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DJ Nihal - Promoting Asian talent

By  Easwaran Rutnam

He is a Sri Lankan born radio presenter breaking the airways on international radio with his unique style and repertoire.

Nihal Attanayake, better known as DJ Nihal, is a top notch radio presenter on BBC Radio One, presenting a weekly urban music program titled 'The Nihal and Bobby Friction show' together with his co-host Bobby Friction, which is fast gaining popularity in Britain.

The show, which picked up a prestigious gold Sony Award for 'Best Specialist Radio Show,' spotlights a mix of the hottest Asian beats and flavas which has made them the hottest and most in demand names on the scene in Britain.

A true patriot is Nihal, who makes every attempt to give deserving Sri Lankan talent publicity on his show and the biggest sensation in Colombo, Iraj, is among those featured. Nihal told The Sunday Leader there is lot of excellent talent in the Sri Lankan music industry which is just beginning to gain ground after Bathiya and Santush and now Iraj opened the gates.

The Sri Lankan born DJ, who is all set to tie the knot in August, has always worked in the music industry initially as a performer in a band before becoming a highly respected and knowledgeable music plugger with his own business. He is regularly sought after to make guest appearances on music based shows in Britian where he can share his expertise and communicate with the audience in his funny and informative way.

Among the top notch British shows presented by Nihal is 'The Drop,' which was a funky hip hop show filmed for MTV and 'Webwise' with Emma B, a live youth and popular culture show for BBC2. In addition to his broadcasting skills Nihal is also an excellent music journalist, writing for a number of music magazines in London and is now working on his record label.

"I'm gathering up some Asian talent in Britain for an album that will be out very soon," Nihal revealed. He has also promoted leading international acts such as Judge Jules, Mos Def, Beanie Man, and Elton John.

With his funky image Nihal has done a bit of modeling and in his spare time DJs at several night clubs in London. He has been to Sri Lanka several times over past couple of years guest DJing for open air gigs in Colombo, the most notable being 'Party in the Park.'

Nihal, who has been on the BBC Radio One show with Bobby since it was launched in October 2002, says he wants people to understand that Asian kids can produce great music just the same as black kids and white kids. His heartfelt ambition is to bring Sri Lankan hip hop music to the international arena and give it the recognition it rightly deserves.

"With lots of hard work and dedication, hopefully you will see a Sri Lankan track or two on the UK and US charts," Nihal said with determination in his voice.

'Spanish eyes' all set to rock Sri Lanka

By Dr. Thushara Senanayake

Engelbert Humperdinck, the king of romance will be here in Sri Lanka on June 11, at Water's Edge for a one-off performance.He is being brought down by Sound Station Entertainment Ltd., the latest promoters in town.

Engelbert was born on May 2, l936, in Madras, India as Gerry Dorsey. He spent 30 years of his life there along with his nine brothers and sisters and was raised and educated in Leicester, UK and worked as a factory engineer after his education.Then he served in the army before his arrival in London where he lived over a furniture shop in pathetic circumstances - and eleven months occupying a hospital bed.

Then in 1960, he met Gordon Mills, the man who discovered and managed Tom Jones.  Mills, who hailed from Wales was a member of the Viscounts and he abandoned the group when he discovered Tom Jones. Mills had faith in Dorsey and signed him on.The first thing that Mills did was change Dorsey's name to Engelbert Humperdinck as a tribute to the famous composer.

A few records released by Humperdink in the early and mid 1966 sunk without trace but Humperdink was not deterred by this failure and he kept on cutting records.Then at the latter part of the year, Mills suddenly remembered Ray Price's country-style version of Release Me, which he heard when he visited America a year earlier. Price's version of Release Me was virtually unknown in England at that time. Mills suggested that Engelbert should record this song, so he did it.

History was about to be made. Engelbert's Release Me skyrocketed to the charts at the number 39 position in the UK on January 26, 1967.Within a few weeks, it was at number one and stayed on top for six weeks. Release Me altogether stayed on the UK singles chart for 56 consecutive weeks, a record that no one has broken so far. In addition to this, in the UK, Release Me stopped Beatles from having a number one with what is to be their best 45 rpm record Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane.

