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Indonesian drummer to play for 24 hours at World Cup Final
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Drummer Kunto Hartono plays the drums blindfolded during the press conference for 'The Beats of Indonesia, from Indonesia with Drum' in Central Jakarta on Wednesday. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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ndonesian record-breaking drummer Kunto Hartono is set to play the drums for 24 hours with blindfolds on leading up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup final in Moscow.
Titled The Beats of Indonesia, from Indonesia with Drum, the gig is organized by Jakarta-based online publishing group Global Visi Media (GVM) Networks. It aims to promote Indonesia in light of the 2018 Asian Games.
Kunto, the first Indonesian to have been listed twice in the Guinness Book of Records, is scheduled to begin his act on Saturday at 4 p.m. local time and continue until the same time on Sunday. He will play around 24 songs, including the Indonesian national anthem and Western tracks.
“I may be playing for 24 hours, but not nonstop, and I will be blindfolded,” Kunto said.
During the press conference in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, Kunto said he had not done any technical preparation given the limited time, but he said his physical condition was good. He explained that he would be wearing batik for the event and there would be information about Indonesia at the venue.
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Meanwhile, Indra Bigwanto, cofounder of the publishing group, said Kunto had initially wanted to play the drum nonstop from Jakarta to Palembang in a trailer to help promote the Asian Games. “But before Jakarta-Palembang, I suggested, ‘Why don’t you play the drum in Moscow for the World Cup Final?’,” Indra recalled.
Indra chose that moment, because the eyes of the world would be on the international soccer tournament. “I imagine that, if we can do it during the final, Indonesia will be well-recognized,” said Indra.
The preparation took seven days, and permission from FIFA was secured with the help of the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow.
Indra went on to say that the embassy was still coordinating with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) to get the best venue in Moscow.
Hailing from Banyuwangi in East Java, Kunto has earned Guinness World Records for “the longest drumming marathon by an individual” for 74 hours from Dec. 29, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2004 and “the longest marathon drumming” for 122 hours and 25 minutes from Dec. 27, 2011 to Jan. 1, 2012. (mut)
