PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking continues in October

“You learn so much when you get out there and experience more gigs opposed to just sitting behind a computer,” says singer-songwriter Adrian Fu, who will be participating as a performer for the second time at PROJECT AFTER 6: BUSKING.

Fu can relate to the uncertainty and anxiety of budding musicians but he was helped when he met producer Jim Lee. “He signed me when no one wanted my songs,” Fu says. “The first thing I asked him was, ‘What kind of stuff do you want me to write?’ to which he responded, ‘Don't be silly, just write your stuff.’ He gave me this freedom of creativity that I thought I would not have.”

This year PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking drew from a diverse pool of city-wide talent. “Opening up to Hong Kong is awesome, why not bring it on and let the world know how much talent there is here” Fu says. “Buskers shouldn’t get really tight, the quality of the voice, music and how they play is so subjective, so it doesn’t really matter as long as you practise well.”

Besides PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking, Fu has been busy working on his new album, which will be released in a few months time. “I always feel that to prepare for an album you have to create at least 50 to 80 songs and then go through them all and edit it down” Fu says. “The songs should reflect some of the things I’ve been going through in my life.” Fu hasn’t decided yet what he will perform this year at PROJECT AFTER 6 but shared he plans to do something more experimental. Stay tuned to find out more and here is October’s lineup of buskers.

What drew you to PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking?
Horace: My passion for singing and music. My friends and I seldom have the time to busk or even jam together. This programme is a chance to practise and sing again.

What makes your band unique?
Kin & Kar: Handsome guitarist and beautiful vocalist – a perfect match!

What drew you to PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking?
Chonotenki: We’ve turned down many invitations to perform in a busking or acoustic setting. With eight original songs down, we think it might be the right time to showcase acoustic versions of our music to the public.

What do you hope to achieve through PROJECT AFTER 6 Busking?
RB: We hope we can get more fans, and get more gifts from fans (lol)!

What do you hope to achieve through PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking?
Horance & Samson: We want to gain greater knowledge of Hong Kong’s music industry, get more experience of performing live, and improve our skills and music.

4 Oct

Horace Tung
Day Job: analyst
Industry: marketing research
Music genres & instruments: pop, a cappella; keyboard, guitar

Kin & Kar (Group)
Members: Kin & Katherine
Industry: Supply chain / banking
Music genres & instruments: pop; guitar

Chonotenki (Group)
Members: Jordan Ng, Wes Wong, Scottie Chan, Allen
Industry: various, but somehow all music-related
Music genres & instruments: funk rock; vocals, guitar, bass, drums

RB (Group)
Members: Cheng Ka-kiu & Lai Chun-yin
Industry: bonesetter / music education
Music genres & instruments: middle-aged pop; vocal, guitar

Horance & Samson (Group)
Industry: arts and crafts toys / music
Music genres & instruments: pop, jazzy, soulful; vocals, piano

What makes your music unique?
Kenneth: Groove: I like to make everyone groovin’ and movin’. Jason Mraz is my favorite singer, especially his songs with lots of lyrics. I enjoy memorising those lyrics and singing them in that quick pace.

What do you hope to achieve through PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking?
Moonwood: We hope to bring lighthearted music to Hongkongers, with the aim of easing their stress in this fast-paced city. Apart from piano and guitar, we also incorporate a violin, as a highlight of our acoustic performance.

What makes your music unique?
Andrew Jesse Hadiwidjaja: I constantly strive to find and play songs with a certain groove that encourages people to get up and bounce to the beat! The way I do this is to treat the ukulele as if it's an electric guitar; so I play riffs and chord rhythms as one normally would on a good ol' Strat.

What makes your music unique?
Charlie: My feelings. A glance, a smile, a word – I love to feel the many details in daily life. I sing with my soul. I believe my life makes my music unique.

What do you hope to achieve through PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking?
PFL Students: We are too bored! We would like to jam with other musicians, meet people from the music industry and learn how to get into the industry... and of course a stage to perform in front of more people!

