KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — With more young Malaysian Indians wanting a better representation in the country’s clubbing culture, experience designer Avinash Retnam more popularly known as Yung Mantra is rewriting the rules of the city’s nightlife.
Through his Global South music movement, he ropes like-minded indie musicians to showcase cross-cultural club sounds from Asia to Africa to Latin America.
Ultimately, Avinash wants to create brown-led music spaces across the world that welcomes everyone.
The first edition of Global South kicked off on July 26 in KL, in collaboration with Jambu-Jambu Asia, Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing underground music culture collective.
The event aimed to spotlight Indian club culture in Malaysia, which Avinash says is the heartbeat of the Indian underground music scene.
Headlined by British-Tamil music producer Prito Itiacandy or DJ Prito, Global South’s debut event was hosted by Roshan Jamrock of K-Town Clan and featured several indie musicians.
The event drew over 700 attendees, and a second show took place on August 1 in Singapore.
Expectations and ticket sales are now soaring for the Global South’s next stopover in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on August 9.
Yung Mantra’s Global South stemmed from his personal experience of witnessing the fragmentation and marginalisation of Indian club culture here. — Picture by Sayuti Zanudin
“There’s a lot of power in our rhythms. There is a sonic connection in our music (in the Global South).
“The traditional baila music from Sri Lanka, for instance, is influenced by African and Caribbean sounds. Likewise, Malaysian music is influenced by Indian music.
“So, Global South is more than a place — it’s a pulse. It’s where heritage meets future frequencies.
“It’s about reclaiming our space on dance floors, and showing the world what happens when the South speaks up,” Avinash told Malay Mail when met recently.
Boxing out stereotypes
Though Avinash is an Indian national, the 35-year-old is a Malaysian at heart – having spent more than half of his life here — with short stints in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.
By day, he is a lecturer who teaches architecture, fashion, and advertising at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology — where he completed his degree in interior architecture and a master’s in communications.
At night, he turns into an experience designer, curating unforgettable musical experiences for fans as Yung Mantra.
“Yung Mantra is my creative alter ego — championing South Asian identity and culture in South East Asia.
“It is a space where I explore music, identity, and cultural storytelling.” he said.
DJ Prito launched his Prito Sounds world tour this year and Global South’s KL event marked his debut performance in Asia. — Picture courtesy of Jambu-Jambu Asia
Yung Mantra’s Global South stemmed from his personal experience of witnessing the fragmentation and marginalisation of Indian club culture here.
Stereotypes, he said, hinder the Indian underground music scene in Malaysia from evolving despite the country boasting a strong Tamil club culture compared to other parts of the world, including Tamil Nadu.
“The number of Tamil clubs that exist in Malaysia and Singapore does not exist anywhere else in the world.
“But the Indian music culture in Malaysia felt very stagnant because there is no space for experimentation.
“Tamil clubs are often boxed into stereotypes: people think Indians go to a club to dance, drink, and fight.
“Such stereotypes have led to Tamil clubs being sidelined, making it harder for the music culture to evolve,” said Avinash, who has been in the live music industry for 15 years.
His first major break was as a brand strategist for singer and songwriter Yuna’s concert in 2015.
Although Indian live concerts are thriving in Malaysia, Avinash said the concert-goers typically prefer the tested-and-tried musical repertoire over watching singers experiment on stage.
He said night clubs, by contrast, provide a safe space for indie musicians to attempt bold music experiments — and that eventually allows the music to evolve and surface into the mainstream.
That drive for something different and unconventional — challenging Western musical traditions and patterns — strikes a chord with the sounds of the Global South, Avinash said.
(From Left): Avinash Retnam (Yung Mantra), DJ Prito (Prito Itiacandy), Jambu-Jambu Asia founder Tristan Rodrigo, co-founder Nik Kaiza, and Roshan Jamrock are all part of the Global South music movement. — Picture by Sayuti Zanudin
“The Global South music is always about resistance — because of their colonial history — and it’s about reclaiming their heritage and being proud of it.
“Many of the young Indians who attended the KL event said they finally feel represented in the club culture.
“And many non-brown attendees said they have never seen so many cool Indians in one place before!” he said.
The overwhelming excitement also left DJ Prito in awe, especially witnessing how the Tamil culture in Malaysia has developed over generations.
Like Avinash, Prito too seamlessly switches hats: from being a primary school teacher in East London on weekdays to a music producer and DJ over the weekend.
A passionate advocate for underground Tamil music, Prito launched his Prito Sounds world tour this year and Global South’s KL event marked his debut performance in Asia.
“For me, it’s like a playground — it’s me bringing in my Tamil and UK sounds, trying to find a perfect marriage with the other (Global South) sounds,” he said.
As for Avinash, the Global South is just warming up to make waves internationally in the coming years.
“We are here, we are oud, and we are building something timeless,” he said.
