If there is one important part of wandering the world, it is to return with ideas that can improve the quality of life back home. This is exactly what a few adventurous individuals from Ambon, Maluku, did.

Theoresia Rumthe, 39, Pierre Ajawaila, 40, Ferdy Soukotta, 31, Chrisema Latuheru, 33, Dean John Zanderszon, 27, and Jandri Welson Pattinama, 33, all separately left their homeland for several years to work and study in other Indonesian cities. Each one was engaged in a different field — Theoresia Rumthe in poetry, Ferdy Soukotta and Chrisema Latuheru in music, with the others engaging in activism and artistic pursuits.

Although they did not know each other previously, upon returning home to Ambon between 2019 and 2020, they all became close friends, getting to know each other and coming to a realization that they shared similar concerns, namely the lack of an ecosystem for independent art and music in Ambon.

The group fell upon an idea that would take shape as Rempah Gunung (roughly "mountain spice"), an intimate musical event held in various unusual places. The event also features a lineup of independent musicians from Ambon and surrounding areas.

“From the start, apart from music, we also considered the venues. It has to be different from other events in Ambon,” said Theo, who has a personal affinity for old buildings. 

“We thought, why not try doing an outdoor music show? Not only is it visually beautiful, but it also gives a new listening experience,” added Theoresia.

The first concert, held on June 5, 2021, was held at Siwang Huk Bay, a highland that offers views of the city and the Ambon sea from above. The second event on Oct. 6, 2021, took place under the palm trees of Felawatu Beach. On Feb. 5, Rempah Gunung Vol. 3 was held at the backyard of Siwalima Museum. 

To date, Rempah Gunung has held three concerts and two showcases, with a maximum capacity of 150 people — plenty enough to create excitement, yet small enough to keep it intimate.

Homage

Before returning to Ambon, Ferdy and Chrisema went to college and lived in Yogyakarta, beginning in 2013. There, they gained popularity after forming the band Fis Duo, which played romantic folk songs and included poetry in the Moluccan language. “We couldn't help to compare Ambon with the city we lived in,” Ferdy said.

“We used to perform at several gigs in Yogyakarta and were warmly received, even when they didn't know who we were. But it's different when we play here in Ambon. The public isn't ready for this type of music because there isn’t a good ecosystem for indie music yet,” Ferdy claimed. “We don't want to be critical. We just want to make something sustainable in Ambon.”

Theoresia feels the same way. “If you go here you'll see Ambon Merdeka Square. It's where all the concerts in Ambon are always held, and they are mostly supported by tobacco companies,” she said.

In 2018, Ambon was named a music city by UNESCO. But Pierre says the music scene in Ambon is dominated by mainstream musicians. This results in new bands having limited influence. 

According to Pierre, the only Ambon non-mainstream music community that has managed to build a following are hip-hop musicians. 

"The rest are café musicians who cover top 40 songs. Even though many have their own works, they don't know what to do and don't have the courage to perform their original songs. This is exactly what Rempah Gunung aims to accommodate," he said.

"We just want to provide a new listening experience for our friends in Ambon, an intimate showcase that you can enjoy in your yard, on the mountain, on the beach, or anywhere because Ambon has it all," added Theoresia.

The concept of the Rempah Gunung was originally proposed to government agencies. The initial plan was to hold the event in the Banda Neira Islands. However, the plan failed as they did not get any sponsors. 

The name Rempah Gunung was picked because rempah (spices) symbolizes the history of Maluku as the starting point of colonialism in their search for spices. Meanwhile, gunung (mountains) represents Maluku’s mystical mountains where the local ancestors are believed to reside.

“So far, we have managed to make three concerts without big sponsors. We build a mutual support network with friends here,” added Theoresia.

New music project

Rempah Gunung tries to show a variety of performers, all thanks to Ferdy who is in charge of the music curation. "As long as we make sure that Rempah Gunung is not a trial and error stage, we must dare to bring our own works," he said, adding that there was not a certain standard for the musicians involved. Of the 15 musicians who have performed at their event so far, there is no single dominant genre. This is to enrich the music they represent.

Rempah Gunung also gives rise to new names in the Ambonese music scene. Musicians whose works are not for mainstream tastes, are too experimental or simply have not found a way to present their works, are showcased. In fact, there are some new bands created specifically to perform at Rempah Gunung. One of them is Merph.

“Previously, I had known and had the same taste in music [as the other members of Merph), but had not yet found the right moment [to perform],” said Jul Rasyid, a member of Merph, which plays psychedelic rock. 

Meanwhile, Rempah Gunung Vol. 3 showcases Archa, a trio who performed songs in “bahasa tanah” (earth language), the native language of Seram Island. "The lyrics are a poem I wrote in Seram’s native language. It's also an effort to archive regional languages,” said Chalvin Papilaya, the band’s vocalist. The band uses unorthodox instruments to create its music, including river rocks, water, wood and other natural objects.

“Our aim is not only to [spotlight] musicians, but also artists from other fields of work. So that Ambonese audiences have the experience of watching experimental performances, noise or anything that is broader than the music itself,” added Theoresia.

It seems the group’s strategy works well because Rempah Gunung has touched the hearts of Ambonese audiences. Grace Rijoly, for instance, was in awe of Archa’s performance. “The band used water inside kalabasa [dried pumpkin], and surprisingly their music is so good. There are many performances in Rempah Gunung that I wouldn’t see anywhere else in Ambon. Everything is so new to me.” 

“People often say, 'Ambon manise' [sweet Ambon] but so far no event has ever shown the sweetness of this city. I think Rempah Gunung is the only one that represents what Ambon has. We have beaches, mountains and now we have music.”

New exploration, new ecosystem

Rempah Gunung sells tickets for its events at a price of Rp 50,000 [US$3.50] to 75,000. Tickets might be normal for other music lovers, but it is new for the Ambonese public. "We are used to watching free music concerts, so we want to bring a new habit to appreciate music," added Pierre.

“Our tickets are almost always sold out near the D-day,” said Theo, who is also optimistic that this scheme can keep Rempah Gunung going without the support of big sponsors.

Rempah Gunung now has created a record label to accommodate potential musicians who have performed on their stage. Rempah Gunung Records is currently being established.

“After they created a band and a song for Rempah Gunung, then what? We want this to be a serious project for them. If they are serious, we want to be more serious about helping [in music]," said Pierre, noting that they still needed to learn a lot about music production and build networks with independent musicians outside Ambon.

In the future, Rempah Gunung wants to form a solid network, providing wider opportunities for Maluku youths to create works that are "not mainstream" and paving the way for them. This initiative is deemed important to produce and introduce many new works from eastern Indonesia.

"We're not that ambitious. We just want to make something [and start] small, yet with quality and sustainability," concluded Theo.

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