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.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsColorful sounds: New Indonesian music, from improvised gamelan to punk rock
Whether it’s a major-label backed modern R&B track or a modern take on traditional Javanese music, Indonesia hasn’t run out of fresh talent.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Ardhito Pramono (left), Isyana Sarasvati (right) and Diskoria pay tribute to the iconic pop group Naif with “Yth: Naif” (Dear Naif). (Personal archive/Courtesy of Diskoria)
W
hether it’s major-label backed modern R&B track or a modern take on traditional Javanese music, Indonesia hasn’t run out of fresh talent.
There’s nothing like finding new music that resonates. From a traditional improvised gamelan piece, to 80’s influenced disco-pop and energetic, guitar-tapping hardcore punk, here are some new Indonesian tunes to enjoy.
Sandikala Ensemble – ‘Herutjokro as Posthuman’
Teaming up with the Sandikala Ensemble on gamelan, young Yogyakarta composer Dion Nataraja presents a unique intersection of traditional Javanese music and improvisation. In the instrumental piece “Herutjokro as Posthuman”, the gendèrs and suling (flute) are played in alternate tunings with particular attention to dynamics and space, giving the piece a mysterious, eerie vibe that makes it a perfect fit for a mystical Javanese horror film score. Perfect for those in the mood for a cultural-hybrid experimental sound.
Crève, Ouverte! – ‘Burgundy’
With the debut single “Burgundy”, Balikpapan trio Crève, Ouverte! (French for “die, open”) delivers a high-energy, guitar-tapping, hardcore-punk-influenced track. Featuring Wendra from Samarinda-based math rock band, Murphy Radio, Crève, Ouverte! doesn’t shy away from mixing all sorts of different styles and moods in a three-and-a-half-minute track, creating a juxtaposition between the group’s upbeat music and its rather bleak lyrics: “Nightmares on a day time / drying my eyes, I cannot open / seeing a shade of burgundy / under the bright lights, fatigue frequently.” (sic)
More from The Weekender
The price you pay for living in Jakarta
It doesn't really matter where you live, Jakarta is expensive everywhere. The only real choice is what you're willing to pay with: your money, your time or your sanity.
Success isn’t at the top of the corporate ladder anymore
My generation watched our parents give everything to a company. We decided to give it to ourselves instead. But it's more complicated than that.
Our second Instagram account is the real one
In an act of rebellion against overexposure and performative social media, Gen Z are turning to smaller, controlled spaces on social media where they can be their authentic selves.
