Mempertahankan konsistensi selama satu dekade dalam suatu band/grup musik, memang bukanlah hal yang bisa kita anggap remeh. Ini terbukti dari perjalanan grup Indo Beat Ethnic Experimental asal ibukota, Kunokini, yang masih memegang teguh misi untuk menyebarkan virus budaya lewat musikalitas mereka. Tentunya menular dengan dosis tinggi ke ranah musik Indonesia.

Bertemu di kafe kawasan Jakarta-Selatan, saya bertemu Bhismo dan Bebi (sebagai dua pilar di Kunokini), siap membeberkan kiat khusus untuk komitmen atas visi-misi yang mereka usung sampai sekarang, serta proses pembuatan film dokumenter bersama Simple Project Indonesia. Dan juga persiapan “Back To The Roots” sebagai suatu perayaan ulang tahun lewat pentas musik yang akan diselenggarakan pada 29 Mei 2013 di Mate Cafe & Entertainment, Bintaro.

Bisa diceritakan bagaimana proses penggarapan film dokumenter kalian bersama Simple Project Indonesia?

Bhismo : Jadi waktu itu ketemunya di Car Free Day, Senayan. Kebetulan kita sedang menggarap video juga disitu. Dan ternyata dari dulu mereka suka dengan Kunokini, serta berencana membuat film dokumenter (saling tuker nomor telepon lah disitu), selang 4 bulan lebih setelah melalui beberapa rapat, ya udah akhirnya jalan lah proses film dokumenter kita.

Bebi : Film dokumenter itu sengaja dibuat untuk suatu festival, namun karna kesibukan masing-masing akhirnya deadline festival tersebut lewat masa jangkanya. Dan orang-orang Simple Project Indonesia sendiri, sebenernya berkerja pada suatu korporat, tapi memiliki sisi idealisnya juga dan ingin berkarya lewat dokumenter itu.

Bhismo : Turut juga menyebarkan virus visi-misi atas kecintaan kita terhadap budaya Indonesia, kepada masyarakat sini lewat media (film dokumenter) yang mereka buat.

Berbicara soal virus, Sudah sampai sejauh mana kalian menyebarkan virus budaya lewat musik kalian sampai sekarang?

Bhismo : Sampai 2011 kita sudah sejauh Jerman dan Belanda. Sempat ke Australia juga. Tapi kita lagi concern menyebarkan ke daerah Indonesia itu sendiri sekaligus menjalankan program kita yang bernama ‘Beautiful Energy’. Beautiful Energy adalah suatu program untuk memberikan workshop ke sekolah-sekolah dasar tentang perkusi. Sebelumnya kita juga sering membuat workshop di studio alam, Depok, kepada anak-anak kurang mampu. Contohnya video klip kita bersama anak-anak Sekolah Taman, Balubur, Bandung menyanyikan “Hey Beb!”

Bebi : Tujuan workshop itu sebenernya, kita hanya ingin kedepannya musik tradisional menjadi kurikulum dasar di tiap-tiap sekolah. Harus kita racunin sejak kecil, soalnya kalau dibawah gua 2 atau 3 tahun udah telat. Jadi untuk selanjutnya mereka memilih, ingin memainkan alat musik modern atau tradisional. Atau, siapa tahu bisa berkreatifitas membaurkan intrumen musik modern dan tradisional negara sendiri lebih luas lagi. Pokoknya jangan sampai meninggalkan “akar” dimana mereka berasal.

Ada perubahan signifikan selama 10 tahun berlalu? Sepertinya terjadi perombakan tatanan personil.

Bhismo : Perubahan signifikan pasti ada yah, tahun lalu Akbar memutuskan untuk keluar dari Kunokini. Lalu masuk lah personil kita paling muda, Fadil. Dia itu dari kecil udah sudah berkecimpung di dunia kesenian Betawi. Jadi sedikit ada chemistry dan nyambung sama kita juga, lalu menggodok ulang dan berupaya untuk survive dengan formasi seperti ini. Jadi selama 10 Tahun cukup bersyukur juga sih, dari jatuh bangunnya hingga bereksplor lagi setelah masuknya personil baru.

Bebi : Perkembangan selama sepuluh tahun cukup banyak perubahan, namanya juga seleksi alam. Ya mudah-mudahan setelah masuknya Fadil ini bisa sampai mati. Kebetulan Fadil juga masih kecil, jadi bisa menjadi contoh kepada teman-teman seusianya.

Balik lagi perihal trailer film dokumenter. Kalian ingin sekali mengangkat budaya Indonesia mencapai permukaan tinggi lewat musik, hingga bisa diterima oleh masyarakat luas. Apakah kalian tetap komitmen seperti itu sampai sekarang? Atau ada penambahan dalam usia kalian yang ke-10?

Bebi : Penambahan sih banyak, menyadarkan masyarakat jangan terlalu jauh melihat sesuatu, lihatlah di sekeliling kalian atas kebudayaan mereka yang bisa bikin kalian bangga dan kaya. Dan instrumen-instrumen yang biasa kita gunakan bisa disama ratakan dengan alat musik konvensional lainnya.

Bhismo : Emang gak gampang untuk konsisten atas komitmen yang kita buat sekarang. Pertama, menjadi seniman saja sudah susah di negeri ini. Kedua, bidang yang dipilih musik, pilihan musikalitas disini tuh beragam, bangsa kita hanya bisa menengok kepada musik-musik yang diciptakan warga asing. Maksud gue apa yang bisa kita tampilkan beda untuk bersaing di ranah musik global? Kebudayaan kita sendiri kan? Itu lah kita memilih jalur ini dalam bermusik. Semoga gue sama Bebi bisa bernafas dan berusaha menyuarkan komitmen ini. Kasarnya “Gue susah dan miskin gara-gara Kunokini, Gue sukses memperkenalkan budaya Indonesia ke dunia ya bersama Kunokini”.

Suguhan apa saja yang akan kalian berikan untuk “Back To The Roots KunoKini 10 tahun nanti?

Bhismo : Jadi menu-nya nanti ada penampilan dari sanggar tari Bali Legong, mereka akan kolaborasi bersama Undercover Brother (Dance Group Hip-Hop dari Papua). Lalu screening film dokumenternya “Beautiful Energy”, abis itu Kunokini peformance kolaborasi bersama Ras Muhamad, Leonardo dan Mata Jiwa.

Ada pesan yang ingin kalian sampaikan untuk muda/mudi yang masih malu mengapresiasikan budaya Indonesia?

Bhismo : Kalau menurut gua, kita itu harus “Dableg” (dalam konotasi positif) dan cara berpikir yang ‘out of the box’ dari jalan yang udah ada. Serta jangan terlalu banyak pemikiran. Jika kalian yakin bisa lakuin, yaudah lakuin aja.

Bebi : Kalau gue, kalian nggak usah ngeliat terlalu jauh budaya luar negeri. Lihat saja sekeliling kalian. Itu yang mesti kalian jaga. Jangan udah diambil negara lain baru kalian teriak. Pas udah ada di tangan, kalian masa bodoin. Budaya itu berkembang. Dan pasti balik lagi ke akarnya.

