Escape to Mawkdok : Roundup

Music, food and beverages are perfect compadres amidst the lush green hills of a place that’s a few kilometers away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Both depend on people breaking the mould and experiencing something new whether chilling next to the bonfire or in the musicians’ case, delivering a hotbox of various tunes that grab the most of the people’s mindscape. If you attended the show, you know that at the back of your mind, Escape To Mawkdok was one of the sickest events to round up this calendar year.

Gino Thangkhiew, a solo RnB artist kick started the proceedings after which Ellaine Wallang made her way in and delivered some fine tunes that brightened up the evening. Kruzzax, a tailor made mish mash experimental hip hop project of Dauni Laloo created a different sound but however, this act was sort of a bad chicken soup due to so many technical errors and glitches during the set. Summersalt was a solid addition to the lineup. They put up a vibrant performance withtheir lush dynamic range of pop esque folk music and the mawkdok locals seemed to have fallen in love with the band.

Next up was a dance performance by some Bhutanese Students. Their performance for the most part almost clamped down the festival vibes and the choreography could have been better. The local crowd seemed to savor the performance though. Rangdap and Co. stepped up the stage and brought back good times again. Their form of music was fun to hear, watch and apparently the band looked like they were having the greatest time on stage.

A short 10 minute “free wine & cocktail” break intervened which enabled organizers set up the stage for the final two acts on the bill. Local DJ that goes by the moniker Dj Arpan took charge of heating up the place with full force. He played within an envelope of rigid variations of sounds from house to DnB and a mix of electro to get the crowd moving and grooving along the lines of his beats and mixes.

While Arpan was finishing off with his high energy laden set, Brother Culture made his way to the stage only to hear a lot of rasta cheering and whistles from the audience. MC Brother Culture accompanied by Pierre Obino on the console who’d come all the way from the U.K. are without a doubt one of the finest reggae acts to have graced the shores of our region. Everyone present at the venue experienced the magic of some authentic reggae dubplates. Their ability to take everyone on a journey with the power of reggae and clever songwriting only shows us that Brother Culture and his comrade Pierre are much more than just a reggae act. They are marvelous entertainers and are technically proficient to make it in the big leagues and their two hours set at the fest was a testament to that.

Check image gallery below.