Jamie Aditya Band.

Jakarta music lovers were lucky enough to experience the good tunes and uplifting music of the Reform Good Times Festival.

Attendees were treated to an unlikely concert venue, held at Kridaloka Park in the Senayan Sports Complex in Central Jakarta, carpeted with green grass under lush big trees while enjoying an eclectic blend of musicians.

The headline performers of the show were turntablist Chris Karns, modern-funk musician Dam-Funk and modern psychedelic soul band Step Kids (all from the US) and Indonesian funk and soul musician Jamie Aditya.

The layout of the venue was simple, comprising a main stage and two smaller supporting stages settled on the park'€™s corners among the trees.

Hundreds of music fans came to the festival, which boasted a total of 11 performers starting late in the afternoon and ended around midnight.

At around 4 p.m., dozens of concert goers showed up at the venue. They wasted no time in frolicking around the park, enjoying the breezy afternoon and the rare delight of fresh air and the scent of leaves amid the bustling Senayan area.

Attendees enjoyed lounging on picnic benches and blankets set up by the organizer. The laid back afternoon quickly turned into a head-bopping backyard party when the first performer DJ Nasa took charge of a booth on one of the smaller stages.

He has been described as one of Jakarta'€™s finest and purest hip-hop disc jockeys and has opened for Ja Rule, Naughty by Nature and Sean Paul in previous concerts in town.

DJ Nasa played his signature Breaks and Grooves, while he showcased his scratching techniques and gave the crowd the first taste of fun at the festival. He tickled the sound system as he played samples of songs by legendary Betawi entertainer Benyamin Suaeb and traditional Betawi tunes.

Without missing a beat, the second performer took over from DJ Nasa. Seasoned DJ Bergas Haryadita subsequently injected the park with funky tunes made up of soul, disco and house.

Bergas'€™ set was later followed by DJ Archie, who is a member of Jakarta-based collective Ketoprak Malam.

Archie played tracks and remixes that he produced himself. His selection for the afternoon was a smooth combination of bass to house garage, hip-hop to modern funk.

The Step Kids.
The twilight segment was later filled with performances by pDouble and DJ Cream, both from the Soulmenace Soundsystem as more and more people arrived to join the party.

Award-winning pDouble has been known for dropping a wide variety of musical genres during his set, while simultaneously commanding the vibe through the microphone. DJ Cream, another big name in Indonesia'€™s urban scene, presented a high-energy set filled with scratching, cuts and beat-juggling.

At around 8 p.m., Jamie Aditya and his three-piece band took command of the main stage, quickly pulling the crowd toward the front of the stage.

Jamie played his signature mix of soul and trip-hop through songs from his debut album LMNOP, including '€œBetter With You'€, '€œAlien'€ and '€œComin Our Way'€. Jamie also played a new song titled '€œTuesday'€.

'€œThis song is appropriately titled because it was written on a Wednesday about things that happened on a Thursday. I recorded it on a Friday,'€ the former MTV VJ said, raising smiles from the crowd.

Connecticut-based trio The Step Kids were next up on stage and immediately turned the concert temperature up a notch when they played a unique blend of classic jazz, R&B, funk, 70s pop rock and psychedelic soul.

Guitarist-vocalist Jeff Gitelman and bassist-keyboardist-vocalist Dan Edinberg rocked the stage with their synchronized dance choreography, reminiscent of cheerful movements by Tito and Jermaine Jackson of The Jackson 5.

The Step Kids had only played two songs when a sudden rain shower hit the concert arena. The band opted to go on with the show and dozens of attendees decided to stay while the others sought shelter.

'€œThank you for sticking with us in the rain. This is like having Woodstock in Jakarta,'€ Gitelman greeted the crowd.

They continued playing until organizers decided enforce a half-hour break at around 10 p.m. due to worsening rain. After the break, the trio continued their show and ended it after performing their 9th song of the evening.

'€œSorry we'€™ve got to cut it short, but this is such a great event,'€ Gitelman said before they played their final song '€œTrue Salvation'€.

The rain continued to pour throughout the rest of the night, but it did not stop the crowd from enjoying performances from Dam-Funk and Chris Karns.

Dam-Funk, the moniker of Damon G. Riddick, is known by his peers and fans alike as the '€œAmbassador of Boogie Funk'€, for taking the torch from Prince, The Egyptian Lover, Rick James, Zapp and other synth-funk pioneers.

'€œFunk is in the blood. It'€™s my second time in Jakarta, it'€™s great to be back in Jakarta,'€ he said prior to his set of boogie, modern soul and electro-funk.

Dam-Funk was followed by Chris Karns, a native of Denver, Colorado, who won the 2011 DMC World DJ Championships.

'€œI'€™m going to try to get people groovin'€™ tonight and of course scratch a little bit,'€ he said. Karns brought a diverse music set with hip-hop and funk tunes to close the night.

'€”Photos by R. Berto Wedhatama