Rudolf Dethu

Blantika | Linimasa: Musik Bali yang Menyimpang

Sebagaimana kota-kota atau pun pulau-pulau lainnya di Indonesia, Bali punya keunikan dan sejarahnya yang tersendiri (sebutlah agama dan kepercayaan, adat istiadat, pesona alam dan ragam pantai, tempat tujuan turis yang mahsyur, hingga peristiwa Bom Bali) yang menjadikan musik non-tradisional di sana tercipta dan menyebar dengan cara-caranya—berpadu dengan hal-hal global seperti teknologi membuat musik, politik dan pembajakan musik Indonesia, trend musik dunia dan MTV, juga internet—hingga menampakkan ciri-ciri khasnya yang memberikan keberagaman pada musik Nasional dan dunia. Buku ini mencatatnya dengan gaya yang telanjang, membeberkannya lugas dan menyeluruh. Jelas bukan sedang berlebihan mengagungkan kedaerahan belaka, kita tahu penggagas buku Rudolf Dethu terlalu keren untuk terjebak di situ.

cogitaINTIMA: Blantika | Linimasa

“Ini dokumentasiku. Mana dokumentasimu?!” Demikian Rudolf Dethu berseru dengan angkuh, dalam bukunya yang berjudul “BLANTIKA | LINIMASA: Kaleidoskop Musik Non-Trad Bali”. Barangkali, sambil menenggak segelas Jim Beam.

Tapi ada benarnya juga. Dokumentasi musik Indonesia memang sangat minim, jika tidak mau disebut nyaris nihil. Bangsa ini, yang belakangan semakin kelihatan cerewet di ranah media sosial, ternyata masih terus mewarisi kebodohan nenek moyangnya: enggan menuliskan sejarah. Padahal, seperti yang juga ditulis Rudolf Dethu dalam buku ini, sejarah milik orang yang menulis.

Dalam 111 halamannya, “Blantika | Linimasa” mengisahkan perjalanan musik non-tradisional Bali periode 1960-2000. Lengkap tertuang di dalamnya adalah kisah perubahan corak musik yang digemari masyarakat Bali, pergantian musisi yang jadi idola di setiap era, dan bagaimana insan bisnis musik Bali menyikapi itu semua.

Sangat menarik, setidaknya bagi saya yang memang buta soal sejarah musik Bali (bukan berarti saya tidak sama butanya soal sejarah musik Indonesia), membaca bahwa orang Bali ternyata sangat menggemari musik pop Mandarin yang mendayu-dayu. Tak kurang dari dua dekade lamanya, dari awal ’80-an hingga akhir ’90-an musik Bali dikuasai oleh dua sosok penting pengusung aliran ini: Yong Sagita dan Widi Widiana.

Sampai kemudian hadir Lolot, band rock yang menyanyikan lagu-lagu keras berbahasa Bali…

Gerakan Itu Bernama Bali Creative Festival

Bali Creative Festival adalah upaya untuk membawa Bali ke masa depan. Saya hanya menduga bahwa upaya tersebut adalah untuk mempersiapkan Bali untuk masuk ke sebuah masa post-exoticism di mana turis datang ke Bali tidak hanya untuk pantai indah, souvenir murah, upacara adat serta budaya tradisional semata. Dan jika itu adalah alasannya, banyak kota lain di Indonesia selayaknya harus memiliki festival-festival kreatif semacam ini. Dan jika negara tidak bisa membantu membidani lahirnya industri kreatif paling tidak mereka bisa mendukung acara semacam ini di banyak daerah. Itu lebih dari cukup.

Roman Foot Soldiers: Waterfront

• Versi Bahasa Indonesia silakan klik di sini

Sinjitos Records, an established Indonesian record label, has signed a new band: Roman Foot Soldiers.

Around a month ago this pop/electronic collective released a videoclip for “Waterfront”, the main single for their free download EP, Kitsilano. The video clip is directed by a collaborative duo of Nicoline Patricia Malian and Anindita Saryuf, both are know as key people in fashion. Anindita’s husband, Joseph Saryuf, acted as the producer of the song.

The Roman Foot Soldiers themselves actually came together in 2005 as a six Indonesian university students while they studied in Vancouver, Canada. They became more confident doing their act after they got into the big three of University of British Columbia’s Battle of the Bands. In summer 2010, after finishing college, they all decided to go back to Indonesia and worked together with Sinjitos Records in Jakarta.

Go to YouTube to view the video clip of “Waterfront”, and keep yourself updated by joining the Roman Foot Soldiers Facebook page.

Dethu and His Non-Traditional Music Bible

A new book telling the story of non-traditional music in Bali over the past four decades was released and launched at Antiba Arts in Sanur last weekend. The book called Blantika | Linimasa (Scene | Timeline) is curated and edited by local rock ‘n’ roll luminary, long-time beat magazine contributor and former Superman is Dead manager, Rudolf Dethu.

It’s written in Bahasa by a group of writers; Alfred Pacifico Ginting, Anton Muhajair, Gede Roby Supriyanto and Dethu, and looks into the way that pop, rock and every other modern music form, outside the traditional Balinese music sphere, has evolved on the island. There have been many highs and lows on the way to where local music finds itself now but has it actually made it all the way?

Book on Balinese Music Launched

Dozens of Balinese performers of various music genres gathered at the Serambi Arts Antida studio on Saturday night to celebrate the launch of a book on the journey of non-traditional music from Bali over the last decades.

Launched by the Bali Creative Community (BCC), the book, titled Blantika Linimasa, Kaleidoskop Musik Non-Trad Bali, was initiated by Rudolf Dethu and several writers. The book is said to be the first document that comprehensively records the progress of Balinese music.

“There are not many documents on Balinese music. We have lost a lot of history; the current generation doesn’t know about the struggle of their previous generations in the musical industry,” said Jimmy Sila’a, a famous music arranger from the 1980s.

Indonesia’s Punk, Just Not Young

What is punk rock? Is it colored, spiky hair held up by glue? Is it abrasive three chord rock ’n’ roll played at breakneck speed? Is it leather pants, pierced noses and discordant noise atop irate, socially conscious lyrics? Or is it something much more, a symbol of an independent mind frame that goes beyond all of these stereotypes?

Domestic Groove: ENDAH N RHESA

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celeb’s Chosen Nine is my biweekly column in The Beat (Jakarta) mag. Basically it’s an interview via e-mail which focuses on small, intimate, domestic stuff; what Indonesia’s public figures are really into.

For the 31st edition I went upclose-and-personal with Endah N Rhesa.

Domestic Groove: LEONARDO RINGO

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celeb’s Chosen Nine is my biweekly column in The Beat (Jakarta) mag. Basically it’s an interview via e-mail which focuses on small, intimate, domestic stuff; what Indonesia’s public figures are really into.

For the 30th edition I went upclose-and-personal with Leonardo Ringo.

BLANTIKA | LINIMASA Book Launch Party - Rundown

2012: Berdiri Lagi dan Menolak Mati
Book launch party of BLANTIKA | LINIMASA

Saturday, January 7th, 2012
5pm – Midnight
Serambi Arts Antida, Sanur

For details please go to the main page.