When traveling in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur is a necessary stop, and for many people, there is never any need to look further, because it feels so much like home. There is a spectacular variety of cultures and customs to be seen in Kuala Lumpur. Hotels and restaurants can offer a taste of the variety, where the visual splendor and culinary delights speak of many cultures at once. There are also times and histories that get crossed here, where old world sensibilities come face to face with the absolutely modern, and traditions meet up with a deep love for innovation. The sense of the new is profound here as well, with the Petrona Towers serving as a visual reference point for KL’s love for the newest and the largest. It’s a city of multiple contradictions, and it can be enormously charming when the contradictions start to make sense.
Life here is hard to describe, but it’s certainly very sweet. There is a tendency toward the modern and the speed of technology, but this is always overwhelmed by a natural rhythm which speaks to slowness and easy relaxation. It’s a lovely way to get lost in a day, and if the call of the urban heartbeat gets to you, and you want to hear more of the modified sounds of nature, keep an eye peeled for some of the experiments of the local artist Irman Hilmi.
He plays with the local art rock group, klphq, or the Post-Harmonic Quintet, playing rowdy and profound shows in the city. The sound is definitely on the experimental side, as they modify sound electronically through digital loops, pedals, and synthesizers to make a noise that is utterly urban and also very pleasing. These kids aren’t kids any more, and have a magnificent sound. There are also drums, and a visual artist in the mix, to make for an experience that is new and very exciting. Irman Hilmi also spends time DJ’ing under the name Spacebar, and the sounds here are also radical experiments with what a couple guitars and a few loops can do. He’s a very exciting artist, involved with multiple projects, and is an exciting force to watch.