud+clear welcomes our guitar maestro roger wang, whose "milestones" greatest hit album has been selling pretty well since its launch in december.

roger will be there tomorrow (friday) at 8pm to meet you guys and play a 30-minute set that is bound to thrill.

call caffee wong 012-3698160 just to let her know you are coming!

她回來了 [she is back]

what we lack in today's pop is voices like this.

sandy, please come back and rescue cantopop.

一點都不吵 [it wasn't loud but it was certainly clear]

we really had fun at the loud+clear showcase last night, with the trio of winnie ho, zyan and tristano soliano, churning out a night of elegant music!

we started late because of the downpour which started at 5pm and caused many people either not to turn up or late. it is not helped by the difficulty of finding the place as many people don't know where solaris dutamas is.

but all these shortcomings were compensated by the very nice acoustics of loud+clear and the sweet voices of zyan and winnie ho.

all the equipment: the mixer, the loudspeakers, the mics are new but the voices sounded crystal clear which is really a pleasant surprise as good acoustics are hard to come by in many venues in malaysia.

in between them, zyan and winnie performed a total of 8 songs, all mandarin classics, with tristano backing on the keyboard.

we met a couple of our hardcore fans, who told us they bought all our albums!

overall it was a successful event considering this is the first time we organized it in a record shop.

we look forward to this friday's showcase with roger wang! come and support us!

從這里開始 [mulanya disini]

the momentous moment has come, let's all rejoice and celebrate the goodness of great music, a monumental legacy... solianos "pusaka", remembering alfonso soliano.... it begins here, mulanya disini

拍照啦！ [say cheese!]

this is going to be an absolutely mad and crazy week with the soliano album shooting tomorrow, 2 showcases in loud+clear on tuesday and friday and "my glorious years" concert's press conference on thursday!

the venue for the album shoot would be bentley music. the family is going to pose next to the RM1mil steinway concert grand piano! they better look classy besides this luscious object of desire! all costumes and jewelries are sponsored by some famous brands....

and for the first time, moi would appear in the album as the executive producer, with tie and black suit and hopefully a not-so-tired smile.

there are 101 things going on at the moment, let's hope everyone takes care of his/her health and be in tip-top condition!

下星期試聽開始 [pusaka teaser]

starting next monday, we are going to reveal 4 track from "pusaka" (edited version) one by one, together with dato mahadhir lokman's emotive and touching narratives!

you are the first one in the world to listen to this masterpiece!

又有表演啦！ [watch roger plucks]

【Press Release】

Roger Wang, the Sabahan finger-style guitarist, celebrated his 10th year in the music industry in 2010. Already a famous musician in his own right, his recent achievements helped to catapult him to greater heights. Thanks to Jacky Cheung, the Cantopop "Heavenly King" who took his composition "Love Scale" and used it in his Canto-Jazz album "Private Corner". The song gave Roger Wang tremendous international exposures and helped him to win the recent PWH "Best Original Composition - International Category" award, a Bi-annual music award ceremony organized by the Malaysian Chinese press members. His other achievement is his collaboration with local Audiophile producer, Leslie Loh, in the highly-acclaimed Chinese acoustic album 2V1G (2 Voices, 1 Guitar), which has sold over 20,000 copies since its launch in 2008. 2V1G's debut album was recently listed in Hong Kong's Audiophile "CD Bible 2010" as one of the top 500 best recordings of all time.

With such accolades, it is high time for Roger Wang to release his first compilation in 10 years, aptly named "Milestones".

'Milestones’ is a double disc compilation album that celebrates Roger Wang’s first ten years as a recording artiste. This collection highlights his musical journey with hand picked tracks from 6 albums released over the decade, which includes tracks from Double Take’s “1 Voice, 6 Strings, 12 Moods” and “1 Voice, 6 Strings, 12 Days of Christmas”, Wang’s solo album “Journey Home”, his collaboration with Farid Ali on “No Strings Attached”, 2V1G’s debut album, “Love’s Tapestry” with Gina Panizales as well as 3 unreleased bonus tracks. This album has been specially remastered to audiophile standard by Keith Yip of Rock In Music, Hong Kong.

