Australian twin duo, Nervo, to DJ in Ho Chi Minh City  

Australian twin sisters, Olivia Nervo and Miriam Nervo, are multi-talented fashion models, hit songwriters, producers and DJs. Their duo, called Nervo, will perform at Lush Bar in Ho Chi Minh City on October 13.

Miriam and Olivia began their careers as models in Melbourne. They were also Ambassadors to the L'Oreal Fashion Festival. By the age of 16, they were accepted into Opera Australia, but decided to pursue a pop music focused career.

At the age of 18 they subsequently signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing and embarked on a successful songwriting career.

The twins began receiving recognition when they wrote “Negotiate with Love” for British pop singer Rachel Stevens, which reached number ten in 2006. Since then the duo has gone on to write for various artists from around the world including Kesha, Richard Grey, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Ashley Tisdale and even the Pussycat Dolls.

However the group are perhaps best known for co-writing David Guetta & Kelly Rowland's number one dance hit, “When Love Takes over,” which would go on to win a Grammy as well as top numerous charts around the world.

In 2010, the Nervos played on the Ultra Main Stage during the Winter Music Conference and signed a worldwide recording deal with Virgin Records/EMI Music.

Their first club single, “This Kind of Love,” went number one on the world club charts, number two on the music week club charts and number six on the music week pop charts in UK.

In 2010, the pair worked on records for Kylie Minogue's eleventh studio album “Aphrodite,” Britney Spears, Cheryl Cole, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Armin Van Buuren and for Kelly Rowland's self-titled third studio album.

In addition, this year, they opened for Britney Spears on her sixth concert tour, the Femme Fatale Tour, along with Nicki Minaj and Jessie and the Toy Boys.

Recently they wrote the song “Night of Your Life” on David Guetta's new album “Nothing but the Beat.”

For more information on Nervo’s night in HCMC, please call (08) 3 824 2496.

Lush Bar is located at 2 Ly Tu Trong Street in District 1.

'Weirdo' hip hop trio hit Hanoi  

“The Weirdo Heroes Tour”, a hip-hop performance by three of the brightest stars in the US will rock Hanoi for the first time on Oct 28.  

According to a press release from the organizer, Hanoi-based C.A.M.A. collective, the event will feature acclaimed Los Angeles-based rhymer Busdriver, New York alt-rap superstar Louis Logic and folk-hop icon Ceschi.

It says that Regan Farquhar – better known as Busdriver – started his performing career at the age of nine.

Releasing his first album at the age of 13, Busdriver has since gone on to release six acclaimed solo albums and build a devoted following around the world "with his a dazzling live shows, melding rap, singing and on the fly electronic manipulation of voice and sound," the release says.

"Fiendishly fast, razor sharp, Busdriver delivers forward-thinking hip-hop for the new millennium," it adds.

Meanwhile, Louis Logic first entered the public eye in the late 90s as a frequent collaborator with icons like Jedi Mind Tricks, MF DOOM and Malik B of the Roots. He has since released seven albums and EPs, and gained a reputation as a live performer.

"A multi-talented rapper, singer, dancer and currently the only MC in the world to fluently play piano while rhyming, Louis Logic is a one-man variety show, testing the bounds of hip-hop as a genre and always exceeding expectations.

"Transcending the old-school world of beats and rhymes, singer, MC, and multi-instrumentalist Ceschi takes hip-hop beyond its roots, delivering a whirlwind live show fusing rapping, singing and guitar in a unique blend of hard hitting hip-hop, urban folk and even classical," the release says.

Busdriver, Louis Logic and Ceschi are the latest in a line-up of more than 60 acts to be brought to Vietnam by the Hanoi-based C.A.M.A. collective, the capital city’s leading independent music promoters and founders of the annual C.A.M.A. Festival.

The show at Chez Xuan, 41, alley 76, An Duong, Ba Dinh Dist., is also supported by Jim Beam and the 6 on Sixteeen Boutique Hotel.

Tickets priced at VND 200,000 are available at Chez Xuan.

Online film fest to bring works to Paris

Vietnamese online short film festival YxineFF (Yxine Film Fest) will screen a number of films made by emerging independent Vietnamese filmmakers worldwide in Paris this weekend.

Co-hosted by the YDA Club and the French-Vietnamese Organization for Economic & Cultural Exchange, the program will feature “The Dog Day” by Phan Xi Ne from Vietnam, “Where the Wind Blows” by Trinh Dinh Le Minh (USA), “The Fading Light” by Do Thien (USA), animation “Morning Songs” by Thi-Von Muong-Hane, Chongkham Phonekeo, Vilakone Phachanthavong (Laos) and “An Interrogation” by Nghiem Trang (Czech Republic).

