Mdungu blog #5: 'Rubens Cube'

Geschreven door Luuk Imhann

zondag, 02 oktober 2011 10:01

Funki volgt Afrowhat-band Mdungu tijdens hun tour door Azië. De negenkoppige band blogt over hun ervaringen en deelt zo met de wereld wat voor vele Nederlandse bands een droom is: internationaal touren. Een verslag van hete temperaturen, inclusief muziek, foto's en video's. Aftiteling!

Verslag Benoit/Merijn
Blog, Seoul, 2nd october 2011.

Last night we traveled from Shenzhen to Hong Kong and flew from Hong Kong to Seoul, South Korea. We arrived in pitch dark and drove in a bus for 2 hours to inland Korea, to a place called Jarasum, which means Turtle Island. It was this morning we woke up and could first see the beautiful place we had arrived in. A lot colder than China, but also sun, green mountains and lakes all over. Here we play two shows today!

Here we are now sitting at the backstage of the Jarasum jazz festival waiting to play our second show today ar the party stage! (a very convenient stage for Mdungu) Left of our backstage container is the one of Tower of Power, on the right is the one from Kurt Rosenwinkel! We're still looking for Kurt although we've spotted him at lunch already where we had fantastic Korean food!

Our first show in Korea was an early afternoon set on the Festival Lounge stage with people sitting in the grass, occasionally getting up and dancing. After that show we signed a lot of autographs and had pictures taken with the Korean fans :). Korea is really a great place; We have a big bus with discolights, single rooms in the hotel (we were happy to have some alone-time) fantastic food and great people!

The band had a small personel change; Coen 'The Coon' Kaldeway replaces Job today and tomorrow in Hong Kong! He's a regular guest at Mdungu cock, we really miss Job but it's alway good to play with The Coon! The band is still doing fine; Ruben is still trying to finish the Rubiks cube but by now we call it the Rubens cube. Benoit worked on his health and rode a bicycle on stage. Frank stopped practicing guitar, but he really misses it...

2 hours later...

We managed to find Kurt and he's kicking ass right now. Benny got real inspired by Kurts drummer Justin. Another major event was Rubik finishing the Rubens cube! We slowly get in a playing mood again for our midnight partyshow :). This festival is huge, and although it's cold, it's freaking hot! ;-)

Again 2 hours later....

The show at the party stage went bananas! Great crowd in Korea! now we're back on the bus heading to the airport again: no sleep till Hong Kong! Tomorrow our last gig of the Asia tour on the Hong Kong Jazz Festival.