To celebrate this joyous occasion, Roger Wang is going to have a album-launching-cum-mini showcase, to be held in Loud+Clear record shop on 25th Feb 2011 (Friday), from 8:00pm to 9:00pm.

Admission is free! Please book a seat with Caffee Wong at 012-3698160!

Details:

Date: 25th Feb 2011 (Friday)
Venue: Loud+Clear Record Shop, Solaris Dutamas
Time: 8-9pm

明信片 [postcard]

ticket for "my glorious years" concert in the form of a collectible postcard, isn't that cool?

doug sax, 我們準備好了！[doug sax, we are ready for you！]

nick, tano and ador doing the final touches to the final mix

let's us sum up the final mix in one word: monumental.

doug sax, we are all ready for you to weave some magic into the mastering!

開始售票！[tickets on sale starting today!]

red denote RM105 seats. blue denotes RM85 seats

Tickets on sale starting 16th Feb 2011 (Wednesday)!

Early Birds discount of Rm10 (i.e. Rm95 & RM75) from now till 9th March 2011!

Ticketing Info:

Concert Date: 9th April 2011 (Saturday)

Venue: Bentley Auditorium, Mutiara Damansara

Price: RM105 & RM85 (See Seating Plan. Seat allocation will be done at auditorium entrance, first come first served basis. )

Ticketing Outlets: CDRAMA (Popular Bookstore) Ikano Power Centre (03-77258188/5832)

CDRAMA, Sunway Pyramid (03-56377280/7286)

CDRAMA, Cheras Leisure Mall (03-91322435/437)

Loud+Clear, Solaris Dutamas (03-62111683)

時刻到了 [the moment has arrived]

nick lee, the boss of the ark studios, just finalized the 2nd batch of mixing at 2am just now. it has dato mahadhir lokman's narratives in it. i have been waiting for a week for this moment.

i played it in the car stereo and was all at once caught in the time tunnel. it was as if dato ML was relating to someone close about his idol, alfonso soliano; it was intimate, touching and spine-chillingly surreal... i couldn't control my goose bumps.... i didn't cry but i started to wonder what kind of momentous impact would it have on those music lovers who grew up in the 50s,60s and 70s. i could sense that people would buy this album in multiples. like 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 copies.

18 months in the production, we are proud to announce the birth of "pusaka".

like what dato said in his narrartives: "the moment has arrived. mulanya disini".

久違了 [welcome back, we miss you so much]

you were considered the miracle of the music business in the new millennium.

your debut album sold over 300,000 copies in taiwan, fighting head to head with jay chou and wang lee hom.

you have a voice which is not like anyone out there.

you have a smile that's captivating.

you have the best production team that's in the music business.

your last album sold less than 50,000 copies and you were wise to take a sabbatical.

4 years later, you are back. more mature, more womanly and with a different mindset.

we want surprises cos surprise is the hardest thing to find in today's chinese pop music.

still, you are our best bet.

不鳥你 [kicking big boys' arses]

one of the greatest things about the internet is it allows a level playing field for small boys to fight against big boys. youtube, google, yahoo and the latest facebook are all small boys (at least they started that way) kicking the arses of the big boys (e.g. microsoft, IBM). it feels good to do that because the big boys are always the bullying and condescending kind.

in "social network" the movie, napster founder sean parker(acted by justin timberlake) told mark zuckerberg how great he feels to be able to kick the arses of the big boys: "napster may not have made the money but at least i changed the rule of the game forever; i woke them up from slumber." well said.

we are small boy. all the things we have done in the past are small boy's stuff.

but it feels good to be kicking arses!

封面曝光！ [pusaka cover exposed!]

this is only a draft and we are already getting good feedback in facebook!

kudos to our designer who has spent the last 2 weeks in coming out with this great design!

the use of gold is spot-on here, as it illustrate the esteemed malay. the chocolate background gives a warm and inviting feel to the album. it has a royal and grandness to it.

and the mirror-imaged "s" is the best twist of ingenuity here; it gives a sense of fun and uniqueness.

there will be some refinement along the way but it won't sway too much from this design!

好的翻唱 [good cover]

another proof that a good cover version beats a crappy new composition by a long mile.

anita mui would have approved this version!

