Roars. Rants. Raves. Rambles. Rebel. Rock-N-Roll

Sir Dandy: Satria Bengal Bergitar

ã»Versi Bahasa Indonesia silakan klik di siniThe frontman of loud, noisy, anarchistic band Teenage Death Star, Sir Dandy Harrington, has made another brave move, publishing a solo album called Lesson # 1. What makes this so brave is the fact that Sir Dandy has known to play guitar for only three years. Sir Dandy has said that the creation of the album, which was released through Organic Records and produced by Widi Puradiredja, was like passing a national exam after three years of study. Offering "Jakarta Motor City" as his first formal single, on the heels of the free-for-download "Juara Dunia", all the compositions on Lesson #1 are folk-based. The lyrics are blunt, spontaneous, in-your-face, funny, urban, simple, light, and a bit nihilistic. Sir Dandy is not worried about his singing. He says that even his voice is sometimes discordant, at least he's brutally honest and original. For further online info about Sir Dandy go check www.theone-management.com

Domestic Groove: VICKY SHU

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celebâs Chosen Seven is my biweekly column in The Beat (Jakarta) mag. Basically itâs an interview via e-mail which focuses on small, intimate, domestic stuff; what Indonesiaâs public figures are really into, musically speaking. For the 22nd edition I went upclose-and-personal with Vicky Shu.

Domestic Groove: ABIMANA

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celebâs Chosen Seven is my biweekly column in The Beat (Jakarta) mag. Basically itâs an interview via e-mail which focuses on small, intimate, domestic stuff; what Indonesiaâs public figures are really into, musically speaking. For the 21st edition I went upclose-and-personal with Abimana.

Superglad: Rock Testoteron, Cinta dan Nafsu

â¢ Versi Bahasa Indonesia silakan klik di siniWith too much monkey business in their heads, Superglad released their fifth album, Cinta dan Nafsu. Over eleven songs, this Jakartan quartet follow the path of their overflowing libidos. The lyrics of songs like " Enny Arrow", "Mas Tur dan Mba Sri", "Sofa Merah Percintaan", are pure testoterone-drive rock. After the group released a free-download teaser single "Rajah Sayap Malaikat" in May, anticipation was high for the album, which was formally brought out on June 25, 2011. The first 1000 copies sold out during their solo concert on the first day of release. The new composition from the band, founded in 2003, sees them changing paths from pop-punk to a more metal sound. According to Giox, the bass player, they looked to the Misfits, Bad Religion and Smoking Popes as musical guides on this one. The group refuses to follow what the market wants, focusing instead on what's important to them: freedom, more speed, and more sex.

JRX: Punk Rock Prince Charming

Born and bred in Kuta, this thirtysomething artist is apparently one of the hottest dudes in social media---he has more than a hundred thousand followers on Twitter. Not to mention his band (he's the drummer), "Superman Is Dead", who have almost two and a half million fans on Facebook (!). Ari Astina a.k.a. JRX (read: Jerinx), also has a side project, a band called "Devil Dice". They just released their debut (major-label) album, titled Army of the Black Rose. The recent rocket-speed rise in his personal popularity is believed to be due to the fact that not only does he have a pivotal role in two ultra cool bands, but also a very colorful personality: smiley, smart (he was one of the first community leaders in Bali to take up the environmental cause), yet badass. These days you can surely spot his profile regularly in national media, including TV.

Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: ANDRIE KEMIR MAULANA

Edition: July 27, 2011Rock-n-Roll-Exhibition: KemirLights Low, Volume High, Fantasizing:: Playlist, intro, and song descriptions, handpicked and written by Kemir Himself :: Judul yang saya ambil dari The Milo, salah satu band favorit saya yang paling bertanggung jawab dalam membuka sisi lain dari seorang Andrie Kemir Maulana yang sebelumnya hanya mendengarkan musik yang biasa dikumandangakan di radio-radio mainstream (Top 40) tapi oleh karena itu saya sangat berterima kasih, seolah saya menemukan siapa saya sebenarnya. Perkenalan yang sangat bermakna itu (2003) membuat saya sadar satu hal âdalam membuat satu playlist, dibutuhkan juga imajinasiâ (waktu menjabat sebagai Music Director di radio), gak melulu tentang segmen radio ataupun memutarkan lagu lagu yang sedang trend, tapi juga menciptakan daya khayal ataupun memainkan emosi pendengar. Lagu-lagu yang saya pilih ini adalah sedikit dari lagu-lagu hasil imajinasi saya ketika sedang berada di dalam kamar redup cahaya, hanya ditemani sebungkus Marlboro merah dan sebotol vodka dengan perasaan gamang, carut marut bin galau---biar kaya abege jaman sekarang eaaa... â« Radio streaming live from 8-10 PM http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls â«

Domestic Groove: ZEKE KHASELI

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celebâs Chosen Seven is my biweekly column in The Beat (Jakarta) mag. Basically itâs an interview via e-mail which focuses on small, intimate, domestic stuff; what Indonesiaâs public figures are really into, musically speaking. For the 20th edition I went upclose-and-personal with Zeke Khaseli.

Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: DIMAS ARIO & PRATIWI SASOTYA

Edition: July 13, 2011Rock-n-Roll-Exhibition: Dimas Ario & Pratiwi SasotyaOne for Sorrow, Two for Joy:: Playlist, intro, song descriptions, and (most) photos, written and handpicked by Dimas and Tya :: When Dethu first offered Tya to submit a playlist of her own for Rock n Roll Exhibiton, her first response was to say no as she know she is incapable of making one. He said, 'Take your time and think about it'. She did. It was chatted about circa July 2010, and turns out, it took exactly a year to make. And Dimas' name popped-up in her head, he's one consistent mixtape maker. Mixtapes she enjoyed listening to. Once Dimas agreed to do a playlist together, she persuaded Dethu let them do a combo. They decided to only put duos and collaborations on the list to tie-up with the combo playlist theme. They also decided to put good ol' pop songs. There were many obscure and edgy ones already. Combining both personal preferred tunes was not a challenge, but distance is. She's in Surabaya, he's in Bandung. The playlist was done entirely through Yahoo Messenger and Skype, stealing times on office hours and staying awake at night. He took care of the track list, she looked for pleasing images. 'One for sorrow, two for joy' is an old nursery rhyme and is also the title of a song in the list. Guess it's aptly named.One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told.â¬âª Radio streaming live from 8-10 PM http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls â«âª

Devildice: Hulubalang Mawar Hitam

â¢ Versi Bahasa Indonesia silakan klik di siniDevildice, a group of musicians from Bali masterminded by JRX, the drummer of Superman Is Dead, have come back with their second album. While the first album, In the Arms of the Angels (2004), was self-produced, this latest one, Army of the Black Rose (June 2011), was put together through Sony Music Indonesia. Over 11 songs, JRX, the main song writer, talks mostly about nihilism, life and love, pain and rain. They also invite some guest stars to participate. Sari Nymphea performs a duet with JRX on the Johnny Cash-June Carter inspired song, "Diamonds are Forever", backed up by Leo and Kappe Sinatra on guitar and contrabass. Hendra Fish (Telephone) also plays guitar on "Palace of My Own Disgrace". Familiarize yourself with this rock-n-roll punk quintet by checking them out first on their MySpace and Facebook page. Dig their old gangster movie and kustom kulture image and go ahead and buy the album!

Domestic Groove: RAHMAH UMAYYA

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celebâs Chosen Seven is my biweekly column in The Beat (Jakarta) mag. Basically itâs an interview via e-mail which focuses on small, intimate, domestic stuff; what Indonesiaâs public figures are really into, musically speaking. For the 19th edition I went upclose-and-personal with Rahmah Umayya.

BRNDLS: DRG, MDCN & DGNR8

Domestic chaos and prolonged internal problems in Indonesia has inspired The Brandals to write and release DGNR8 (read: degenerate). The latest album after a drought of for four years is a tribute to the great nation of Indonesia, and how the band feels that the country has lost its way of life. The rather cynical viewpoint from the group that now prefers to call themselves "BRNDLS" is further strengthened by the design of the album cover, which is in the shape of the form of drug packaging. According to the band, DGNR8 is a kind of drug offered to the sick people in the dilapidated condition of the nation. Also with the progressive statements, the music direction has changed somewhat as well. The explosive approach of earlier efforts is now more controlled as the quartet grow older and more mature, but the foundation is still rock-n-roll. In one song, "Abrasi", Eka Annash & co. even invited the hip hop living legend, Morgue Vanguard aka Ucok Homicide to rap. Other than audio disc, this album has an interesting bonus, too, DGNR8: The DVD, which is a documentary movie about the making of the album, including the "behind the screen" story about the music and the dynamics of these angry young men.

Industri Vs Komunitas: Permintaan Pasar atau Loyalitas

Dari sebegitu panjang lebar kiat yang telah saya paparkan, baik internal maupun eksternal, selain merapikan urusan dalam negeri juga membangun imej serta kepercayaan pihak luar, perjalanan merintis karir di skena musik tampaknya tinggal menentukan keputusan nan menentukan alias paling final: melebur ke industri atau mendekat ke komunitas. Adalah memang, benar sekali, harus diakui bahwa menetapkan tujuan, membidik sasaran, mematok incaran, bukanlah bak memainkan dua sisi dari keping uang logam, atau semudah membalik telapak tangan. Sebab ini soal hidup mati, tentang masa depan. Jadi penggarisan takdir bagi diri sendiri jangan sampai salah, kudu super diseriusi. Untuk itu, mari saya beri perbandingan kelebihan dan kekurangan atara industri dengan komunitas.

