Prog rock going from niche to mainstream<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Different answers are bound to come from different people about
\nthe definition, and merits, of progressive "prog" rock.<\/p>\n
Fans will say something about an intellectual, mature and
\nsophisticated genre.<\/p>\n
Others deride it as a pompous extension of psychedelia, the
\nconcoction of some brilliant instrumentalists who end up playing
\na 10-minute long song about nothing in particular, or rock that
\nis so progressive no one gets what it is all about.<\/p>\n
The Guinness Rockopedia is about as blunt, describing it as a
\nmovement that emerged in the UK in the 1960s, "characterized by
\nthe experimentalism of 'Krautrock' groups like Can and Faust, or
\nby ugly men with long hair .... Save for stubborn types like
\nHawkwind and Gong, prog was taken aback by punk in 1977".<\/p>\n
But it did not simply shrivel up and disappear in the punk
\nmovement's wake, with its die-hard fans holding a torch for it to
\nthis day.<\/p>\n
Andy Julias from the Indonesian Progressive Society (IPS)
\nnotes the example of Yes, Genesis and other prog rock musicians
\nback in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
He emphasized that in this country, as in other parts of the
\nworld, the genre still finds fans and a market.<\/p>\n
"We have over 200 members, but we figure that the number of
\npeople who like progressive rock is much more than that," said
\nAndy, who founded IPS in 2000 along with other fans.<\/p>\n
IPS is also aimed at helping prog rock artists to record their
\ncreations.<\/p>\n
"Through festivals in 2001 and 2002, we found some potential
\nbands. Now we're sure there's the market and we have the artists.
\nAll we need now is a label which can distribute it," Andy said.<\/p>\n
After much negotiation, IPS succeeded in persuading Sony Music
\nIndonesia to establish a new label for the genre, PRS Records,
\nwhich was launched last Thursday.<\/p>\n
"Basically, IPS provides the materials (the bands) and Sony
\ndistributes them," said Andy.<\/p>\n
Established in 1997, Sony Music Entertainment Indonesia has
\nproduced several local artists, but mostly in pop music. Some of
\nthem, such as bands Sheila on 7 and Padi, have gone on to become
\nsuccessful and sold millions of copies of their albums.<\/p>\n
"This type of music isn't as big as pop in terms of the market
\nand the distribution. This (prog rock) is very segmented. But
\nwe're going to accommodate segmented music like that," said Jan
\nDjuhana, senior director of Sony Music Indonesia.<\/p>\n
For the first project, PRS Records recently released two
\nalbums from prog rock bands Discus and In Memoriam, respectively
\ntitled Tot Licht and The Ultimate Terrorizing Aura of Unlogic
\nMind.<\/p>\n
The label will soon release works by two other bands,
\nImanissimo and Purgatory, which along with In Memoriam, comprise
\nyoung musicians in their early and middle 20s.<\/p>\n
Discus, meanwhile, has been around longer; their first album
\nDiscus 1st was released by independent label Chicoira Production
\nin 1999.<\/p>\n
The group has also performed at two international progressive
\nrock festival: ProgDay in North Carolina in 2000 and Baja Prog in
\nMexico a year later, where they received good reviews.<\/p>\n
So, what line of prog rock do these bands present?<\/p>\n
They conform to the long duration, for sure, with Anne from
\nDiscus lasting 19:23 and others averaging around 12 minutes,
\nwhile In Memoriam's Overture runs 13 minutes.<\/p>\n
Musically, Discus fuses a wide range of music styles, from
\njazz, classical, folk, rock and Indonesian traditional music. The
\nband brings together dozens of musical instruments, from clarinet
\nto harp guitar, Balinese traditional instruments to flute.<\/p>\n
In keeping with prog rock bands' tendency to be musically
\nsophisticated, if not pretentious, in developing their lyrics
\n(take a look at Rick Wakeman), Discus explored the life journey
\nof national heroine Kartini through the book Door Duisternist Tot
\nLicht (From Darkness Into the Light).<\/p>\n
"We started from the contemplation of Kartini's journey which
\nis rarely exposed," said vocalist Fadhil Indra, about the
\ncollection of letters of Kartini to a confidant in the
\nNetherlands.<\/p>\n
Anne, meanwhile, tells the tale of Anne Frank, with some kecak
\n(Balinese dance) music inserted.<\/p>\n
As for In Memoriam, the band provides an amalgamation of
\nGothic rock with rap, punk and hip hop. Imanissimo and Purgatory
\nveer heavily into metal.<\/p>\n
Despite having a major label distribute their records, the
\nbands are not embarking on the usual promotional tours or
\nreleasing a slew of video clips.<\/p>\n
"Promotion eats the biggest part of the whole budget. As the
\nbudget is still very limited, we try to cut the budget as much as
\npossible. There won't be any video clips for them because it's
\nexpensive and the duration is too long," Andy said.<\/p>\n
The organization will find alternative ways to promote the
\nalbum, such as through word of mouth and the Internet.<\/p>\n
For the bands, whatever the forum, it is their chance to
\nfinally show people what they have to offer.<\/p>\n
"We're glad to be involved in IPS and that we can produce a
\nrecord with them. Finally, somebody gets what our music is about
\nand doesn't call it weird anymore," said Raymond from In
\nMemoriam.<\/p>",
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