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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Tonite! My Playlust—Nothin’ but a Nosebleed, Helleluyah!

Tonite! Wednesday, November 17, 2010; 8-10 PMR-n-R Exhibition [mini version]: BONNY SIDHARTAMy Playlust---Nothin' but a Nosebleed, Helleluyah!:: Introduction and playlist, written and handpicked by Bonny Himself :: ...Well, ketika ditodong Gus Cuk a.k.a. Dethu untuk mengisi program The Block Rockin' Beats jujur agak kaget plus bingung; kaget kenapa gue bisa diajak (tengkyu Gus) dan bingung mau mengisi playlist apa ketika sadar waktu tinggal sehari lagi---sementara gue belom bikin playlist apa-apa... hehehe... Bingung! Ya, bingung, karena belakangan mayoritas musik yang keluar masuk kuping dan kepala gue mayoritas didominasi musik-musik berdaya ledak tinggi dan terlalu monoton untuk orang lain (walaupun tidak semonoton SURGA). Dan maafkan sebelumnya kalau playlust yang gue buat ini kurang cocok untuk didengarkan di kala malam... Btw, lagu-lagu yang gue pilih sekarang ini kebetulan lagu-lagu yang ada di dalam iPod gue, jadi gak semuanya ada kedekatan emosional sama gua, hanya sekedar suka ajah (sorry yah Thu, gue mengakui kalo gue pemalas). Dan maaf juga dalam pemilihan playlust ini gue dalam keadaan 100 persen SADAR... Sekali lagi maaf. But, hey, fuck that! Ini giliran gue, jadi suka atau gak suka, selamat menikmati! \m/ HAIL \m/ ♪♫♬ Radio streaming live http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls

One Million Facebook Fans Can’t Be Wrong

・Indonesian version please click hereA few weeks ago, the biggest punk rock band in Indonesia, Superman Is Dead, reached a significant record: One million fans on Facebook. This phenomenon is considered even more impressive due to the lack of SID's appearances on television, proving that plenty of block-rockin' concerts and a little word of mouth is all it takes for succes on this scale. JRX, the drummer and spokesman for the band stated that their interaction with outSIDers/Lady Rose (their special name for the fans) is not always about the music or promoting their current activities. Sometimes discussing humanities and ecology---in a few case the discussion can get very heated. "But that's the beauty of it," he added. According to JRX, Bobby Kool (vocal, guitar), and Eka Rock (bass, backing vocal) the Facebook succes only goes to show that television is not everything, and that you don't need to move to Jakarta (a.k.a. the centre of Indonesia's entertainment industry) to find stardom. There's no such thing as "Jakartacentric". And their intense and caring relationship with fans on Facebook has proven their theory. Stay connected with Superman Is Dead by checking out their website: www.supermanisdead.net or search them on Facebook, of course.

Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: BELINDA KAZANCI

Edition: October 27, 2010Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: BELINDA KAZANCIFemme Voices Extraordinaire:: Playlist, intro, song descriptions, and (most) photos, written and handpicked by Belinda Herself ::I recorded a song called, I Fall to Pieces, and I was in a car wreck. Now I'm worried because I have a brand-new record, and it's called Crazy!~ Patsy Cline When you write, as an artist, you do it to capture and hold a chapter of your life in the palm of your hand. Every lyric, every melody, every spark of idea, has a life of its own.A It comes from experiencing love, anger, joy, pain, heartache, loss, all those emotions that make us human. When a song is born it becomes a part of you, and every time you hear it you get to relive that same moment over again. Throughout history, there have been so many extraordinary female artists who have made a tremendous impact on humanity. I chose this selection of songs and artists because each and every one of them has inspired me throughout my personal musical journey and continues to every day. This playlist is for all those extraordinary women who have chosen to be naked to the world and allow the public to see into them. This takes more courage than one can ever imagine. Peace & Delight, Belinda *Echocell*

Hikayat Pemakzulan & Senggama Terputus

Mencabut alat kemaluan sesaat sebelum ejakulasi alias coitus interruptus ternyata, dahulu kala, pernah bermakna serupa dengan "pemakzulan". Karena pada dasarnya, 'azl (bahasa Arab), berarti mencabut. Entah mencabut seseorang dari tanah airnya (mengasingkan) entah mencabut penis dari vagina. Silakan baca argumen Qaris Tajudin di halaman dalam, ketika ia mencoba memberi sudut pandang berbeda terhadap tulisan Saidi A. Xinnalecky di edisi Tempo sebelumnya: Hikayat Pemakzulan.

