TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Surabaya scene awake after long slumber

Surabaya was for some time a major contributor to Indonesia’s music industry, shining as brightly as the music scene in Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta

Nuran Wibisono (The Jakarta Post)
Surabaya
Sun, July 4, 2010

Share This Article

Change Size

Surabaya scene awake  after long slumber

S

urabaya was for some time a major contributor to Indonesia’s music industry, shining as brightly as the music scene in Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta.

In fact, Surabaya is once known as the home of rock, with big names such as AKA and SAS bands of the 1970s, as well as top names of the 1990s such as the likes of Dewa 19, Boomerang, Power Metal, and Padi coming from this city.

These days, Surabaya’s music scene is virtually in suspended animation.

The last Surabaya-based band that could make a splash is VOX.

VOX, playing the style of country rock music mixed with the touch of The Beatles and The Beach Boys, relying on powerful harmony, was one of the 12 finalists of the first independent band festival organized by a leading cigarette producer.

In 2007, VOX released an album titled Pada Awalnya (In the Beginning), under Aksara Record.

Thereafter, the group was missing in action and Surabaya once again is the shadow of its glorious past.
But under the radar, little-known bands are toiling in obscurity and have in their own way contributed to the revival of Surabaya’s scene with a potpourri of musical styles that do not rely on rock only as their inspiration.

Heavy Monster is one, a peculiar band offering a blend of ska, reggae and dub. This band has headlined some gigs on the East Java festival circuit and fans have been enthralled by their dexterous rip-off of The Skatalities, Bob Marley, and The Specials.

Meanwhile, other bands such as Albert N the Product has thrived by borrowing from New Orders, Daft Punk, and The Smiths, combining disco and Brit rock. You can check the influences in songs such as “Disco”, “Pathetic Appetite”, “Lennon”, and “Russian Girl”.

For those who prefer rebellious and call-to-arm reggae, you can find it in the music of the Surabaya-based Indonesian Rice, founded in 2009. Why reggae? “This music was originally the voice of the people. As Indonesian Rice, we want to shed lights on social and political conditions in the country. And reggae is the most appropriate means of voicing protests and opposition,” said vocalist Tomi a.k.a. Bro.

Prior to his stint with his current band, Tomi was a rapper of the collective Kingston rap syndicate. His rap group has served as an envoy of the global initiative, Fight Hunger, in 2002, which took him to several countries. He quit Kingston and started from scratch with the Indonesian Rice.

“I’ve found something different, where I can be more useful in society. I found it in reggae music,” added Tomi.

Indonesian Rice attempts to nurture the love of Indonesia in its own way. In every show, members of Indonesian Rice are dressed in batik. Recently in a performance with a French rock band, on stage he gave Miliana, the band’s lead singer a batik jacket.

“If you come to our studio, you’ll find batik everywhere. You won’t find the color of red, yellow and green,” Tomi said, grinning, referring to the colors of major political parties in the country.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.