The Groove: Getting into the nonmainstream beat<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
When Bandung-based band The Groove first took the leap into the
\nmusic scene back in 1997, it was a go-with-the-flow or
\nstick-with-your-heart kind of thing.<\/p>\n
They had to pick between cashing in by playing mass appeal
\npop, or take the risk of finding a more limited audience for
\ntheir jazz\/funk inflected pop music.<\/p>\n
They chose the latter, their albums sold quite well -- the
\nthird Hati-hati (Be Careful) was released earlier this month --
\nand earned some respect for delivering a different sound in the
\nmusic industry.<\/p>\n
Of course, the journey was not that easy.<\/p>\n
\"The struggle was painful,\" vocalist Rika Roslan recalled of
\nthe rejection they received for not playing to the masses.<\/p>\n
She and her seven bandmates always believed there must be an
\naudience somewhere for their music.<\/p>\n
There was, for as they began to perform in cafes and clubs,
\npeople packed the places to hear the band play acid jazz numbers
\nfrom the likes of Jamiroquai, Incognito and Brand New Heavies,
\nand also their own.<\/p>\n
With six instruments -- guitar, bass, drums, piano, keyboard,
\nand percussion -- plus two vocalists, the band offers a richly
\ntextured groovin' and upbeat sound.<\/p>\n
From their success on the Bandung club scene, the offers
\nstarted coming in from Jakarta where the band caught the
\nattention of songwriter Yovie Widianto, who brought them to the
\nattention of Sony Music.<\/p>\n
As the band signed album deals, they first learned to
\ncompromise and limit their creativity. Used to playing a long
\nimprovised song, they had to rein themselves in to make a more
\nradio-friendly track in the studio.<\/p>\n
Rieka had to be less showy with her voice and the band needed
\nto write songs with more simple structures to make them more
\ncatchy. The results, however, were not compromised works, let
\nalone selling out.<\/p>\n
The band's 1999 debut album Kuingin (I Want) was filled with
\ncatchy numbers, mixes of pop, jazz, funk and dance music, yet its
\ncharm did not fade with repeated listening.<\/p>\n
The album earned rave reviews, although as they predicted,
\nthey found themselves segmented to the upper class market.<\/p>\n
They released a critically acclaimed sophomore effort called
\nMata, Telinga dan Hati (Eye, Ear and Heart) two years later, with
\nnumbers highlighted by brass and string sections.<\/p>\n
The band members' individual skills are also recognized, as
\nthey are often invited as solo guest musicians for other artists.
\nRieka has written hit songs for singers like Shanty and Malaysian
\nSheila Majid.<\/p>\n
They suffered a big blow when bassist Yuke left the band and
\njoined Dewa, reportedly the country's highest paid band. It was
\nan ironic move amid The Groove's earlier commitment.<\/p>\n
The band moved on, recruiting a new member and went back into
\nthe studio to record its third album, which came out earlier this
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
It is a more back-to-basics album, with smooth jazz rather
\nthan upbeat acid jazz if previous works. The band sticks with the
\neight-member formation to \"get the accurate sound\".<\/p>\n
They also brought in a pack of noted jazz musicians as
\ncollaborators, like Indra Lesmana, Idham Noorsaid and Aksan
\nSyuman.<\/p>\n
Each member's personal taste veers into jazz, such as Sarah
\nVaughan, Billie Holiday, Herbie Hancock and Bill Evans.<\/p>\n
The Groove was featured in the noted local festival Jazz Goes
\nTo Campus (JGTC) in 1997. Rieka also sang in the jazz band Jam O
\nBembe which rocked the stage of JGTC the end of last year.<\/p>\n
\"We still call our music pop. We love jazz, but we still can't
\nplay it well. We always learn, though,\" Rieka said.<\/p>\n
One thing for sure is they will always struggle to hold to
\ntheir beliefs, a music idealism that unfortunately has faded in
\ntheir hometown, even though Bandung has a long established
\nreputation for producing noted musicians and groups, such as
\nHarry Roesli, Gigi and Yovie.<\/p>\n
\"They (Bandung musicians) now play the same kind of music,
\nR&B. Apparently, local cafes and clubs now give less freedom to
\nplay the music they want. That's understandable because there are
\nnot as many clubs there as in Jakarta. But it's very unfortunate
\nand not conducive for new musicians,\" Rieka said.<\/p>\n
She urged young people to be stubborn in playing the music
\nthat they like.<\/p>\n
\"From the beginning, we want to be different and we play what
\nwe like. There's a risk involved, but turns out that it sells,\"
\nRieka said.<\/p>\n
According to her, their audience started to expand, including
\nto the lower economy bracket, as well as teenagers.<\/p>\n
Their recent gig in the easternmost province of Papua opened
\ntheir eyes to the possibility of looking beyond the usual
\nmarkets.<\/p>\n
\"The people there like our songs and looked for our records
\nafter seeing our gigs. Our target now is to play as many gigs as
\npossible in the regions so that people see there is another
\ngenre, rather than what's played in the television and radio.\"<\/p>",
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