New Roots at Cafe Batavia<\/p>\n
By David Zweifler<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): When it comes to reggae, I've been spoiled.
\nInstead of studying, fortunately or unfortunately, I spent most
\nof my University career in small, smoke-filled reggae bars on the
\nnorth side of Chicago. And while Chicago doesn't have the same
\nreputation for reggae that it does for the blues, I did get the
\nchance to see Jimmy Cliff, Inner Circle and others before they
\nbecame foreign MTV's pick of the month.<\/p>\n
That is to say, when I arrived at Cafe Batavia last Tuesday to
\ncheck out the new reggae group New Roots, I was expecting not to
\nlike them. My prejudice is based on the fact that, up to now,
\nthere were usually two kinds of \"reggae\" acts to hit Jakarta: The
\nfirst was any group made up of non-white musicians that could do
\na UB40 cover. The second was UB40.<\/p>\n
To my surprise, instead of black guys imitating white guys
\nimitating black guys, New Roots played some grooves that were
\nsolid in both a local and an absolute sense. They also seemed to
\nhave a strong Afro-pop influence -- probably taken with them from
\nSurinam which is the original home of many in the band. This
\nSouth American, Caribbean beat is a excellent compliment to their
\nreggae and gives them a unique sound.<\/p>\n
New Roots is an eight-piece band with the standard bass and
\nlead guitar, drums and vocalist, plus a synthesizer and steel
\ndrum setup. Their music is somewhat of a departure from the bare
\nbones, heavy groove of English or American club reggae, with a
\ndefter touch on the lead instruments and a less dominant rhythm
\nsection.<\/p>\n
Some purist snobs have said that this quality was a mark of
\ninsincerity in their music, and that New Roots are another fake,
\neasy listening import. However, authenticity isn't a function of
\nunintelligible lyrics, usually a result of a hard day of pot-
\nsmoking, or a small band, which is because less people mean a
\nbigger cut of the profits.<\/p>\n
Doubtless, the band is somewhat constrained by the fact that
\npeople in Jakarta have only had limited exposure to reggae. I had
\nthe feeling that they might have been holding back on a few of
\ntheir songs to keep things lighter for new listeners. However,
\ntheir quality showed through for me, especially when their
\nversion of \"Buffalo Soldier\" got a table full of apathetic ex-
\npats off their stools and dancing. I even saw a couple of Chinese
\nbusinessmen take a break from their negotiations and start
\nsnapping their fingers to the music.<\/p>\n
The only weakness of New Roots, and it's a major one I'm
\nafraid, is their original tunes, which they characterize as
\n\"pop.\" In what I assume is an effort to make their music sound
\n\"modern\" or \"trendy,\" their own work is stripped bare of the
\nAfrican sound which makes them good in the first place.<\/p>\n
The beats are sterile and repetitious, and the lyrics seem to
\nbe making such an effort to be sophisticated that they fall on
\ntheir face. Let's face it, the word \"paleontologists\" should
\nnever, ever be used in a song. Period.<\/p>\n
This aside, New Roots is putting forth some good reggae in a
\ncity that doesn't see much. Hopefully, they will serve to broaden
\nthe following that reggae already has in this town, and also
\nteach others that this style of music does not equal a bunch of
\nLondoners singing \"I Can't Help Falling In Love With You.\"<\/p>\n
New Roots will be in Jakarta at Cafe Batavia until July 4.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/new-roots-at-cafe-batavia-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }