With the events season fast approaching, what better way to celebrate than by having your special night organised by leading events specialist – Personal Touch Events.

Venue finding; P.A equipment; DJ services; Sega band with Ravanne players; Sega dancers; Wedding car hire; Toastmasters; Fibre optic Starcloth backdrops; Dancefloors; Plasma screens with live video links; Stage light beams; Complete LED venue mood lighting; Chair covers; Table runners; Chocolate fountains; Bagpipers and Dhol bands; Bollywood brass bands; Bollywood dancers; Bhangra dancers; Dhol players; String quartets; Harpists; And live violinists.

The company is certainly not short of happy customers, as these testimonials demonstrate:

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*Jane Merchant celebrated her 5th Wedding Anniversary

“Thank you so much for performing at my anniversary, we had a great time and the music was fab! I’ve recommended you to my family and friends already, you definitely know what type of music to play.”

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*Melanie Dhorasoo organised her parents’ 30th wedding anniversary

“The Personal Touch team were great. They created many special moments which made our night! Everyone commented on how great the music was and I will defiantly use them again – if you want a truly memorable night, book the Personal Touch team!”

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*Darren Karuthasami celebrated his 30th Birthday

“Thanks again for doing such a great job at my party last weekend. We were all so happy that we were able to get you on such short notice! The music that you played was perfect for both the occasion and for our mixed crowd. You really helped to create a great atmosphere and we were especially impressed at the selection of Sega you played!
I’ll definitely recommend you to anyone who may be looking for event services!”

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So, to ensure that your future celebrations are head and shoulders above the rest, visit www.personaltouchevent.com and let us start planning your special event.

Contact: 07814 876 707

Over nine thousand Mauritians, old and young, came together last month for the biggest ever Mauritian event held in Europe. The Mauritian Open Air Festival 2011 was the most successful one to date and was a real tribute to the Mauritian community.

On a rare day when the weather in London was better than in Mauritius, Down Lane Park began to fill early in the day as Mauritians from across the country and even as far as Europe came together to celebrate Mauritian culture.

Mauritian Open Air had been billed for some time as the biggest Mauritian event outside of Mauritius this year and attendees weren’t disappointed.

Entertainment on the centre stage began as the gates opened at midday, hosted by DJ CLK. Local DJs, DJ Vish and DJ Masta G, kept the music flowing early on. Those who had come early to secure a spot near the front were entertained by great performances by Dorian Delia and his Jalsa des Iles group, the Port Louis Bar Sega Dancers and Serese, an up and coming girl group who have been tipped for great things by industry insiders. A fashion show also took place, showcasing various designs put together by Yvonne Goder.

However, the Open Air Festival was about more than just stellar performances. Some would say the real stars were the food stall owners, busy serving hungry crowds. Well-known Mauritian restaurants, such as Mo Filao and Mauritius Paradise dished out hundreds of pairs of dhal puri, roti, gateaux piment, mine and other Mauritian delights. It was also an opportunity for smaller operations and catering companies to produce some exceptional food. Word soon got around, and these stalls became very busy.

Conveniently situated in the middle of the park was the Port Louis Bar tent, a pop-up version of the real bar in Tottenham and probably the most popular part of the festival besides the stage. Cleverly designed to provide shade from the sun and a seating area for those who wanted relax in the Festival’s surroundings, it served Phoenix Beer and Green Island rum to the masses – a must for all, given the hot weather.

Beyond food and drink, there were also several Mauritian businesses on display, using the Festival as a platform to promote their services. Big names such as Air Mauritius, Western Union, Lyca Mobile and Sunset Travel (who gave away two tickets to Mauritius) were there, but there were also other interesting stalls. For example, the Anglo-Mauritian Disability Link, a charity which supports disabled children in Mauritius, who are about to launch the first Mauritian charity shop in the UK. For the children: face painting, plenty of ice-cream and a large funfair were on hand, making it a real family event.

By the time Ras Ton Vie stepped onto the stage, backed by the Colours-PLB Crew, just under 10,000 people were in the crowd. His rendition of “Peros Vert”, a song about his homeland Diego Garcia, was memorable and particularly poignant for the hundreds of Chagossians in the crowd.

The main crowd-puller was, of course, Alain Ramansium. Perhaps the best-known Mauritian singer for this generation, Alain made a rare UK appearance at the Festival. He was the headline act, and did his role justice, staying on stage for a respectful two hours, thrilling fans who had travelled far and wide to see him perform. Shortly before coming on stage, he told Mauritius Now of his appreciation of the crowds that had come to see him.

“It feels like I am back home in Mauritius!” he said, “I feel really emotional. I’m very proud to see so many people from the Mauritian community here and people from all over the world. I’d really like to thank Eshan (Badal) and Gavin (Pullia) and the organisation here. It’s the youngsters who are promoting Mauritian culture here in the UK. I would like to thank all my fans as well.  Especially as I’ve been celebrating my 15th year anniversary in music, I’m really proud to have all my fans around me. I’d like to thank all my fans, every one of them. I would like to do a European tour at some point in the future as I really enjoy coming here.”

