Tuni Sundatang - Alunan Dari Tanah Tinggi EP Launch

From near-silent instruments to a debut EP

On Friday 30 January 2026, Tuni Sundatang will release their debut EP^[1], Alunan Dari Tanah Tinggi (“Echoes from the Highlands”), at Ruang Tamu Ekosistem in Alamesra. Doors open at 7 pm for an evening in a venue that has played host to many experiments, gatherings and key moments in the development of the arts scene in KK.

Tuni Sundatang are a six-piece folk rock band from Ranau who build their songs around instruments that were close to disappearing, including the sundatang boat lute, toburi, sompoton mouth organ, bungkau mouth harp, tuntug drum, kulintangan gongs, suling flute and turali flute. Even before the band existed, founder and sundatang maker Gindung McFeddy Simon spent years travelling across Sabah and wider Borneo, meeting elders, learning from masters, and piecing together the sound of this almost extinct instrument. Alunan Dari Tanah Tinggi is the record of that journey.

On stage, all this research comes to life. You can hear the highlands in the melodies and the old rhythms in the drums, while a strong current of modern rock runs underneath. The band likes to say that this archive lives on in many forms: in recordings, films, live performances and in the hands of whoever picks up a sundatang next. The goal is simple: the instrument should never fall silent again.

The launch night at Ruang Tamu will bring these different forms together. There will be a special screening of the band's latest music videos, including Sayau Rondom and WarCry, followed by a live performance by the full band. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the stories behind the EP in an informal interview and meet-and-greet session with the band. Exclusive merchandise will also be on sale, including T-shirts, stickers, posters, and of course, the EP itself.

Tuni Sundatang have already taken Sabah's sound far beyond its borders, winning the Asian Folk category at the 2025 InterContinental Music Awards in Los Angeles (California, USA) and performing at the 2025 Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand. However, this performance in Alamesra is for the people closest to the hills that inspired the music in the first place.

Come if these sounds mean something to you, or if you are just curious to hear them for the first time. Come early, take a seat, and let the echoes from the highlands stay with you for a while.