Simak trailer dari film dokumenter Kunokini bersama Simple Project Indonesia

Pegulat-pegulat asal Bandung yang menamakan diri mereka Muchos Libre ini, baru saja mengeluarkan EP terbarunya bertajuk “Viva La Libre”. Mengusung unsur Surf-rock dalam tatanan musikalitas mereka, Dilla Bagongtempur (Vocal), Dally Korongmentah (Vocal), Adie Emo (Bass), Nos Cikiwiw (Guitar), Iky Kunjay (Guitar), dan Hilman Hakimimassa (Drum) siap menghantam kuping pendengar. Seperti yang dikutip dari data profil band ini “Di atas panggung band ini tidak terkontrol, liar, berenerji binatang, ending gulat, dan tidak hati-hati untuk menggenggam mic dengan baik. Pembicaraan yang seenaknya, terbutakan oleh senang-senang di atas panggung, ketidak skillan makmur, ketelanjangan dada, susu rayud dan kemolekan perut bersingkayo juga kesuburan garing bermain dengan suara clean adalah ciri khas Muchos Libre. Band ini mungkin tidak akan spesial jika di dengar saja, namun ketika live perform mereka akan memberikan kebinatangannya untuk kalian!”.

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 36-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Paula y Los Besos – Bailar
Paula y Los Besos is the new musical adventure of singer, songwriter and poet Paula Trama. The band just released eight songs in the form of two EPs that range from acoustic-punk upbeat tunes to tender folk ballads. Bailar is a cover of T. Rex’s Cosmic Dancer, with Spanish lyrics adapted by Paula herself. You can hear and download both EPs from their Bandcamp page.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Swimming – Triplebrie
Adelaide’s Swimming are sisters Katie and Angie Schilling and friend Sam Reynolds. Triplebrie is the first single from their new record Yes, Tonight. There are plenty of layered vocals and looped sounds on the album, but Swimming’s simple outlook on a capella really does its best in an acoustic setting. The trio also sell tea towels as merchandise, so we can’t really say anything bad about this band right now.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Fijuka – Behave (From Now On)
First a drum machine, then a Billie Jean-style bassline and finally synthscapes that embed the voice of Fijuka’s Ankathie singing one of the weirdest declarations of love we have ever heard. Fijuka stands for DIY pop with an art school touch. Watch the music video for some Rhönrad wheel action.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
FAROFF – Brazilian Star Wars
Can you imagine the Star Wars troopers having fun in a slum in Rio de Janeiro, listening to funk carioca in the summer and surrounded by girls? This is not a new track, but Brazilian Star Wars shows one of the best moments of DJ FAROFF, the name used by Leo Bursztyn, PHD in economics and former guitarist of Brazilian band Móveis Coloniais de Acaju.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
Program – Waiting
Program’s wall of sound is not insurmountable but it’s far from an easy climb. It will challenge you to find a familiar foothold (Is it shoegaze? Is it drone-rock? Is it disco or dance?) but ultimately leaves you breathless with its brilliant audacity. It is a mountain you’ll climb over and over again, never once following the same sonic route to its summit.

CHILE: Super 45
Lainus – Montañitas
Lainus is the solo project of Alfredo Ibarra who, after returning from New Zealand, has devoted himself to writing music and rediscovering his country. The Andes is the source of inspiration for his single Montañitas (“Little Mountains”), a catchy electronic pop breeze that links him telepathically to the new pop wave (Passion Pit, Phoenix), the Chilean psychedelic tradition and the now very trendy world music. It’s a taster of his next album, due for release in the second half of the year.

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Lina Patiño – Plena Luz
With roots in classical singing, Lina Patiño has been experimenting with jazz, ballads, R&B and classical music. Proof of this is the endless number of projects of different genres she has participated in. But now, in her solo guise, her range takes her a step further than usual. We invite you to listen to Plena Luz (“Full Light”), produced by Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers), in which Lina’s vocals are confused and intermingled between bambuco and dark experimental pop.

CUBA: suenacubano.com
Adrian Berazaín y Mauricio Figueiral – Por Una Camarera
This month we cover the association of two young artists: Adrián Berazaín and Mauricio Figueiral. Por Una Camarera (“For A Waitress”) is a song in which Cuban rhythms are fused with extraordinary results and will be included in the upcoming releases of both artists separately. Follow these two songwriters closely as they are sure to surprise us with their future output.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Lulu Rouge – Grey Heron Man
Five years on from their awesome debut Bless You, electronica legends Lulu Rouge (aka DJs and producers Buda and T.O.M.) released their second full-length, The Song Is In The Drum, at the end of April. If you’re into deep, dark and excellently melancholic dub this is one not to miss. Grey Heron Man, one of three instrumentals, is a MAP exclusive download.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
Nelson García – La Bomba
Veteran singer-songwriter Nelson García (formerly known as Nelson Poket) went solo and is now making music under his real name. La Bomba is a rock song with a classic attitude that ticks with new energy and prepares us for his new album release on June 15.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Guanaco – Crónico
After 15 years on the road, Guanaco, one of the most important independent music icons in Ecuador, presents his most ambitious and mature album, Raíz. The record has 16 versatile tracks that blend hip hop with a wide range of urban and Latin sounds. The lyrics of Crónico provide a deep reflection on the use of drugs.

ENGLAND: Drowned In Sound
Ghosting Season – Time Without Question (alternate version)
Ghosting Season are a techno-loving duo from northern England. Until recently, their music was a marriage of glacial post-rock and warm late-night electronica as Worriedaboutsatan. Under their new guise, Gavin Miller and Tom Ragsdale are already readying a second LP of brooding bloops that spiral into something you could call evil party music. This track was featured on our DiS community podcast.

ESTONIA: Rada7.ee
Kannabinõid – Karistus
Kannabinõid are a deafening stoner/doom band from Tallinn. Obviously there are plenty of (Nordic) metal/rock bands but these guys are particularly good. They just received some really good feedback from the international music industry delegates of showcase festival Tallinn Music Week.

FINLAND: Glue
Phenomenal Creature – Perfect Impression
Phenomenal Creature play (mostly) acoustic folk with an intense bluesy feeling, creating songs that are beautifully arranged and decorated with a myriad of little instruments and harmonies.
Perfect Impression is the opener of the band’s recently released debut album.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
FAUVE – Kané
FAUVE appeared from nowhere in the French music scene at the end of 2011, and after only a few months and four songs, offered for free, they became what many French critics called “the voice of our generation”. With beautifully crafted instrumentals, marvellous choirs and words that touch and speak to our feelings and soul directly – putting a finger on our many life problems and crises – they deserve to be known all over the world, even if only using spoken word in Molière’s language. Their first EP, Blizzard, is released on May 20.

GERMANY: Coltran
HELMUT – The Tribe
Voice, guitar, loops. More and more artists focus on these instruments to make versatile songs to dream, cry or dance to. HELMUT has the talent to build up a song layer by layer, motif by motif, and then slowly start to variate and deconstruct everything. The live experience of this guy is simply amazing.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
No Clear Mind – Morning Rain In June
No Clear Mind is an unconventional musical experiment that has been evolving constantly from 2004 till now, an open platform of expression, bringing together people who tint everyday inertia, cancelling its discreet yet lingering nature. Borrowing its name from the old neighbourhood of Athens where it was created, Mets, their second album, is a magnificent set awash with texture, atmosphere, strong autobiographical elements, past memories and emotions that provide a hypnotic, surreal soundscape suitable for both day and night dreaming.

INDIA: NH7
Big City Harmonics – Ennio
A former alt-rock band guitarist, Big City Harmonics is Rohan Hastak, a soul-infused, downtempo electronic music producer. Sampling a variety of instruments and vocals, Big City Harmonics offers a fresh take on electronica.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Muchos Libre – Romusa
On Muchos Libre’s press release they declare: “In surf we trash! In stage we wrestle! Give us one show, so we’ll give you the beast!” They’ve perhaps watched too much Mexican wrestling as the two vocalists often grapple on stage during their ferocious live shows.

IRELAND: Harmless Noise
Rachael Boyd – Aim Too High
From playing in side-project math rock and pop bands to her own contemporary, improvised solo efforts, the broad strokes of Rachael Boyd’s taste in music have gifted the Belfast multi-instrumentalist with a keen grasp of melody and timing. Aim Too High is the title track of a new EP, alternative neo-classical pop with enchanting, urgent piano and strings. Freely flowing with ambition, the slight underlying jitter is calmed by a reassuring vocal intercession. It feeds the need for pop sweetness yet still sounds like substantial brainfood.

ITALY: Polaroid
Wildmen – Zero Generation
Wildmen are a garage rock duo from Rome. Guitar, drums and a lot of raw energy. More than a lot. Their debut album is called Haters Gonna Hate and someone wrote that it sounds like a grungier version of Black Lips. Uhm, well, OK. What if we stop talking and just dance to these marvellous and mighty songs? You will have fun, trust me.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Metoronori – v_v
The boom in bedroom-based music makers in Japan over the past few years has produced a lot of great artists operating on a very DIY level. Tokyo-based Metoronori is one of the latest in this tradition. She makes discombobulated lo-fi pop where every element falls just into place. Her song v_v demonstrates this well – the sounds she makes seemingly out of step with one another, but the whole thing comes together to create an inviting track.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Bletchley Park – Calendars
Bletchley Park is an indie/alternative band who draw influences from post-punk and fuse them with dark rhythms and lyrics. In 2010, they released From Bletchley, With Love, a collection of their first works. Last year’s debut album, My Body Fighting, resulted in three nominations at the 2013 Malta Music Awards – Best Album, Best Song for Tight Red Dress and Best Band.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Apocalipsis – Jihad
It’s easy to behave in a nihilistic way when you are a Mexico City dweller. With no frills other than being raw as reality can get, Apocalipsis delivers a hybrid that borderlines on the ridge of post-rock, math-rock, hardcore and neocrust, without being too loyal to any of those. Grip zealously to the soundtrack of riots, burning flags and a society on the fringe of collapse… it’s not the Arab spring, nor the Mexican spring. Actually, it’s nothing but part of the Apocalypse.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha!
Spilt Milk – Funeral Blues
For an album which boasts death as its central theme, Spilt Milk’s Funeral Blues is not as morbid a listen as you may think. You may recognise the lyrics as a W.H. Auden poem, used in that harrowing funeral scene from Four Weddings And A Funeral that I’m still getting over. But thanks largely to Brenda Bosma’s beautiful vocals, the Amsterdam quintet does an impressive job of giving a soft yet jangly, folkish spin to what must be some of the saddest lyrics bouncing around.

PERU: SoTB
La Tornado Lost Band – Wake Up
La Tornado Lost Band is a folk/rock/country duo formed by Gabriel De La Piedra and Rodrigo Melgar. Their warm voices and nostalgic guitar sounds create an atmosphere of loneliness and calm. If you like Wilco, Bon Iver or The Replacements, you will love this duo. Wake Up is taken from their debut EP, Pastores On Strike, a collection of six beautiful songs available for free download from Bandcamp.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog
How How – Pinkery The Knight
No, this isn’t Animal Collective and we aren’t in 2004. How How is a four-piece from Warsaw who play experimental music. Or, as they describe it, “electroacoustic free pop”. Pinkery The Knight is taken from their latest EP, Knick-Knack.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Dear Telephone – That Violin Lesson Sucks
Dear Telephone, whose band name was inspired by a Peter Greenway movie, appeared on MAP in August 2011 with their song Providence, from their first EP. This month they released their debut album Taxi Ballad which continues their path through mildly electronic music ripe for reasoning and wonder, which will please fans of bands like The xx. Dear Telephone is releasing videos for each track on their album, such as this one for That Violin Lesson Sucks.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie
Ikol Santiago – Tampoco Tanto
Having spent his teenage years and part of his adult life living in the United States, Ikol Santiago returned to Puerto Rico in 2004 and quickly became part of the island’s underground hip hop scene. His commanding vocal style – cool yet stern, clear and precise – developed through numerous collaborations with many of the island’s greats. Ikol’s solo debut, Iguacas, named after the critically endangered Puerto Rican parrot, is a deeply personal journey through the MC’s experience growing up and trying to find his footing in life. Tampoco Tanto takes a look at our increasingly desperate society, turning anger and anxiety into something closer to wisdom – and perhaps a bit of hope.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Quantum Drive – Echoes (redone)
Quantum Drive, a project from Cluj, started with two guys who found that a shoegaze/indie/60s-revival approach to music fit them very well. Later on, other friends joined them in this journey. They draw their inspiration from bands such as Deerhunter, The Horrors and Tame Impala, and are definitely an act we’ll keep our ears on.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Prides – Out Of The Blue
Prides are probably the most talked-about new band in Scotland since CHVRCHES. In fact, one listen to the fiendishly addictive Out Of The Blue – a staggering piece of dynamic pop that proclaims the arrival of a hit-ready proposition – proves the two groups share common ground, with Prides’ debut single informed by current trends for 80s-leaning electro. It is also reminiscent of MGMT hit Kids, with its distorted, organy synth sound.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Beast – Smoke Swig Swear
New supergroup Beast consists of some of the most well-known members from various bands in South Africa. The band’s raw, organic sound has captivated audiences and their ‘no boundaries’ ethos is reflected in their honest rock ‘n’ roll that is best played at high volume.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
Gage – Your Night
Gage is a band featuring members from heavy rock MAP alumni Apollo 18 and The Quip. A complete contrast to the music of those two groups, however, this quintet has a much more acoustic orientation, playing on current trends in Korean music while still creating an original sound. Your Night is taken from Gage’s recent self-released and self-titled EP and is a new take on the sort of melodies Apollo 18′s Kim Daeinn would create under the alias Jelly Boy.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
The Free Licks – Hang On
The Free Licks are getting ready to share their Exit Plan EP, which is inspired by the best variations of rock music since the 70s. Although The Free Licks could be categorised as an alt-rock band, its members’ varied styles and influences make it much more than that.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You
Carousel Beach – Ayahuasca
Carousel Beach’s impressive self-titled debut runs the gambit of genres as folk bleeds into a 90s rock sensibility, which moves into piano ballads and then makes a turn with grandiose harmonies that bounce around tribal percussion lines. A satisfying listen for anyone and everyone.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Andreazulado – Alto
Andreazulado is one of the most prominent rock bands in the Venezuelan indie scene. The trio have toured Argentina, Spain, Colombia and the United States and now they are preparing for the release of their fourth album, Apolo, from which first single Alto is taken.

