By Mary Lim

HAVING been born into and bred on pop culture, I had always thought that world music was for stubborn traditionalists who refused to move forward with the times.

That was until I got packed off to the World Music Festival in Penang last year. It was discomforting to learn that it rained throughout the whole weekend when it was held for the first time in July 2007. According to the press statement, "there was an unprecedented big turnout and the crowd stayed despite the weather and danced in the mud at the Botanic Gardens". Shudder.

What I saw at the old quarry site at Botanic Gardens on the evening of May 2, however, made me relax immediately. For starters, the skies were clear. Most of the crowd, which comprised a mix of locals - some with young children in tow - and tourists, had already plonked themselves on the ground, looking forward to the party.

To make the event bigger and better, the organisers had lined up 11 international and four local bands, all of whom were well-known in their own indigenous and ethnic communities and genres. And quite a few had, in addition to performing at prestigious world music festivals, released CDs, won music awards and staged sold-out concerts.

Newcomers to world music had found it impossible to resist the enchanting and enticing Celtic jigs and reels by Irish quintet Teada. Led by fiddler and vocalist Oisin Mac Diarmada, the group pulled their strings so dexterously that the audience clapped, cheered and bopped up and down during the performance.

The jazz fans were drawn to the band Afenginn like bees to honey. Winner of Best World Album in 2005 in Denmark, the band's high-energy and funky fusion of punk, Nordic folk, world music and jazz, spiced up by the hilarious antics and facial expressions of dreadlocked mandolin maverick Kim Nyberg, sent the crowd into a delirious tizzy.

Adding an Asian flavour to the musical mix was Techung, an established Tibetan singer-songwriter living in exile in San Francisco. His voice and music have been featured in various documentaries including Imax production Everest, and he has performed alongside artistes such as U2 and George Harrison. The crowd stood or sat, spellbound by his earnest delivery of Tibetan folk tunes about love and freedom.

Malaysian-born musician vocalist Dya Singh sings spiritually infused Sikh hymns.

The locals, meanwhile, had plenty to be pleased about, especially with performances by Dya Singh, the Malaysian-born musician-vocalist acclaimed for his spiritually infused Sikh hymns, along with his two daughters and other members of his band.

There was also Kumpulan Dendang Anak, the Terengganu-based 15-member band which had wowed royalty and politicians with its refreshing performances of Malay traditional music.

Perhaps the most anticipated act of the festival was Kenge Kenge. The Kenyan ensemble, which completed a four month tour of England following the release of its debut CD Introducing Kenge Kenge in 2007, did not disappoint. The tribal troupe conjured a supergroovy benga ("something beautiful" in the native Luo language) music shindig, complete with traditional dul drums, nyangile sound box, ongeng'o metal rings, asili flute and orutu fiddles.

After three nights of world music, I still hung on to my mainstream playlist. But the Penang World Music Festival had given me valuable insight into the genre. It allowed me to witness the pride of those who hold on to their heritage and traditions so that others can rediscover the pleasures and wonders these offer.

Huge crowds brave the bad weather to enjoy three days of world-class music.

This trip was sponsored by Tourism Malaysia (www.tourism.gov.my).

This article was first published in The Straits Times Special. It is produced by the Special Projects Unit, Marketing Division, SPH.