MUSIC

Paris-born electronic music pioneer and 1970s GRM alumni Ariel Kalma joins with multinational New York trio Asa Tone (Kaazi, Melati ESP, Tristan Arp) for a series of intergenerational, electro-acoustic studio conversations, exploring elasticity within rhythm and winds… or as one early listener observed “space and time.”

Following a chance encounter at Ariel’s studio in the Australian rainforest during the pandemic, Melati & Kaazi began recording long live takes with Kalma, weaving in bioluminescent synth improvisations from Tristan Arp remotely. Revisited a few years later between the members of Asa Tone’s respective homes in New York & Indonesia, “○” is the document of a significant moment in the lives of all the album’s players; an ode to memory and connection in an era of crisis, illuminated via flickering fragments of steel flute, kantilan, modular synthesizer, xaphoon, tenor sax, EWI, field recordings of the surrounding rainforest, and the human voice.

Recorded, written and produced by Asa Tone & Ariel Kalma.
Ariel Kalma: Western Concert Flute, Xaphoon, Tenor Saxophone, Voice
Melati ESP: EWI, Kantilan, Voice
Kaazi: Hydrasynth, Opsix, Percussion
Tristan Arp: Modular Synthesizer, Moog Sub37, Percussion
Additional percussion on *3 by Miles Myjavec

Mixed by Tristan Arp, Kaazi and Ariel Kalma.
Mastered by Jose Arentes at GRAMA, Porto.
Art Direction & Layout : Melati ESP, Kaazi, Biscuit.
 

The Marloes follow up the massive success of their debut album Perak by pressing two of the stand out tunes from the record on a 7”. The A side “Not Today” is right up there with the grooviest feel good songs you could ever play on a Sunday morning. Lead singer Natassya Sianturi reminds us to make space for ourselves no matter what life throws our way. From the message, to the music, to Natassya’s gorgeous voice; this is a cool out, kick back, and enjoy anthem. The B side “Over” starts out with a heavy drum break and evolves into an epic arrangement drenched in layers of gorgeous melodies that perfectly capture the havoc of a love affair that ends abruptly. Natassya’s vocals soar over Raka’s intricate production seamlessly as she tells a tale in three parts; attraction, intimacy, and decline that crescendos to an epic ending.

Kadapat adalah proyek musik dari Yogi dan Barga yang berbasis di Bali. Kadapat menggunakan ilmu putih/hitam Bali sebagai spirit dalam eksperimen musik elektronik-gamelan dengan tujuan menyampaikan tradisi dan legenda urban.

Berkenalan dengan Kadapat berarti bertemu dengan anak muda milenial dari suburban Bali yang ditempa oleh gamelan beserta tradisinya sejak usia muda. Tak hanya mumpuni secara teknis, Yogi dan Braga juga memainkan gamelan untuk upacara-upacara tradisi dan keagamaan di Banjar, sebuah komunitas masyarakat yang memiliki batas-batas wilayah yang berwenang untuk mengatur dan mengurus kepentingan masyarakat setempat, berdasarkan asal usul dan adat istiadat setempat yang diakui dan dihormati dalam sistem pemerintahan. Mereka berdua sangat intens bergumul dengan norma-norma tradisi yang konservatif dan kosmologinya yang transendental. Sebagai entitas milenial, mereka juga akrab dengan budaya urban, teknologi, dan kosmopolitanisme Bali. Identitas hibrida ini semakin kompleks saat mereka mendalami dimensi pendidikan seni formal dengan sistem pedagogi barat.

Ribuan unsur-unsur tersebut terwujud dalam karya musik Kadapat di album ini. Ia berkelindan dalam jaringan yang saling mencerap dan mencibir. Setiap elemen dan teksturnya bersuara konsensual, namun tak jarang masing-masing menyeruak secara mandiri mencoba menunjukkan eksistensinya. Secara utuh komposisi dalam album ini memiliki nyali politis. Imajinasi radikal yang diekspresikan dalam kondisi yang rumit bagi mereka: adat istiadat. Eksperimentasi adalah upaya uji coba. Apakah menguji pertunjukan Kadapat di Banjar, di kampus seni, di klab gorong-gorong, di beach party, di festival musik metal, atau di acara kawinan akan menimbulkan polemik? Tidak ada salahnya untuk dicoba. We just need to talk. — Wok The Rock

Thee Marloes give us with another killer of a two-sider while they finish recording their debut album. The A side "Logika" is a laid back tune about where the head and the heart meet and how they often don't see things the same way. Natassya Sianturi's honeyed vocals float over a beautifully arranged track driven by guitar riffs, organ, and reverb drenched stick hits. They manage to put the perfect amount of paint on the canvas with the band sounding tight as ever hitting all the changes that bring in the earworm chorus that stays in your head even if you don't speak Indonesian. The B side "True Love" finds Thee Marloes dipping back into the soulful side of jazz but this time with a beat ballad that could soundtrack a Tarantino movie and hold court with the best of the genre. This one leans you back in your chair setting the mood for a smokey lounge affair and a strong drink. Two more pages from Thee Marloes book on a must have 45 giving a taste of what is to come on the 2024 full length.

Thee Marloes, by way of Surabaya, Indonesia are Natassya Sianturi on vocals, Sinatrya Dharaka on guitar, and Tommy Satwick on drums. Their unique sound mixes elements of their local culture and music with influences of Soul, Jazz, and Pop.

We are delighted to be able to bring you these gorgeous field recordings from the Sumedang Province of West Java which, over their 50 minutes, present two distinct sides of Sundanese musical and devotional culture.

Although West Java is a Muslim country, these recordings highlight currents of pre-Islamic animist beliefs and practices that continue to flourish in the small towns and villages of the highlands of West Java. The recordings showcase two forms of trance music that are essential to the spiritual life of the Sundanese people in the highland regions.

Tarawangsa trance music is a traditional ceremonial genre known for its deep spiritual and hypnotic qualities. This music is made using only two instruments, the tarawangsa, a two-stringed fiddle, accompanied by the jentreng, a seven-stringed zither, creating a unique blend of resonant, droning sounds. Historically, tarawangsa music has been performed as part of sacred rituals and agricultural celebrations to honor local deities and ancestors, particularly associated with the Sunda culture. The minimalist, repetitive melodies gradually build, guiding participants and listeners into a meditative, trance-like state, during which dancers can be possessed by the spirits of ancestors or deities from the spirit realm, the music serving as a link between the two worlds.

In stark contrast to the calm, medititive sound of tarawangsa, we also present here two long pieces from Panca Buana Reak Group. Sundanese Reak trance music is like the punk rock of Sunda folk music, combining powerful and driving rhythms played on a number of hand drums and percussion instruments with the buzzing sound of the tarompet, a double reed wind instrument often amplified through whatever mobile speaker system might be at hand. Sometimes the group will play gamelan gongs, as heard on the first piece on the album, although this remains a music that is popular mainly with the working class youth of the rural villages, many of whom will also be fans of Indonesia's burgeoning metal and punk scenes. Reak performances are often wild, anarchic events that feature masked dancers, costumes, public trancing and spirit possession.

These recordings were made by Xenia At during her travels through West Java earlier this year. The tarawangsa recordings were made in a home in the village of Rancakalong on the evening of 17th January 2024, while Panca Buana Reak Group were recorded during rehersals in the village of Cinunuk on 19th and 20th January 2024.
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 350px; height: 307px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3330427737/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=333333/artwork=none/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://hivemindrecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-heart-of-sumedang-field-recordings-from-west-java">In the Heart of Sumedang: Field Recordings from West Java by Hive Mind Records</a></iframe>

Thee Marloes, by way of Surabaya, Indonesia are Natassya Sianturi on vocals, Sinatrya Dharaka on guitar, and Tommy Satwick on drums. Their unique sound mixes elements of their local culture and music with influences of Soul, Jazz, and Pop.

'Teratai Åkande' explores electronic techniques transforming sounds, melodies, and rhythms from balinese gamelan. It's an interaction and synthesis of acoustic and electronic expressions, exploring an imagined territory between two otherwise separate cultural worlds. On 'Teratai Åkande' the Copenhagen-based producer and electronic musician Anton Friisgaard travels new paths, as he explores gamelan music from his own artistic perspective in close collaboration with Balinese musicians, afliated with Ubud’s acclaimed Gamelan scene. After experiencing a concert with the Gamelan ensemble 'Gamelan Salukat' at Roskilde Festival in 2018, Friisgaard became inspired to contact Dewa Alit from the ensemble. With the aim of bringing forth a unique expression through the meeting of two distinct musical traditions, Friisgaard traveled to Ubud, Bali to record, compose and improvise in close collaboration with artists from the esteemed Gamelan scene in Ubud. The result is 'Teratai Åkande', which features Pande Made Gangga Sentana, I Nyoman Suwida, Dewa Badukz, Suryana Putra and Pande Made Gangga of Gamelan Salukat. Anton Friisgaard (fka Hviledag) is an electronic producer and musician based in Copenhagen. Known primarily for his experimental work with tape loops and ambient soundscapes, he’s become an established figure both in the Danish music scene as well as internationally.

Psychedelic Rock … Long-awaited compilation of hard-rocking, psychedelic songs from Indonesia’s premiere rock outfit Panbers culled from their most fertile years with Mesra Dimita Records. For those uninitiated on the glory Panbers, consider this compilation an introduction to some of earliest and heaviest rock sound to come out of Indonesia.

This project, Massif and Archipelago, is a field recording project initiated by Japanese sound artist Yasuhiro Morinaga, documenting traditional gong music by different Southeast Asian ethnic groups. The project aimed to examine the impact of the natural and social environment on the gong music culture of Southeast Asia. During the project, he visited over 50 different ethnic groups and made hundreds of recordings. This album presents a selection of the unique gong music from different ethnic minorities. The selected music has been divided into two broad sections: one focussing on the music from the Massif, i.e. mainland Southeast Asia (Central Highland of Vietnam and Northeast Cambodia), the other on music from the Archipelago, maritime Southeast Asia (the Luzon Islands of the Philippines, Borneo, Sulawesi, and the Flores Islands of Indonesia).

Dewa Alit, Bali’s master of contemporary Gamelan composition, returns to Black Truffle with Chasing the Phantom, presenting two recent works played by the composer’s Gamelan Salukat, a large ensemble that performs on instruments specially built to his designs, using a unique tuning system that combines notes from two traditional Balinese Gamelan scales. Alit explains that the ensemble’s name suggests “a place to fuse creative ideas to generate new, innovative works” and both compositions demonstrate the composer’s ability to wring stunning new possibilities from variations on the traditional Gamelan ensemble. While using familiar elements of Balinese Gamelan music, such as unison scalar melodies and stop-start dynamics, Alit’s music is overflowing with harmonic, rhythmic, and timbral inventions, the latter often facilitated by unorthodox playing techniques. “Ngejuk Memedi”, an English translation of which gives the LP its title, results from Alit’s reflection on the complex relationship between tradition and modernity in Balinese culture, particularly in the way that belief in the phantoms or spirits known as ‘memedi’ are shared through social media using digital technologies. Embodying this uncanny co-existence, the opening passages of the piece are at once immediately recognisable in their use of the metallophones of the Gamelan ensemble and strikingly reminiscent of electronics in their timbre and movement. At points, what we hear seems to have been fragmented with digital tools, or even to originate in some incessantly glitching DX7. Short melodic figures loop irregularly, with the ensemble splintering into polyrhythmic shards before unexpectedly recombining for intricate unison passages. After several minutes of this manically tinkling metallic sound world, the metallophones are joined by drums for a meditative passage of lower dynamics, as the uniformly high pitch range explored in the opening sections gradually opens up to include resonant low gong hits. Recovering some of the manic energy of the opening, but now enhanced with the full range of percussion, the piece weaves through a series of tempo changes to a stunning passage of rapid-fire melodies and ringing chords that sweep across the metallophones, their unorthodox tuning creating complex clouds of wavering harmonies. “Likad”, written during Covid-19 lockdowns, channels anxiety and uncertainty into musical form, resulting in a piece that, even by Alit’s standards, is stunning in its complexity and the virtuosity it demands of Gamelan Salukat. Its opening section is perhaps most remarkable for its mastery of texture, with rapid transitions between dry, muted strikes and metallic shimmers calling to mind the use of filters in electronic music. At points, the complex irregular repetitions of short melodic patterns, where the music seems to get stuck or be suddenly interrupted by a skip, recall the mad sampler works of Alvin Curran or the skittering surface of prime period Oval more than anything familiar from acoustic percussion music. Moving through a dizzying series of twists and turns, the piece ends with a majestic sequence of chords possessing an almost hieratic power. A major statement from a radical contemporary composer, one cannot help but agree with Alit when he sees Chasing the Phantom as an answer to the “question of the future of Gamelan music”.