Tonite! The Self-Destrukt Hit List!

Tonite! Wednesday, November 10, 2010; 8-10 PMR-n-R Exhibition [mini version]: SAMACKThe Self-Destrukt Hit List:: Introduction, playlist and photos, written and handpicked by Samack Himself :: Terus terang, ternyata tidak mudah bikin list yang berisi singel-singel favorit dari bermacam band. Setidaknya itu berlaku bagi saya, yang cenderung lebih mengapresiasi sepaket album daripada butiran lagu. Jika saya malas dan putus asa, mungkin list ini akan berisi semua lagu dari tiga album awal Metallica, atau semua lagu dari album The Wall-nya Pink Floyd, atau semua track yang ada di Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness-nya Smashing Pumpkins. Tapi syukurlah hal itu tidak saya lakukan, karena pasti dianggap menyebalkan di mata sang empunya program ini... Akhirnya, saya sempatkan membongkar file dan rak untuk mencari (kembali) lagu-lagu yang saya suka dan gilai selama hidup saya ini. Proses hunting lagu ini saya lakukan dalam tempo yang sesingkat-singkatnya. Jadi saya yakin pasti ada beberapa lagu yang luput dari memori dan pantauan. Tapi biarlah. Saya coba trik sederhana; konon jika hunting dimulai dari band favorit, lalu menuju ke album favorit, biasanya akan sampai pada satu lagu yang paling favorit juga. And it really works for me. Hasilnya sekarang ada 33 lagu yang saya susun secara acak---kecuali lagu pertama dan terakhir yang saya desain supaya tampak seperti 'live', haha... Beberapa lagu memang memiliki histori dan cerita spesial, sebagian lagi saya pilih karena musiknya emang keren aja dan bikin saya bersemangat. Oya, list lagu ini kebanyakan emang cadas dan 90an sih---tapi selalu ada ruang kok bagi lagu-lagu yang pop dan lembut, dari jaman lawas maupun era kekinian. Sekalipun saya saya cukup terbuka pada segala jenis musik, toh saya masih bangga menyebut diri saya sebagai seorang metalhead. Eits, metalhead?! By the way, saya mungkin orang yang paling durhaka pada root metal. Sebab, sejujurnya saya tidak pernah benar-benar terpukau pada Sabbath, Motörhead atau Slayer yang sering diagung-agungkan oleh banyak kawan saya itu. Jadi tiga band supermetal itu tidak ada dalam list ini. Jadi silakan menggugat kadar ke-metal-an saya hari ini... Well, menyusun list seperti ini ternyata menyenangkan dan seperti berbagi pengalaman. Duh, rasanya sebentar lagi saya akan kecanduan untuk menyusun list atau malah nekat bikin mixtape. Tapi please, jangan tanyakan lagi apa playlist saya ketika menyusun list ini...Plug. Play. Enjoy.♪♬ Radio streaming live http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls

Five Men, Pop-Manoeuvres & Manimal

For Indonesian version please click hereAfter their last phenomenal album in 2005, The Osaka Journals, which was chosen as one out five greatest album of the decade by the Jakarta Post, Sajama Cut are back in full effect. A few weeks ago they released their third and latest work: Manimal. This album contains 8 songs and nothing has changed: Sajama Cut are still genre-free band. They, Marcel Thee (vocal, guitar), Dion Panlima Reza (guitar), Andre Humala (keyboard, synth, percussion), Randy Apriza Akbar (bass), Hans Citra Patria (keyboard, percussion), and Banu Satrio (drum); are as excited as ever before about having a wild adventure with Folk, Rock, Ambient, Sunshine & Baroque Pop---you name it, it's there. And at the same time retaining consistency with their absurd English lyrics. Manimal---the name came from an action-adventure 80s tv series---was recorded in their own studio, Movement. And during a whole year process the whole crew isolated themselves from the public, minimizing any distractions for a great record. Stay connected with Marcel Thee and co. by visiting www.sajamacut.com

Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: INDRA AMENG

Edition: April 07, 2010Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: INDRA AMENG33 Songs of My Monday Mayhem Playlist:: Playlist, intro, song descriptions, and (a few) photos, written and handpicked by Ameng Himself :: Playlist ini spesial saya siapkan untuk dimainkan pada acara Monday Mayhem di bar legendaris, Parc, enam tahun yang lalu. Pertama kali saya diundang main sebagai Guest DJ di Monday Mayhem oleh Nasta Sutardjo pada tanggal 1 Maret 2004, saya langsung berpikir untuk mainin set list yang saat itu belum diputarkan di Parc. Idenya adalah memutarkan lagu-lagu yang bisa bikin suasana ramai hingar-bingar, bisa sing-along, dan teriak-teriak bersama. Untuk itu saya perlu musik yang keras, bikin semangat, sekaligus juga lagu-lagu yang bisa dinyanyiin bareng-bareng. Karena itu saya memilih membuat spesial set tribute untuk era 80s glam metal dan hair metal band setiap main di Parc. Era rock yang menghasilkan banyak lagu-lagu anthemic, yang bikin anak-anak muda di tahun 80an pengen nge-band dan punya rambut gondrong. Masa 80an ini jadi salah satu periode yang menyenangkan buat saya. Semasa masih di kelas 4 Sekolah Dasar tahun 1984, saya suka nginep di rumah kakak sepupu saya di daerah Pasar Minggu, Jakarta Selatan. Dia mengkoleksi banyak kaset-kaset album rock dari mulai Kiss, Rush, Iron Maiden, Van Halen dan masih banyak lagi lainnya. Dari situ, saya suka mendengarkan kaset-kasetnya dan mulai mengidolakan band-band tersebut, sampai ikutan mengkoleksi kaset-kaset keluaran Team Records dengan titel Rockline, Aquarius, Yess, dll. Berlanjut dengan beli majalah Vista yang banyak memuat foto-foto dan berita band-band rock idola saya, beli poster band, beli kaos band di Ratu Plaza, dan ikut nonton konser di Bulungan. Lagu-lagu dari band-band inilah yang jadi soundtrack masa ABG saya. Gara-gara kakak sepupu saya ini, saya lebih banyak menghabiskan masa remaja mendengarkan lagu-lagu Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax, dkk, dan bukan Duran-Duran atau Spandau Ballet. Kembali ke Parc, saat pertama main di Parc dengan playlist ini, saya meminta sebuah mikrofon, yang awalnya saya pergunakan untuk berbicara sedikit membuka set sebelum lagu pertama diputar, dan baru kemudian mikrofon dibuka untuk siapa pun yang ingin ikut bernyanyi. Kemudian keterusan menjadi kebiasaan untuk selalu menyediakan mikrofon setiap main. Setelah sempat dua kali main sebagai DJ amatiran, rasanya garing juga main sendokiran..., baru kemudian saya ajak Indra Tujuh (yang punya selera sama dan emang DJ beneran hehehe) sebagai partner untuk mainin playlist ini, dan jadilah duet DJ Duo Indra sebagai spesialis lagu-lagu era 80s glam metal dan hair metal band di Parc. Playlist ini saya dedikasikan untuk Monday Mayhem, teman-teman yang mengenang masa muda di tahun 80-an, juga untuk berbagi kepada mereka yang nggak ngalamin era rock 80an dan tentunya untuk menghibur hati yang luka hehehe... PS: Oh ya, terima kasih pada partner saya, Agent Virgo Ago Go yang mengusulkan pada saya agar men-share playlist ini di program The Block Rockin' Beats.

Tonite! The Nostarwhere Tapes!

Tonite! Wednesday, November 03, 2010; 8-10 PMR-n-R Exhibition [mini version]: STIRLING SILLIPHANTThe Nostarwhere Tapes:: Introduction, playlist and photos, written and handpicked by Stirling Himself :: What I originally intended as a curatorial focus on a very specific genre (early-to-mid-'90s American Underground) has morphed into a retrospective on the music I was listening to from 2001-2006, a time when I was the heart, soul and scrambled brains of the nostarwhere collective. We (I, most of the time) booked DIY gigs for bands from all over the region (with a heavy Singapore and KL emphasis, though we got some takers from Oz, the States and Japan) in Bangkok, where I also played in my own band, Eastbound Downers. Growing up between Asia and the States in the pre-web days, I had a lopsided exposure to music. I'd tend to binge in the former (on live shows, records, 'zines, books) and hibernate in the latter. Say what you will about social networking, but without it, there were few avenues for an international school brat like me to stay simultaneously informed about global and local underground scenes. A couple years after I moved back to Southeast Asia in '99, I started to make up for lost time: Once I got hip to the incredibly diverse, talented regional scene, I started inviting bands up to play in Asia's crossroads city, my home at the time, Bangkok. The friendships forged in the course of doing so last to this day (and will far beyond), but another fortunate knock-on effect was the amount of music I was exposed to. The amount of 'what... you haven't heard of so-and-so?!,' and, 'you're from California and you've never seen such and such??' was dizzying. Like a good student, I took notes, I read up on stuff... and sure, I downloaded a few tunes on p2ps---but mostly I kept buying records. What follows is a cross-section of jams (some completely new, others 'rediscovered') that I either got turned onto over those years. Jams that were blasted out over the PAs of the dive bars where we set up shows (all closed now; if they were naïve enough to hand the keys to us for even a night, there was an operative lack of business acumen), late, late night and through the morning at the 'Stirling's house after-party', or the follow-on afternoon, when the slowing music would tease my thoughts to ask if this was really what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life. ♪ ♫ ♬ Radio streaming live http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls

Domestic Groove: MAYLAFFAYZA

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 fifth edition I went upclose-and-personal with Maylaffayza.

Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: RIDWAN RUDIANTO

Edition: June 09, 2010Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: RIDWAN RUDIANTOBeats & Pieces:: Playlist, intro, and song descriptions, written and handpicked by Ridwan Himself :: Sebagian besar lagu di play list ini saya ambil dari koleksi CD yang banyak dibeli antara tahun 1996-1999. Tidak banyak memori pribadi yang tersimpan, melainkan hanya rangkaian nada yang disusun baik untuk menciptakan mood yang khusus. Pengalaman sulitnya merangkai, saya menemukan ada beberapa lagu favorit yang ternyata tidak bisa dilepas dari albumnya untuk dimasukkan ke playlist ini. Mungkin di sana tangguhnya beberapa musisi menyusun tracklist album hingga kita tidak tega untuk mencomot setiap individual track-nya. Pemilihan lagu juga mempertimbangkan faktor jam tayang acara di malam hari, karena ternyata tidak semua musik cocok di dengar di kala langit gelap Demikian sudah, selamat malam, selamat menikmati.

Domestic Groove: BONDAN PRAKOSO

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 fourth edition I went upclose-and-personal with Bondan Prakoso.

Tonite! Chop-N-Roll!

Tonite! Wednesday, October 20, 2010; 8-10 PMUpcoming R-n-R Exhibition: VEROLANDChop-N-Roll: My On-The-Go Playlist:: Introduction and playlist, written and handpicked by Vero Himself :: Saya sangat kaget ketika membaca email dari Mr. Dethu kemarin yang mengingatkan saya harus mengirim list lagu-lagu pilihan saya dalam dua hari. Memang beliau sudah meminta saya dari beberapa bulan lalu, tapi somehow ada saja kerjaan yang mengganggu ketika saya mau mulai memilih lagu dari iPod model primitif saya. Berikut adalah playlist dari on-the-go-2 dalam iPod saya yang layarnya penuh guratan dan bercak oli; sering dipasang di workshop saya, biasa terdengar di antara bunyi batu gerinda yang beradu dengan pipa baja, tumbukan palu yang menghajar plat aluminum setebal 2mm (lebay...). Keras? Belum tentu, seperti halnya workshop saya yang kadang super berisik tapi kadang sunyi, pilihan musik saya tidak terpatok pada satu genre. Yang penting bagi saya, kadang bisa memompa semangat, tapi kadang juga menurunkan emosi ketika salah satu tukang las salah potong pipa. ♬ ♪ Radio streaming live http://army.wavestreamer.com:6356/listen.pls