Sempat vakum terlalu lama dari Studiorama #3, hingga menandakan kembali dengan Studiorama Returnal yang diadakan di [at] Demajors pada Desember 2012. Kini event yang meleburkan antara audio dengan visual ini, memperbaharui konsepnya pada gelaran keempat bertempat di KOI Kemang Art Gallery, Jakarta.

Seperti dilansir dari press-rilis mereka, Studiorama kali ini cukup berbeda dari sebelumnya. Dibagi dua tahap yaitu, Studiorama Sessions yang merupakan kolaborasi antara para musisi dengan seniman visual ternama tanah air, lalu digubah ke proyek video yang bisa kalian lihat di www.studiorama.net . Dan tahap kedua adalah Studiorama Live #4, suatu proses merealisasikan dari tahap pertama secara langsung.

Tepat jam 9 malam, unit indie rock yang dulu bernaung di Brooklyn, New York, yaitu Jirapah membuka penampilan dengan “27” dalam gelap, dibubuhi kelap-kelip standing lamp. Aksi ini merupakan ide kolaboratif antara Jirapah dengan Heru Admadja. Performa Ken Jenie (Vokal/Gitar), Yudhis Tira (Gitar), Nico Gozali (Bass), Mar Galo (Keyboard), dan Januar Kristianto (Drum) cukup optimal menyuguhkan reverb dan delay yang menggeber tanpa henti ke telinga para crowd malam itu. Intro khas dari “Sol”-yang merupakan lagu terakhir-, membuat para panitia mendadak sorak kegirangan dalam balutan aransemen-aransemen musik mereka.

Dilanjut aksi memukau dari Space System berkolaborasi dengan J. Grim (visual), mengajak kita untuk larut dalam cerita musikal yang direpresentasikan lewat instrumen-instrumennya. Di perhelatan mereka sebelumnya, Space System lebih terdengar kental dengan nuansa Jazzy dengan permainan saxophone yang ciamik dari Gerinov Medaimanto. Tapi, entah mengapa di Studiorama kali ini, mereka menghadirkan unsur pop seperti di lagu “Suburban Bird” hasil pemikiran dari Ojon dan Aryo yang berani mengeksplor berbagai macam musik dan instrumen, hingga menjadi salah satu band yang tak memiliki imitasi di Indonesia.

Kracoon selaku musisi yang untuk kedua kalinya menjajal panggung Studiorama, menjadi penampil terakhir dengan konsep gila. Kenapa gila? Coba kalian bayangkan, layar proyektor raksasa menutupi stage, lalu dia (Kracoon) bermain dibelakangnya. Jadi selama beberapa menit kedepan, kita disuguhkan oleh visual kaya akan warna, beraroma Jepang, berbalut musik electronic-minimalist. Dan dari Studiorama keempat ini, dapat saya simpulkan menjadi tiga kata, berdansa (Jirapah), bercerita (Space System), dan surreal (Kracoon).

Personality yang keras, brutal dan cerdas dari suku Barbar, menjadi referensi untuk trio drone-doom metal asal Liverpool, Inggris ini. Berformasikan Jon Davis (Gitar/Vokal), Phil Coumbe (Bass/Vokal), dan Paul O’Neil (Drum) telah merampungkan dua album penuh (“Horseback Battle Hammer” dan “Monnos”) yang siap menderu hingga mengampak kencang ke telinga kalian dari pasukan perang bawah tanah. Simak interview saya bersama sang vokalis, Jon Paul Davis.

+ Barbaric tribe culture that known wild on its age became the strong element in Conan’s musicality. Why do you chose that concept?

- We chose Barbarian culture as this was the best way to give personality to our music. Barbarians are depicted as hard, brutal and intelligent which is how we want our music to be seen.

+ From Horseback Battle Hammer to Monnos you guys encounter a drastic change with reducing rough bass and increasing scream vocal intonation. What is something that you want to serve your listeners?

- We enjoyed recording both albums, and for Monnos we used slightly different equipment. We’re happy with how both albums came out.

+ Can you describe what is the meaning of “CAVEMAN BATTLE DOOM” as your recent genre?
- This means simple, heavy and loud.
 
+ Your single called “Beheaded” from split LP with Bongripper got a positive response from media. How do you respond to that short reviews? And this April you guys will hold a tour series with Bongripper and Humanfly too at big cities in England. Do you have a plan to hold Asia tour? Especially to Jakarta, Indonesia?

- The reviews were great, we’re really grateful. Currently we have no plans to tour in Indonesia.

+ Who would you pick , Liz Buckingham (Electric wizard) or Uta Plotkin (Witch Mountain) as your concubine to sail through journey like Conan the barbarian story? And why?

- I would choose neither, for I am already married and my Wife would not appreciate it.

All Photos : Courtesy Conan

www.facebook.com/conandoom

conan-conan.bandcamp.com/

www.hailconan.com/news/

Tons adalah trio sludge metal asal kota Turin, Italia, yang digawangi oleh Steuso (Gitar), Marco (Drum), dan Paolo (Vokal/Bass) yang juga mencampurkan unsur doom metal kedalam musikalitas mereka. Riff gitar merambat, aura mistis gunung Musine, dan kebulan asap ganja yang diciptakan atas kepenatan sistem pemerintahan negara Italia, dikemas kedalam materi-materi album Musinee doom session Vol 1 yang mereka rilis pada pertengahan tahun 2012. Berikut hasil wawancara saya dengan vokalis mereka, Paolo Papero.

+ Each of you has a band with a different background, could you tell us a bit how do you formed until consistent with sludge-doom metal, the one that you guys doing now?

- We born in Turin, and from early eighties ’till about 2005 Turin was one of the most significative pole for hard-core music; everyone of us grow up in an hardcore band (steuso played in Redrum, Marco played in No Info and I played in Lama Tematica. Now we are too old for playing hard-core music, we are fond for doom metal/sludge and we love weed…..so, why not?

+ Why it’s a piramyd, Turin city full of mystery, also the exotism Musine Mountain that you consider for aliens habitat and witches, become your inspiration on making your songs?

- Turin is a magical and exoteric city for a lot of reasons and Mount Musineè is one of the most mystical site in north Italy: in the past a lot of curious stories about witches, ghouls, demons and aliens circulated aboput that mount. So why speaking of the witch hunt in Salem or about some old sumerian god, when we have this material at our disposal?

+ During the tour gigs you guys with many bands like Fugitive, Days are Blood, Whirlings, and X-Mary. Which one the most memorable moment for each of member? And why?

- I think the most memorable moment of the tour with Fugitive was probably a gig in Treviso when alcohol flowed like a blood in a satanic ceremony and our drummer was possessed by the concern demon all night long. Another night we tryed to summon Yog-Sothoth, but, probably ’cause my strawberry flavoured shampoo, we were able to summon only Whinnie the Poo…..We ate him for breakfast the day after. What a moments……

+ How big the influence of your community like a sludge, doom, psychedelic, stoner rock for Italian music scene?

