Here comes Indonesia's scariest band: Kelelawar Malam. Featuring Sayiba Von Terkutuk (vocals, guitar), Deta Beringas (bass, vocals), Fahri Al-Maut (guitar, backing vocals), and Apin Kiamat (drums), was released their debut album, Kelelawar Malam.
The album consists of 12 songs with the central theme of horror stories and urban legends, and dabbles around punk rock, heavy metal, stoner rock, ballads, and delta blues.
The band was founded in 2008 due to Sayiba and Deta's dual obsession with the American horror-punk band the Misfits, and their love of Indonesian horror b-movies. Sayiba then wrote the lyrics and Deta did the artwork.
Stay connected with the living dead here: www.myspace.com/kelelawarmalam.com
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 sixth edition I went upclose-and-personal with Lani Leyli.
・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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Retro Jakarta outfit WSATCC just released their their collection, ððð£ð¶ð® ðð¢ð¬ð¢ð¯ð´ðª.
・For Indonesian version please click hereAlmost a year after releasing their 3rd full-length album, Magnet! Magnet!, The Upstairs are back with their newest single and video, "Menaralara". Indra "Kubil" Idris (guitar) was the guy in charge for the video clip, while Jimi Multhazam (vocal) wrote the lyrics and Beni Adhiantoro (drums) took the position as producer.
Yes, after quite a few musicians have come and gone, during their 9th year The Upstairs has officially became a trio with some additional players: Khrisna (keyboard) and Pandu Fathoni (bass, synth).
Go visit YouTube now and witness---and dance to---"Menaralara"!
*For Indonesian version please click hereAquarius Pondok Indah, one of the biggest record stores in Indonesia and located in the South of Jakarta, will soon be closed. The shop, first opened in 1995, has simply run out of business. Mid-August saw them start selling tens of thousands of items in their collection with a massive discount. A few months before that, in February, Aquarius Surabaya, after operating for 7 years, went bankrupt and Aquarius Dago, which used to be one of the coolest hangout spots for kids who lived in Bandung, was shut down in December 2009 after 19 years of guts and glory.
Disc Tarra, another national record retail chain, consisting of 78 stores to be precise, is apparently in a similar situation and although they haven't closed any of their stores yet, some in significant cities like Jakarta, Surabaya, and Denpasar, have been resized, some down to 50% smaller. This phenomenon, most people believe, is caused by the digital trend. MP3s and iPods took over the world. They are more popular than cassettes or cds and walkmans or tape recorders, and piracy is exacerbating the problem. Even the gigantic-size record stores like Virgin have lost the add-on "Megastore" in their title, switching now to become Virgin Store only. HMV, idem ditto, they get tinier. Not to mention Tower Records, once considered a major influential music institution in their heyday, called it a day in 2006.
With the many DVD and CD shops that line many of Indonesia's streets, the Indonesian government must come up with a strategy to put a stop to piracy and illegal copies. If they fail to do this, the countdown to music armageddon will continue...
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 third edition I went upclose-and-personal with Sandhy Sondoro.
Naif equal retro equal good equal entertaining. They've been around since mid 90's and still going strong today with their new traditionalist's imagery, heavy on the 70's side.
2009 saw the release of their last album, The Night at Schouwburg, and this year plan is the underway to get Planet Cinta onto the shelves.
I talked with Jarwo and Emil about their upcoming album, Indonesia's music today, and their thoughts on lipsyncing.
*For Indonesian version please click hereBangkutaman, the indiepop veteran has just released Ode Buat Kota under the label Jangan Marah Records. This is their second full-length album, 7 years after the first one, Love Among The Ruins.
This group originally are from Jakarta. But they started their career when they went to university in Yogya. The name Bangkutaman taken from a place in their University in Yogyakarta where they used to write poems and talk to each other, to sharing their musical interests. Their brilliant reputation came not only from their well-written songs, but also their intense spirit of Do-It-Yourself, which is quite abnormal for a pop band to adopt---and force---into this underground ethos.
With its current formation, J. Irwin (guitar), W. Nugroho (vocal, bass, harmonica), D. Eryanto (drum), the band sing about the dynamics of the city, the business-as-usual of Jakarta life, and how they adapt the new chapter: the natural transformation from being university students to 9-to-5 people.
Don't miss their performance in Kick Andy, Metro TV, October 1st, 9.30 PM Jakarta time. Or visit their Facebook page by writing "bangkutaman" in its "search" column.
DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celeb's Chosen Seven is my new 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 second edition I went upclose-and-personal with Ario Bayu.
Kesempatan untuk hidup relatif “enakâ€, “mudah†serta “mapan†sejatinya sudah di depan mata. Fadli (biduan), Iqif (drum), Icad (gitar), & Donny (bas), yang tergabung dalam institusi Stereocase sempat ditawari tampil reguler di tempat-tempat mentereng di antaranya Blowfish, Pizza e Birra, & Food Kulture. Namun koalisi berkesenian bentukan 2008 ini menafikan kans menjadi pengisi tetap, tak terlalu berminat selamanya menjadi band (rock) cover version. Namun alasan utamanya adalah: mereka ingin berkonsentrasi penuh masuk studio dan merekam lagu.
DOMESTIC GROOVE ~ Celeb's Chosen Seven is my new 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 very first edition I went upclose-and-personal with Oppie Andaresta.
Di kalangan penggemar musik bukan umum, Zeke Khaseli bukanlah nama asing. Kiprah musikalnya terlacak di wilayah publik sejak saat ia masih bersekolah di Seattle, AS. Kala itu, 2001, pria bernama asli Harris Khaseli dengan grupnya, LAIN, merilis album dalam format cakram digital bertajuk Djakarta Goodbye lewat label sendiri, Our Coffee Records. Diikuti, masih di tahun yang sama, dengan menerbitkan single via label lokal, Flat Spills Records, yang melambungkan reputasinya di tanah air: Veteran Travellers.
Menyebut nama Leonardo, barangkali tak banyak masyarakat awam yang mengenalinya. Namun jika menyinggung Vessel atau Zeke and The Popo, mungkin orang akan lebih mahfum. Benar, Leonardo Ringo tadinya adalah biduan dari grup musik hebat---sayang cuma muncul & bertahan sekelebat---Vessel, lalu berlanjut sebagai penggebuk drum sekaligus vokalis di kelompok yang tak kalah dahsyat: Zeke and The Popo. Bukan cuma itu, Leonardo sempat pula muncul di album kompilasi fenomenal yang oleh banyak pengamat disebut kuat merepresentasikan skena alternatif ibukota, JKT:SKRG, lewat projeknya bernama Ruang Hampa.
Setelah 18 tahun lintang pukang di blantika berkesenian lokal, akhirnya Leonardo tiba juga di titik berikut karirnya: merilis album solo. Pria yang kerap juga menggunakan identitas berbeda, Mugeni Spacekid, ini bahkan membutuhkan hingga 2 tahun untuk merilis karya perdananya yang diberi judul The Sun. Tak terbilang pula energi, uang, canda tawa, amarah, serta air mata, yang terkuras saat penggarapan komposisi berisikan 12 lagu ini.
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