RDbw

About

A music journalist, writer, radio presenter, vinyl DJ, socio-political activist, creative industry leader, band manager, and library diploma holder heavily draws inspiration from punk rock philosophy. Often tagged as the Indonesian version of Malcolm McLaren—or, as Rolling Stone Indonesia put it, the grand master of music propaganda—he is perhaps best known for previously managing Bali’s two biggest bands, Superman Is Dead and Navicula, who have gone on to become two of the nation’s biggest rock bands. The band he now manages is The Hydrant, the pioneer of rockabilly in Indonesia.

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A Whole New World of Raisa

・Versi Bahasa Indonesia silakan klik di siniYouTube has worked its magic again. This time the digital miracle happened to Raisa. An upload of her acoustic performance of "Serba Salah" with her back-up band in late 2010 met with a quick and very positive response from the public. By early 2011, more than a hundred thousand people had already viewed her video. Thinking that this was her time to pursue her dream, the former back-up singer for RAN decided to step forward. Several weeks ago, she finally released her much-anticipated debut album, Raisa. Produced by Asta (RAN) and Handy + Rio (Soulvibe), and released by Universal Music Indonesia, the album consists of 9 songs by the 21-year-old lady, with mostl moving in the direction of pop with a touch of R&B. It seems she is not far behind her idols, such as India Arie, Brian McKnight, Steve Wonder, Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, etc. Her music "career", which started when she was three years old, singing "A Whole New World" has now become a serious business. In case you haven't seen it, go check out her much-talked video, by going on to YouTube, typing "Serba Salah", and witnessing it yourself. If you like it, that's the only beginning.

Negara dalam Keadaan Bahaya

Aktivis hiphop mbalela Marzuki Mohammad alias Kill the DJ kali ini datang bersuara lantang, mengingatkan semua orang bahwa negeri ini sedang limbung dan goyang lewat tembang "Negara dalam Keadaan Bahaya". Sangat direkomendasikan untuk disimak serta silakan diunduh bebas bea.

Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: RIO FARABI

Edition: September 14, 2011Rock-n-Roll-Exhibition: RIO FARABI My Evergreen:: Playlist, intro, song descriptions, and photos, handpicked and written by Rio Himself :: Yak, inilah 32 lagu "Evergreen" versi saya. Sebenernya saya juga masih bingung apa arti pasti dari lagu Evergreen. Sebenernya faktor apa yang membuat lagu layak disebut lagu Evergreen? Kalau dilihat dari kata-katanya, Evergreen berarti selalu hijau. Mungkin maksudnya adalah lagu-lagu yang ga bakal pudar, selalu hijau di hati atau ringkasnya adalah lagu yang abadi. And most of them came from pop/ballad genre, genre yang memang mudah diterima oleh kebanyakan orang. Karena saking populernya, maka lagu ini "wajib" masuk kedalam album kompilasi lagu-lagu Evergreen versi record label tertentu. Evergreen mungkin juga berarti lagu ini bakal tetep laku di tahun-tahun mendatang, apalagi kalo penyanyi aslinya udah meninggal, maka penyanyi baru yang menyanyikan lagu itu hampir dipastikan akan melejit juga. Sepertinya kata Evergreen ini mulai ada di tahun 70an akhir. Begitulah kira-kira analisa dangkal saya soal Evergreen ini. Tapi faktor-faktor tersebut ga berlaku buat playlist Evergreen saya. Lagu-lagu Evergreen versi saya ini lebih personal, punya memori spesial karena berkaitan erat dengan kejadian-kejadian "penting" dalam hidup saya, soundtrack dari berbagai fragmen hidup saya, lagu-lagu yang menemani saya tumbuh besar, ataupun lagu yang memiliki nilai estetis sedikit lebih banyak dibanding lagu-lagu lainnya di kuping saya. Dan pasti lagu-lagu ini bakal tetep hijau dihati, tetep enak didengerin kapan pun. Tetep abadi walaupun ratusan single terbaru dari puluhan bahkan ratusan band muncul. Terima kasih buat Brocuk Rudolf Dethu yang mengundang saya untuk berpameran di The Block Rockin' Beats ini. Sebuah kehormatan untuk bisa "berbagi" di blog yang super keren ini. Okeh, inilah playlist saya. Selamat menikmati dan bersulang! ♫ Radio streaming live 8-10 PM (Bali time) http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls ♫

Heavy Metal Umlaut

Umlaut adalah sebuah diakritik yang terdiri dari sepasang titik atau garis-garis yang ditempatkan pada sebuah huruf---biasanya huruf hidup. Diakritik? Huh? Ia berupa tanda kecil yang ditempatkan pada sebuah huruf untuk membedakan pengucapan dari huruf sejenis. Umlaut---yang berasal dari Bahasa Jerman---secara bebas bisa diterjemahkan sebagai "perubahan pengucapan", pula "pergantian bunyi". Huruf a, misalnya, dilafalkan sedikit berbeda dengan ä, o tak sama dengan ö, bunyi ü lebih lemah dibanding u. Demikian seterusnya.

