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Getai Soul: The latest music festival by Getai Group is not only about music

When you think of getai — that slew of live shows that occur primarily during the Hungry Ghost Month — one usually thinks of singers in gaudy outfits, an equally gaudy stage and over-the-top performances. However, if you think about the context of getai’s association with music, the choice of Singaporean indie promoters Getai Group to use that designation seems highly appropriate — and even relevant.

When you think of getai — that slew of live shows that occur primarily during the Hungry Ghost Month — one usually thinks of singers in gaudy outfits, an equally gaudy stage and over-the-top performances. However, if you think about the context of getai’s association with music, the choice of Singaporean indie promoters Getai Group to use that designation seems highly appropriate — and even relevant.

No, the Getai Group doesn’t organise those performances. Instead, over the past year, it has organised several notable music-led events in the heart of Chinatown. The public first got to know the Getai Group — essentially the owners of Lepark (a rooftop restaurant located in People’s Park Complex) and TAJ, a band consisting of Tim De Cotta, Audrey Tengkey and Teo Jia Rong — at the first event it organised, Getai Electronica, in February 2015.

The origins of the Getai Group, said co-founder De Cotta, began with a chance encounter with Carmen Low and Lionel Ang (co-owners of Lepark) when TAJ was performing at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre. “They let me know that there was an area in Chinatown where they were building a platform for creative arts and a F&B joint and asked if TAJ would be interested to do a rooftop show amid a flea market or bazaar of sorts.”

De Cotta was keen and upon seeing the actual venue space, asked if he could programme five acts instead of just one as he felt that the space had huge potential. The venue owners agreed and Getai Electronica was set up to feature not only TAJ, but indie outfits Spacedays, Disco Hue, .gif and The Good Life Project.

What happened next was unexpected. “With just organic marketing online and word of mouth, we were expecting about 150 to 200 people (to turn up) but on the day itself, we were surprised with an attendance exceeding 1,200,” De Cotta recalled. “We were overwhelmed and in disbelief.”

De Cotta credits his desire to promote the local music scene as the motivating factor in taking a risk with the event; but the risk-taking paid off; and De Cotta and the Getai Group have not looked back since.

“As a musician, it was a huge boost of confidence to myself and the community. We wanted to do more and we felt that we might have found the formula of creating experiences that the next generation is craving for with the content and talents we have locally. We wanted to do more,” he said.

They did do more, organising several other getai events — including Getai Ethnica, Getai Holidays and Getai Underground. But now the Getai Group has come up with what’s perhaps their biggest and most amibitious project.

Called Getai Soul, it’s a ticketed two-day festival on Saturday and Sunday, featuring 16 music acts, including notable Singapore artistes, such as Charlie Lim & The Mothership, singer Vandetta and alt-jazz/funk outfit The Steve McQueens. They will be performing alongside foreign acts including Najwa from Malaysia, Barry Likumahuwa from Indonesia and Za Feedo from Japan. Unlike the previous editions, which were held at Lepark, Getai Soul will be held at the nearby Pearl’s Hill City Park.

De Cotta emphasised that the word “soul” doesn’t only refer to the music genre. “(We) relate ‘soul’ with identity, heart and passion; the intangible entity that fires us up to make our dreams tangible.”

According to De Cotta, what made a difference in setting up Getai Soul was the assistance from the Singapore Tourism Board. “(STB) attended our events at Chinatown last year (and) they have been extremely supportive with our efforts to attract more youth and visitors to Chinatown area; making the precinct more vibrant,” De Cotta explained. “We became acquainted with The Kickstart Fund and found that it supports the creation and test-bedding of innovative lifestyle concepts and events with strong tourism potential and scalability. As a result, we managed to have our event partially funded by (it).”

The question, of course, is, why should one go to Getai Soul? “Other than a strong line-up of musicians, which features some of Singapore’s best musicians as well as overseas acts?” quipped De Cotta.

“There are also cultural elements to our programming, such as the Siong Leng Musical Association, Raghajazz and Cantonese opera by Chris Choo; and one of the last Teochew puppetry troupes on the island, the Sin Ee Lye Heng troupe, which will perform on the same stage as the DJ sets programmed by Revision Music. On top of this, there will be live art and installation with food and beverage options provided by Lepark as well,” he added.

Getai Soul involves even more risk-taking on the part of the Getai Group, but De Cotta said his confidence in the artistes and the audience will be justified. “The line-up and programming speaks for itself and even if it fell under the eyes of people not so familiar with the names in the scene, the price points are about less than half — or less than — what festival-goers would pay for at any other prominent music festival currently on the Singapore calendar,” he said.

“What audiences are paying for is the connection to an identity close to us; and to have the ability to relate to fellow Singaporeans who are amazing, world-class musicians.”

Getai Soul happens on May 7 and 8, starting from noon at Pearl Hill’s City Park, Outram Park. Tickets can be purchased from http://getaisoul2016.peatix.com/.

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