- There’s not a real italian psichedelic/doom/sludge scene, but there’s few really good and precious bands like Ufomammut, Lento, Grime, Ornaments, Fugitive, Black Rainbows and some I’m forgotting now, pushing for create an Italian scene.

+ If you can choose to make a collaboration project between Bongzilla or High On Fire, who the one you guys choose? and tell us the reason!

- It’s hard choosing, we love both a lot……but after a reflection, I think our pick fall on bongzilla, probably for same attitudes….

+ Do you guys will hold a tour to many countries soon? And when Musinee doom session vol 2 will be release?

- It will be marvellous, we have to organize a new tour with help of our label Heavy Psich Sounds in Europe, but it needs time. We don’t know yet when Musineè doom session vol II will be release, but I think next spring, but we have some surprises for this summer and this winter. Stay connected.

All photos by : www.facebook.com/TONSBAND

Tangerine Nightmare from TONS on Vimeo.

Dirty Beaches adalah sebuah band dengan 1 anggota saja: Alex Zhang Hungtai dari Kanada. Mempresentasikan musik yang mengaduk musik rock klasik era 60 dan 70an dalam balutan yang sangat sinematis dan produksi – yang secara sederhana dapat disebut “lo-fi”, tapi lebih cocok disebut…kembali lagi, sinematis – Dirty Beaches adalah band yang tidak hanya menawarkan pengalaman aural, namun juga visual. Diskografi band yang sangat produktif ini dapat dilihat di bandcamp mereka; namun sebelum kalian berlari ke situs tersebut, nikmati dulu bincangan kita dengan Alex yang sebentar lagi akan merilis album barunya, sebuah double album dengan judul “Drifters” dan “Love is the Devil”

You’ve posted Love Is The Devil from your forthcoming record on Youtube much to the surprise of many of your fans and, it seems, label. Why did you feel the urgency to share the track that early?

I think people should always try to be free because a lot of times we are not in this society. Whether its from culture, work or family it binds in ways that debilitate us. It was partially also an announcement to Dirty Beaches fans to try and reach out to them and urge them to follow me, to a different deeper, darker, more real place artistically. You can’t make everyone happy.

The track also has a heavily orchestral touch and maybe, more-direct cinematic feel than your previous songs. What kinds of emotional changes and experiences prompted this sonic shift? What do you think the track says about the current “you”?

I’ve always been interested in ambient, orchestral, film music. So it was natural to explore more and share more of that side and use it and learn it and evolve and make it part of my palette.

What was the initial idea behind your new record? Did you plan for it to be a double LP when you began recording the songs? Were there any particular double LPs from other bands that specifically inspired you? Why did you feel it was important to infuse the record with these particular songs?

It was a practical decision to save money from the label as we were worried that it will compete with each other. My original plan was to release both separately at the same tie, but in reality it’s not very realistic so we put them together, after all they were written the same time so it’s 2 side of the same coin. One of the surface, and one of the inner world.

How different should Dirty Beaches fans approach the record? Aesthetically, how different an experience do you think the record will provide?

Aesthetics are disposable. Like fashion or clothes. The core of my music will never change and listeners that are close to me and know me will know that. Deep inside I will always be a child of the pacific.

How different will each section of the record (Drifters and Love is the Devil) be? – Both emotionally and musically?

You’ll have to listen to it

Since this is an Indonesian publication – Do you have any words for Asian musicians trying to get their songs heard beyond their country? Do you feel it’s important to do so?

No time is wasted time my brothers. Keep accumulating those life experiences, it’s what makes you unique. Upload your songs to the Internet and keep writing don’t ever stop. There’s someone out there in the world that understands you. I’m living proof of that. Don’t give up. There’s a place for everyone in this world. Where we belong. That hard part is finding it.

Text: Marcel Thee

20/03/13 Tak usah heran jika melihat pengunjung yang sengaja (atau yang merencanakan jauh-jauh hari) untuk menyaksikan penampilan dari Bloc Party, banyak yang terlihat kuyup karena hujan memang telah mengguyur di seluruh Jakarta sejak sore hari kemarin. Saya pun lari terburu-buru di pelataran Tennis Indoor, Senayan, karena telat (akibat macet dan hujan) untuk melihat penampilan The Adams yang ditunjuk sebagai band pembuka. Mungkin sudah lebih dari 3 lagu yang dimainkan sebelum saya tiba. Antusias saya memang telah lama terbendung sejak band Power Pop ibukota ini mengabarkan akan kembali menjajal panggung hiburan setelah hampir setahun vakum. Mereka juga berjanji akan memainkan lagu-lagu yang jarang dibawakan lewat akun twitter resminya pada malam ini.

Memasuki venue Tennis Indoor, saya langsung disambut dengan “Pijakkan” lalu digeber langsung dengan lagu romantik setaraf “Hanya Kau”. Celoteh khas a la Saleh Husein (Vokal/Gitar) juga sukses mengajak para penonton melakukan koor massal saat “Berwisata” dikumandangkan. Diantara mereka semua, mata saya tertuju kepada Ario Hendrawan (vokal/gitar) yang terlihat menua dengan rambut uban yang hampir mendominasi di kepalanya. “Konservatif” dilayangkan tepat jam sembilan malam, entah sengaja atau tidak, jam yang dibawakan sesuai dengan liriknya “Siang, lambat laun telah menjadi malam//dan ini sudah gelas ketiga//jam sembilan malam aku pulang”. Tapi, mereka tetap lanjut dengan “Halo Beni” sebuah lagu yang dedikasikan untuk mantan personilnya, Beni Adhiantoro, sekaligus performa terakhir dari the Adams.

Sinkronisasi permainan lampu tembak dengan backsound seperti film-film science-fiction, menghantarkan satu persatu personil Bloc Party keluar sambil melambaikan tangan kepada para audiens. Bertuliskan “Support Your Local Artist” di kaosnya, Kele Okereke menyapa penonton dengan penuh senyum khas. Ngebut dari “So He Begin To Lie” menuju track kedua “Trojan Horse”, Matt Tong yang hanya menggunakan celana jeans pendek itu menggebuk drum penuh enerjik yang membuat meriah seluruh Tennis Indoor. “Positive Tension” yang merupakan track nomor ketiga dari Silent Alarm juga dibawakan seusai “Hunting for Witches”. Terlihat kesengajaan dari pengaturan setlist yang diramu sebaik mungkin, mencampurkan lagu-lagu yang terdapat dalam album Silent Alarm hingga Four supaya tidak kelihatan berat sebelah. Riuh ramai terdengar saat intro lagu jawara seperti “Banquet” dibawakan di tengah-tengah pertunjukan berlangsung hingga “Coliseum”. Saat mengumandangkan “Day Four”, tata lampu nan spektakuler memantul ke wajah tanpa ampun. Sehabis itu Kele mengajak para crowd bersahutan menyanyikan “Give me one more chance” pada single yang telah banyak di remix banyak DJ internasional bertajuk “One More Chance”. “We’re Not Good People” (yang merupakan lagu favorit saya pada album Four) menjadi lagu terakhir pada babak pertama.

