Fresh from playing at the Brisbane Powerhouse event, Australian musical act CODA is in Jakarta this weekend to give Java Jazz audiences a taste of their unique sound fusion.

Formed in 1994 and based in Sydney, CODA is a five-piece band that takes a unique musical approach, blending classical strings with contemporary music.

The group includes Nick Wales (viola, keyboards, electronics), Noami Radom (violin, melodica), Jared Underwood (drums, octapad), Jeremy Barnett (vibraphone, percussion) and Zoe Hauptman (bass).

While CODA's members all come from a trained, classical music background, their music incorporates a wide variety of sounds and styles, making it difficult to classify.

CODA's sound -- a compelling mix of classical, far-eastern, rock and electronica, which has been described as a "soundscape to a fantastical dream" -- takes the listener on a magical aural journey.

Their innovative performances are enhanced with colorful theatrics, fun dances and quirky costumes, transporting audiences to a visually spectacular world.

"We like having fun and putting on a visual spectacle," said Radom, adding their Java Jazz performance would, unfortunately, not include some of their usual high jinks, which have previously incorporated performances by aerial artists such as trapezists and other circus performers.

The music CODA produces, Underwood explained, is not exactly "jazz", but added that the face of jazz had changed considerably over the years.

"Today's jazz sounds far different from that of traditional jazz ... we don't call our music jazz, but we have ended up playing in a lot of jazz festivals," Underwood said.

"If you classify jazz as free musical expression, then it is the perfect name for our music."

CODA has successfully toured in Australia and internationally for the past 12 years, engaging audiences at events such as the Big Day Out, the Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival and the Woodford Folk Festival. CODA has also played several times at the Sydney Opera House, as well as providing sound explosions for runway shows by renowned Australian fashion designers Wayne Cooper and Akira Isogawa.

Having played at the launch of the Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong in 2006 and at the Bangkok International Jazz festival in October 2007, CODA hopes to continue breaking into Asia by adding the Java Jazz festival to their list of international gigs.

However, this is not the first time a member of the group has performed in Indonesia. Naomi Radom, CODA's spirited violin player, toured with local band Jamrud for five weeks in 2003.

"It's awesome to be here (in Indonesia) again," she said.

The group helped kick off the IN2OZ program, an initiative from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with a performance at the Sultan Hotel on Wednesday. IN2OZ, a cutting-edge program that aims to showcase Australian music, literature, visual arts, cultural heritage, science and education in Indonesia, is something CODA members say they are proud to be a part of.

"It's really cool. It makes so much sense to have this kind of program ... to provide a real representation of how diverse Australia is," Radom said.

CODA says their main influences include groups such as Massive Attack, Radiohead, Placebo, Groove Armada and Depeche Mode. But they are not opposed to pop and wish to incorporate more of the genre into their pieces.

"We would like to experiment with pop to connect more with our audience," said Underwood. "A type of pop aesthetic that is creative though, not cheesy, and without following trends."

CODA told The Jakarta Post their Java Jazz performance would include tracks from their album Calling Mission Mu (2005), the second studio masterpiece by the group following the success of their debut album There Is A Way To Fly (2001), and their EP For Our Animal Friends (2003), as well as pieces from a new album that will be released in 2009.

After playing to an excited crowd Friday evening at the Java Jazz festival, CODA will once again grace the Cendrawasih 1 stage on Sunday at 8 p.m. before heading home to Sydney.

For more information on CODA, go to http://www.myspace.com/codaplanet

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