Domestic Groove: CHE CUPUMANIK

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 23rd edition I went upclose-and-personal with Che Cupumanik.

Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: KARTIKA JAHJA

Edition: September 07, 2011Rock-n-Roll-Exhibition: KARTIKA JAHJAPMS - Pre Meanstrual Soundtracks:: Playlist, intro, song descriptions, and photos, handpicked and written by Tika Herself :: It's that time of the month and my sneaky hormones have came out to party. Armed with a rusty shopping cart, they tie me down inside it and push it down a hill. Not knowing what I'm gonna hit, I just embrace all the amplified feelings that came and went on my ride down. From "Fuck you assholes!" to "Fuck me, baby." From "Leave me alone," to "I'm so lonely." From "I'm a bad ass bitch," to "I'm a fat ass bitch." From "Please make this stop" to the comforting whisper saying "this too shall pass". So just like my mood during PMS, this soundtrack swings from genre to genre, theme to theme, and era to era. You can't judge a woman by her PMS behavior, just as you can't to judge my taste in music from this playlist. Stop thinking, curl up in your bed and enjoy the songs ♫ Radio streaming live 8-10 PM (Bali time) http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls ♫

Tanam Saja

Lagu ini bagus banget, segar lagi pintar, klop untuk mengantarkan kita menyambut pagi, menulis atau membaca dan minum kopi, serta kesadaran tentang pentingnya menanam kembali. Selamat menikmati dan silakan diunduh bebas bea.

Indonesia Mahardika

Edition: August 17, 2011Indonesia MahardikaEdisi kali ini adalah sesi khusus memperingati hari kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia yang ke-66. Saya tidak meminta Anda menjadi *uhuk* nasionalis. Saya tidak merajuk agar para sejawat memakai kacamata kuda lalu membabibuta mencintai Nusantara brengsek ini. Atau meleleh berpanas-panas menghormati bendera Merah Putih bak fasis pro-integrasi. Apa yang mau dibanggakan lagi dari negeri kacrut ini? Hampir nihil aspek-aspek yang bisa bikin bangsa ini tegak jumawa. NKRI yang konon gemah ripah loh jinawi ini sejatinya mencret, limbung dan bersimbah darah. Sudahlah, gunakan saja mata hati lalu akui bahwa Indonesia adalah negara (hampir) gagal. Sekarang yang kita punya tinggal rasa percaya bahwa kita bisa menjadikannya lebih baik, hampir muak tapi menolak tunduk, pula disertai niat kuat merawat demokrasi---menjunjung tinggi kebebasan berpikir, berbicara, berekspresi---dan pantang menyerah turut berperanserta mereparasi republik ini. Ya, mencintai Indonesia, di antaranya, bisa dilakukan lewat berjuang memelihara aset berkesenian, menghargai sejarah olah senandung negeri ini. Dirgahayu Indonesiaku! ♫ Radio streaming live from 8-10 PM http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls ♫

Sir Dandy: Satria Bengal Bergitar

・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 ~ 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 22nd edition I went upclose-and-personal with Vicky Shu.

Domestic Groove: ABIMANA

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 21st edition I went upclose-and-personal with Abimana.

Superglad: Rock Testoteron, Cinta dan Nafsu

• 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 “dalam membuat satu playlist, dibutuhkan juga imajinasi” (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... ♫ Radio streaming live from 8-10 PM http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls ♫

Domestic Groove: ZEKE KHASELI

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 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.♬♪ Radio streaming live from 8-10 PM http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls ♫♪

Devildice: Hulubalang Mawar Hitam

• 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!
RDbw

About

Music journalist, writer, radio DJ, socio-political activist, creative industry leader, and a qualified librarian, Rudolf Dethu is heavily under the influence of the punk rock philosophy. Often tagged as this country’s version of Malcolm McLaren—or as Rolling Stone Indonesia put it ‘the grand master of music propaganda’—a name based on his successes when managing Bali’s two favourite bands, Superman Is Dead and Navicula, both who have become two of the nation’s biggest rock bands.

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