A music club that has real class
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Many people are tired of music bars in Jakarta that only give them a headache from some ear-splitting noise they call music.
You know the places. They are the proverbial "black holes", with menus that consist only of overpriced fried potatoes, fried squid and draft beer; clubs that choose sensory deprivation (dark) or sensory overload (can't hear oneself think) and a few wobbling lights over any sense of interior design.
Praise be then to the Nine Muses Club, a live music venue in South Jakarta that offers what most clubs in the city don't: ambience and class.
The club in Jl. Wijaya I, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta is about more than just music -- its blend of architecture, cuisine and music is a heady mix; it is truly without overstatement a complete sensual experience.
Situated in one of the city's bustling business districts, the club was designed to create the ultimate encounter between great music and simple, yet memorable cuisine.
On entering Nine Muses, one begin to appreciate its labyrinth- like structure. A short walk down a narrow candle-lit corridor takes patrons to a place that no one would imagine existing in a business district.
The club has three levels that promise three different experiences.
The ground floor is the perfect place for people who want intimacy without being too close to the stage, where bands of different styles regularly play.
Going down to the basement, meanwhile, patrons soon find themselves in a whole new world. An outdoor green grass-carpeted area is a great venue for a garden party or an open-air gig, with a sizable stage erected in one corner. The styling of the area is at least as good as those in the famous Aman resorts here.
Then there's the music.
With one of the capital's most well-rounded musicians, Tjuk Nyak Deviana Daudsyah, the director of the Daya Music School, as the brain behind the club's roster of performers, expect only the best jazz, opera singers and blues musicians.
A consummate piano player and singer, Deviana regularly takes the stage herself.
The venue is aiming to attract the world's top jazz artists for regular shows and it has already seen performances by international artists including Eric Benet and pop singer Marion Raven.
Deviana also plans to release a CD compilation of music she composed that has been performed by bands at the club.
As for the food, the Nine Muses offered bistro-inspired cuisine, simple and generous meals served in a pleasant atmosphere.
Its menu accommodates both European and Asian tastes and ranges from seared duck foie gras, pan-fried Australian tenderloin, grilled Norway salmon to roasted Peking duck.
There is also a wide selection of fine wines available.
The Nine Muses technical advisor Gil D'Harcour said that his club aimed to bring freshness and difference to the capital.
"We are not only a restaurant ... We bring cultural events to the capital. A harmony between food culture and music culture," D'Harcour told The Jakarta Post.
He said the main attribute the Nine Muses creators could be proud of was their club's uniqueness.
"Some of the foreign artists who have performed here were amazed by our club, they said they could not find this in Paris or anywhere else in the world," he said.
The Nine Muses club, Jl. Wijaya 1 No. 25, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, tel 7221188, fax 7279 0849. www.ninemusesclub.com