Paul F. Agusta
\nContributor\/Bandung<\/p>\n
Out of the dim, dark yesterday of the rapidly and consistently
\nshifting music trends in Indonesia, in which bands explode onto
\nthe scene like fireworks and fade away in a puff of smoke, one
\nband still shines brightly.<\/p>\n
Pure Saturday, the old warhorses of the pioneer days of the
\nBandung indie scene of the early 1990s, keep the sparks of
\ninspiration flying at frequent gigs throughout Java and Bali.
\nTheir latest ball of fire, an album titled Elora hit the shelves
\nlate in March.<\/p>\n
Pure Saturday, which grouped guitarists Adi and Arif, bassist
\nAde, and drummer Udi, and Suar, the original vocalist, released
\ntheir first album titled simply Pure Saturday in 1994. The
\ninitially diminutive release of the album with a black cover with
\nthe image of a little toy boat on it blew the minds of music fans
\nand critics throughout the country. Nobody had ever made music
\nlike that in Indonesia before, and with the help of their melodic
\nbut morose hit single, Kosong, the band ruled the airwaves for
\nmonths.<\/p>\n
Focusing on the premise that any given piece of music should
\nbe the synthesis, or unified sum total, of all the sounds of all
\nthe musical instruments employed, including the human voice, Pure
\nSaturday creates seamlessly fluent strains of movingly
\natmospheric rock.<\/p>\n
\"Conceptually, nothing has changed with us. We're still
\nfocused on music as a whole,\" said Ade, the big, bald, smiling
\nchain smoker who plays the bass for the band.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, when it comes to process, there have been some
\nchanges, but conceptually, no,\" Adi, the bespectacled, intensely
\nfocused guitarist, explained. \"For our first and second albums,
\nthe music simply flowed out of us just jamming. But now, because
\nof technology like 'frooty loops', Ade and I, like make the base
\nmelody for songs on the computer, and in the studio, everyone
\nelse adds in,\" he added.<\/p>\n
\"In the old days, we had more time to hang out, just jamming
\nlike crazy. But now things have got to be a bit more scheduled,\"
\nsaid Ade, who makes a living as a freelance musician.<\/p>\n
\"The one thing that has changed radically for all of us, is
\nthat we are now married, and we can't hang out as much,\" Ade
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
\"It is possible to make a living from music, but it's never
\neasy,\" Ade said of the fact that all of the members of Pure
\nSaturday, including their new vocalist, Satrio, who replaced Suar
\nwhen he had to chose between his day job in a company and his
\nmusical endeavors, are gainfully employed in regular jobs.<\/p>\n
Satrio, or Iyo, doubles as Pure Saturday's manager, as well as
\npublishing Ripple, an indie magazine. Adi works in graphic
\ndesign, and the others have jobs outside the music sector as
\nwell.<\/p>\n
Yet, for Pure Saturday, the music never, ever dies. It is the
\ncenter of their universe, the sun that burns through their souls
\nto blaze brightly in their songs and to set fires under the
\nyounger musicians that frequent their gigs to see what the
\noriginal movers and shakers are doing now.<\/p>\n
\"Honestly, what encouraged us to release our new albums was
\nthese new kids. We felt challenged. Why couldn't we produce
\nagain? Adi had a bunch of material in his computer files, and we
\nstill had the will, we just had to get together and do it,\" Ade
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"There are a lot of good bands out there now, making really
\nnice music,\" Ade continued enthusiastically.<\/p>\n
Pure Saturday is especially heartened by the efforts of groups
\nlike Sendal Jepit, Mocca, Teenage Death Star, Rocket Rockers, The
\nUpstairs, and The S.I.G.I.T., whom they feel are carrying on the
\nindie spirit that Pure Saturday sparked eleven years ago.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/paul-f-agusta-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}