Indonesia, Internet drive Guru Kanguru<\/p>\n
By Izabel Deuff<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): I see a blue procession\/ as sky stoops in
\nclouds\/name of God rips up my breast screen\/ till wind loses
\nlanguage\/and I know what is bound\/ between the throne and blood\/
\ntyrant history pounds.<\/p>\n
This is the first verse of Trisakti Tragedy, a song inspired
\nby the shooting of four Trisakti University students in May. It
\nis the seventh track of Indonesia, the debut album from the Guru
\nKanguru band.<\/p>\n
A collaboration of Australian musicians and Indonesian poets,
\nthe album is the brainchild of Guru Kanguru's leader Geoff Fox.<\/p>\n
His new creation of this 13-track album, launched recently on
\nthe Internet, is a "Cyberalbum", which is also the name of the
\nfirst track.<\/p>\n
"Internet distribution is the future of music distribution...
\nWe publish it quickly and the technology makes us more
\nindependent," he said during his visit here last month after
\nlaunching the album.<\/p>\n
Fox, who studied Latin and philosophy in Melbourne, has
\nvisited Indonesia many times and is fond of Indonesian poetry. In
\n1995, he recited what he termed "free translations" in English of
\nseveral Indonesian poets' works at the Mechanics Institute in
\nMelbourne.<\/p>\n
"I was very proud to be able to get people's attention about
\nIndonesian poetry. It gave people a better understanding of
\nIndonesia," Fox, 41, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
For his Cyberalbum, he was joined by Nick Tsiavos on bass and
\nPeter Neville, a friend of 20 years' standing who plays
\npercussion.<\/p>\n
Three women also participated in the achievement of the album:
\nAtlanta Frith (vocals and guitar), and two Indonesian poets who
\nsent their lyrics by e-mail, Abidah El Khalieqy of Yogyakarta and
\nYuyun Atmadja of Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Recording was done by Dave Sander for one year during two
\nsessions at Baker St. Studios in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
"Atlanta was singing in a hotel when I saw her four years ago.
\nI met her again two months ago," Fox recollected. "We wrote some
\nsongs very quickly and six weeks later, the album was recorded."<\/p>\n
Atlanta has a powerful voice which contributes to the
\nmelancholia of the songs and in Tragedi Trisakti sounds like the
\nIcelandic singer Bjork's breathy delivery.<\/p>\n
Fox met Yuyun at a poetry recital in October 1996 at the Taman
\nIsmail Marzuki arts center in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Yuyun, a school teacher, wrote People's prayer during the
\nriots.<\/p>\n
She beseeches people to show their love and peaceful conduct
\nafter she saw cars burning, destroyed shops and smoke in the
\nstreets:<\/p>\n
Return us\/to the truth that\/we've always known\/stretching out
\nhope\/and hugging\/and loving\/all our own.<\/p>\n
Abidah El Khalieqy is a poet and writer of short stories whom
\nFox met in Yogyakarta in November last year. The main theme in
\nher works is women's suffering under a patriarchal system. She
\ncollaborated on four songs: Woman Song 2, Tragedi Trisakti, Candu
\nKekasihku I and II (My Lover's Intoxication).<\/p>\n
In a few songs, Guru Kanguru plays traditional Indonesian
\ninstruments, including gongs in In my Bali and gamelan in Brown
\nMy Leg.<\/p>\n
Fox acknowledges the influence on his work by Indonesian
\nartists such as Franky Sahilatua, a singer from Maluku, and Emha
\nAinun Nadjib, the leader of the band Kyai Kanjeng.<\/p>\n
He also names Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney as
\ninfluences. He is used to gathering several cultures, he said, as
\nhe did in the first song by mixing American poet Walt Whitman's
\nwords with Islamic greeting.<\/p>\n
But most songs are dominated by bass rhythms and vibraphone
\nmoanings. Fox's voice reading the lyrics contributes to the jerky
\nsounds which occasionally end in a cacophony like in In my Bali.<\/p>\n
The first part of the album is supposed to stress the negative
\nview Western media has shown of Indonesia in recent years. The
\nthird song, H.A.M (the Indonesian acronym for human rights)
\nsounds like a demonstration slogan and refers to the lack of
\nhuman rights in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The other opening tracks deal with the violent events of May.
\nWoman songs 2 evokes the unusual fierceness of Indonesian people
\n"going wild":<\/p>\n
I'm the witness to the highest judge\/the full moon has been
\nstabbed\/ the sharp steel clutched\/ by an animalized man<\/p>\n
In Belantara, Fox denounces the overcoverage of the rioting by
\nthe Western media.<\/p>\n
But he said he had no particular message for Indonesians in
\nmaking the album.<\/p>\n
"I would like to express friendliness towards Indonesia and
\nmake Australians know more of the good side of Indonesia."<\/p>\n
Fox also addresses environmental problems in Undemarcated,
\npointing out the latest fires burning in Kalimantan and Sumatra
\nhave no borders.<\/p>\n
Guru Kanguru's second album, planned for next summer, should
\nstill focus on Indonesia and the lessons this country teaches
\nGeoff Fox. More information can be found at www.cmm.com.au (Chaos
\nMusic Market) -- the cost is US$2 to download each of the tracks.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesia-internet-drive-guru-kanguru-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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