Oppie Andaresta: Fun, Footlose, and Fancy Free

• Versi Bahasa Indonesia silakan klik di siniAfter releasing an album with the theme of women's emancipation in 2010, Oppie Andaresta is back again with Dengan Hati Senang. Released in April 2011, this newest composition is quite easy listening and more radio-friendly compared to the last offering. As Oppie puts it, "Wider segment: commercial-oriented, more footlose-and-fancy-free." The album, with "Mau Have Fun" as the first single, consist of nine songs which talks mostly about daily life and social issues. In "Matahariku", for instance, she sings about her beloved husband (without him even realizing it), while "Jangan Bedakan (Ayah Bunda)" points at the distorted relationship between parents and their children. Despite the photos that expressing her more "modern" look, the ambassador of Peduli Perempuan (women's rights), has asserted that she's still the same Oppie inside. The urban cosmopolitan look is only a fun experiment initiated by her photographer. She's not into manufactured images, she's still into simple and natural images, just as she's always been. Currently, Oppie is busy promoting Dengan Hati Senang to the radios around big cities in Indonesia with a tour following in July.

Esprit de Corps: Padu Bersatu Menuju Top

Sejauh ini kita melulu bicara soal eksternal, soal bagaimana menyenangkan pihak luar, apa yang harus dilakukan agar pihak sekeliling hatinya gonjang-ganjing. Lalu, urusan internal, perkara domestik, mau dibiarin tandus tak terurus? Konsolidasi ke dalam jelas tak kalah penting. Sebab jika ihwal kerumahtanggaan dalam sebuah organisasi (baca: band) keropos maka cahaya yang menyebar terpancar juga biasanya otomatis kurang benderang. Jadi, sekali lagi, selain persoalan jejaring sosial, menyenangkan penggemar, segala gono-gini pencitraan, fondasi pendukung selain personel Trio Kiamat Raya semata adalah penting juga. Agar konstruksi sebuah kelompok musik makin sakti mandraguna memang idealnya---maksudnya ideal dalam skala minimal ya---di orbitnya ada elemen pendukung kayak manajer, soundman, dan crew yang ngurusin instrumen masing-masing pemain band. Dengan support sedemikian rupa maka orang per-orang anggota Trio Kiamat Raya bisa fokus ngurusin musik aja. Trio Kiamat Raya bakalan nyaman konsentrasi dalam berkesenian.

Domestic Groove: RIO HELMI

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celeb's Chosen Seven 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, musically speaking. For the 18th edition I went upclose-and-personal with Rio Helmi.

Bayu Risa: Rise and Shine and Start Again

・Versi Bahasa Indonesia silakan klik di siniBayu Risa has made impressive moves since he was a kid. At the age of 10 he traveled around many South East Asian countries and even to the USA to sing with his vocal group. During his high school era, this Jakarta-based singer actively performing in cafes and school shows around town. He went to Bandung after he graduated and got busy with a band called Ever Nine. After quite a long break due to illness, he was asked to join Pasto which helped develop his reputation on the Indonesian music scene significantly. While he was still in Pasto they released an album produced by Glenn Fredly in 2007. Despite Pasto's ever growing fame, Bayu Risa decided to quit to pursue a solo career. In 2009 he released his first single, "Inner Beauty", which attracted a good amount of success. However things really started moving when he met Joseph Saryuf in 2010. Joseph then became his producer and helped him to release his first full-length solo album under Sinjitos Records called Rise and Start Again. The ten composition on the album are an eclectic mix of musical genres, from beautiful pop melodies to funk beats, from sexy R&B grooves to spaced out disco. The single "Percaya" performed well in many prestigious music charts across Indonesia. The single also helped Bayu to secure a position at the two major national music festivals, 'Playground' and 'Soulnation'. Recently, one of the song from Rise and Start Again was used in an ad campaign by a national mobile phone network operator.

Domestic Groove: JAMIE ADITYA

DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celeb's Chosen Seven 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, musically speaking. For the 17th edition I went upclose-and-personal with Jamie Aditya.

Luky Annash: 180° dan Bernas

・Versi Bahasa Indonesia silakan klik di siniAfter playing classical piano since he was as young as 12 years old, Luky Annash ended up going down the 90's music path rather than sticking to the classical tunes. Nirvana and Tori Amos give him more freedom for interpretation than Mozart and baroque composition where he felt limited. In 2005, the younger brother of Eka and Rully Annash (The Brandals), made up his mind, and decide to dive in completely in contemporary music and starting to join bands like The Brandals, godmustbecrazy, and Tika and the Dissidents. Finally in April 2011 he released his debut album called 180º under Demajors in which he talks a lot about life's adventure how things can be be changed 180º if you are willing to accept both the dark and the bright side. The influence of his favorite artists like Tori Amos, Harry Nilsson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Björk, Apparat, Phillip Glass, Danny Elfman---even Slayer and Motörhead---can be heard on the album.

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