Back to nature night clubbing in the Big Durian
Back to nature night clubbing in the Big Durian
Jakarta's club scene has been looking quite vibrant of late.
There are now a copious amount of clubs around in which to engage
in some serious dance floor shuffling, all of which are
immaculately kitted out with extravagant post-modern decor and an
equally extravagant rich, young clientele.
Retro, Stadium and Embassy, which have more recently been
joined by Bliss and South Jakarta's Centro, are all silky smooth
temples of bass that resonate to the hedonistic sounds of global
club culture every weekend.
Drinks may be pricier in these places but, unlike a clubbing
night out in the West, at least they're not queuing 10 deep at
the bar.
This neon escapism has been further enhanced by the big-name
DJs who have been coming to town in greater and greater numbers
recently.
Despite tsunamis and bombs, many international DJ superstars
come to Jakarta to spin the platters that matter and, at the same
time, check out one of the maddest cities on the planet. Sasha,
David Seaman, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Roger Sanchez, K-
Klass and DJ Rap (famous one and all, honest) have all whipped
Jakarta club goers into an electronic frenzy over the last year
or two.
However, the club scene here is not confined to indoor venues.
Outdoor events -- or raves, as they often referred to -- have
been held regularly at Ancol, Sentul, Anyer beach and even once
at the National Museum. These nights have proved very successful
because outdoor festivals have a power and excitement all of
their own.
The original outdoor rave scene sprang up in the UK in the
early Nineties. Lovers of techno and hardcore (a popular
precursor to some of today's club sounds) would rent huge, empty
warehouses whilst keeping their hedonistic intentions a secret
from the warehouse owners.
They would then set up makeshift sound systems and spread the
word over the grapevine. Hoards of pilled up ravers would then
descend on the venues and dance until dawn or until the police
arrived to pull the plug.
What these warehouse parties lacked in sophistication they
made up for in energy and illicit thrills.
Mega successful techno act Orbital actually derive their name
not from any cosmic, NASA-esque idealism but from London's M25
orbital ring road, around which most of these impromptu rave
venues were situated (The group recently returned to their toll
road roots with a show at Jakarta's Sentul Stadium, right next to
the Bogor tollway).
These warehouse (and often also outdoor) raves were soon
outlawed by a government hell bent on stopping the kids from
having fun. Evidently the loved up positivity and subversive
politics of the scene scared the conservative powers that be to
the extent that they even tried to introduce bizarre legislation
forbidding people from playing music with repetitive beats for
extended periods.
The rave scene had finished but as the music of techno,
trance, house, jungle and drum and bass reached critical mass and
went over ground during the Nineties, Al Fresco techno lived
again.
Annual summer outdoor rock festivals, for a long time a
feature of the European music scene, were gradually subverted by
club music to the extent where separate outdoor dance festivals
began to flourish. The music has now been assimilated into
mainstream culture and these festivals don't have quite the same
anarchic edge to them as the original raves did.
However, the idealism, the peace, the love and the hedonism
all remain intact.
This is the history that Jakarta's outdoor festivals have been
drawing on over the last three years or so.
The city's best outdoor venue would have to be the Ancol Park
complex. Its two massive beachfront areas (Pantai Festival and
Pantai Carnival) have proved to be absolutely ideal for the
purpose. These beachside raves have been spectacular affairs.
Dance record labels Gatecrasher and God's Kitchen have held
festivals here as well as the superlative annual Jakarta Movement
event.
Massive stages and sound systems, kaleidoscopic laser lights,
huge crowds and intelligent organization have all contributed to
the great success of these nights.
Plus, as a bonus, you get that balmy Asian weather and the
chance to squash sand between your toes on the beach, clearly an
improvement on the cold rain and sludge of Britain's Glastonbury
Festival.
Next Saturday, June 11, sees the return of the Jakarta
movement festival to Ancol. The night will feature DJs from the
British super club Cream as well as well-known local DJs.
Tickets can be purchased at the "door" but are also available now
for Rp 85,000. Disc Tara at Plaza Senayan (tel: 572 5710) might
be a good place to start.
It promises to be a fun-filled night and what with local boy
DJ Adhe beating competitors from Japan and Singapore in the
Heineken Thirst DJ search competition semifinals in Kuala Lumpur
recently, the scene is looking healthy.
--Simon Pitchforth