Release Me was the ticket to America for Engelbert (and further hits there earned him a visa to settle down there). His first album issued in America peaked at number seven on the billboard charts and remained in the top 100 for over two years - 118 weeks to be precise.Release Me further broadened the horizons for Engelbert. ATV Chief, Lord Grade gave Engelbert a chance to headline at the London Palladium and a world-wide television series. His Las Vegas cabaret debut caused a crowd eruption from screaming admirers and he became one of the highest paid performers on the Nevada circuit.

In May 1967, Engelbert crashed the charts again with one of the best ballads in the history of music, There Goes My Everything.  This peaked at the number two position on the UK singles chart.

The album Release Me earned him many rave reviews and in the UK, it peaked at number six in May 1967. In August 1967, The Last Waltz entered the UK singles chart and stayed there for a good five weeks.

1968 dawned with Am I That Easy To Forget and then came the number 2 single A Man Without Love in April 1968.  On the albums front, The Last Waltz and A Man Without Love made a big impact. The album A Man Without Love featured three of his much loved songs, Spanish Eyes, Quando Quando Quando and Walk Through This World With Me. A Man Without Love made it to number three on the albums chart after its release in August l968.

Many hits followed after that, including Les Bicyclettes De Belsize, The Way It Used To Be, Winter World Of Love, My Marie, Sweetheart, Love Is All and Another Time Another Place. Another of his songs, Ten Guitars, a staple at the Sri Lankan weddings, couldn't hit the chart but it became a worldwide favourite.

In the late seventies, Engelbert changed his manager. Harold Davidson, a Londoner, stepped into the shoes of Gordon Mills. Davidson was the manager of Frank Sinatra too at that time and still agreed to manage Engelbert. He moved to California to manage Engelbert and became his best friend. Engelbert, who is a multi-millionaire by now bought late Jayne Mansfield's mansion surrounded by a heart shaped swimming pool on Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills and went to reside with his wife Cynthia and four children and stayed there till recently. In 1981 he bought a big estate in Leicestershire, UK where he now resides.

In the late eighties, he came to the limelight with  the heart warming Torero and danceable Dancing To The Radio.  Later on, he was seen in the Las Vegas night club circuit and in 2004 he released his latest album Let there Be Love. Now in 2005,the king of romance, Engelbert Humperdinck is ready to rock Sri Lanka.

Love Vs. Death

By Risidra Mendis  

It has been said, "There are only four questions of value in life. What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? And what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: only love."

However, opinion is divided. While some believe in love fervently, others consider it a fate - believe it or not - worse than death.

Is the mystery of love greater than the mystery of death? And is love the only thing really worth living for?

Says David Lasater, "I have died many a death in love, and yet, had I not loved, I would never have lived at all."

To some falling deeply in love and enjoying those moments, even if they may not last long is an experience in itself. Such people are willing to go through days, weeks or even months of mental trauma just to be able to say that they like many others have experienced the wonders that love can bring.

Falling in love is no doubt a wonderful thing, as the power of love and the feelings that come with it make you get caught up in a world of your own. People who claim to be deeply in love are known to have taken irrational decisions that have in some cases spelled doom to the relationship itself. However for many falling in love and experiencing the pros and cons it brings is worth the pain, heartache and distress.

"It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" is a saying that many of us have heard over and over again. But for those of us who have never experienced true love the popular saying "what you don't know cannot hurt you" would truly be a relief to hear. Fortunate or unfortunate we may be, going through life unawares of the feelings love and their unbelievable wonders could bring would surely be a blessing in disguise.

For those of us bold enough to take the chance to love and suffer the consequences would consider those opting for death as cowards in comparison. But in reality those opting for death would in the long run suffer less than those trying to cope with the breakup of a strong love affair.

Marina de Silva has had the fortune or misfortune of experiencing the break up of a long love affair. Her love affair that lasted six years ended in separation last year. For de Silva the experience and trauma she suffered during the break up of the affair has resulted in her not wanting to love again.

"It is hard to explain what I'm going through right now. If you have had a strong and genuine love relationship for many years that ended in separation you will understand what I'm going through" says de Silva.

Nalin Abeysuriya on the other hand is more of an experimenting sort. His belief is that if you are unsuccessful the first time round in love you should try again.

"It may not be easy to get involved in another relationship as soon as you break up with your partner. But I think it is important that you try very hard to make up your mind and move on" explained Abeysuriya.