開張慶典 [mini showcase]

loud+clear's opening showcase on 22nd feb 2011!

have you called caffee wong 012-3698160 to reserve your seats?

it is not often a record shop organizes unpluggged showcase like this, you know.

歷史性的一刻 [historical moments]

kindred spirits.

we have never met dato ML but from what we heard, he is a big fan and friend of the solianos.

on the phone, dato sounded professional. in real person, however, he is as candid as your best buddy and he has a big heart.

the moment he stepped into the ark studios, he talked non-stop, obviously he hasn't been keeping in touch in recent years with the solianos. you could sense from his passionate talking that he is closely bonded with the musical family.

dato has not been well for the past two weeks hence the postponements of the recording sessions. he said he wanted to be in the tip-top condition to record for us.

and god, he arrived two hours late! we were almost going to tell him not to come as the next session was being booked by another client. dato insisted that we gave him a try, with 20 minutes remaining off the recording schedule.

amazing, the moment he got onto the mike, he was like a man possessed, his voice turned so professional and he read the script fluently and elegantly, without a hint of irritation on his throat.

yes, it took just one take, with a couple of edits in between of course, to finish out the 4 narration parts! amazing! all done within 15 minutes!

dato is such a chatter box. he yakked non-stop about the good old times with the solianos, especially his time spent with alfonso solianos. dato is especially fond of "gadis idamanku", he kept humming that song several times!

he then ushered tano to the grand piano and asked him to play him the song while he sang! it was such a touching moment, coming from a man who is so well respected within his profession. he is a music man after all.

he asked irene to join him in "gadis idamanku", we took photos and what memorable shots.

dato even asked us to allow him to sing the lead for this song during our concert in june! we don't think we have reasons to say no!

as we speak to more and more people, it becomes obvious that many people are expecting the "pusaka" with eager anticipation. for fan like dato, it is something he has been waiting for the last 20 years. he recounted fondly how alfonso treated him with such warmth and generosity. you could feel that dato gets visibly moved every time he talks about the soliano legend.

before we parted, irene asked dato is he could be the emcee for the "pusaka" launch next month. dato replied in a very funny gesture: "what do you think? you think i am gonna let another person who doesn't know alfonso to mess up the show?"

yes, dato ML is gonna be the MC for the launch!

敲擊樂 [percussion]

salvador with his student, terra from aswara

as "pusaka" is a bit of everything: latin, mambo, cuban, jazz, swing, bossa nova.... percussion becomes an important part of the arrangement.

so far we have used valtinho anatascio, the amazing brazilian percussionist who frequently appears in NBT. he is a master percussionist worth a million dollar. our eyes popped out when we saw the way he played his collection of percussive instruments! (he has more than 10 of them!) his feel for the rhythm is inborn and intuitive, his whole body shakes when he plays percussion! it is a sight to behold and it is a joy to watch him play!

unfortunately, valtinho isn't around when we needed him for "mulanya disini", the first song in the album and one with a lot of drama and attack. so our producer, salvador, engaged one of his best students from aswara, terra, for the job.

terra is young but he has got the tone and techniques.

when you get to listen to "pusaka", listen to those tracks with heavy percussions and you will be thrilled!

開張啦！[official opening!]

alex and troy would like to invite you to the official opening of loud+clear record shop in solaris dutamas!

guest appearance and mini showcase by winnie ho 【何蕓妮】 of 2V1G and Z Yan 【欣彥】 a.k.a bossa princess 【芭莎公主】!

mystery Door Gift for everyone! admission is FREE!

winnie and z yan will be backed by tristano soliano, the multi-talented pianist from the soliano fame so there is no reasons for you to miss this showcase!

.

Date: 22nd Feb 2011 (Tuesday)
Time: 8pm - 10pm
Venue: Loud + Clear, Solaris Dutamas
Address and Map: see attached
Reservation: Call Caffee Wong 012-3698160

limited seats only! first come first served!

祝兔飛猛進 [gong xi fa cai]

if the world does not end in 2012, we will keep making music that we believe in.

here's wishing you a year of health, prosperity, joy, happiness and above all, a year with purpose and meaning!