| Description |
Tape# 1: Musical and Studio Recording Experiences and Journey in Rabaul and PNG music industry
Side A&B:
Greg Seeto's interest in music started in boarding school in Castle Hill, Sydney, Australia from 1966 to 1971. He learnt the guitar developing his musical skills to the level of performing in school band.
Greg then stayed on to live in Sydney for the next 2 years working and same time continued to be engaged musically in gigs, live bands and to some extent working in a recording studio environment.
In 1974 Greg returned to Rabaul where he worked on his family relative coconut and cocoa plantation in the Kokopo area as logistics coordinator and later Plantation Manager for the next 5 years. He was still based in Rabaul and traveled by driving to work. During his leisure he was involved with the mixed race chinese community in music entertainment. Together with Basil and Dennis Wong brothers and Woo family in Desmond, they formed the Winterwood band. There were other expatriate Australians and local mixed race (Malay, Ambonese, German) bands such Cats Squirrels who were mainly based in town and performed in various clubs and functions for entertainment. In the early to mid 1970s' there were no PNG indigeneous or Tolai electric bands as the local Tolai musicians concentrated on stringband, gospel and choir music and focused to village based communities not the town. The town bands mostly played cover songs influenced by music records or from ABC and Radio Rabaul broadcast programs.
In 1979, Greg gave up music performances and shifted his focus towards the recording aspect of music by buying a 4-track recording studio. In the late 1970s', local indigenous Tolai and mixed PNG bands were emerging together but really started the music industry. Such local musicians like Frank Low, Greg Lou, John Wong, Kepas brothers, Matalau Nakikus, Telek with bands like Unbelievers and Rastaman Vibrations, Barike, Molachs, Painim Wok getting into studio recordings of their music mostly cover versions and composed local Tolai and Tok Pisin songs.
In 1980, Greg went into partnership with Philip Foley, Eddie Schultz to form Soundstream Studios who started with a 4-track recording studio in Rabaul. By then Chin H Meen through Raymond Chin started in Port Moresby with a 16-track recording studio. The first recording was Unbelievers Band and later the Barike album of Waikiki Tamure which was successful in sales country-wide. Other recordings studios were already on the scene such as NBC and Keynote Music.
In the 1980s' there emerged a significant growth in PNG local music and numerous musicians and bands not discussed in the interview and since then Rabaul, New Guinea Islands and PNG music industry developed and continues to grow.
In 1983, Soundstream dissolved due to financial issues and Greg started his own Pacific Gold Studios (PGS) and Philip started Kuanua Studios. The Molachs-Painim Wok album featuring Vunalaslas was a hit song in the mid 1980s' recorded under PGS label.
PGS continued to grow in the music industry with local musicians and bands recordings and in 1984 bought their 24-track studio in Rabaul becoming competitive with CHM in Port Moresby. In 1987, Kuanua Studio ceased its operation and in 1988, CHM expanded its recording studio activities to Rabaul.
Greg's inspiration is recording quality sound as well as mentoring local musicians and band performances for recordings to have quality and creative musical sounds through arrangements and productions of music.
Greg's involvement through his musicianship in the industry based in Rabaul has made the contribution to evolution of local bands with music unique melody, rhythum and style which has become popular in PNG as Tolai Rock and Island Reggae.
(Steven Gagau, September 2019) |
