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Grief and mayhem load up nostalgia-centric Synchronize Fest 2022
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Making their debut: Among the performers who made their Synchronize Fest debut this year were Lomba Sihir (pictured), Perunggu and Daniel Dyonisius. (Courtesy of Synchronize Fest) (Courtesy of Synchronize Fest/Courtesy of Synchronize Fest)
I
em>In the Gambir Expo compound, Jakarta, on Oct. 7,8, and 9, Synchronize Festival's return to live format oozed a mixed bag of emotions due to the recent national tragedy.
When Synchronize Fest 2022 kicked off on Oct. 7, it was as if the following weekend had been poised to be an easygoing, musical pageant.
Indie pop artist Sal Priadi opened the festival by circling the Gambir Expo compound, Jakarta, with his merry choir, then closing their brief excursion with the artist's hopeful hit "Serta Mulia" (Glorious). Later that afternoon, a fellow indie artist, Danilla, doubled down on the festival's cheery atmosphere with a few songs taken from her pop-influenced album, 2022's POP SEBLAY.
Minutes before singer-songwriter Jason Ranti took to the stage, the words "R.I.P. Kanjuruhan Tragedy, 01.10.22" unexpectedly popped up on the Videotron—the statement referred to the human crush that took place at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Malang Regency, East Java on Oct. 1, resulting in 131 fatal casualties. Once Jason graced the stage, he paid tribute to the tragedy victims with the morose "Jalan Ninja" (Ninja Path).
"It was just [a] spontaneous [tribute]," Jason told The Jakarta Post after wrapping up his set. "I feel so sad. [Watching a soccer match] is supposed to be a delightful togetherness, but why did it turn into that? I don't understand. I have a lot of friends in Malang, and I don't know whether their relatives might fall victim as well."
Jason Ranti was not the only performer who paid tribute to the Kanjuruhan Tragedy—more acts, such as .Feast and Bongabonga also took a brief moment on the stage to express their condolences to the victim's families. With an abundance of nostalgic acts and the crowd mayhem that would ensue afterward, Synchronize Fest 2022 might have become the festival's most special edition yet.
Past glories
By looking at the festival's lineups alone, it was a no-brainer that crowd-pleasing nostalgia would serve as the encompassing theme of the three-day musical affair.
Jazz-pop band Mocca brought the lively crowd to the early noughties with their charming live presentation of the band's debut album, the 2002's My Diary. The vocal troupe Pergelaran Swara Gembira took the nostalgia a couple of decades more backward with their tribute to the 70s-era Indonesiana maestro, Guruh Soekarnoputra—some of the latter's masterstrokes that were reinterpreted on the stage included the classics "Galih & Ratna" and "Zamrud Khatulistiwa."
Comedic group Project Pop fixed up their witty sentimentality with the 2003's "Dangdut Is The Music of My Country" before the quintet sang a brief version of the group's 2003 ballad "Ade" in honor of the group's sixth personnel, Muhammad "Oon" Fachroni, who passed away in 2017. Meanwhile, Candra Darusman-led jazz-fusion collective Karimata (minus Denny TR and Erwin Gutawa) reintroduced its 80s-era discography to the younger Synchronize Fest audience.
Not all performers were interested in revisiting past glories, though. David Bayu, the vocalist of the pop-rock band Naif, made do with his slot to introduce his debut solo album Di Dalam Jiwa (Inside the Soul), which was released on the same day as his Synchronize Fest gig. Despite the changing times, he was nonetheless keen on having the album available in a physical format.
"I have been around for quite some time now, so doing this [releasing an album on a physical format] is nothing strange for me," David told the Post minutes after his set. "Also, holding the music in your hands is fun."
Besides teasing the possibility of releasing Di Dalam Jiwa on cassette and vinyl formats in the future, David also hinted that his career chapter as a soloist had merely taken its first step.
"I would be thrilled to give a music video treatment to all the songs [in the album]," David laughed. "Hopefully, there will be more visual treatments after this."
Modern mayhem
This year's Synchronize Fest was not strictly a den of yesteryear's acts; a few contemporary acts also made their Synchronize Fest debut.
Pop-rock band Perunggu lit up the stage as they presented its debut album, the 2022's Memorandum, before the cheering crowd—the band's vocalist, at one point, was visibly overwhelmed with tears as the crowd sang the band's "Ini Abadi" (This is Eternal) in unison.
To the audience's surprise, pop band D'MASIV's frontman Rian Ekky Pradipta later joined Perunggu on the latter's stage for a reworked duet of "Pastikan Riuh Akhiri Malammu" (Make Sure the Noise Ends Your Night).
Pop singer-songwriter Idgitaf made do of her Synchronize Fest debut by performing her latest single, "Benar-Benar" (Genuinely), with the help of the pop trio, TheOvertunes. Fresh from his Java Jazz gig in May, jazz guitarist Daniel Dyonisius returned to a festival stage to manifest his AMI Award-nominated debut album, the 2021's Miles To Go, before the Synchronize Fest audience.
Across the pond, Lomba Sihir, the Sun Eater-focused supergroup, served up its brand of mischievous pop music, charming the crowd with the satirical "Cameo" and the cynical "Hati dan Paru-Paru" (Heart and Lungs).
"It's not about the audience. It's not about the singalongs, and it's not about whether we would come off as 'neat' on the stage or not—it's about the moment!" Natasha Udu, who serves as one of the vocalists of Lomba Sihir, told the Post before the group took to the stage.
The sextet acknowledged that the possibility of creating a follow-up to the group's debut album, the 2021's Selamat Datang di Ujung Dunia (Welcome to the Edge of the World), was still up in the air.
"It depends on the mood, the budget, and the Almighty God's will," said Baskara Putra, who, besides serving as one of the vocalists of Lomba Sihir, is also the frontman of the rock band .Feast and the principal of his solo project, Hindia.
"We have made this commitment: Considering all of us have our respective projects as well, we will wait for those to sort out before we proceed with the second album."
Crowd mayhem further helped put this year's Synchronize Fest on the festival's history books—though the performers embraced such chaos with a light spirit. Sets by Jason Ranti, The Jansen, and Grrrl Gang, were flooded by the ecstatic crowd who were not hesitant to trespass the security personnel and join them as they performed on the stage.
"Just let them be," remarked Jason about the trespassing audience. "Be free. I don't mind at all. Why should I? When I can freely express myself, why can't they?"
When all's said and done, Jason observed that the people's longing for music was unmissable.
"The enthusiasm is off the charts. People are incredibly longing for stuff like this [live music festivals]. Their enthusiasm, their spirit—Wow!" he enthused with a smile.