11 Oct

Kenneth Tang
Day job: designer
Industry: design
Music genres & instruments: pop, acoustic hip-hop, funk; guitar

Moonwood (group)
Members: Ryan Ng, Gloria Law, Jennachord
Day job: musicians and music instrument teachers
Music genres & instruments: acoustic pop; keyboard, violin, guitar, cajon

Andrew Jesse Hadiwidjaja
Day job: engineer
Industry: construction
Stage name: andrewjazzy
Music genres & instruments: pop, jazz, Latin, rock; ukulele, guitar, piano

Charlie
Day job: character performer
Industry: entertainment
Music genres & instruments: pop; guitar

PFL Students (group)
Members: Duhbe, Wilfred, Peter, Vivian
Industry: Music / Law / Supply Chain
Music genres & instruments: funky groovy fun stuff; guitar, piano, bass, drums, cajob, vocals

What drew you to PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking?
Jojo: This year I’ve been processing some emotional pain, to the point where I almost stop playing music for half a year. Then in August, I started to feel a positive shift, followed by a close friend sending me the link for this Busking programme. I gave it a try and somehow I made it.

What drew you to PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking?
Ken: Performing in front of an audience of more than 40 people is on my bucket list.

What makes your band unique?
Catherine, Derek, Anson: We believe music heals our souls. We hope that whatever people have gone through in life, after listening to our music they could find their way out from the dark and always remember that they're not alone.

What drew you to PROJECT AFTER 6 Busking?
Beard Brothers: It was a fun idea to turn the otherwise empty space we walk through on the way to the office into something more alive and vibrant. We enjoy what we play, and we enjoy the company of like-minded musos!

What makes your music unique?
The Gundum Style: Gundum Style music is fundamentally acoustic pop with RnB and soul elements. We’ll put a lot of our musical backgrounds and ideas into each song (cover or original) and look forward to surprising the audience.

18 Oct

Jojo Kwan
Day job: assistant manager
Industry: insurance
Music genres & instruments: pop; keyboard

Ken Suen
Day job: bond trader
Industry: banking
Music genres & instruments: pop rock; acoustic guitar

Catherine, Derek, Anson (group)
Day job: piano, drum and guitar teachers
Music genres: pop rock

Bearded Brothers (group)
Industry: telecommunications / education
Instruments: 12-string acoustic guitar, bass, cajon

The Gundum Style (group)
Members: Lawrence, Justin
Day job: music teachers
Music genres & instruments: pop, RnB, soul; vocals, keyboard, guitar

What do you hope to achieve through PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking?
Lee Wing-yip: I want people to hear my original music.

What makes your band unique?
I'mprovise: Our combination of erhu and double bass, east and west, high and low. As we have different music backgrounds, we try to explore music with various languages, like loop music, classics, pop, jazz... to name but a few.

What makes your music unique?
Ray, Bebe and Charles: Although we are from Hong Kong, we are classified as minorities. Our sound is a celebration of the passion, the music and the colourful story of the lives we have in this city.

What makes your band unique?
AJJA!: Two powerful projectiles of voices and two merry-go-rounding multi-instrumentalists.

What do you hope to achieve through PROJECT AFTER 6: Busking?
Matt: I’m hoping to express my original music to the public throughout this busking event.

25 Oct

Lee Wing-yip
Day job: freelancer
Industry: construction
Music genres and instruments: pop; piano, guitar

I'mprovise (group)
Members: Longman Luk, Jaa Chu
Industry: aviation / civil service
Music genres & instruments: fusion; erhu, double bass

Ray, Bebe and Charles (group)
Day job: headhunter / teacher
Music genres & instruments: pop, RnB, jazz, contemporary

AJJA! (group)
Members: Joan Odita, Anson Sun, Alwin Leung, Jonathan Loh
Industry: insurance / construction / education / telecommunications
Music genres & instruments: pop rock; piano, bass, guitar, drums, cajon

Matt Yau
Day job: fireman
Music genres & instruments: original songs, pop, folk; acoustic guitar

02 Oct 2018
Arthur Tam

PROJECT AFTER 6