Black Truffle announce Genetic, the first release outside Indonesia from contemporary Balinese composer Dewa Alit and his Gamelan Salukat. Alit is a major force in contemporary Indonesian music, presenting his work extensively throughout Asia, Europe and North America and collaborating with renowned ensembles such as Bang On A Can and Ensemble Modern. Involved in the composition and performance of works for Gamelan ensemble since he was a teenager, in 2007 he founded Gamelan Salukat, a 25 member ensemble that perform on instruments specially built to Alit’s designs, using a unique 11-note scale. The single composition that unfurls over the two sides of Genetic is an enchanting introduction to Alit’s magical sound world. Beginning with a stately procession of isolated, hanging chords sounded on the ensemble’s uniquely-tuned metallophones, the piece abruptly launches into a stunning passage of rhythmically complex call-and-response motifs, making striking use of abruptly muted chords – one of many moments where the acoustic ensemble sounds uncannily electronic. The piece continues to alternate between spare investigations of resounding tones and sometimes frenetic ensemble interplay using unorthodox techniques, including a stunning moment around half-way when the entire Gamelan seems to transform itself into a single, gigantic zither. Later in the piece, drums and wind instruments enter, and the metallophones begin to play virtuosic, rapid-fire passages of fragmented scalar melody. As Alit explains in his liner notes, the music of Gamelan Salukat is grounded in the tradition of Balinese Gamelan; however, he approaches this tradition not as something static, but as a set of concepts and principles that can be used to create something radically new. For many listeners, Genetic will inhabit precisely this space between the familiar and the invigoratingly unheard, as it takes the stop-start dynamics, unison melodies, and much of the instrumentation familiar from traditional Balinese Gamelan and puts them in the service of rhythmic, harmonic, and timbral experimentation, crafting a work possessed by at once by mysterious grandeur and a joyous volatility.

