JB Drums was founded to inherit and promote 24 Festive Drums, a Malaysian Intangible Cultural Heritage. In the early days of its establishment, JB Drums actively invited Foon Yew High School alumni and drummers from other backgrounds to continue their interest in drumming. At present, there are 10 professional drumming coaches and assistants from JB Drums, who are coaching more than 20 drum teams of different ages.

Over the years, JB Drums has also gone abroad, and has visited Singapore, China (including Macau, Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Chaozhou, Shantou, Xiamen, Tianjin, etc.) and also Africa (Kingdom of Eswatini & Lesotho) for performance and coaching. In 2017, JB Drums was invited by Orang Orang Drum Theatre to tour France jointly for six weeks and visited eight international folk art festivals.

Since its establishment in 2013, OODT’s core members Chew Soon Heng (Boyz), Leow Sze Yee (Zyee), and Damien Leow have been exploring the forms of music, dance, and theatre, seeking a new way of expression in the genre of drum theatre. They aim to revitalise traditional music and stories by incorporating and layering fresh elements of performance, striking a balance between preservation and innovation. The word ‘orang’ means people, and OODT’s mission is to bring the arts to the people—to this end, they have set out to transform a Chinese traditional art form into a unique, multicultural performing art form in Malaysia.

The award-winning drum troupe has participated in international music festivals in Europe, such as France, Hungary, and Serbia, and as well as in Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and China.