“Hallo, round two begin”, Kele pun menyapa dan siap melanjutkan pertunjukan di putaran kedua ini. Dimulai dengan alunan melodi “Kreuzberg” hingga memasuki bait, siap meneteskan air mata selama 5 menit kedepan. “Ares” dipilih menjadi perwakilan dari album Intimacy, riff yang kompleks dari Russell Lissack (Lead Guitar) yang dipadu padankan bersama Matt Tong (Drum). Mereka berdua memang harus diberi ancungan jempol atas kinerjanya yang lebih menonjol dibandingkan Gordon Moakes (Bass) yang terlihat kaku dan kikuk selama konser berlangsung. Mereka juga mengcover reff “We Found Love” dari Rihanna, sebagai pembuka lagu “Flux” dan menandakan juga babak kedua telah usai. Solo drum lagu “Sunday” mengawali ronde ketiga kali ini. Memang terlihat aneh, ketika band 2000-an memiliki stamina 70an. Setelah “Like Eating Glass”, keluarlah dua buah balon kubus raksasa, diiringi “Helicopter” sebagai lagu terkahir. Penghormatan terakhir pun dilakukan, menandakan mereka telah usai dan sukses melaksanakan tugas malam ini, serta menepis semua isu-isu tak sedap rencana Kele Okereke untuk hengkang dari Bloc Party.

Photo’s by: Robby Wahyudi Onggo

Untuk Music Alliance Pact di bulan Maret, kita memilih Good Boy Badminton sebagai perwakilan dari Indonesia dengan single terbarunya “Time Off”. Band yang mengusung emo/indie rock ini, memang telah melalang buana di setiap perhalatan gigs lokal. Dan terdengar isu bahwa Mutt (Vokal/Gitar), Nanu (Vokal/Gitar), Aji (Drum), dan Firman (Synth) berencana akan menggelar tur Asia.

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 40-track compilation through Ge.tt here.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Carmel – Tu Momento
A musical project led by Alan Soifer and Pablo Antonietti aka Panto, young folks in their own right (they both just blew out 21 candles). El Buen Retiro (on Estamos Felices, one of our favorite independent labels) is Carmel’s first album, in which they manage to combine experimentation with electronica and melodies. Tu Momento is the first single from the record, available on iTunes.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Jesse Davidson – Winter
Jesse Davidson is a 16-year-old songwriter from Adelaide. The track we’ve chosen may be called Winter, but we think it sounds more like Grizzly Bear recording a leisurely acoustic session somewhere off the Caribbean coast. Alongside muted drums and blissful guitar embellishments that resurface every so often, there’s something really pure about Jesse’s music. He manages to capture the beauty of isolation in a way that never seems forced. Honest, effortless indie-folk.

AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Kidcat Lo-Fi – Life Sucks
A singer-songwriter with a feminist tendency, Kidcat Lo-Fi’s songs range from love to hate and from protest to irony. Her self-titled debut album, out in April, is consciously kept raw and will feature songs called I Will Not Marry Or Reproduce and I Want To Be A Cat. Don’t we all?

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Karina Zeviani – Update
Everyone should learn Portuguese to get the true feeling of Update, a ballad about the end of a relationship. Karina Zeviani, the former singer of Nouvelle Vague and Thievery Corporation, released her first solo album last year.

CANADA: Quick Before It Melts
Eagle Lake Owls – Little Brittle Bones
You can hear the world thawing from winter’s cold grip on Little Brittle Bones, from Winnipeg, Manitoba’s Eagle Lake Owls. The slow and steady vibration of spring echoes through the song’s opening moments, before it shakes the last shards of ice off and swells into life. Songs like this are what keep you going through the isolation of a prairie winter.

CHILE: Super 45
WatchOut! – Guayabita
Although in the beginning WatchOut! stood out with a sound strongly influenced by Los Saicos’ primitive punk and North American psychedelic garage, they’ve now turned to Latin America. In Guayabita, the first preview of their forthcoming album Tribu, to be released by local label BYM Records, the spirit of tropicalia, fusion music and Chilean psychedelia come alive to shape the new sound of WatchOut!

COLOMBIA: El Parlante Amarillo
Dorado – Out Of Her Depth
David Triana aka Dorado is an electronic music producer and DJ from Bogota. His style is a coalescence of UK bass, techno and house music, although in his early life he was greatly influenced by hardcore punk. Triana is currently working with Downpitch Recordings, a new label from his home city. Out Of Her Depth is taken from Tribute EP, his first release.

CUBA: suenacubano.com
Karamba – Vivir La Vida
We are happy to begin our participation in MAP with a different approach to what is generally known of Cuban music. Vivir La Vida is an ode to self-esteem. It’s a song that invites reflection on our path to being and behaving in these troubled times. With his own particular stamp, Karamba uses cumbia, hip hop and rock ‘n’ roll, combining the freshness of his lyrics and refrains to recreate the impeccable taste that permeates Cuban music.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Bite The Bullet – I Feel Love
The first five songs by Bite The Bullet are released in Germany this month, one being this MAP exclusive download. Comprising one half of one of my favorite Danish bands, the sadly defunct Highway Child, BTB rock in the same retro vein as HC (the abbreviations end here) and still seem a live force to reckoned with as this video shows. A full vinyl release is coming up this fall and I for one can’t wait.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: La Casetera
Ocean Lips – Submarine
Ocean Lips take inspiration from Brit-rock, modern art and, of course, the ocean. Their first single Submarine evokes breezy feelings with the wavy sound of their guitars, taking us for a ride to the bottom of the sea.

ECUADOR: Plan Arteria
Munn – En La Obscuridad
Munn is one of the country’s best new bands. Their first EP Espirales mixes an electronic rhythm section with different types of samples, analog and digital synthesizers, acoustic instruments, bass, electric guitar and layers of voices, generating atmospheres of trip hop and downtempo. En La Obscuridad is Munn’s second single and its video was directed by Lucia Romero.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
YYZ – Into The Night
Into The Night is a sublime blast of ravey pop from the synth prodder, DJ-cum-FX-whiz and perky chanteuse known as YYZ. Formerly members of Ting Tings surrogates Ghostcat, and with a CV that includes remixing a single by Nicola Roberts of Girls Aloud, YYZ are now purveying an even more commercial brand of mainstream nu disco and fizzily addictive technopop aimed at the shopping mall massive, not the Hoxton passive.

ESTONIA: Rada7.ee
Highmachine – Sobergeist
Highmachine have been playing honest, fun rock music since 2008. Formed from alumni of several Estonian rock and metal bands, they have returned to the bluesy riff rock that drove all of them to music in the first place. Highmachine are performing at the Tallinn Music Week festival in April, at a Rada7.ee showcase. By the way, the video for Sobergeist did pretty well on Estonia’s video chart.

FINLAND: Glue
Streak And The Raven – Speed Of Light
Electropop group Streak And The Raven create an intense atmosphere with minimalistic synth-driven sounds, drawing comparisons to Chromatics and hedonistic early-80s bands. Speed Of Light is included in their recently released debut Love & War, an album that makes a nighttime journey in the spirit of past war and lost love.