Still, it seems that love has become something that is feared more than death.

According to Shehara Wickramasuriya choosing the option of death rather than suffering from a broken love relationship is her way of thinking.

"Why would I want to suffer mentally and even end up in a hospital for days or weeks when I have the option death? The mere idea of falling in love gives me the creeps. I have seen the suffering and trauma that some of my close friends have gone through just because they wanted to experience this great thing that everybody calls love. I don't think it is worthwhile to go through such pain. I fear the wonders of love because I have seen how seriously it can affect people's lives. But in the case of death I would be caught unawares and that suits me just fine."

But strange as it may seem, for most of us love and death are unavoidable circumstances in life.

Rock 'n roll: Alive and kicking!

By Easwaran Rutnam

The pulsating sounds of electric guitars and the thumping beats of drums began to fill the room full of head banging rock enthusiasts as the battle for rock supremacy began. The much anticipated `The Clash Of The Titans' last weekend saw two leading rock bands in the caliber of Stigmata and Paranoid Earthling thrash it out on stage to prove rock and roll is very much alive.

Pieced together by The Rock Company, 'The Clash Of The Titans' lived up to its expectations as an event not to be missed as both bands played an excellent selection of rock hits which included some original tracks that knocked you off your feet.

Opening the event were the four Paranoid boys from Kandy, better known as Paranoid Earthling led by Milshad Buckman who opened with an orchestrated guitar act that brought down the walls of the Women's International Hall.

Apart from a few cover versions Paranoid Earthling went on to perform some of its original tracks, which included Bringing Down The Sun, Pull Me Under and Highway and the crowd favorite 69 (not to be mistaken for Summer Of '69). Speaking after their performance, Buckman told Now the band was more than satisfied with the response they got from the audience, especially for their original tracks.

The Kandy boys also launched their EP at the gig, which Buckman says focuses heavily on the youth of the hill capital who are slowly but surely diverting from the traditional cage that they were entrapped in.

"Unlike in Colombo the youth of Kandy are still narrow minded and trapped in a lifestyle that is surrounded by tradition and culture. Paranoid Earthling wants to help them get out of that lifestyle and experience life to the fullest," Buckman said with determination.

With this in mind, Paranoid Earthling is hoping to re-launch their EP at the next Rock Saturday, which will be staged, in Kandy on June 25.

The audience at 'The Clash Of The Titans' was also given a chance to win a couple of CDs of the EP. To win they had to scream at the top of their voice. After a few demonstrations by Rock Company acts, including the vocalist from Insanity who showed how it should be done with an excellent scream, a member of the audience proved his ability and walked away a happy man with a CD in hand.

Unfortunately, despite many attempts by the compere of the show, no one came forward to make an attempt and claim the second CD that went a begging. That brought on stage probably the most sought after rock outfit in town, Stigmata, led by the charismatic Suresh De Silva.

Stigmata had the audience going berserk with its repertoire of hits including tracks from its debut album Hollow Dreams. The occasional conversations Suresh had with some of the audience members while on stage and his stunning stare during his performance added spice to the mind-blowing event.

Stigmata guitarist Adrian was in a class of his own, in more ways than one, attracting the humorous cheers of the audience during the performance.

As the head banging continued throughout the night, the question asked at the end was, who won 'The Clash of the Titans'? Paranoid Earthling or Stigmata?

Well, I think it's fair to say rock music was the ultimate winner!

A first-timer's experience

By Jamila Najmuddin

As a first timer at a rock concert, the environment and the sound of the thumping guitars got me into a funky mood.

Although at first the room was silent with the crowds filing in at a turtle's pace, the atmosphere created by the two bands was amazing.

Seated for over 45 minutes for the first band - Paranoid Earthling - to begin their performance, the wait was entertaining with band members from both the Paranoid Earthlings and Stigmata running around for last minute preparations.

With lights switched off, it was amusing to see someone switch them on, only to have the band members screaming "switch off the lights."

As the performance began, the music was intense and hard hitting but with the crowds pouring in slowly, many chose to stand at the back initially instead of head banging upfront - that came later on in the night, with a push from the back getting the crowds moving towards the stage.

All in all, the concert was great and got the crowd on its feet. And for me, it was an amazing night as I sat back with a grin on my face, glad that I finally made it to a rock concert.