Alain joined his wife and fellow singer Laura Beg – Ramanisum for a spectacular performance alongside the Omaz Sega Band and the Tropical Flower Sega Dancers. He performed material new and old as the crowds waved their Mauritian flags and sung along to favourites such as “Ayo”, his version of “Sega Manivel” and newer material such as “Pa Dire Moi”. His energetic presence on stage was something to behold and his interaction with the crowd was particularly special, delighting the audience with his moves and stopping now and again to speak to and thank his fans. However, he was not the only star on stage. Laura Beg proved she could sing just as well as her husband, serenading the crowd with her own material.

Alain finished the evening off in style, concluding his set with arguably his most popular song, “Li Tourne”. It was the song everyone wanted to hear and fittingly, the crowd danced and twirled to the chorus. It really was a magical moment.

The Mauritian Open Air Festival has become bigger and bigger each year. As an onlooker said, “I have never seen so many Mauritians in one place!” Indeed the record attendance at last month’s Open Air was proof that it is the largest annual Mauritian gathering in the UK, where families reunited, old friends bumped into each other and where Mauritian culture was on display for the British public to enjoy. It’s just a shame that we need to wait another year for the next one.

Sabina Jacobs

Via Facebook

“God bless the Mauritian Open Air Yestival…Last year was great…Mari bonnto net sa festival la ….monn trouv linite ek fierte d bann morisien e sa bizin kontinye pouki kiltir pa mort…viv la mizik morisien ek so langaz kreol….”

Bruno Raya

Bruno and Blakkayo at MOAF 2010

Master Kool B

Born with a passion for music, at the tender age of thirteen, Alain created his own band call the “Group A” which consisted of a few friends and family members.

At the age of 14 , Alain Ramanisum was approached by Alan Le Fleur and Desire Francois alongside Gerard Louis. With such great influences, this led him to create the group “Cassiya”. The group, well known for its unique style, has contributed a lot to his career and set a new trend of sega music in Mauritius.

By the age of 20, Alain was arranging music for artists such as Roger Clency, Babale. From there, he began working with the likes of Tian Corentin, Bruno Mooken, Jean Claude Gaspard, Ton Vye and Natty Jah which led him to compose his own music.

Alain has a unique style of music composition, he tries to promote different images and facets of Mauritius through his music. His sound is fresh and lyrics always meaningful.

At such a young age, Alain Ramanisum is amongst the most popular Mauritian Sega artists having spread his music across Europe and worldwide.

We look forward to seeing him perform at the Mauritian Open Air Festival 2011.

You’ve recently released your new album entitled “Lever Danser”. What kind offeedback have you received so far?
The fans seem to really like this album. It’s always nice to find out that people like whatyou’re doing. A large number of the albums have already been sold in Reunion Islandand the sales are also quite encouraging here in Mauritius. I’m quite confident that thisnew album will continue to please the audience in the months to come.

You have been on the Mauritian music scene for a very long time now. How do youthink you have you evolved as an artist over the years?
It feels like forever since I began my career with Cassiya. This was truly a greatexperience for me as I got the opportunity to work with the island’s best music group,and since I starting my solo career in 2000, I think that my work has matured a lot more. Iconstantly strive to improve my songs and I think that this discipline that has enabled meto make at least one hit song every year.

What keeps you motivated?
I have to say that it’s my fans who keep me making songs. As long as they are behindme, I will continue to work hard and make other albums. For me, the best part of my jobis, giving live performances. Having such passionate interactions with the public is anincredible experience. I’m therefore enthusiastic about continuing to write more songsand produce new albums in the coming years.

Are Mauritian artists able to earn a proper living from their music?
Well, it has always been difficult to earn a living from music and that hasn’t changed.There are a large number of local artists who have to perform in hotels and pubs betweenproducing albums just to make ends meet. This explains why many Mauritian artists turnthemselves to the international market to promote their music. For example, I have beenon the Reunion Island scene for the past 10 years and as a result, I’m actually sellingmore albums there than in Mauritius, and like other lucky artists, I’m regularly invitedabroad to perform in concerts and gala shows.

There have been quite a lot of young artists who have stepped up in the last coupleof years. What is your feeling about the new generation of Mauritian artists?
More and more youngsters are interested in entering the music industry and I personallythink that this is a very good thing. They are giving Mauritian music a brand newdimension and that shows that local music can evolve and attract new fans in Mauritiusand abroad. The government should encourage these new artistes as they are promotingthe country’s culture, and that a very important thing.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
As most artists, I get my inspiration from everyday life. It’s important to talk about things
that concern people wherever they are, I think this is why my fans relate to my music.

What are the messages that you are trying to promote in your songs?
In my latest album, my messages are meant for people facing every-day difficulties intheir personal lives. I want to instil a “never say die” attitude within them and show themthat there’s always a way to sort problems out. I think that people need to be counselled.They need to feel that somebody is there for them.

Who are the artists who have influenced you the most in your career?
I have always loved traditional Sega songs and particularly those written by JocelynPerrot. Salsa, Jazz and Funk music are also at the top of my list.

A message for your awaiting fans in the UK?
I want to thank them for their tremendous support during all the years. I have been therequite a few times and I have always been welcomed in a great way. I look forward toseeing you all once again in July.

Written by: Jose daniel
Article courtesy of Mauritius Nowhttp://www.mauritiusnow.co.uk