FRANCE: Yet You’re Fired
Mermonte – Monte
Mermonte was formed in Rennes in 2010. This group of 10 wonderful musicians all have a past in various bands, combining different elements such as jazz, math-rock, pop and post-rock. Band leader Ghislain Fracapane recorded the album Mermonte in 2011, before releasing it in May 2012. Monte is a catchy pop song with glockenspiel and soft French vocals that you will love immediately and put on repeat for weeks.

GERMANY: Coltran
Tellavision – Holidays On Earthquakes
There are a lot of stunningly good solo artists in Germany who base their music on looping, DIY and edged rhythms. Tellavision, who just recorded a split-vinyl called Cake with Touchy Mob, stands out from the crowd. Fee Kürten, the woman behind Tellavision, has a knack for drifting melodies and haunting singing. Holidays On Earthquakes perfectly captures these features.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Melentini – Gone Are The Days
After creating a series of music pieces, appearing in theatrical plays and collaborating with prominent artists, Melentini has finally completed Explosions Around, The Desert Inside, an enrapturing debut album. It is racked with mostly bare arrangements and a stark, heartfelt vocal delivery that provides the stunning balm to bind this unsettling beauty together. Stricken with fragility, it combines affecting poetic lyrics and piercing sorrow with something ethereal that drags you into an achingly alluring world. It’s a record you’ll return to again and again.

INDIA: NH7
The Lightyears Explode – Garam Dharam
The Lightyears Explode are a three-piece punk/garage rock band from Mumbai and a good example of the current crop of independent music coming out of India. Garam Dharam is from the band’s debut release and the first word that comes to mind after listening to this song is ‘heavy’. If you dig this tune, stay tuned for their debut album which is due out in the next few months.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Good Boy Badminton – Time Off
Good Boy Badminton are an emo/indie-rock band that routinely rocks their home city and casually tours around the country. They have a good number of followers everywhere. Time Off has been well received by emo fans around the world, with the song remaining on the PureVolume chart for weeks. They are currently planning for an Asian tour.

IRELAND: Harmless Noise
Replete – Easy Love
Lesser-known amongst the glut of electronic producers who are proving so popular in Ireland lately, Replete is Cork’s Peter Lawlor. Easy Love, his latest track which premiered on Earmilk, is not quite house music but comes close. An indiscernible vocal leads over a brooding beat but this slight disorientation is allayed with the sweetest of synths. Not hard to love at all.

ITALY: Polaroid
ThreeLakes – The Accordion Player
Luca Righi is a young and talented songwriter from Mantua, in the north of Italy, but when you listen to his music you’d think he comes from the heart of the United States. His songs clearly have deep roots in Americana and folk, but then you hear his voice and it’s so torn he is probably singing with tears in his eyes. And what you hear is amazing.

JAPAN: Make Believe Melodies
Buddy Girl And Mechanic – Fenix
Fenix is in no rush to get to any particular destination, but rather sounds intent on unnerving listeners during its almost four-minute running time. The track comes courtesy of Tokyo outfit Buddy Girl And Mechanic, who specialize in making seductive Krautrock-tinged songs hiding stranger details. On Fenix, check the way the vocals skip jump all over the place, and how those rinky-dink synths sound. Close listening encouraged.

MALTA: Stagedive Malta
Capitol K – Yo Tarzan Tu Jane
Kristian Craig Robinson, as Capitol K, has traversed a spectrum of electronic aesthetics throughout 13 years and five albums with releases on Planet Mu, XL and Faith And Industry. A legend of contemporary electronica in the purest sense, Capitol K’s genre mashing, globetrotting musical explorations have seen him receive a steady stream of critical praise. Yo Tarzan Tu Jane is taken from his latest album Andean Dub, inspired by a South American road trip.

MEXICO: Red Bull Panamérika
Yellow Yesterday – León
The name Yellow Yesterday might refer potential listeners to a nostalgic band that recreates Beatlesque anthems for lazy afternoons. And that was indeed the sound of this Mexico City group, led by the charming Andrés Ibarra (aka Chelito), on their early singles and EPs. For their proper debut, though, Yellow Yesterday seem to have ignited their retro-boosters to deliver this spacey-krauty epic that roars in slow motion like a lazy lion.

NETHERLANDS: Subbacultcha!
Lemontrip – Wander
With Wander, Tilburg-based producer Lemontrip allows the listener to catch a glimpse of his submerged world. Being sparse with the distribution of melodic and rhythmic information, he makes sure to leave a lot to the imagination of his audience. In this sense, Wander seems to be the embodiment of the overarching theme of exploration, embedded in his debut album Nowhere. Released in November 2012 through his own Fog Mountain Records label, Nowhere consists of six stunning tracks, each displaying Lemontrip’s craftsmanship for making slow-paced, melancholic electronic music. Now it’s time for the rest of the world to catch on.

PERU: SoTB
La IrA De Dios – Yo Solo
La IrA De Dios was formed in 2001, but it was in 2005 that they began to draw international attention after being signed to German label Nasoni Records, who reissued the band’s first album, leading to their first European tour. Last year they released their fifth album, Peru No Existe, a great example of psychedelia and powerful rock.

POLAND: Łukasz Kuśmierz Weblog
Sorry Boys – The Sun
You could say that where Bon Iver’s last album ends, the new song from Sorry Boys starts, though The Sun in its entirety is something different than Beth/Rest. Their avant-pop single is popular from the spring schedule advertisement of one of the biggest TV stations in Poland. Is it Kate Bush behind the microphone?

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Kubik – Basso Profondo
Kubik’s new EP, Music For Trevor Reznik, was inspired by the character interpreted by Christian Bale in the 2004 movie The Machinist. Kubik mingles contemporary with traditional, and Basso Profondo is a perfect example of that as electronic sounds combine with the didgeridoo and basso profondo singing, best known in traditional Russian orthodox music.

PUERTO RICO: Puerto Rico Indie
Orquesta El Macabeo – Lluvia Con Sol
Time to hit the dance floor! The self-proclaimed rockeros con guille de salseros (“rockers posing as a salsa band”) of Orquesta El Macabeo have just released the first single from their upcoming third album. Lluvia Con Sol showcases the mean and dirty brass section and populist lyrics that have become staples of the band’s sound. If you still haven’t heard of these guys – local punk and hardcore players now spearheading Puerto Rico’s ‘old school’ salsa revival – now’s a great time to start.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
The Noise – Ringo Starr
The Noise is an indie-rock band formed in the summer of 2011 in Sibiu. The four-piece has shared a stage with some of Romania’s better-known alternative bands and is scheduled to do quite a bit more of that in the coming year. The group’s sound is the result of a diverse set of influences ranging from 60s beat music to modern-day noisemakers. New single Ringo Starr is meant to serve as a taster of things to come.