Marcus Manh Cuong Vu, Head of YxineFF, said this would be YxineFF’s first overseas offline screening. “We chose Paris because it is the cinematic capital of the world and there are many cinephiles in the Vietnamese & French communities here,” he said.

The screening, which will open YxineFF 2011, will also include a discussion about woman directors with French Vietnamese director Viet Linh and Nghiem Trang.

It will end with a fashion show themed “Fashion in the 20th Century Cinema” starring young Vietnamese living in Paris and a harmonica-piano duet of melodies in film.

The program, to be in French and Vietnamese, will be held at 14h30 on October 1, at La Clef Theatre in Paris.

YxineFF, organized annually by Sai Gon Media Company, local film aficionados and cinema practitioners, aims to broaden the independent film-making community in Vietnam and offer local filmmakers an opportunity to promote their works worldwide.

The entries at this year’s YxineFF can be watched at the festival's website at www.yxineff.com.

Musical concert to celebrate the nostalgia of autumn in Hanoi  

A musical concert celebrating the nostalgia of the autumn season in Hanoi will be held at the Hanoi Friendship Cultural Palace from October 1-2.  
 
Anyone born in Hanoi or ever coming to the capital for even one time during the autumn season cannot help but be enchanted with the colors of autumn, the falling golden yellow leaves on streets and parks, the cool autumn breeze and the charming houses with ancient sloping tiled roofs.

The concert will be a night of nostalgia for Hanoians and visitors as they listen to old favorites sung by pop stars Thanh Lam, Hong Nhung, My Linh, Quang Dung and Uyen Linh, the latter being winner of Vietnam Idol 2010.

Miss Asia Jennifer Pham will play the role of MC and famous saxophonist Quyen Van Minh and the Brothers, a leading band in the country, will also join the event.

Director Tran Binh hopes to bring to Hanoi an unforgettable musical event, old romantic melodies and popular songs to all music lovers.
 
Michelin star chef offers French specialties at Sofitel Saigon Plaza  
 
One star Michelin chef Stéphane Carbone visits Sofitel Saigon Plaza from September 21-24.

Olivier Restaurant of Sofitel Saigon Plaza is featuring one star Michelin chef Stéphane Carbone from September 21-24. Carbone is introducing authentic recipes originating from his restaurant, Incognito, in Caen, Normandy, France.

Carbone cooked for France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama in 2009 on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Normandy landings and the Liberation of France.

He started cooking with his grandmother while helping her during Sunday meals and does not describe himself as an exuberant chef. “I am not unpredictable or excessive, I want to offer a simple cuisine but I want it perfect. I set myself high standards. You will never find a lobster cooked with chocolate in my kitchen,” he said.

Carbone’s first restaurant, l'Ecailler, in Port-en-Bessin, was awarded a Michelin star in 2006. A year after its opening, Incognito, his signature restaurant in Caen, Normandy was also given a Michelin star. A single Michelin star is considered a rare achievement for a restaurant and winning such recognition is the life goal of many professional chefs.

During this first trip to Vietnam, Carbone will present a special menu at Olivier Restaurant with authentic and sophisticated French dishes such as millefeuille of duck foie gras, green asparagus risotto with truffle oil, and salmon with Mediterranean tapenade foam.

A three-course menu will be priced at VND620,000++ and a five-course magnifique set menu will be priced at VND1,200,000++. An exclusive selection of red and white wine will complete the culinary adventure.

Carbone will run a cooking class at Olivier Restaurant on Saturday, September 24.

Sofitel Saigon Plaza is located at 17 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. For further information, call (08) 3 824 1555.

Khmer festival venerates ancestors

Ethnic Khmers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Soc Trang are celebrating the annual Sense Dolta Festival to express their gratitude to ancestors.

The three-day festival, which opened on Monday, is celebrated by the nearly 400,000 Khmer residents to commemorate their parents and missing relatives and wish living people good luck.

It features many religious rituals performed at pagodas and music and song shows.

Provincial authorities visited monks, heroic mothers, and the poor on the occasion and gave them gifts.

Celebrated between August 29 and September 1 of the lunar year, it is one of the three biggest festivals of the Khmer people.

“Passion Indochine” to open in Paris

A Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia cultural and tourism festival entitled “Passion Indochine” will be held in Paris, France, on September 30-October 1.

The festival will be organized by Vietnam Airlines under the sponsorship of the Vietnamese, Lao and Cambodian embassies.

Le Dung, director of the Vietnam Airlines representative office in Europe, said the event aims to promote culture and tourism in the three countries in the Vietnam Airlines flight network, especially since it plans to open a direct route to London.

Dung said that Vietnam has great tourism potential which will be diversified if it can work together with Laos and Cambodia to tap the tourism potential of all the countries.

The festival will be divided into three sections: one to introduce the World Heritage sites in the three countries, another presenting their special cuisines, and one for cultural performances to attract more French and European visitors to the region.

PV