Rockin’ Dreams Do Come True

For Indonesian version please click hereNot that long ago, local rock enthusiasts would only have dreamed of having an act like Smashing Pumpkins playing in Indonesia. To go to a Wolfmother gig in Jakarta, back then, you would never have thought possible. But these days, it is possible. And not just for the Pumpkins or Wolfmother, but also Muse, Korn, Avril Lavigne, 311, Placebo, Black Eyed Peas, Bjork, My Chemical Romance, NOFX, Belle & Sebastian, Stereophonics, Dashboard Confessional, too many more to mention, all of whom have played in big cities in Indonesia---mostly in Jakarta. Indeed, these last few years, showbiz has become a big and upcoming trend. More people seem interested in doing it seriously. Local promoters/event organizers don't really think twice anymore about bringing big name artists to Indonesia. The last gigantic music event, Java Rockin'Land, was so succesful---some said it attracted 50,0000 plus people. This fact brings even bigger hopes that showbiz has become stronger. It proves that showbiz in Indonesia is alive and kicking. Nowadays, music lovers have more and better options. Not only in Jakarta, but also in Bandung, Bali, and a few other areas in Java and Sumatera. Look at how dynamic the music scene is: October 24th sees Vampire Weekend at Bengkel Night Park and October 27th Hatebreed at Gelora Bung Karno (both in Jakarta), on November 10th Temper Trap will be in Bali's Hard Rock Cafe before heading to Jakarta and Tokyo Police Club and Raveonettes will both play in Bandung mid November. So, following all that, have you been dreaming about Iron Maiden coming to Indonesia? Quit dreaming. Bruce Dickinson and friends are coming to Jakarta and Bali in February of 2011. Get ready for the ticket race.
Vakansi

SKENARIO MASA VAKANSI

Retro Jakarta outfit WSATCC just released their their collection, 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮 𝘝𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪.

Never Say Die, Jakarta Rock Parade

Tulisan---lebih tepatnya curhat---yang bermaksud menyemangati Jakarta Rock Parade ini sejatinya adalah materi lawas (tayang di Musikator pertama kali pada Juli 2009), walau pamali untuk dibilang usang. Memang, di kala itu belum ada konser rock lokal berskala gigantik. Belum ada yang nekat-berani mati menyelenggarakannya. Dan saya tidak rela jika Jakarta Rock Parade layu sebelum berkembang. Saya memimpikan Indonesia memiliki festival musik rock sekaliber Ozzfest. Syukurnya tidak lama berselang muncul kemudian Java Rockin'Land, yang bukan cuma bermutu tinggi, tapi juga termegah se-Asia Tenggara. Artinya spirit Jakarta Rock Parade menolak dimatikan. Yay. Ya, artikel ini sengaja tetap saya tampilkan di situs pribadi saya ini demi mendokumentasikan perspektif yang pernah saya tuangkan agar menjadi lebih rapi, tak lagi berceceran tak beraturan, bisa menjadi arsip yang sahih lagi sinambung.

Disodomi Genderuwo

Berikut adalah sebuah tulisan menarik oleh Eric Sasono, seorang kritikus film, yang dimuat di majalah Tempo edisi Maret 2010 silam. Eric, yang juga redaktur www.rumahfilm.org, menelisik isu linguistik, tentang seberapa "tembak langsung" judul film ini: Diperkosa Setan. Memang, makin ke sini para penggiat film lokal tersimak makin berani. Tak hanya terang-terangan mengajakserta bintang film porno sebagai pemicu atensi---sudah pasti berujung riuh kontroversi---tapi juga blak-blakan di urusan memberi judul sinemanya. Eksotika bahasa, akrobat cantik demi menghasilkan titel yang bernas bahkan beradab bukan lagi menjadi prioritas. Komunikasi, antara pembikin dan penyuka film, cenderung satu arah, nihil basa-basi. Di perkara pemberian tajuk, yang lebih dikedepankan justru sisi sensasi. Jika di masa lalu masih mencoba berimprovisasi cukup sopan lalu menyorongkan sebatas Gairah Malam serta Ranjang Yang Ternoda, kini makin miskin estetika sama sekali. Coba perhatikan: Diperkosa Setan. Bukan mustahil dalam waktu dekat akan kian berani lagi, tiada tedeng aling-aling lagi, bombastis skala paling maksi: Disodomi Genderuwo.
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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