RUSSIA: Big Echo
OL – Tak Budet Vsegda
As a part of the first compilation by the newly-created Beryoza community, OL transforms a Soviet musical hit by Alla Pugacheva, stretching a catchy refrain into a club anthem.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Vigo Thieves – Heartbeats
Vigo Thieves are the quintessential festival band. Think anthems. Massive, swaggering raise-the-roof anthems. Heartbeats is the pick of the bunch and was the official song adopted by T in the Park for their website last year. The group have a couple of EPs under their belt, although curiously they remain unsigned. For a band with this much commercial appeal, you’d imagine that won’t be the case for very much longer.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Obedient Wives Club – Murder Kill Baby
Oh the glorious fuzz! Obedient Wives Club take their self-styled Spectorgaze (remember this kids!) to all new heights with the release of their Murder Kill Baby EP. What awaits is the throwback-to-saccharine 60s girl-band inspired pop paired with an almost manic dose of fuzzed out backwash that only the evilest of musical geniuses would dare tread upon. Don’t let any of their gentle imagery fool you – this music is a hard citrussy candy shell wrapping the warm centre of acid bombs. Stay lucid, or don’t.

SOUTH KOREA: Korean Indie
Modsdive – North
Psychedelic post-rock band Modsdive gathers some of the best indie musicians in Korea, crafting amazing instrumental tunes on the foundation laid by MAP alumni Auhm. Formed a year ago, the band is scheduled to release their first full-length album this month. As a taste of what’s to come, here is the dynamic and captivating North.

SPAIN: Musikorner
Pol Wagner – Grieving
Pol Wagner is a songwriter from Girona and currently living the nights of Barcelona. He says he’s in love with American folk and booze, and you can tell by his dark but tender songs, written in his room and clearly influenced by Conor Oberst, Elliott Smith and Tom Waits.

SWEDEN: Ja Ja Ja
Nord & Syd – Inte Idag
Sweden’s latest supergroup, Nord & Syd – which consists of members from Vapnet, Laakso, Holy Madre, Ironville and Penny Century – released their debut full-length Som En Människa on March 13 via Hybris. The album is said to revolve around death, love and alienation – in other words your typical melodic, solidly produced and, of course, completely outstanding Swedish indie-pop.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
My Name Is George – Crazy Star
My Name Is George, from Winterthur, have released their fifth studio record in which they again celebrate the pompous and melodic side of rock ‘n’ roll. Welcome in the neon-coloured world of My Name Is George. It’s disco pop as disco pop can be.

TURKEY: WEARTBEAT
Sapan – It’s Alright
Sapan, one of Turkey’s most promising bands, has been around for three years. With their second EP Tundra they began writing songs in English, which should improve their future prospects. Opening track It’s Alright is a very hopeful and soothing indie-rock tune.

UNITED STATES: We Listen For You
Miracles Of Modern Science – Dear Pressure
This five-piece from New York takes classical instruments and pushes them to new levels by crafting half pop/half indie sounding tunes. Featuring a violin, mandolin, cello, drums and stand-up bass, Miracles Of Modern Science sound familiar, but at the same time highlight talents becoming rarer and rarer to find in modern music.

VENEZUELA: Música y Más
Satelite – Poco A Poco
Satelite is a pop/rock band that formed in Puerto Ordaz in 1997. They were first played on radio stations with home recordings and managed to share the stage with renowned bands such as Los Amigos Invisibles, Los Pericos and Desorden Público. They define their music as rock made using traditional instruments with electronic sounds and ambience inspired by outer space.

16/03/13 Grimes sukses menggelar konser perdananya di bawah naungan promotor Soundshine Event yang bertempat Pizza E’birra, Gandaria City pada malam minggu kemarin. Penampilan dibuka oleh Midnight Runners, C.U.T.S, dan Amidang. Salah satu scenester ibukota yaitu David Tarigan serta MC kondang di ranah indie-lokal, Rizky Aulia (Ucup) yang ditugaskan mengarahkan alur konser ini.

Duo electronic group, Midnight Runners, menyuguhkan disco/boogie/hip-hop era 70‘an sebagai penampil pertama. Digawangi oleh Yordan Admiral dan Munir Harry Septiandry yang berdomisili di Bandung. Cukup membuat audiens setempat menggoyang-goyangkan kecil pundaknya dengan musik groovy yang dimainkan tanpa jeda.

Dilanjut oleh Caustics.Ultraist.Totally.Slice (C.U.T.S) yang menggebrak keras dengan amunisi “Isabella”, “Lady Boy”, “Histeriax”, “Teriak Gila”, dan lagu terbarunya “Lush”. Ykha Amelz dan Itta.S.Muttia menunjukan performa yang cukup optimal. Harus di akui juga, stage-act berupa lompatan 1,5 meter dari sang gitaris, sejenak membuat saya terperangah. Terlihat dari balik tirai backstage, Claire Boucher (Grimes) juga ikut menikmati ketotalitasan mereka. Hingga paska konser, memberi apresiasi kepuasan lewat akun twitternya bertuliskan:

“Thanks to C.U.T.S. one of the best openers I’ve ever had – in Indonesia last night. Amazing Set”

Meneruskan tugas dari kedua band pembuka tadi, Amarita “Ami” Kaur Dang (Ami Dang), penyanyi sekaligus komposer asal New Delhi, India ini, mencampurkan nuansa noise/ambient electronic dengan experimental dancepop kedalam instrumen-instrumen musiknya. Memang tidak cukup menarik antusias penonton pada malam itu. Entah karena dia kurang terkenal atau musiknya tak bisa dicerna oleh kuping orang biasa, tapi alunan instrumen psikedelik yang dihasilkan dari sebuah sitar, dapat merelaksasikan pikiran.

Claire Boucher dibantu oleh Ami Dang keluar tepat jam 9 malam, berbalut asap tebal lalu melempar dua kaos kepada para fans-nya. Menghentak lewat beberapa lagu seperti “Circumambient”, “Eight”, “Be A Body” menghasilkan sound dark wave/synth pop yang terdapat dalam album ketiganya bertajuk Visions. Terlihat di dua sisi panggung, sepasang penari berkostumkan warna nyentrik sekaligus menganggu mata, menggantikan posisi Molly Soda (penari setia Grimes jika diatas stage). Sebelum “Oblivion”, penonton sempat menyanyikan koor lagu “Happy Birthday” untuk Claire yang berulang tahun ke-24. Memang bukan hari itu ia berulang tahun, melainkan keesokan harinya. Namun sayang, tak direspon nyanyian tersebut oleh perempuan berkebangsaan Kanada itu. Setelah “Genesis”, Grimes lebih memilih encore lagu hasil kolaborasi bersama Blood Diamonds berjudul “Phone Sex” hingga usai.

Photos by: Agung Hartamurti

FOS atau Free On Saturday adalah proyek terbaru dari Ariyo Wahab yang tengah tahun kemarin memenangkan kontes Hard Rock Calling dan sukses tampil di Hyde Park difestival bergengsi atas undangan Steve Van Zandt (Bruce Springsteen).
FOS adalah Ariyo Wahab (Vocal), Coki (Guitar) , Bey (Keyboards), Rival (Bass), Liliek (Guitar) and Robby (Drums), musik mereka adalah rock yang banyak mengingatkan pada the Black Crowes dan Lenny Kravitz. Keberhasilan mereka memikat Steve Van Zandt kemarin, membuat mereka menaikkan target musikalitas mereka untuk juga mengincar pasar musik internasional. Dan dengar-dengar mereka sedang siap-siap ke Amerika Serikat untuk sebuah urusan.

Semoga sukses.