“Is it me or is the lift shaking?” said a bemused bassist Ari Roland as the trio ended the first song, a comment which triggered some laughter from everyone present. His partners-in-charm, lead guitarist Pasquale Grasso and drummer Keith Balla, were unfazed in this unusual performance space, just 12 hours after their sold-out show at Jazz in July 2024. With nary a blink, this well-oiled jazz trio quickly and effortlessly got the lift rocking (metaphorically) with two toe-tapping bebop tunes.

Audio: Andrew Lim
Video: Made by Identity 

Ragas and riffs, talas and twelve-bar blues. There’s not a group quite like RaghaJazz in Singapore—marrying the melodies, beats and essences of Indian classical music with jazz and funk, this homegrown ensemble consistently presents refreshing contemporary spins on classical ragas. The brainchild of flautist and composer Raghavendran Rajasekaran, RaghaJazz has steadily grown with Esplanade, marking several milestones here including their 15th anniversary in 2024. Prior to their celebratory concert on 22 & 23 Nov as part of Kalaa Utsavam 2024, the core ensemble took to the cargo lift with a new composition, Tidal Streams, as well as one of Ragha’s earliest compositions, Saraswathi.

Audio: Rumble Music
Video: Made by Identity

Draped in yellow and gold, singer and composer Jazzmeia Horn exuded abundance in pure artistic expression. A modern-day jazz luminary, her star power was on full display when she graced the cargo lift while here for her performance as part of Jazz in July 2024. Alongside pianist and collaborator, William Hill III, this charming duo put on a performance brimming with sincere expression and emotion, showcasing an exceptional rendition of the jazz classic Darn That Dream and an exuberant performance of Tip, a freshly released original by Jazzmeia herself.

Video: Made by Identity
Audio: Andrew Lim

Formed on the sands of Thailand’s Bangsaen beach, Khana Bierbood makes music for sun-drenched days by the sea. With in-your-face synths, twangy guitar riffs and funky rhythms, the band’s potent concoction of hypnotising music comes from a combination of ‘60s psychedelia, ‘70s garage rock, Isaan mo lam (traditional folk song) and Thai luk thung (country music). While they were here for Rocking the Region 2024, this six-piece band brought the beach (and eventually the party) to us with the hypnotising Khao Kheow and the head-bopping Bad Trip. 

Video: Made by Identity
Audio: Tumbleweed Studios

In a first for Cargo Lift Sessions, there was not an instrument in sight. Kasimyn and Ican, the duo that makes up Indonesian music act Gabber Modus Operandi (GMO), required only a DJ console and a microphone. While they were here for Samsara: A Cine-Concert presented as part of Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts in 2024, the duo set the cargo lift on fire with their signature high-adrenaline music that blends electronic sounds with traditional Indonesian instrumentals—finishing touches include a mask, a laser glove and sick dance moves.

Video: Made by Identity
Audio: 4th Wall Studios

It's a sound that is undeniably magnetic and immediately captivating: guttural, sonorous and rich in overtones, throat singing comprises vocal techniques that produce sounds of multiple pitches. This art form is found in a few indigenous communities around the world, mostly those who live and commune intimately with nature. After all, the sounds produced mimic the aural richness found in the wild; lilting bird song, deep rumblings of the earth, and lively babbling brooks.

Arguably the most well-known throat singers today are Huun-Huur Tu from Tuva, a sparsely populated region between Siberia and Mongolia. Emerging in 1992, the quartet brought its indigenous sound to the world stage through recordings, albums and tours under the guidance of Kaigal-ool Kim-oolovich Khovalyg, the band’s eldest musician and co-founder. Amidst a busy schedule in Singapore for A Tapestry of Sacred Music 2024, the ensemble graced our cargo lift with two songs that not only exemplified the form of throat singing, but also painted vibrant imagery of their homeland.

Video: Made by Identity
Audio: 4th Wall Studios 

Dressed in concert black, South Korean violinist Inmo Yang is the epitome of cool, calm and collected. Despite his busy touring schedule, the virtuoso carved out time to grace our cargo lift, just a few hours before his Singapore debut at the Esplanade Concert Hall with the Festival Strings Lucerne on 12 Mar 2024. With equal parts elegance and expression, Yang stunned us all with two solo pieces: Paganini’s famed Caprice No. 24 and Bach’s Preludio from Violin Partitia No. 3 in E Major. 

Video: Made by Identity
Audio: Andrew Lim

Imagine Taiwanese folk and urban tales, but louder and much, much catchier: that’s precisely how one would describe the electrifying music of Taiwanese fusion band, A_Root. The alchemy of this vibrant six-piece band comprises many parts—a healthy dose of jazz, funk, Chinese opera songs and pop, the resonating sounds of Chinese instruments such as the sheng and the qin, plus the expressive storytelling delivered by the band’s main vocalists, Yoyi and Jipo. 

While they were in Singapore for Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2024, the band stormed our cargo lift (which has a new look this season) with two songs based on Taiwanese paranormal tales: A-Moi 《山鬼阿妹》, based off the story of The Little Girl in Red, and Miss Change《林投姐姐》, drawn from the tale of Sister Lin Tou. 

Video: Made by Identity
Audio: 4th Wall Studios