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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
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Dugal. Bergajulan. Badung. Impresi tersebut tampaknya sulit lepas dari Sir Dandy Harrington. Bukan cuma ketika ia bersama para sejawatnya sesama “penolak ketertiban” di grup musik Teenage Death Star, saat tak bersama mereka pun citra demikian tetap kuat menancap.

Bisa jadi sudah bawaan lahir, sebab di album solo perdananya yang berfondasi folk, Lesson # 1, ia masih saja berandal, ogah kelewat patuh pada pakem umum. Sebut saja di urusan kemampuan bernyanyi. Dengan tanpa acuh ia bersenandung sesukanya. Sumbang, cemplang, setengah merdu, bagi pria bernama asli Dandi Achmad Ramdhani bukan persoalan. Menurutnya kekurangpiawaian seseorang dalam bidang tertentu tidak lantas menghalanginya untuk terus berkarya dan berkontribusi.

Memang, di komposisi tunggalnya ini yang ditonjolkan adalah kejujuran, spontanitas, profil khas urban tiada tedeng aling-aling, terkesan santai, sederhana, padahal sejatinya serius. Semisal “Jakarta Motor City”, single resmi pertamanya. Tembang yang menyorot fakta beringas sepeda motor di Jakarta yang anarkistik, ngebut tak takut mati, mengencingi regulasi, berjumlah berlimpah, lintas profesi, bising/padat//pengap, mencerminkan David yang menolak tunduk pada Goliath, perlawanan sengit kaum marjinal terhadap marga makmur. Kenyataan brutal, isu sebegitu berat disenandungkannya dengan ringan, lugas namun jelas observatif. Simak reffrain-nya:

…Jakarta Motor City
Semua ngebut tak terkendali
Spion mobil disikat, trotoar dikangkangi
Tak takut mati apalagi takut polisi…

Sementara di lagu yang sebelumnya pernah dirilis bebas bea di dunia maya, “Juara Dunia”, Sir Dandy berkisah seputar Chris John, kampiun tinju kebanggaan Nusantara pasca Ellyas Pical. Di sini juga Sir Dandy menyanyi, menjabarkan informasi, tanpa beban menyenggol sana-sini, humoristis, kritis, sarkastis, folk punk-ish.

Atau “Anggur Merah” dan “Sekdrag” yang gamblang bertutur tentang perubahan nilai di masyarakat, merosotnya wibawa agama, kedekatan kaum muda masa kini dengan minuman keras, seks dan narkotika. Dosa semata berujung menjadi perkara biasa saja, bagian dari keseharian, business as usual.

Diterbitkan bersamaan dengan Hari Kebangkitan Nasional pada 20 Mei silam, album bertaburkan 9 lagu dan 1 puisi ini menurut Sir Dandy tidak ada maksud lain selain untuk merekam hasil dari belajar main gitar. “Album ini buat saya seperti Ujian Nasional, setelah saya ‘sekolah’ main gitar selama 3 tahun di rumah.” Ya, rangkaian komposisi di Lesson # 1 di bawah label Organic Records serta diproduseri oleh Widi Puradiredja (Maliq & D’essentials) ini bagai memperingati 3 tahun sejak pertama kali Sir Dandy menyentuh gitar kopong pinjaman dari Ade Firza Paloh (Sore). Simak pengakuan Sir Dandy soal evolusi, apa yang terjadi, sejak bergitar pertama kali, “Kunci demi kunci telah berhasil dimainkan, nada-nada sederhana tercipta dan lirik-lirik sudah tertulis, terangkai dalam alunan suara vokal yang seadanya namun jujur dan orisinil, karena pandai bergitar dan bernyanyi bukan tujuan utama saya.”

Kekurangan, ketika disorongkan agresif lagi cerdik ke permukaan, ajaibnya, malah berubah jadi kelebihan. Tanya troubadour Sir Dandy jika tak percaya.

English version

The 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

_____________

*This article was firstly published on The Beat (Jakarta) #45, August 2011
*Photos by Edy Khemod
*Illustration by Sir Dandy Harrington

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Rudolf Dethu

Rudolf Dethu

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.
Rudolf Dethu

Rudolf Dethu

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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