You could call Gabber Modus Operandi’s PUXXXIMAXXX LP a ‘scene-defining’ record. That’s except there’s no real ‘scene’ to speak of where the DIY electronic duo come from, deep in the belly of the neo-colonial beast of Bali—an island province of Indonesia where tourism is its biggest industry, mainstream house and techno its musical staple. “Bali is like an Australian backyard for some people,” jokes Ican Harem about the capital of Denpasar where they both live, just a four-hour flight from Perth. “It’s basically like when you go to Ibiza. Those are the sounds, that’s the kind of the people, that’s how they dress up, that’s how they dance.” Otherwise known by the project’s GMO initialism, Harem and DJ Kasimyn (aka Aditya Surya Taruna) first released PUXXXIMAXXX on influential Yogyakarta label Yes No Wave in 2018, before performing the Javan capital’s Nusasonic festival that same year. It takes its title from their original name that is a play on an unmentionable curse word, and it’s the result of a clusterfuck of influences that blew up with access to the internet in Indonesia, enabled by cheap Chinese smartphones in the mid-2010s. “Now, all the content that we posted in social media basically came from this layer,” says Kas about this new medium for cultural expression across the country’s diverse and disconnected archipelago—a girl in a remote village dances on Tik Tok, construction workers play act while on the job. “This is like the amazing channel where they make their own content. They make these absurd jokes—like, local jokes. They just celebrate it. I don’t think they think about making content. They just want to record shit, but it’s kind of an explosion of this amazing and beautiful thing; of people crossing the Island and then showing them, ‘Oh, basically behind my house, there is a traditional party where people get possessed by a tiger’.” From the derivative metal, punk and rock influences of the country’s first ‘indie explosion’ to the ‘lowbrow’ pop and local dance music hybrids of funkot and dangdut koplo, PUXXXIMAXXX is a brilliantly chaotic pastiche. It references breakcore and gabber while framed by traditional gamelan pentatonic scales. There’s the high-pitched trumpet opener of Sangkakala I and the ritualistic beat and looped vocal samples of Hey Nafsu, along with a fascinating montage of the Javanese jathilan possession dance for their wildly popular Dosa Besar music video. “If you think we’re doing ritualistic stuff, or playing gamelan, we’re not,” adds Kas. “We are around that area but at the same time, we also listen to Prodigy.” GMO’s speculative Indonesian rave is infectious. It’s been dubbed ‘post-alay’ by the duo in tribute to the cheesy cultural phenomenon of the suburban teenager and has since caught on worldwide. Follow-up EP HOXXXYA was released on Shanghai label SVBKVLT in 2019, earning the band slots at CTM Berlin, Kampala’s Nyege Nyege Festival and performances in China with Asian Dope Boys. This is a level of recognition that’s well-deserved for a sound that snubs the western canon in favour of a hybrid post-colonial sound that’s pure imagination. “We just kind of like suck that energy that, actually people kind of enjoy their identity,” says Kas. “Especially the people not from the big city, because people from big cities, they always want to have confirmation from the West. Like, ‘I would love to play techno, and then play in Berghain in Berlin and LA’, that kind of stuff. But there is a layer that people don’t give a shit about that, they just want to have fun.”

Now-Again Records presents a new, essential entry into the growing phenomenon known as Psych-Funk with Those Shocking Shaking Days: the untold story of Indonesia¡Çs various underground 70s musical scenes. Few are aware of the progressive music scenes from 1970s Indonesia, as censorship imposed by the dictator Suharto lead to crackdowns on those courageous enough to rebel. This insurgent sound - marked by relentless fuzz, over the top, politically charged lyrics, strong rhythms and a cranky low-fidelity - is as similar to that of Rare Earth protégés Power of Zeus as it is to that of South Korean psych-god Shin Jung Hyun. It is as informed by James Brown¡Çs funk as it is by the hard, progressive rock of Deep Purple and King Crimson. This anthology contains 20 tracks of hard, psychedelic, progressive rock and funk that has been largely unheard or ignored outside of the confines of this island nation. This is all thanks to the tireless (and expensive) research of Canadian hip hop producer and Southeast Asian music specialist Jason ¡ÈMoss¡É Connoy, the trust that Indonesian rock legend Benny Soebardja placed in Now-Again Records as he traversed his homeland¡Çs islands securing the necessary rights for the tracks contained within this anthology, and the cultural context added to the proceedings by Indonesian ex-pat Chandra Drews, who assisted in a track-by-track annotation. This anthology is the first of its kind – the first Western-based survey of the most impressive organizations to offer their take on the psychedelic and progressive rock and funk sounds during the shocking, shaking days of Suharto¡Çs regime. This gem can be purchased as a deluxe ¡Èmini-LP¡É tip on sleeve CD or a 3 LP triple paste on gatefold. Included are extensive liner notes, photographs, ephemera in full color booklets and, of course, fully restored and remastered audio.