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ayung Teduh’s music redefines 1960’s Indonesian classic tunes, keroncong (Portuguese-tinged Indonesian pop) and jazz. This is music that is put together at a lakeside and is a good company while life keeps on turning.

The famous lakeside of the University of Indonesia campus in Depok can now add another brilliant moment to its long life.

The lake, located in the middle of the bustling city of Depok, is home to members of Payung Teduh, arguably one of the most interesting acts on the country’s music scene this year.

The four-piece band managed to spread their love story with life to wider audiences despite their early “domestic” years among the university’s communities.

It’s their second take. The first one back in 2010 was a self titled album that was witty enough to steal attention on the indie music circuit. Their 2012 album, Dunia Batas (World’s border), made a bigger splash.

Dunia Batas, which took them 17 months to display in stores nationwide, contains a few brilliant songs. But it’s not a completely new album.

“There are holes in the earlier version’s arrangement. We wanted to fill those holes and put other instruments into the recording process,” says Comi, the bass player.

The time they spent on preparing Dunia Batas was another memorable journey.

“Initially, we wanted to record an album with all new songs. But then we were working under a tight deadline,” recalled guitalele player Ivan.

Warm is the word that perfectly describes Payung Teduh’s music. It’s a simple soliloquy of life, with the cozy lakeside, the place where they gather and interact, mixing well with good atmospheric tunes delivered through basic musical instruments.

“We never think of it but we get so many influences from mother Earth and stories inside,” says Ivan.

At the start, these influences were probably quite a cliché but they culminated into a bunch of great recipes for creating good music.

“We want to create music until the end of time,” says drummer Cito. That is the source of this band’s spirit.

— Felix Dass

To find out more about Payung Teduh, go to twitter.com/payungteduh

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