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Jagz Kooner talks up indie labels at Sinjitos bash
Adrenaline: Spectators had an adrenaline rush when The Brandals started to perform, as the bandâs âBrigadeâ of fans began crowd surfing
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Adrenaline: Spectators had an adrenaline rush when The Brandals started to perform, as the bandâs âBrigadeâ of fans began crowd surfing. (Courtesy of Sinjitos Records)" border="0" height="333" width="500">Adrenaline: Spectators had an adrenaline rush when The Brandals started to perform, as the bandâs âBrigadeâ of fans began crowd surfing. (Courtesy of Sinjitos Records)Jagz Kooner was on hand for the 10th anniversary celebration of Jakarta-based independent label Sinjitos Records at a recent concert at The Foundry 8, in the SCBD in Jakarta.
âSinjitos phenomenal â a really good production,â said the celebrated London-based producer, who has worked with everyone from English rock group Oasis to Welsh alternative rock trio Manic Street Preachers.
Label co-founders Joseph Saryuf and Bennedict Pardede have garnered praise for the unique sound and high recording quality for their 13 releases over the last decade.
The celebration, themed âCome Togetherâ, presented eight Sinjitos artists, including electronic duo Joseph Saryuf and his wife, Anindita, of Santamonica; alternative-rock group The Brandals; post-punk group The Porno; folk-rock five-piecer Backwood Sun; pop singer Lala Karmela; electrohop singer Bayu Risa; and alternative-rock duo Monkey to Millionaire.
When asked about the prospects for independent labels, Jagz Kooner said that major labels in the UK were scared of artists, opening the field to indies willing to take risks. âBut indie labels will always fight with major labels, as they have almost infinite resources.â
Whimsical: Electronic duo Santamonica brought things to an eerie, whimsical peak in their first performance in two years. (Courtesy of Sinjitos Records)
He predicted that the Internet and access to technology would level the field between major labels and the indies, such as XL Recordings in the UK, who features Adele and The Prodigy.
âIn the 70s and 80s, you needed millions of dollars to have a studio and the best equipment. Now you only need a US$1500 laptop and it is now pretty much the same,â Kooner said, adding that the biggest challenge in the recording industry was to generate fresh ideas and proficiency in producing music.
Monkey to Millionaire opened the night, playing songs from their latest album, Inertia, as well as favorites âM.A.Nâ and âSepi Melajuâ, pushing the crowd to dance.
Spectators had an adrenaline rush when The Brandals started to perform, as the bandâs âBrigadeâ of fans began crowd surfing.
Resi of noise-rock band Denial said that 2000 marked the rise of indie bands and their supporters in Indonesia. Today, competition was with a new mainstream invasion, K-Pop, the 29-year-old added.
Observing the show, Resi said that the crowd â which appeared to number about 1,000 â had exceeded his expectations and proved that people were still looking for good music.
âThe benchmark for good music is when musicians are willing to go beyond their limit, taking risks to use unusual recording techniques, producing diverse sounds, and competing with mainstream bands from major labels, like Noah â a celebrated pop-rock Indonesian band,â Resi said.
Kooner, who started scratching at 12 and began working in the studio with veteran English producer Andrew Weatherall in his early 20s, agreed.
Adrenaline: <)
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span class="caption" style="width: 498px;">Adrenaline: Spectators had an adrenaline rush when The Brandals started to perform, as the band's 'Brigade' of fans began crowd surfing. (Courtesy of Sinjitos Records)
Jagz Kooner was on hand for the 10th anniversary celebration of Jakarta-based independent label Sinjitos Records at a recent concert at The Foundry 8, in the SCBD in Jakarta.
'Sinjitos phenomenal ' a really good production,' said the celebrated London-based producer, who has worked with everyone from English rock group Oasis to Welsh alternative rock trio Manic Street Preachers.
Label co-founders Joseph Saryuf and Bennedict Pardede have garnered praise for the unique sound and high recording quality for their 13 releases over the last decade.
The celebration, themed 'Come Together', presented eight Sinjitos artists, including electronic duo Joseph Saryuf and his wife, Anindita, of Santamonica; alternative-rock group The Brandals; post-punk group The Porno; folk-rock five-piecer Backwood Sun; pop singer Lala Karmela; electrohop singer Bayu Risa; and alternative-rock duo Monkey to Millionaire.
When asked about the prospects for independent labels, Jagz Kooner said that major labels in the UK were scared of artists, opening the field to indies willing to take risks. 'But indie labels will always fight with major labels, as they have almost infinite resources.'
Whimsical: Electronic duo Santamonica brought things to an eerie, whimsical peak in their first performance in two years. (Courtesy of Sinjitos Records)
He predicted that the Internet and access to technology would level the field between major labels and the indies, such as XL Recordings in the UK, who features Adele and The Prodigy.
'In the 70s and 80s, you needed millions of dollars to have a studio and the best equipment. Now you only need a US$1500 laptop and it is now pretty much the same,' Kooner said, adding that the biggest challenge in the recording industry was to generate fresh ideas and proficiency in producing music.
Monkey to Millionaire opened the night, playing songs from their latest album, Inertia, as well as favorites 'M.A.N' and 'Sepi Melaju', pushing the crowd to dance.
Spectators had an adrenaline rush when The Brandals started to perform, as the band's 'Brigade' of fans began crowd surfing.
Resi of noise-rock band Denial said that 2000 marked the rise of indie bands and their supporters in Indonesia. Today, competition was with a new mainstream invasion, K-Pop, the 29-year-old added.
Observing the show, Resi said that the crowd ' which appeared to number about 1,000 ' had exceeded his expectations and proved that people were still looking for good music.
'The benchmark for good music is when musicians are willing to go beyond their limit, taking risks to use unusual recording techniques, producing diverse sounds, and competing with mainstream bands from major labels, like Noah ' a celebrated pop-rock Indonesian band,' Resi said.
Kooner, who started scratching at 12 and began working in the studio with veteran English producer Andrew Weatherall in his early 20s, agreed.
Maestro: 'I never went to any music school, but if you go, the key is still be creative,' Kooner says. 'Know the rules so you can break them at the end.' (Courtesy of Sinjitos Records)
He said that he admired the diversity in Sinjitos' releases such as Monkey to Millionaire, which he compared to The Stooges; MC5; and Bayu Risa, who reminds him of Marvin Gaye's three-octave range with a French alternative-rock band Phoenix-style arrangement.
Kooner said that independent labels were more loyal to their bands, sticking by acts even when albums do not sell. 'With major labels, many of them are run by accountants. They will drop a band as soon as they notice that the first album doesn't sell.'
Back on the dance floor, electronic dup Santamonica brought things to an eerie, whimsical peak in their first performance in two years.
Old hits like 'Silent Society', 'Wonderlust' and 'Ribbon and Tie' came in one set with psychedelic video mapping on screen and on Anindita's white laboratory coat.
Meanwhile London-based Kooner, who Saryuf and Pardede cite as an inspiration, closed the show after all line-ups.
Kooner started his set with 'Come Save Me' from Australian psychedelic trio Jagwar Ma, amused the crowd with 'Come Together' from Primal Scream, continuing his mixes until 4 a.m.
The producer, who plans on collaborating with Irish psychadelic groove five-piece The Dead
Heavys and Indian multi-instrumentalist and producer Shri, says he also wants to work with Sinjitos Records, as he salutes their artistry and persistence in music. 'I never went to any music school, but if you go, the key is still be creative,' Kooner says. 'Know the rules so you can break them at the end.'
